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Post by Curse Kameren on Jul 30, 2011 1:44:15 GMT -5
It was rare Curse got to actually visit the towers of Hogwarts. He was the Potions Master, after all: Lord of the Dungeons. This year he'd have quarters in Ravenclaw Tower with his students, but he knew that tower well from when he was a student. He never got to explore, as he was usually the one in charge of capturing the students trying to inspect the older towers, not looking around himself. The summer posed an interesting experience for him, then, as there weren't any students present. The professors, those that either lived at the school or commuted for use of the school's resources, had free roam of the Hogwarts grounds. That was how Professor Kameren had found this place.
A lost relic of decades ago. Curse was only a child when this tower had been destroyed by dark magic, the truly darkest Dark Lord of them all making the school his battleground. The school had been rebuilt and fortified, but every now and then one could stumble upon bits of history in Hogwarts' hallowed halls. This tower was one of them, the crumbled brick giving way to a hole in the wall, from the impact of some heavy spell years ago. The gash in Hogwarts' skin perfectly framed Hogsmeade, where Curse could watch the small village do some rebuilding of its own.
The professor lit a cigarette in his mouth, sitting at the edge of the tower's floor, legs hanging off into oblivion. This spot was quickly becoming his favorite place in the school. He identified well with it; the one big scar in an otherwise powerful institution. Hogwarts was itself a character, after all. It was good to see even something so old and strong still shaken by its history. It made Curse feel a bit better in his weaker moments. Even Hogwarts would quake in the face of evil sometimes.
Footsteps sounded up the stairs as Curse blew smoke into the heavens. They could be heard for a while before the traveler actually reached the top, as the tower was so open. The professor's emerald eyes glanced over at the newcomer, nodding in greeting before glancing back out at Hogsmeade's busy workers.
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Post by Theo Bowre on Jul 30, 2011 2:37:35 GMT -5
Theo came to a sudden halt at the sight of Curse Kameren, his boots gripping the stone infrastructure tightly in a reflection of instinct and reflexes. Damn. Emerald eyes caught his blues. Lingered. Left. Theo looked away. Less than a dozen people living in the school and he had to pick the one place that was occupied that evening. By Curse, nonetheless.
Theo couldn't seem to avoid barrelling in on the Potions Master's space. Or that of his family. He had made every attempt to tread carefully, knowing that his friend was intensely private and protective and not wanting the world to know about him or his kid. Theo alone had done enough damage: plucking Max from the safety of the castle, stumbling upon Curse in Hogsmeade. Paired with Pike, they almost annihilated the family's sanctity, Victor's funeral being their darkest hour, thanks to a barkeep who couldn't keep his mouth closed.
He's gonna feel like he has to talk about Hogsmeade. Curse didn't have to talk about Hogsmeade. Theo didn't judge. He figured the man's demons were his own business and if he wanted to invite him in to that world, that was a decision Curse should be allowed to make on his own sweet time. Not forced under socially polite duress to confess his underlining illnesses because Theo managed to get to him first.
Figuring there was no easy way to save the situation, Theo broke the silence.
"I check on her too," he said, pointing towards the distant village. "She gets a little bit stronger every day." The beater's brow furrowed as he stuffed his hands in his pockets. "I'm sorry to interrupt. The school's been so vacant, I sometimes take it for granted and walk in without checking. Thankfully I've not had the impetus to wander the halls in my birthday suit yet." Awkward pause. "Yeah, slightly inappropriate reference for a school. Sorry. I'm gonna head back downstairs."
He paused at the top of the stairs.
Dammit, bauy. Ask him how he is.
"Can I get you anything."
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Post by Curse Kameren on Jul 30, 2011 8:52:24 GMT -5
Bowre had that look about him. The Potions Master rolled his eyes when he looked away, back out at Hogsmeade. He hated that look. Merlin knew it was to be expected, and it wasn't like he'd never gotten it before. He'd scared Bowre, and there wasn't a scare quite like a mental break. It left people worried, like at any moment he'd crack again. Theo was worried about Curse's well-being, which after an incident like that, it was merited. Any normal person would have that same look around him, but that didn't make it less annoying. People looking at him like he was insane made him feel that way.
A bit of an awkward tension fell between the two men before Theo broke it, stepping up to the opening in the wall. "I check on her too," he said, pointing towards the distant village. "She gets a little bit stronger every day." Curse smiled, blowing smoke out into the sky. He had been helping a few days ago, and already the town was a bit further along. The Hogsmeade townspeople were a tough bunch. They'd be fine.
