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Post by Curse Kameren on Sept 20, 2010 1:09:35 GMT -5
It was early morning on the Hogwarts grounds, one of Professor Curse Kameren's favorite times of day. The vigilant ex-auror could see the world waking up, the landscape around him shaking off the drowsiness from the still night. He liked to watch the world while it slept, when it didn't feel like the world was watching him.
The fall was just starting to set in on the grounds, making it just cool enough to require a jacket. Curse dressed like a muggle would for the cold, in a light denim jacket with a hooded sweater underneath. His emerald eyes looked straight ahead to where he was headed, straight as an arrow across the grounds. A brown bag hung over his lean shoulder, bouncing against his leg where it fell with each step. A light crooked smile grew across Curse's face like the morning sun when he came into sight of his destination. He hadn't done this in years.
The Hogwarts thestrals meandered in the patch of grass right before the Forbidden Forest, wandering back and forth in their nightmarish state. Curse was one who could see them for all their dark beauty; the ex-auror had seen many die in his life. He hoped never to see more."Still beautiful," Curse smiled as he slowly approached the herd of gruesome horses. The thestrals didn't seem to mind him; a few even turned towards him, in silent recognition. He had been a frequent visitor to this part of the grounds as a student, during the year of his mother's death.
Curse reached into the brown bag with a mangled glove, pulling out thinly cut strips of raw meat. He fed the thestrals with them as they came to him, drawn in by the scent of the treat. He fed them with a light smile on his face, his eyes passive but still distant. The potions master's mind was in other places.
Curse wasn't sure how long he would be able to stay at Hogwarts. The Headmaster was kind even to give the ex-auror the position, but Curse would need to watch his step if he wanted to keep it. Even then, he may not be safe; parents would hear of him. His stay in Mungo's was hardly private, and with his records released to the public, parents would not like having a man like Kameren teaching their children anything. Not even a Headmaster's word on his honor would soothe their worries if they realized a true madman was in charge of their children. Though it helped him and he was a better man because of it, Curse resented ever having chosen to stay in the hospital. The stereotypes associated with Mungo's mental patients would follow him wherever he went.
But he liked it here. He didn't think he would, but he did. He liked the students, watching them grow and learn. He liked being able to let Max go places in the castle without having to worry or send Lucy with him. Hogwarts was safe. It was a place where Curse didn't have to worry, and there were very few blessed places that stopped him from that. Hogwarts was a place the Kamerens could call home, a place where they could settle in and live. But for how much longer?
The Potions Master pondered his predicament in the silent chill, his brow furrowed. A thestral nuzzled him on the shoulder, staring at him with its black, dead eyes. Don't worry too hard about it, the black eyes seemed to tell him, let everything fall into place.
"Wish I could," Curse muttered, petting the thestral's nose kindly. He smiled, sighing with the cool bit of comfort the morning brought him. But that comfort was suddenly tensed as his keen auror ears picked up the sound of footsteps headed in his direction.
ooc: random rp. no idea where it's headed. time to set up some hogwarts relations for the Kameren boys maybe? Post!
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Post by Eden Fletcher on Sept 20, 2010 1:47:17 GMT -5
Little Eden Fletcher could not sleep and she had no real reason why. She hadn't woken from a vision dream. In fact she had a strangely restful sleep that night. As soon as the first rays of light creeped under the edges of her curtains she floated awake, unable to fall into the river of sleep. Slowly waking up the little sprite dressed and went in search of adventure. Hogwarts was humongous but the first year was determined to learn every nook and cranny before Christmas. She'd even flunk a class if she had to, there were some thing that were more important. Already Eden had a feeling that some of her classes were going to be a higher priority than others. Third could not come fast enough.
The castle was empty and thus rather boring. The early morning sun glistened off the dew drops, creating a rainbow of color. Eden should have recognized the tiny tug on her senses calling her forward, Tor would have recognized as part of the "gift". The young seer in training was only just learning how to open her mind to all of her talents. Vaguely she recognized the feeling that she was moving without thinking about where she was going, as if she were a puppet and someone was pulling her strings. Eden forced her thin body to stop on a small rise, a few feet into the forest over looking a clearing.
Eyes wide in horror, she stared at a small heard of scaly, nearly rotten creatures. In all of her eleven years, she had never seen anything so disgusting. Then he arrived. {Professor Kameren was a strange fellow, rather nice but gruff. And completely insane! He walked right into the middle of the ring of rotten flesh horse creatures as if he didn't see their sharp teeth or claws.
