Courage is knowing what not to fear

CARADOC.

             caradoc  respected  kingsley.  the  man  had  honor     &     he  was  damn  good  at  his  job.  one  of  the  best  really,  proving  himself  time     &     time  again  to  be  more  than  necessary  when  it  came  to  the  order.  they  might  not  have  been  on  the  same  team  anymore,  but  doc  knew  better  than  to  test  him.  at  least  not  at  that  moment  .  .  .  because  he  was  always  thinking.  always  planning.  always  prepared  to  burn  bridges  should  it  benefit  him  in  the  end. 

                            but  kingsley  wasn’t  a  chord  he  was  ready  to  cut  yet. 

            ❛     ah  c’mon.  we  both  know  it’s  not  a  real  party  until  you  show  up.     ❜     his  laugh  was  dry  as  he  took  his  seat  on  the  immaculate  couch,  comfortable,  yet  obviously  brand  new;  a  testament  to  how  freely  cornius  was  spending  caradoc’s  money.  testing  the  spring  of  the  cushions,  he  arched  his  brow  at  the  owner. 

❛     it  .  .  .  it  was  donated.     ❜

❛     was it now     ?     ❜

             caradoc  eyed  cornius  with  an  amused  glint  in  his  eyes.  he  looked  unworldly     &     all-knowing,  not  unlike  the  gods  that  cornius  often  prayed  to.  the  business owner  danced  on  the  line  of  loyalty,  even  switching  up  religions  whenever  he  saw  fit.  caradoc  hated  him.  unfortunately,  all  his  wrongs  had  been  done  in  secret     &     the  kingsleys  of  the  world  were  too  busy  frying  bigger  fish.  so  here  he  was,  picking  up  the  slack     &     profiting  from  it.      ❛     i  know  it’s  tough  for  ya,  but  ya  gotta  drop  the  dumb  routine,  ‘cause  i  ain’t  havin’  it.     ❜

                  he  tapped  the  side  of  the  couch,  his  grin  still  present  as  he  turned  his  attention  to  their  newest  addition.      ❛     what  can  we  do  ya  for,  king     ?     not  sure  if  ya  noticed,  but  my  pretty  lil’  partner  here  is  in  a  bit  of  a  jam  .  .  .  classic  lover’s  quarrel,  really.      ❜

❛     you’re  uh  .  .  .  you’re  not  actually  allowed  back  here,  sir.     ❜

❛     ah     !      we’re  all  friends  here,  cornius.  let  him  stay.    ❜ 

There were rare spaces that Kingsley didn’t dominate though it was not often that the Auror truly tried to dominate with his presence. He was the smile on the Auror’s line, the laughter that resounded through the Order meetings. He was also the body that shielded those without thought. This wasn’t a room that Kingsley was seeking to dominate. No, it was clear that Caradoc had already set that role up for himself, but it was also not a space that he felt he could fade into the shadows within.

Watching the exchange between the former Order member and Cornius, Kingsley pieced the puzzle together rather quickly as to what exactly was going down between them. Kingsley was neither stupid nor blind, and he had ears to the walls everywhere imaginable. “Cornius, mate, it’s in your best interest that I’m here,” Kingsley told the man, leaning back against the doorframe now that he had a read on the room. Casual was his best weapon, the ruse of being laid-back and sluggish when he was constantly ready to throw himself into the fray.

“What you can do for me, Caradoc, is help me help you from dirtying your hands that much more,” Kingsley said simply, his arms crossing over his broad chest as he watched the two men. “Go about your business. I’ve heard enough about Cornius’ dealings to know they’re not upstanding, but there are laws to uphold and I’m that enforcer.” He explained, more to Caradoc but his dark eyes turned to pin Cornius as well.  He didn’t condone bullies and vultures like Caradoc edged on being, but he understood justice wasn’t always pure. “Getting tangled in a web is one thing, but I can’t let the spider eat the fly,” Kingsley added, tilting his head slightly as he made it clear to the business owner that Cornius was the fly in this situation- stuck and helpless, but not from innocent missteps.