"I'm sorry to interrupt. The school's been so vacant, I sometimes take it for granted and walk in without checking. Thankfully I've not had the impetus to wander the halls in my birthday suit yet." Awkward pause. "Yeah, slightly inappropriate reference for a school. Sorry. I'm gonna head back downstairs."
A chuckle escaped Curse at the awkward quip and he shook his head. "It's alright, Bowre. The top of a tower staircase is hardly a locked door." It was true, and he wasn't looking particularly for privacy at the moment. He had just been enjoying the view. If anything, he was trying to escape privacy; Max was with his mum for most of the rest of the summer, and Curse's quiet house was driving him mad. It was strange, how having Max changed so much about him. He used to be deeply, deeply private. Max made it okay for him to open up, somehow. Not just to his son, but his friends and the rest of his family as well. He waved his cigarette-laden hand in Theo's direction, glancing back out at Hogsmeade. "Don't let me bother you, go about whatever you came here for."
There was another bit of an awkward pause as Theo stood indecisively. Either he'd run away, or he'd ask. It was up to Theo, Curse wasn't going to go out of his way to tell his friend about his illnesses. he didn't like to over-share, but if Theo was going to keep this tension up he might have to tell him without him asking after all. This wasn't a good look for Theo; he was terrible at acting like nothing happened.
"Can I get you anything."
Curse turned, taking a pull from his cigarette as he looked Theo up and down. "Stop it." He breathed smoke out of his mouth as he spoke. He wasn't sure if Theo understood what about his behaviour was so bothersome to him. "You look guilty. You haven't done anything wrong, but if you're going to trip over yourself saying sorry every time we run into each other we won't be very good friends." He flicked some ashes off of his cigarette, his brow furrowing as he looked back up at his friend. He met his blue eyes steadily; he wasn't upset with his friend, he just wasn't going to take any nonsense from him. Theo was a good man, too good for them to dance around this illness for no reason.
"You saved my life, Bowre. If you hadn't found me I'd be, well." Dead? Still at Mungo's? Possibly back in Mosrael's control. None of it would have been good, either way he would have been taken away from his family again. If it weren't for Bowre breaking some contrived notion of his privacy, Curse wouldn't be there any more. Someone else would be, a different person behind deadened emerald eyes.
"Thank you."
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Post by Theo Bowre on Jul 30, 2011 15:26:25 GMT -5
"It's alright, Bowre. The top of a tower staircase is hardly a locked door. Don't let me bother you, go about whatever you came here for."
Theo's hands remained on the door frame for several long seconds before he finally let go, walking towards the centre of the circular platform and gazing across the grounds. There were areas of the castle he never visited as a child but a few decades older and somewhat responsible for student safety, he made an effort to explore at least one new hideaway every evening. He found the tower perch on his first night in quarters. Since then it had become a daily stop. No view quite like it.
"You're not bothering me."
"Stop it. You look guilty. You haven't done anything wrong, but if you're going to trip over yourself saying sorry every time we run into each other we won't be very good friends."
Curse's ability to articulate the obvious and to do so without cushioning the fact made the beater wince slightly. There was a sting to his statement, but it was more Theo's interpretation than anything. He was embarrassed and felt more than a little foolish for thinking he was doing the man a favour by skirting the issue.
"Deserved." Theo tossed off his jacket, feeling warm in the glow of the setting sun, and screwed propriety to sit beside Curse on the ledge. He sat upwind of the man's cigarette smoke, never being one to enjoy the scent.
"You saved my life, Bowre. If you hadn't found me I'd be, well...Thank you."
"I didn't save your life Curse. Arianna did." It was true. Without Arianna, the men would likely still be stuck in Hogsmeade, Curse a basket case and Theo his cushion. She took charge. She knew exactly what to do. She understood his condition. All Bowre managed to do was haul Curse this way and carry him that. "I want to be your friend. I've tried..." Theo sighed, looking away from Curse's gaze to take in the expanse of the Forbidden Forest. "I'm not like Pike, you know. I can't meet people and instantly know what they need or what they want. I don't draw them in either. I have maybe two or three close friends, but...And you know, I'd do anything for them. I would die a hundred times over to protect my loved ones. But on the day-to-day there's this wall. I misinterpret their needs. I think I have it all figured out but then I just end up screwing everyone over. Whether I react or I don't react, it's always the wrong choice. And people get hurt. People get pissed. People think I'm judging them." Theo returned eye contact. "I'm not judging you, Curse. Yeah, I'm sorry you're going through what you're going through, but that's not why I'm avoiding you. I want to be your friend but I don't know how to be your friend. I respect you more than you can know, Kameren. But you also terrify me. Not because of your illness or your demons. Not because of your past. It's because of everything you are. Everything I admire. You're like the cool kid that all us geeks wanted to know. Then we had this thing in Hogsmeade and I wonder, if I didn't know...It's not my business. If you're worried I'm going to say anything, please believe me when I say I won't."