'maybe he's spelled or something? Maybe only I can see the malice?' Eden thought as she continued to watch. Then the creature attacked and Eden sprung into action, running down the small hill and further into the forest.
"DON'T EAT MY PROFESSOR!!!!!" She screamed issuing a war cry as she jumped at the much taller man, in an attempt to push him out of reach of the large scaly head.
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Post by Curse Kameren on Sept 20, 2010 20:06:21 GMT -5
Curse's auror reflexes kicked in when the footsteps grew quicker. Someone was charging him. They were light, he could tell; probably small, perhaps no larger than a house-elf. Students weren't allowed out on the grounds at this time of morning. The ex-auror's eyes glinted as he turned on his heel, and with a quick flick of his wrist he stopped his attacker in mid-air before him.
"DON'T EAT MY PROFESSOR!!!!!" Curse's emerald eyes analyzed the young girl closely. She was very young, near Max's age. Most likely a first year. Must be Eden, Curse thought to himself; he had been told of the new Hogwarts student with the advanced mental gifts, magical gifts so very different from his own. She would be one of the few students with access to the grounds at this hour. The Professor sighed, letting the girl down gently with a light wave of his hand.
The Potions Master smiled crookedly, the diagonal scar on his face wrinkling uncomfortably as he did. He laid a bony hand on the upset child's shoulder, placing a finger to his lips. "Shh, you'll scare them," He said gently, lightly turning her towards the gentle thestrals. "Marvelous creatures, the thestrals. They pull the carriages into Hogwarts; most of the students can't see them," Curse's brow furrowed slightly as he wondered how a child so young could see them; he assumed because of her mental power. He hoped because of her power. "Though they look dark and scary, they're some of the gentlest creatures on this earth."
He smiled lightly, pulling two strips of raw meat from his bag. The thestrals were still skittish from Eden's attack, but couldn't resist the juicy treat; one inched forward timidly to take the uncooked flesh from the ex-auror's hand. He smiled, patting the creature affectionately on the nose before it trotted off. "You mustn't judge things on what they look like, Eden," He glanced down at the young Gryffindor, handing her the other strip of meat, "sometimes things that appear scary are really just as afraid as you are."
The Potions Master stared blankly forward at the herd of monsters, his emerald eyes pensive. He wasn't sure if he was still talking about the thestrals.
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Post by Eden Fletcher on Sept 24, 2010 17:11:33 GMT -5
The still morning was shattered by Eden's scream of concern as the thin child launch in the air. Eden's arms were outstretched, poised to shove the larger man out of the way. The second she jumped she realized how silly it was. She should have aimed for the dragon like head with a stick or threw her wand at it since she had yet to master a spell. Still trying to use her own strength had seemed like a good ideal at first. He hadn't looked quite so large before. Suddenly everything stopped. The slight wind created from her rapid movement ceased. Her entire body immobile, dangling above the ground. Frozen in mid air all Eden could do was watch, chest heaving, her fragile heart thundering from the exertion. Boldly Eden met Curse's green eyes. She was confused and worried. Why had the man stopped her? Why wasn't the professor scared? They looked evil, had she been wrong? Were they real? Was she seeing things.
'i'm not crazy. Those dragon scarely ugly things are real.' Eden consoled herself as the Threstals stomped the ground, a few ignoring them, a few watching.
Then Eden was safely on the ground. It had happened so fast she had barely seen the Professor wave his hand. Certainly he had not used a wand. How cool was that? Eden allowed the Professor to guide her towards the scary creatures. She held her body still as she examined them closely. They did not seem to be hostile creatures, but they were ugly.
Eden listened, slowly calming down as Curse talked to her. She liked his voice. To her the commanding tone was soothing. She did not see why someone of the students were afraid of him. Yes he was tall and imposing but he was cool. That should account for something right? Cool people were not evil. It was impossible.
"If most students cannot see them, why can we? Can only adults see them, or are you special?" She asked, as she tried to remember if she had noticed them the day she had arrived at Hogwarts. She had been so excited that night, trying to see everything. How could she have missed the creatures? But Eden had ignored the carriages, eager to climb into a boat and spot all of the points of interest Emery had told her about. The more Eden thought about that night the more she began to suspect that her big brother had been trying to distract her. She'd had fallen for his game, kept her from looking closely at the carriages, to discover that more than horses pulled them. Which meant that he saw them too.
"Only certain people can see them. Why." She demanded instead of asked, her lips slightly pouting. Eden wrinkled her nose in slight disgust at the raw meat.
"You mustn't judge things on what they look like, Eden," He glanced down at the young Gryffindor, handing her the other strip of meat, "sometimes things that appear scary are really just as afraid as you are."
