Emmeline Vance

Fenrir snorted in response. Now that was a funny thought. A witch who he assumes primarily works behind a desk attempting to fight him. Not to mention that she was shorter by more than half a foot. Please… Fenrir can murder her with one arm tied around his back. In fact, even one bite to her pretty little neck will ought to do the trick. “Sure you will,” he humored her.

The werewolf’s eyebrow rose. Whoever this girl was, she was out to play. Which probably meant one thing: She had an ulterior motive. Unfortunately for her, Fenrir didn’t get to where he was with loose lips and thinking with his prick. “Too bad,” Fenrir shifted his attention to the bottles of alcohol displayed by the platter to check which one was the strongest. “Cause I’m not.” While Fenrir was mostly testing how far Em was going to push it, it wasn’t entirely a lie. He has no time for friendships that he can’t gain from. Now, if Em was offering a whole completely different deal altogether, she’ll have Fenrir’s attention. “Then you’ve mistaken,” he teased, allowing a small smile to escape his lips before opening the bottle he chose and pouring it over an empty cup.

“Maybe… Honestly, I wouldn’t care either way.” He was excited at first to trot around the Ministry with the other Death Eaters but now he’s tired and bored with all the nothingness that was happening. 

Em wasn’t bothered about his condescending reply, she was used to that kind of attitude. In fact, she welcomed it; the less people got right about her, the more of an advantage she’d have. There’s power in being underestimated, hence why, unless she needed to, she didn’t bother to correct ignorant views about herself and didn’t change how she spoke or what she wore. It was more satisfying beating someone wearing pink. 

“I wouldn’t have guessed otherwise. You’ve got that kind of vibe going on.” He didn’t exactly scream ‘come talk to me’ in the slightest. She was surprised about him not being bothered about the party... She thought they all loved to get together and rollick in their success. “So if you’re not bothered, why’d you come?”

Fabian sighed. Emmeline couldn’t have been closer to the truth. Times were tough and being okay was redefined. But beggars can’t be choosers and with how things are right now, they were all beggars settling for the bare minimum. The wizard took in what she said and took into consideration. He often felt the same and being in the Order, it feels like he’s given the chance to do something. But it always didn’t feel enough. He looked around at his surroundings, checking if someone can overhear. When he was satisfied, he looked at her and replied in a hushed tone, “So why not do something? Make something happen?”

He nodded. It made sense. Emmeline graduated the same time as the soon-to-be-wed couple. He looked back at the dress, “You can go in and see if they can rent it?” he offered. “Kept myself busy with work, mostly,” he answered without returning to look at her. It wasn’t a complete lie. But Fabian wasn’t about to say to Emmeline that he has been self-medicating just because she asked.

"What can be done? And whose around to help?” The Order had near enough disbanded and morale was at an all time low. And what more, Em missed her pals. It was nice to be united in a shared passion. “And who can be trusted anymore? Even those who were on our side might not be anymore. Traitors are rife at a time like this.”

“I will if you will.” She grinned, raising her eyebrow. She wasn’t sure why but the air changed slightly as Fabian answered her. Em wasn’t sure if she was imagining the slight disjoint in the conversation, but her analytical mind went racing. Her first assumption to anything shady these days was that they had something to hide; and these days it usually revolved around death eaters... She had to play it cool, besides she was probably being ridiculous. “Oh right. Work is going good then? Quidditch right? That must be a good way to get your mind off things. You know I haven’t played in years... My broomstick has cobwebs, I prefer to apparate these days.”

Her words made the smile on his face grow just a little bit as he looked around. “Well, if you’re really in need of something, I could definitely go for something to eat. You’d be surprised how hungry writing could make you.” He was slightly joking with his words, butt he truth was, he did often find himself working to the point that he didn’t eat because he just wanted to keep going. “Just tell me where, I’m not that picky.” He offered, honestly happy to grab some food. 

When she stepped closer, he moved just a little as well before letting his head nod with her words. Gideon often had his days of restlessness, but they were usually driven by the ever growing memories and fears from that night. “I think we’ve all reach a state kind of like that. Wanting to do more, but being stuck where we are.” He continued, knowing he had felt something similar himself. “But we have to keep finding stuff to work with. I just try to take things one day at a time. Focus on what’s in front of me.” 