            cornius  walked  forward,  his  gaze  shuffling  back     &     forth  from  the  floor,  to  the  customers,  then  up  to  caradoc.  he  was  twitchy  at  best.  a  nervous  fool  who  had  entered  the  wrong  business      &     pissed  off  the  wrong  people.  unfortunately,  the  crude  mess  of  a  bounty  hunter  wasn’t  a  big  player  in  the  game  of  forgiveness.  he  did  cornius  a  favor  .  .  .  or  perhaps  favor  wasn’t  the  right  word.  caradoc  rarely  did  something  without  a  purpose;  without  strings  attached  that  he  could  later  tug     &     pull  for  his  own  benefit.  if  there  was  one  thing  in  the  world  that  was  constant,  it  was  that  caradoc  dearborn  was  always  working  an  angle. 

                              ❛     not  here.  please.  wait  until  the  end  of  the  day,  i  won’t  run,  i  swear.     ❜     his  words  were  desperate,  given  in  a  whisper  out  of  fear  of  others  hearing.      ❛     we  can  handle  this  without  spooking  my  customers     !     ❜  

             ❛     because  i’m  known  so  well  for  my  patience.     ❜     his  lip  twitched  upward.  smug.  caradoc  was  smug.     &     he  might’ve  shot  kingsley  a  quick  glance  in  the  process.  or  maybe  he  didn’t.  it  was  hard  to  tell  with  him. 

❛     when  have  i  ever  lied     ?     ❜     he  seethed. 

❛     are  we  telling  jokes  now     ?     ❜

❛     laughs  the  bounty  hunter  scum     !     ❜     

❛     i’m  a  public  service  enthusiast.     ❜

❛     you  blackmail  people     !     ❜

❛     i  collect  information.  everyone  has  their  hobbies.     ❜ 

                       caradoc  was  confident     &     casual,  as  if  he  was  talking  about  the  latest  quidditch  game  or  maybe  even  the  girl  he  bedded  the  night  before.  he  offered  a  look,  nodding  at  the  man  to  follow  him.  the  same  man  who  was  now  speechless     &     undeniably  nervous.     ❛     please.     ❜     his  eyes  were  wide,  tilitng  his  head  in  a  last  ditch  effort  to  find  the  bounty  hunter’s  soul.  joke  was  on  him.  caradoc  didn’t  feel  pity.  at  least  he  hadn’t  in  a  long,  long  time. 

          he  smiled,  dark     &     lacking  any  kindness  as  he  turned  on  his  heel     &     headed  for  the  man’s  office,  knowing  full  well  that  cornius  followed  meekly  behind  him.  this  time,  as  he  passed  the  bar,  his  gaze  on  kingsley  was  obvious.  so  was  the  smirk  that  crossed  his  features  as  he  offered   a  wave. 

Though it wasn’t as if he was trying to not be spotted, the small flicker of Dearborn’s eyes towards him was still enough to ruffle Kingsley’s feathers a bit. It was a rarity that Kingsley was out somewhere not on business, and just as usual, he had been there to meet someone who claimed to have some information for him. Weighing his options as it seemed the two wizards’ conversation was coming to a head, Kingsly decided that there was no time like the present. If the informant valued the protection that Kingsley, and the Order, could provide then they would meet with him some other time.

Now, as the pair moved, Kingsley finally did as well. He abandoned his drink and slipped his wand up his sleeve, standing and throwing enough to cover his bill and some onto the bar top before heading in the same direction both Dearborn and Cornius had gone. The wave was what truly pushed the Auror on. He didn’t appreciate the line of the law being danced on in front of his eyes, nor could he find a reason to sit now that his naturalistic observation session had been broken up. 