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Post by Curse Kameren on Jul 30, 2011 21:11:29 GMT -5
"I didn't save your life Curse. Arianna did." Curse took another pull from his cigarette, shaking his head. He loved Arianna very much, but he still didn't quite trust her with his illness. If Theo hadn't been there to help her, he wasn't quite sure how much she would have been able to do. Besides, she wouldn't have even known he was in Hogsmeade if Theo hadn't called her. Max would have woken up that morning without a father. "I want to be your friend. I've tried..."
"You are my friend." Curse said it simply, as a fact. He wasn't letting Bowre terminate their friendship so easily. He didn't have many friends, because there were very few people he trusted. Theo was a good man, pure of heart and willing to do anything for those he cared for. He had a lot of qualities Curse valued, and a few he wished he had himself. Theo also had a great deal of self-doubt though, he was realizing. He loved his friends, but he wasn't sure he was good for them. Curse's green eyes examined his friend's body language as he spoke. Why all this guilt? This couldn't just be about Curse's illness, there was something else pulling Theo's heart-strings. He knew better than to ask, however. It wasn't his business.
"I'm not judging you, Curse. Yeah, I'm sorry you're going through what you're going through, but that's not why I'm avoiding you. I want to be your friend but I don't know how to be your friend. I respect you more than you can know, Kameren. But you also terrify me. Not because of your illness or your demons. Not because of your past. It's because of everything you are..."
Theo gave Curse much more credit than he deserved. He reflected on that a little as he flicked his ashes over the edge of the tower. He never really thought about what others thought about him. To be honest, there were a few things he was exceptional at, like magic and logic, but the other parts of his life were a constant struggle. It looked like he had it together on his good days, but most of the time he was just stumbling through life like everyone else. The night Theo found him in Hogsmeade was a night he couldn't catch himself.
"Then we had this thing in Hogsmeade and I wonder, if I didn't know...It's not my business. If you're worried I'm going to say anything, please believe me when I say I won't."
"I'm not worried, Theo. I trust you. For all your doubts, you're a good man and a great friend." Curse took in another slow breath of his cigarette, blowing out smoke before he continued. He tilted his head away from Theo, noticing the distaste for his habit most of his friends shared. "I'm sure you realized that I've had run-ins with the Masked Lady before. As Head Auror, I was surprised in my office one night, subdued and captured. Mosrael put a curse on my mind; my free will was her prisoner. I was forced to serve her. I was cut off from my friends, preoccupied with the curse and the pain it would bring me if I tried to rebel. Once we managed to break the binding of her curse, well, something else was broken." He shrugged, his eyes glancing down to the ground below the tower. His voice was passive, as if he wasn't talking about himself. It was the only way he could talk about it. "Now, I'm this. Some days I have control, others... I'm at Hogsmeade."
He ground out his spent cigarette butt, waving his hand with a spell to dissipate the smoke for his friend's sake. "How's Harkness lately?" It sounded like a random question, but there was a direction to it. He met his friend's eyes evenly.
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Post by Theo Bowre on Jul 30, 2011 22:05:48 GMT -5
"I'm sure you realized that I've had run-ins with the Masked Lady before. As Head Auror, I was surprised in my office one night, subdued and captured. Mosrael put a curse on my mind; my free will was her prisoner. I was forced to serve her. I was cut off from my friends, preoccupied with the curse and the pain it would bring me if I tried to rebel. Once we managed to break the binding of her curse, well, something else was broken. Now, I'm this. Some days I have control, others... I'm at Hogsmeade."
"I had no idea, Curse. I'm sorry. This Mosrael is...how could she grow so powerful without us knowing? There are dark witches and wizards around us, yes, but her actions are more calculated. Strategic. She knows precisely who and where to target and I can't help but wonder if she's not another you know who. There's something uncomfortably familiar about this whole situation. Did she see you at Hogsmeade? Recognize you? Just before the attack, I found Mosrael and her walking paperweight in the apothecary with Maebh. She gave me a friendly reminder of her identity but before leaving the shop, I don't know, she, she got in to our heads. Like legilimency only much, much worse. If she knows our weaknesses, she'll exploit them. What about the kids, Curse?" What about Max? What about Annie.