It had been a while since she’d done anything fun, so her eyes lit up at the suggestion of going for food. She had so much pent up energy these days that she was gagging for some kind of excitement with someone. 

“I’m game. You know what, there’s a great place for noodles just-” she cut herself off; the place was in Rotterdam. Honestly it was the best, and well worth the 3 second apparition. She went there too often. “-round the corner... kind of. I can apparate us there. Take my hand.”

“I’m not as patient as you, it seems. Although that will likely get me into trouble.” She shrugged, knowing that tended to be her tendency, before turning to focus on Gideon again, interested in what he had to say. “So what’s in front of you at the moment? Any juice from the papers?”

“Report to who exactly?” the werewolf retorted with a smile. Fenrir knew she was being playful but Fenrir of all people know that jokes were always half meant. Even more so than actual threats. Fenrir might be teasing her by calling her bluff but he was also curious to know who it was and if they were someone the Death Eaters could trust. More importantly, Fenrir was curious whether he can learn anything from them either way.

“Nicknames already,” Fenrir said, he definitely noticed how she didn’t give her last name. He doesn’t see how keeping it from him would stop him from finding her later on. It’s not like she’ll leave her job and disappear after their little exchange. “Nice to meet you, Em. As for me,” Fenrir paused and smiled for added flair, “I’m the boss.”

"Now if I told you that, I’d have to kill you.” He was a nosey bastard for a Death Eater supporter, normally they were too self-absorbed with their own self importance and prestige that they didn’t ask too many questions. Although this guy didn’t seem like the usual type... he seemed like hired muscle. Who exactly was this guy?

“What can I say, I like to make friends.” She replied evenly. She teetered, listening for his introduction, only to be disappointed with his masked name. _Fucks sake, who is this guy. _His unusualness intrigued her- people who didn’t quite fit the mould were subject to being great givers of information or extremely dangerous. This guy hinted towards the latter, although his self imposed distance from the rest of the motley bunch might suggest he was in need of an alliance. She crunched on a carrot stick and pointed it at him. “That’s funny, I thought I was.”

“Joking of course. I can’t take responsibility for this party. I’d have made it a lot wilder.” She looked around her. “Hopefully they’ve got something exciting saved for the end.”  

Gideon knew he should’ve been more aware of his surroundings, especially since apparently Death Eaters were aware of his presence enough to pay him a personal visit, but he tended to get lost in his head just as much as he used to. Sometimes it was nice to just let his mind wonder a bit. 

Hearing how she said his name, he shrunk back just a little, trying to keep some distance from her, unsure of what she was going to say or do. However, as she seemed to calm down a little he stood up straight once more before respond. “Nice to see you as well. I honestly wasn’t expecting to see anyone else either.” Usually when he worked this late, the place was pretty empty, but it wasn’t bad to see someone else. 

When she asked more questions, he took in a small breath as he answered. “Um, I’m doing alright. Just trying to keep up with everything at this point. And I don’t really have anything to give you as far as that goes.” He replied, giving her a light laugh as he tried to answer her questions. “How about you? How have you been?” 

She liked seeing him laugh; it made his slightly tense frame ease up a bit. It was only at that point when she noticed the contrast that she wondered if he actually was okay.  “That’s a shame, I was hoping you’d be in the mood to donate food or butterbeer to a woman on the street.”

“I’m feeling restless. I don’t feel like there’s enough to keep up with.” She lowered her voice to a whisper and got closer to him so he could hear. She was paranoid; she couldn’t trust they were ever completely alone outside. “I feel like I’m stuck, having to pretend everything have changed for the better. You know me, I like to stay optimistic, but sometimes I lie awake at night thinking what if this is how it’s going to be forever? What will happen...” 

Fenrir simply grunted in response to her comment that he wasn’t a regular during these types of events before grabbing another slice of prosciutto. Even so, if one can’t hog a platter when there’s plenty enough for everyone then what’s the point? “You’re not on my side, love,” Fenrir finally turned to the person he was talking to. The werewolf was met with a beautiful face. He took a step back. “Although that could change,” he teased. Looks like she has an appetite too.

