Opposites aren't always enemies

     "There have been some. Are there any death eaters you regret sending to get put through hell?“ Damian replied with an enthusiastic smile. 

     His patience was wearing thin, that was true. He was wanting Alastor to leave already. 

     "See? We are all the same. You take joy in catching dark wizards. I enjoy dabbling in the dark arts. Just two sides of the same coin.” He was trying to stall now.

Perhaps, in his thinking, he could put off Moody’s questions by talking for a longer period of time. 

˝None.˝ Alastor said with a wide grin, proud of each and every monster he put in that horrible place.

However, his smile slowly started to disappear when he found himself being compared to the dark wizard that he had captured now. ˝How dare you! We are nothing alike! You are a monster, and I hunt monsters like you down! I don’t know if you have anything in that head of yours but darkness, but if you really think that we’re similar, you’re more stupid than I thought you were, boy!˝

“But are we so different, Mad-Eye? Passionate about what we consider true and just-- determined to achieve our goals-- the difference between you and I is that I consider other means to an end.

For a split second, a little genuine negative emotion akin to being upset flashed across Damian’s face, but it was replaced with his cold, emotionless stare within a few moments. “I like to believe that I’ve been an influential member of society in a positive sense. I am no dark wizard--no monster--I merely dabble. Is my quirk of having snakes as pets and speaking in their language automatically a sign of pure and utter evil? Or is it my intelligence and the fact I was a Slytherin?” A slight smirk pressed onto his lips and he leaned forward, “So afraid of his return that you target any intellectual Slytherin house alumni who can speak with snakes, are you?”

The genuine hurt look returned, and his gaze faltered just slightly, “I’ve done the best I could to better myself given my circumstances. Family, genetics, etcetera. I am a little disgruntled at being called a monster, as I hope you understand. I cannot help where fate placed me.”

His stalling tactic had caused him to slip a few things he would prefer to not bring up, but he had a way to change the topic. 

At age 27, Vincent Van Gogh failed as a missionary and decided to go to art school.   At age 28, J.K. Rowling was a suicidal single parent living on welfare.

At age 28, Wayne Coyne ( from The Flaming Lips) was a fry cook. At age 30, Harrison Ford was a carpenter.  At age 30, Martha Stewart was a stockbroker.  At age 37, Ang Lee was a stay-at-home-dad working odd jobs. Julia Child released her first cookbook at age 39, and got her own cooking show at age 51. Vera Wang failed to make the Olympic figure skating team, didn’t get the Editor-in-Chief position at Vogue, and designed her first dress at age 40. Stan Lee didn’t release his first big comic book until he was 40. Alan Rickman gave up his graphic design career and landed his first movie role at age 42. Samuel L. Jackson didn’t get his first major movie role until he was 46.

Morgan Freeman landed his first major movie role at age 52. Kathryn Bigelow won the Academy Award for Best Director when she made The Hurt Locker at age 57. Grandma Moses didn’t begin her painting career until age 76. Louise Bourgeois didn’t become a famous artist until she was 78. Whatever your dream is, it is not too late to achieve it. You aren’t a failure because you haven’t found fame and fortune by the age of 21. Hell, it’s okay if you don’t even know what your dream is yet. Even if you’re flipping burgers, waiting tables or answering phones today, you never know where you’ll end up tomorrow. Never tell yourself you’re too old to make it. 

Never tell yourself you missed your chance. 

Never tell yourself that you aren’t good enough. 

Thomas Rentmeister

Earthapfelroom, 2007