Ὀρφεύς // muse, tragedy

 She looked at the seat the auror offered as if it was nothing short on the electric chair, but took it regardless, with a sigh that implied her feet were hurting. Emma made a mental note to think of a spell to help them not get too swollen. Sitting, the headquarters didn’t seem like such an evil place, but she still acted as if naked, misplaced, lost. She couldn’t even look at the man in front of her until the first words coming out of his mouth drew in her glance.

Emma handed him the letter with eager hands, as if the piece of parchment could explode in any moment and she was relieved to pass it on. “Emma Vanity. Letter to Samuel Vanity.” She paused to remember what came next, although she was used to procedure by now. How could one explain to an auror that Death Eaters must get lonely as well? Where was she supposed to hide her compassion for a father with a dark spot for a past? “Um… I’m writing regarding my grandmother’s health.” It wasn’t untrue, though the letter was filled with good thoughts and updates on all of the family. Silence sank in once again, as Emma swallowed dryly, as if to gather courage for the last section. “He’s my father.”

More knife than father.

She cast away the thought in an instant. The mention of Marlene McKinnon softened things a little. Something she could recognize in that chaos. Even if just a name. A smile broke in through fear. “Oh, I’m not afraid of Marlene McKinnon.” Having known an auror in their school days really neutralized the frightening factor.`

   the woman still looks as if she expects orpheus to launch a hex at her for existing in his presence. he elects not to comment on this, in case he makes things worse, instead turning his attention to the letter and mechanically running through casting every detection spell he knew - mostly protocol, some just for good measure - on the letter. it wouldn’t be the first time someone had tried to sneak something deadly in through the post, but nothing seemed amiss, thankfully. 

   “ i see. just one moment, miss vanity. “ his attempt at a joke seemed to have worked, if for the wrong reason; it was a victory he would take. assuming she would be familiar with the protocol, he carefully opened the letter and scanned the interior, checking the envelope while he was at it. seeing nothing amiss, he re-sealed it and reached over to rummage around his drawers for the right stamp.

   “ then you’re braver than i. i have the utmost respect for auror mckinnon, mind you, “ he added, to fill the uncomfortable silence, “ but that respect includes not wanting to get on her bad side. in this line of work you get a very clear idea of what your colleagues are capable of, i find. “ finally finding what he was looking for, he stamped the envelope neatly and signed below the crimson ink. 

   events like this could really bring out the worst in people. parties, especially, seemed to inspire in some a temporary leave from their common sense and good manners. manners were especially important to orpheus.

   for example, it was important to maintain one’s dignity and air of grace when in the presence of most of wizarding britain’s important figures. it was important to not embarrass oneself by acting in an undignified way.

   and it was important not to punch anyone in the face. 

   that was, however, his first instinct upon nearly bumping into one severus snape out of the blue; he refrained from doing so, but only just. the auror couldn’t even form words for a moment, too stunned by the other man’s abrupt appearance. he hadn’t so much as thought of snape himself in well over a year, too caught up in his work, and would have preferred it stay that way. he was perfectly content not seeing snape ever again, really.

   even if he still kept up with the man’s published work almost religiously. that was purely academic pursuit. and meeting him in person now was proving to orpheus that he was right to wish it stayed that way. swallowing something that felt bitter and unpleasant, he loosened his grip on his glass and took a step back as large as he was allowed by the crowd. yes, stepping back would be a good first step in continuing not to punch severus snape. 

Either way, there were few people who did not look at him as if he were growing a third head, and Orpheus was one of them. Frank let out a sigh of relief when he spotted the younger man, and sauntered over with a second drink in his hand. The crowd was almost overwhelming, but Frank was able to push through, finding himself standing in front of Orpheus sooner rather than later.

And thank Rowena, he did. The man stood, smiling, as if everything were fine. Not one mention of his sorrow, not one mention of grief or pain or guilt. Frank’s smile grew, and he tilted his head towards the other man in greeting. “Ah, yes, Alice is off with Marlene and I am here with you,” he said, holding out the drink as an offering. “And I’ve brought bubbly, so, really, how could it be a bad night?”

  orpheus’ smile only twitched a little in what might have been am attempt at laughter before his expression slid somewhere closer to neutral and his gaze flicked back to the crowd for a few heartbeats; when he saw nothing painfully amiss, he puffed a soft sigh that may have been relieved and gratefully accepted the offered drink.

  “ absolutely brilliant, my good man. perhaps the night is saved after all. “ he took a grateful sip, and the smile he flashed frank with was far more genuine this time.

  “ you know, i’ve never really met alice. “ it wasn’t at all what he wanted to talk about, but at the same time felt like something far enough from death eaters and dark lords to be somewhat comfortable. “ she was headed out of the office just about the time i was joining up. bit of a legend at this point, y’know. “

   orpheus was enjoying the ball, really. it was the kind of social event he’d have itched to attend if he were a younger man, and even now he thrilled at the splendor of the ballroom and the extravagant dress of all in attendance. not that he was an exception, by any means. he’d spared no expense on his appearance, even beyond his normal level of overly formal wardrobe choices. and, well, if anyone complained about how much gold he’d managed to work into his outfit, he could always rebuff them by pointing out that silver paired with his green robes would make him look a bit too slytherin. 

   unless they were a slytherin, in which case he’d be more tactful about it. which, in itself, was a very slytherin way of thinking. horrifying.

   to distract himself from that train of thought, which was no less alarming than the previous notion of there are death eaters at this ball, he scanned the crowd for a familiar face. best not to think about it, he told himself, keeping his hands very sternly at his sides and not anywhere near his wand. finally, spotting someone who looked about as anxious about the whole affair as he felt, orpheus wove between partygoers and sidled up next to frank, flashing him a faint smile.

   orpheus was not really a man for smiles, or even pleasantries. usually his expressions ranged between bored and annoyed; and especially among colleagues he was notoriously prone to launching into the topic at hand without so much as a greeting. still, that didn’t feel quite ... right, here, so he went for the safe option of,