With a sweep of his hand, Fenrir gave her access to the food. “Help yourself,” he said. The werewolf studied her face. He doesn’t really recall seeing her around. Which most likely meant she’s not one of them. “Which department do you work for?”

Yeah, he had no idea how little they were on the same side. As unwelcome as it was to have someone in this place show an interest in her, Em would rather stay on the affectionate side of people, especially this guy; he looked a brute and towered over her. Even in his mannerisms he seemed uncouth and screamed harsh-ship and vengefulness. She stuffed a sandwich into her mouth, not wanting to give the impression she was prissy or meek and ignored his comment.

“Intelligence. So careful what you say around me, I might have to report it.” She said with a playful pout; sometimes if you were brutally honest about things with a smile on your face, people tended to think you were winding them up and would take liberties to do that exact thing you warned them of. She didn’t recognise this guy, which made her feel uneasy. Not wanting to give her full name, she introduced her. “It’s Em. What do you do?”

@howling-fenrir​

Em knocked energetically, with an excited smile plastered on her face. She’d either been cooped up at home or cooped up at work with nothing to do, and frankly she’d had enough of it. She’d been a bore for too long, and it was time to start doing something, even if that just meant having fun. And when she thought of fun, she generally thought of Sirius. He embodied care-free and was always good company to have, which is why she was outside his home having an impromptu visit. 

“Hello! Hurry it’s cold!”

where: Ministry Atrium when: March 30, 1979 who: Fenrir and Anyone

Fenrir never gets invited to Death Eater gatherings. Not even to meetings where they plan the next course of action. Never in the room where it happens, Fenrir is always the last person to know. He didn’t even know that they were planning to capture Dumbledore in the first place. Now that people were celebrating Dumbledore’s defeat in the Ministry of Magic, Fenrir wasn’t planning on missing it. 

Dressed in his best suit that was still tacky in most people’s standards, Fenrir loitered around the atrium with a swagger that told people he didn’t care for anyone who might think he shouldn’t be there. With his brothers from the pack missing in action, Fenrir didn’t feel the need to talk to anyone and kept himself preoccupied with the charcuterie and the weak booze. If they needed him, then they can go to him. That’s how his dealings usually go anyway.

Fenrir was helping himself with the cold cuts on the table when a hand reached for a slice from the side. “Oi!” Fenrir slapped the person’s hand. “Find your own platter yeah?”

Em was thinking back to that glorious morning she received an invitation to the wedding and the heartfelt emotions she had experienced imagining herself surrounding by friends and watching two people in love get married. That feeling was quickly squashed when she received word that instead of going to the wedding, she’d have to go this depressing state of affairs. Em was absentmindedly picking at the platter in front of her, too moody to bother having fake conversations with anyone for the moment. Although, she knew this would be a good opportunity to get information. For now, though, she’d stuff her face and mope.  

Before she had time to register, she heard a gruff voice and looked up to locate it to a rough-looking man. Merlin. She did not like the look of that one. However, she stood her ground and mustered up a pissed off smirk; she felt like this guy could smell fear. “Charming. I don’t suppose you attend these often. You know, the whole point of them isn’t to start a fight with people on your side. Now, give me a sandwich. I need food before I talk to people.”

Fabian turned to see a familiar face. Emmeline greeted him and he smiled in return. “Hey, Emmeline,” he nodded in acknowledgment. “Don’t worry about it. It’s nice to see you!” While his smile was genuine, Fabian kept his hands in his pockets. He was never really the hugging type. “How have you been?”

Fabian looked back at the suit he was admiring. He still hasn’t seen its price but judging from the store itself, he knew that Emmeline was probably correct. He will have better luck finding cheaper suits in the outskirts of Diagon Alley. if he was lucky, they’d even allow him to simply rent it.  “I have a… a wedding to go to.” Chances are Emmeline would also be invited. “Dearborn and Trelawney’s,” he clarified, just in case she didn’t know whose wedding it was.

“Things could be better, couldn’t they?” She gave Fabian a knowing look. Unless you were a death eater, things weren’t so great at the moment. “I’m feeling quite restless to be honest. I like to have things to do and at the moment I just feel like I’m sitting around and waiting for something to happen. Although I’m not sure if something will just happen.” 