Theo watched as Curse extinguished his cigarette, thankful for the man's care to address the lingering smoke. He was about to ask him where Max was that evening when Curse brought up Jack.
"How's Harkness lately?"
Curse eyed him evenly. Theo wasn't entirely prepared for that and faltered for a second.
"Um, Jack? Jack's...Jack's good. Working too hard as usual. I actually don't see him much anymore but we were able to reconnect after," he looked to Hogsmeade, "...after this. He's had a lot to address." Theo couldn't manage to maintain eye contact and found interest in his hanging boots. How did Kameren do that? Either Theo had his conscience stamped on his forehead or Curse had his own wicked brand of mind-reading. No. Jack was not alright. He was distant, at times wavering between family man and workaholic. He had moments where he was frantic over seemingly useless facts and others where he was lucid and calm and caring. He'd push Theo away one moment and then bring the whole family to a match, the last of which involved a whumped Theo thinking he saw Jack in Mosrael's wretched mask. He confronted his brother. Twice. On one occasion he left with a note from Jack's assistant Travert Salt. Salt confirmed that something was amiss but in no mincing of words told Theo to buzz off. The note. Theo was terrified that in the wrong hands it would destroy his brother's reputation. No one would trust a Minister with two feet in the nut house. Worry forced Theo to confide in Pike and the barkeep had promised to keep the note's contents a secret. Given their recent parting of ways, he wasn't entirely certain that was a mitigated risk. "He's tired."
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Post by Curse Kameren on Jul 31, 2011 6:32:58 GMT -5
Curse's emerald gaze stayed on the ground through Theo's questions; for once, he had no answers. He didn't know what was going to happen, didn't know if Mosrael was aware of him, didn't know what her next move would be. At least when he was under her control he had some answers, could send information along to his friends at his own personal risk. It had been worth it then, but it came at the price of his sanity now and the troubles he now burdened his son with. He worried about Max. If Mosrael no longer had access to his mind, she might not know about him yet. Then again, she may have other ways. He wasn't sure about anything any longer, least of all his son's safety. He was with his mum for now. Keeping him in the muggle world might be the best action.
All he was able to take from Mosrael was a name. Daniel Nienmorhai. There were no records of this name, nothing. He couldn't find a thing, but he would. He had to.
"How's Harkness lately?" The question seemed random, but Curse had a purpose. He knew Bowre had a close relationship with Harkness. They were brothers, like Curse and Alex were. Alex was the first to discover Curse's mental bindings, and if he hadn't Curse would have been long since gone. If Bowre had that relationship with Harkness, he could prove was Curse was suspecting. Harkness was serving the Masked Lady. Whether he was doing it willfully was another question.
"Um, Jack? Jack's...Jack's good. Working too hard as usual. I actually don't see him much anymore but we were able to reconnect after," he looked to Hogsmeade, "...after this. He's had a lot to address."
"He's gone a lot." Curse spoke what Theo was thinking, his own mind flashing back to an earlier time. These weren't his words, they were Theo's. They were Arianna's words, Alex's. The were concerns for a loved one who was cursed, confusion at the change inherent in them. Curse had seen it in his own family. "He works, or at least says he does. When he is around, he seems distracted or sometimes hostile. One moment he's how he used to be, next he's agitated and temperamental. But there's no explanation. There was no incident, nothing you could see."
"He's tired."
Curse flashed a knowing look at his friend. "I'm sure he is."
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Post by Theo Bowre on Jul 31, 2011 16:15:46 GMT -5
The image of Jack standing in the doorframe of the carriage house was heavy of Theo's mind as he sat beside Curse on the tower's edge. The duplicity of his brother's countenance was never more apparent. Or painful. He wanted so badly to believe that the caring soul who came to see him after Hogsmeade was the person Jack always was. Not the fanatical shell of a man that he observed at the Ministry. Alex Kameren had seen Jack that night, but did he get just how much trouble the Minister was in? Did he share the experience with Curse...
"He's gone a lot..."
"Yes." Theo's response was small. The lyricism of Curse's voice had a lulling, hypnotic quality that kept Bowre sombre as a virtual checklist of all that was bothering him about Jack was addressed.
"He works, or at least says he does. When he is around, he seems distracted or sometimes hostile."
"Yes."
"One moment he's how he used to be, next he's agitated and temperamental. But there's no explanation. There was no incident, nothing you could see."
"He just changed."