He fell into line just behind Cornius, the man unknowing of his presence until they passed the threshold of his office and Kingsley shut the door behind him before Cornius could. The owner of the establishment looked at him with wide eyes that Kingsley determined held only the faintest gleam of recognition. “Evening, gentlemen,” Kingsley said, looking from Cornius to fix his gaze on Caradoc. “Long time, Dearborn. Hate to intrude on your fun, truly.” He added, his tone making it clear that that was an absolute lie.

                       caradoc  smiled  at  the  undeniably  nervous  owner,  a  dark  hint  etched  across  the  edges  of  his  lips  as  he  tapped  the  wood  of  the  table.  the  business  was  running  smoothly,  people  laughing  in  tandem     &     chowing  down  on  whatever  food  the  smiling  waitress  would  bring  their  way.   he  would  hate  to  ruin  it  .  .  .  but  the  man  owed  him.  so  unless  the  money  in  the  register  somehow  ended  up  in  his  pockets,  they  were  going  to  have  a  problem.     ❛     my  that’s  a  pretty  penny,     ❜     he  mused  as  his  gaze  fell  over  a  wanted  poster. 

Though most thought Kingsley as the impulsive hero type, one of the reasons the man had lived so long was thanks to his ability to wait and observe. Which was exactly what he had decided to do. Leaning back in his seat, Kingsley balanced his wand on his thigh and palmed a chilled mug in the other as his dark eyes took in the interaction between the man he knew to be Caradoc Dearborn and Cornius, the owner of the establishment in which he was currently sat. Kingsley noted the obvious nervous tension in Cornius and the too-calm edge that Dearborn was holding. He seemed to be almost always toeing that line.

The fingers of his right hand ghosted over the smooth wood of his wand as he waited to see how it would play out and if his intervention would be needed. Bounty hunters were vultures, plain and simple, they worked for their own agenda with no thoughts about ruining a sting that would lead to more lockups in the long run. They just wanted their coin and there was something about that that didn’t sit right with Kingsley. It urged him to rise to his feet and insert himself into the scene, but he sat still and convinced himself to wait.

 why were children so slippery? one moment he had had dora right in his sight and the next she had managed to sneak away from him. well, this definitely wasn’t something that was going to look good for his future role as god father to james’s child. he was pretty certain that lily and james would have his head if he were to ever lose their kid. excuse me, not lose, temporary misplace. that was what he was trying to convince himself had happened as he searched the crowded ice cream shop for the girl that was practically his niece. it didn’t take too long to find her. she was headed back towards the line to get more ice cream though she was rather rudely cutting the line. “ dora no! “ he exclaimed as he grasped his shoulder and pulled her back from cutting the line. “ er–sorry about that, “ he said to whoever she’d cut in line.

Blending into the crowds of Diagon Alley was something that Kingsley had to become that much more skilled at the more he became known as an Auror. He was good at moving at the pace of most shoppers and entering stores just often and long enough to not draw attention to himself. For that reason, Kingsley was standing in line to buy an ice cream to appear occupied with as he eyed the wizard he was tracking through the widow, the sight obscured only by the logo painted over it.

When a small hand touched his knee, shoving it aside with a force that was honestly impressive, Kingsley looked down and spotted the familiar shock of colorful hair that marked Andromeda and Ted’s daughter. Not a beat later and Sirius had appeared and tugged her back a step. “No need, mate. A day with you and she’s obviously famished.” Kingsley replied with a teasing smile, taking a step and gesturing in front of him for them to truly cut before tossing a look over his shoulder as if daring the only other man in line to protest.

“No- I think I’m good- it may look like a mess but I’ve got everything under control here.” he chuckled, trying to make his statement seem more friendly and less stern. “How the Azkaban did you get yours done so fast? I swear, you’re giving the rest of us a good run for our galleons.” 

As the other Auror spoke, Kingsley weighed him up for a moment before smiling in response to his subdued laughter. “Organized chaos- I know the type.” He commented, thinking to his roommates and not-so-official roommate that often swept through his place like a hurricane. “By the Grace of Merlin and having nothing better to do- that and coffee. Can’t forget the magic that is caffeine.” Kingsley noted with a chuckle of his own.