"I heard. Hence why I’m looking at a dress costing a whole month’s wage.” She grinned playfully. “I’m not quite on the salary for this, I don’t know why I’m kidding myself. It’s nice to get out and have something positive to look forward to though, isn’t it. I’ve not quite felt like that since everything. How are you coping?”

where: Diagon Alley when: March 25, 1979 who: Fabian and Anyone  

Nowadays, Fabian hated walking out of his flat, especially when it’s unnecessary. As much as possible, Fabian only ever goes out either to go to work, purchase weekly provisions (a certain potion included), or see through a task for the Order. Going out for any other reason seemed was pure folly. But for the day, Fabian had to make an exception. A certain wedding was set to occur soon and he needed a suit. Fabian tend to pack light and he never saw the need to own fancy suits since he rarely went to occasions that called for one in the first place. Even the suit he wore to his sister’s wedding was rented. 

That’s how he found himself window-shopping in Diagon Alley. With his chin mostly tucked and his eyes glued to the cobblestone floor, Fabian strolled along the stores and only looked up to check the windows of haberdasheries and other clothing stores. The wizard stopped in front of a window of a rather fancy store and looked at the mannequin donning a nice suit in its display. He was sure that it was out of his budget but he let himself admire it nonetheless. While he checked for any visible price tags on display, someone’s reflection appeared on the glass. Someone was standing behind him although Fabian couldn’t figure who it was just yet. “Can I help you?” he asked, as he turned towards the stranger.

Em woke to hear good news today; the date of the wedding had finally been announced. She loved weddings- everyone was always in the best of spirits, drinking and being jolly. This wedding was also a little glimpse of light in their currently dark circumstances. It was nice to have a reason to be cheerful for once. When fate threw her a bone, she’d take it; deciding to keep up this positive feeling Em decided she should go dress shopping. Although, she didn’t exactly need a new dress... maybe she’d just stick to window shopping. Within moments of arriving in Diagon Alley, Em saw something sparkle in one of the windows. A gorgeous light blue dress called her name and she made her way over to have a closer look at it... as she did though, someone spoke out to her.

“Oh sorry.” taking a moment to try and figure out which brother it was. She could tell by the set in his facial expressions that it was... “Fabian? Sorry I didn’t see you there. Apparently I was too caught up in enamouring this dress to respect personal space... Looks like we’ve both got somewhere nice to go if we’re both staring at these ridiculously priced outfits.”

@frewett​

Gideon had been leaving his work late, having wanted to finish up what he was working on. His current story was one that he was actually rather excited about. With it mostly done, he decided to head home and he could finish it up in the morning. Little did he know, it was already getting dark and he would want to be in soon. Moving a little faster than normal, and paying more attention to fixing the items in his bag than where he was going, Gideon ran into someone and stumbled backwards just a little. 

“Shit,” He sighed, taking in a few slow breaths as he realized what happened. “Sorry about that. I wasn’t really paying attention.” Gideon told the other person. “Are you alright?” 

Although Em was feeling a bit hyper aware of her surroundings as she walked home, she didn’t expect to be knocked into. As quickly as it happened, she whipped out her wand ready to pounce. She didn’t lower it instantly when she recognized the copper haired Gideon, annoyed at his oblivion. 

“Gideon!” She barked his name before adjusting her tone back to more a hush. He was a nice guy and didn’t deserve her anger. Nor did he deserve her idiocy of screeching his name outside at dark. “Sorry. You spooked me. I was just heading back home, I didn’t expect to bump into anyone, but it’s nice to see you.”

She relaxed, feeling more comfortable around the familiar face. She felt like she’d been cut off from people recently, trying to keep herself to herself and avoiding unnecessary trouble. “I haven’t seen you in a while. How are you doing? And please tell me what your secret is... How do you stay zen enough to accidentally bump into someone at a time like this? I feel like now more than ever I can’t stop noticing everything around me.”

There was a sharp chill and a strong gust in the air as Em walked home. Dried leaves scattered across the pavement, making horrible scratchy noises. She’d stayed out later than normal, with her head buried in a book, making notes in her favourite late night cafe. Her mind had been ticking all day and she needed to exercise it somehow, now that she was doing relatively nothing at work.