Curse's eyes bore through Theo like crystal, the depths of his friend's soul and the extent of his understanding being painfully apparent. It was a look of both empathy and interrogation, as though Kameren knew exactly what Theo wasn't saying. It was the auror in him. It was the father. The intrusion snapped the beater from his thoughts. He suddenly became aware that we was absently outing Jack.
"He's just tired."
"I'm sure he is." The sympathy of the statement suddenly gained new meaning as Theo became aware of the elephant in the room. There was a purpose to the man's question. Jack wasn't just small talk; Curse was playing good cop.
"What are you getting at, Kameren? Just say it. Friend to friend." Loyalty swelled inside Theo's chest as all reason was replaced by a reckless need to protect his family.
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Post by Curse Kameren on Jul 31, 2011 19:30:22 GMT -5
"What are you getting at, Kameren? Just say it. Friend to friend."
Curse ran a hand through his hair, sighing when he saw the realization dawn on Bowre and the man bristle against Curse's speculation. Harkness was his brother after all, but Harkness was going to need someone as loyal to him as Theo if he ever wanted to see the light again. "You know I don't mean this as anything against the Harkness family, Theo. Merlin knows I love those kids and I find Harkness House's efforts admirable. But..." Curse trailed off a moment, gauging his friend's reaction. He was about to make a very serious allegation against someone very close to Theo, and they both knew it.
"I was in the auror department with Tynan the other day, and we stumbled upon Harkness. He wasn't himself, at least not the man I measured him to be. I recognized things about him, though. Just small things at first, but they kept nagging about me the more I heard about his behavior." He thought about the note, the one Theo gave to Reckony. He would respect Reckony's wishes and keep his knowledge of it secret, but it was a grave confirmation. With the addition of Theo's words today, Curse was certain. There was no other way. He respected Theo, and Harkness as well, so he wouldn't beat around the subject any longer.
"I think Harkness might be working for the Masked Lady. Willfully or not is a different question to be determined." He said it bluntly, but still with a tone of empathy for the man. He had been in the same position, and if he had had someone to find him out earlier, maybe he wouldn't be the way he was today. If they could save Jack Harkness from the same fate, Curse would be satisfied. No one deserved to go through what he had.
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Post by Theo Bowre on Aug 1, 2011 18:13:44 GMT -5
"You know I don't mean this as anything against the Harkness family, Theo. Merlin knows I love those kids and I find Harkness House's efforts admirable. But..."
"But?" Theo measured Curse's words carefully, almost daring him to say something he would regret. Kameren's silence weighed heavily in the small space between them. Jack had been mistaken - he wasn't pulling away from the family. On the contrary: whatever Curse had to say, whomever it was directed at, would be a slight against them all. And Theo's loyalty would be absolute.
"I was in the auror department with Tynan the other day, and we stumbled upon Harkness. He wasn't himself, at least not the man I measured him to be. I recognized things about him, though. Just small things at first, but they kept nagging about me the more I heard about his behavior..."
Not the man Curse measured him to be be? What the hell was that supposed to mean. Jack had saved the United Kingdom when it faced its darkest hour. He was a slave to his Ministry, sacrificing everything,,,,sacrificing his family...for the greater good. He faced the judgment of those who could not see beyond their protected spheres, making decisions that others were too cowardly to make. Jack was a leader. Who was Kameren to measure anyone? How did he have the right...How...Theo's jaw set tightly, maintaining a calm that betrayed the fire building inside. Curse had to stop talking. He had to stop talking now.
"I think Harkness might be working for the Masked Lady. Willfully or not is a different question to be determined."
Working for...Willfully or not.
A dangerous energy passed over Theo: a tumultuous mixture of repressed anger and heart-wrenching sorrow that triggered an emotional break capable of upsetting the balance of one's conscience. Even of one who lived to do the right thing. Curse's admission, his accusation, let all the pieces fall in to place: his separation from the Black Watch at their meeting, Pike's insistence that Maebh Breandan's fall was his doing. They didn't trust him. All this time...they believed that Jack was the enemy and they didn't trust him. Pike was right. They were done. Now he realized that Kameren was done with him too.
He had to protect Jack before the Watch sought their revenge for Hogsmeade. He had to make sure that his kids had their dad to go home to at night. Even if what Curse has said was true, he didn't trust the Watch to spare Jack in their search for Mosrael. If they determined that he was, as Curse had indicated, not the man they had measured him up to be, Jack was in grave danger. Harknesses stuck together.
"You've already determined it." Theo instantly clambered to his feet, pulling out his driftwood wand and making for the opposing edge. He apparated before Curse had a chance to continue.
((Theo en route to Jack...))
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