“My self-love is sequestered to after 5 o’clock, not every time there’s a reflective surface around.” She shrugged in a ‘what-can-you-do’ sort of way before grinning back at him and shrugged again at his Rosetta Stone comment. 

“What can I say, my summers were all too boring before you came around. Only so many times you can play the beater for both your brothers’ Quidditch teams and not get tired of it.” 

She pushed herself away from her desk, stretching her arms over her head with a graceful wiggle of her fingertips before she stood up. “You know how it is, love. You’re too on the nose with those things. Eventually all those Death Eaters are going to have to come up with more…creative methods. Kazoos are just the beginning, and it’s all your fault for being too good at what you do. Lead the way.”

“You have them to thank for your spryness all these years later though- and me to thank for your sanity and right hook,” Kingsley said, beaming as the woman rose to her feet. With Emmeline’s interference, it was less likely that he would have to attempt to escort the foreign wizard as diplomatically as possible from his office without being able to help him at all. “That’s the first compliment I’ve ever received that involved kazoos. You keep my life interesting, baby girl.” He told her, before moving out of her space along the well-worn trail to his own. “How’s your week been so far though, Emmy? No weird clients or death threats that need my Auror skills which are so refined Death Eaters are resorting to kazoos?” He questioned, the inquiry only half-playful. Kingsley constantly worried about those that were under his extended blanket of protective caring and Emmeline was definitely tucked underneath it. 

Upon reaching the Auror’s department, Kingsley ducked under an enchanted paper airplane that was twisting through the air in the bullpen and led the way to his office. As he pulled the door fully open, he was relieved to see that the foreign wizard was still sitting within it though he seemed no less panicked than he had before Kingsley left. “Miss Vance.” Kingsley said simply, gesturing towards Emmeline as he moved to perch on the surface of his desk.

“I was definitely paying attention to what you said.” Benjy said, his brows raised as he looked up from his desk. Stacks of papers from auror reports were clouding his mind from thinking about anything else. That- and the fact he that one damn pina colada song stuck in his head again. “Just to clarify, what was it you needed from me again?” 

When Benjy finally pulled his eyes away from the reports on his desk, Kingsley couldn’t help but roll his eyes good-naturedly at the man. Paying attention his lift arse cheek. “That completed report on my desk by three.” He repeated, leaning against Benjy’s desk as he took in the amount of paperwork he seemed to have left. Not thinking of the ultimate consequences, just of the fact that he had completed his own reports by the grace of Merlin, he offered, “You need some help, mate?”

“Why would I care?” Confusion muddled his features. Their sex lives while good for teasing were none of his business. “Except that the old grump is probably going to introduce observation training or some shit cause it took me this long to notice… So beers can be on you for that one.“ He chuckled before finally looking up. The lack of smile on his roommate’s face dawned on him. “Ran into him, shirtless, in our kitchen the other morning,” he offered by way of explanation. “Even I put two and two together there.”

Shrugging his shoulders, Kingsley immediately felt better due to Gideon’s reaction. “There is a lot of reasons that you could have cared, mate. Glad that you don’t.” He said, accepting his lack of concern before chuckling at the other wizard’s bad fortune. “Yeah, well I am surprised that it took you this long honestly so maybe it’s for the best. Can’t have you going and getting yourself blown up on us.” Kingsley teased. 

As Gideon explained just how he found out, Kingsley slowly nodded. It was nice to know that it wasn’t him that had slipped up at least. “Yeah, I can see how that would lead to that conclusion. Just, uh, I don’t know if Al mentioned it, but we’re not really flaunting it around so if you could keep it to yourself, Gid, that’d be ace.”

A successful night ended with Kingsley bringing a known dealer of cursed objects back into the office for detainment. The wizard was a suspected go-between for the dark market and the Death Eaters, and Kingsley had been trailing him for a couple of days to gather enough evidence to keep him before he nabbed him. 

Now, the Auror sat in a chair across the table from the bound and wandless criminal. His feet were kicked up onto the tabletop so that his chair was tilted back on two legs, his stance nothing but relaxed as he waited for his interrogation partner to join him. Kingsy had called for Moody, but if the man was out it was very likely that someone else was going to walk through the door. Either way, Kingsley’s interrogation tactic was already being implemented. When presented with his relaxed attitude after a rough arrest, a suspect either relaxed or became super on edge, which one they did could tell you alot about their nature and how to approach the rest of the interrogation.

When the door opened, Kingsley didn’t put his feet down and instead of turning, he tilted his head back over his shoulders in order to take in the newcomer. Spotting Alastor as he entered, Kingsley openly beamed at the man. “Dragging your feet there, Moody?” He asked, keeping his voice light which would have been in stark contrast to the gruff and athoritative tone he used when arresting the dealer in the first place. “No worries, our friend’s got no where to be anyways.”

“They do say beauty is in the eye of the beholder. And since you spend so much of your time staring into your own reflection…” she trailed off, raising a teasing brow at him and tossing the quill she’d been using back into its ink pot with a flourish. “Are you sure you’re not just describing your emotional cycle throughout the day, because it sounds fairly close to mine.”

“Nothing that can’t be cured with a drink though, I s’pose.” She frowned lightly at him as she saw his tongue poking out of his mouth threateningly and dropped her hands back to her desk, flipping over the covers of a few files. She wasn’t going to get anything done while he was around anyway. “What can I say? Every girl needs her mysteries, darling. Otherwise, what’s the fun?” She propped her head up in her palm and nodded gently as he continued. “I’ve known you for a while, Shacklebolt. Every foreign language tends to sound like kazoos to you. Or perhaps they were just trying to tell you a Death Eater put a kazoo in their throat. Either or. Looks like I’ll be swinging by you sooner rather than later. Are they still around?”

“We need to talk about your emotional cycle it seems, Emmy. Sounds like a hailstorm- and you comment on my self-love.” Kingsley said, tilting his head as he looked down at her with an amused smile. As she continued to hide away her files, he let out a dramatic sigh before rolling his eyes at her comment on his lack of language skills. “Listen, I speak two and that is going to have to be enough. Not everyone is a walking Rosetta Stone.” He teased before nodding knowingly. “A kazoo choking death eater. Strange tactic that is.” He commented before hopping back up onto his feet. “They’re in my office now actually. If you’re not busy, you’d be a life saver- and I’d owe you one.”

“And gorgeous.” Kingsley’s words, after all. His mind, however, quickly traveled far away from that house and back into all the work he could be doing at the office. Missions seemed to pile up, mainly because Alastor took on far too many, and the newest one being somewhat out of his control just made him the more interested in checking every step of it. In his head, he listed all the details he could remember and the things he’d like to add, only breaking away from the thought a bit as Kingsley returned. He took the mug with a muttered thank you and began sipping before replying. “Nothing wrong with a go-bag.” Of course, he’d say that. “Didn’t you get one good enough?” He shook his head in disapproval, as if he hadn’t chuckled. “Look, trading this,” he pointed at Kingsley’s general direction, “for work? I’m not excited about it, but my head won’t stay here for too long if I don’t.” Another sip. “And, I mean this without innuendos.” His accusatory tone was corrupted by some more laughter. “Although I’m not sure if you’d understand a sentence without one.”

“Not when you live at work,” Kingsley said pointedly, gently poking Alastor’s cheek as he shook his head, smiling fondly all the while. Sure, Alastor was a workaholic but that was why they worked so well, frankly. Kingsley spent more time at work then he’d admit when the Order or his sister pushed him about it. As the other man gestured at him, hinting at his appeal, Kingsley didn’t bother trying to stifle the shit-eating grin that came to his lips. “A sentence without innuendos is barely worth being said.” He reasoned, enjoying Alastor’s laugh. It was always an accomplishment when he was gifted with its sound. “Get changed, love and we can go. I know you’re starting your regular productive-acts withdrawl.” Kingsley said, no irritation or sarcasm held in his voice, just a simpleness that came from understanding the way the other man operated.