Still, she gamely picked up the piece of raw meat and held it, dangling in front of a threstal. "I do not think you are scary." She said softly as she watched as one of the creatures came up to her. Eden quickly dropped the piece of meat and the creature snapped it up in mid air. Awed, Eden watched as it nodded to her and walked away.
"You're afraid that you'll loose your job. Aren't you. Because parents are afraid of you because you're like a threstal." Eden said as she stared at him, sensing a few emotions here and there but not enough for a clear reading.
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Post by Curse Kameren on Sept 27, 2010 23:25:53 GMT -5
"Only certain people can see them. Why."
The Potions Master glanced down at the young girl, but did not reply. He watched the thestrals move in their slow, gentle manner. It was strange, how such gentle and kind creatures could often come off as gruesome. Curse had never thought of them as scary, only misunderstood. He related to the creatures, much better than he related to any other wizards."You mustn't judge things on what they look like, Eden," He glanced down at the young Gryffindor, handing her the other strip of meat, "sometimes things that appear scary are really just as afraid as you are." He smiled lightly as Eden held out the meat to the thestral, who gingerly plucked it from her fingers.
"I do not think you are scary."
The ex-auror smiled, chuckling lightly. "If only more people thought like you, Miss Fletcher," He held out his bony fingers as a thestral approached him and ran it's nose under his calloused hand, looking for affection. The fear wasn't the only thing that made Curse worry; the thought of his impending mortality crept into his mind often lately, and the Potions Master found himself wondering if that would affect his ability to work. He wasn't sure how sick he'd get before his time came, and he didn't want the students or his son to know until his symptoms were no longer ignorable.
"You're afraid that you'll loose your job. Aren't you. Because parents are afraid of you because you're like a threstal."
"Something like that." The professor replied, his face stony and his mental walls enforced. He liked this young Eden Fletcher, but he didn't want her in his thoughts. She was only a first year, after all, and he didn't want to trouble the young girl with his complicated life. His emerald eyes moved towards the horizon as the sun began to come up.
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Post by Eden Fletcher on Oct 9, 2010 13:26:14 GMT -5
It took Eden nearly three minutes to figure out that the Professor was avoiding her question about the threstals. A growing feeling of amazement filled Eden, instantly filling her with likeness for this rough man. Obviously here was someone who could teach her more than just how to brew a potion. Still, his deflection only wanted her to figure out the mystery of the threstals even more. But for now it would wait.
Eden watched how Curse handled the creatures, tentatively she reached out and petted the creature on the side, as far as she could reach. Something was going on that Eden could not understand, so she ignored it and continued to explore her surroundings.
"Why is it we can see these creatures. Is it because we are chosen by them? Or is it something we have seen?" She asked as she petted another that had come slowly up to her. Her fear was practically gone now and she realized that they were not dangerous just misunderstood.
"Do they fly?" She asked as she stared at their wings with envy.
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Post by Curse Kameren on Oct 10, 2010 23:35:41 GMT -5
The thestrals slowly circled the two humans, accepting them by letting them blend in with the herd. Curse held out a hand for the thestrals who passed by him, most of them looking for attention from another living being. They were rarely noticed by Hogwarts residents, and those who did notice them didn't treat them with the admiration Curse did. Having positive attention from humans was something the thestrals enjoyed. Curse liked giving such a simple pleasure to another living creature.
"Why is it we can see these creatures. Is it because we are chosen by them? Or is it something we have seen?"
Curse stopped what he was doing and looked down at the small girl. He gave her a hard look, unsure of what to tell her. He didn't want to scare the child, but he also would not lie to her. The ex-auror sighed as he came to a decision, turning away from her and back to the thestrals. "Thestrals have a very peculiar power," He began, his words sounding heavy from his lips, "most other students can't see them because they're invisible to anyone who hasn't seen death." He elaborated, "in order to be able to see a thestral, you have to have seen someone die." He kept his emerald eyes on the thestrals.
The irony of the gentle creatures didn't escape the Potions professor; some of the kindest creatures he's come into contact with, he can only see because of the horrors he's been through. It made sense to him, though; with all the bad, there has to be some good to keep life in balance. If there wasn't, Curse wouldn't be where he was today. He would still be locked up in St. Mungo's, or worse. No, even the worst darkness needed light reflect it.
"Do they fly?"
The professor's smile grew across his face like morning sunlight as he glanced down and nodded at the girl. "That's why I'm out here this morning. They'll be taking off soon, be up in the air around the grounds for most of the morning," he smiled, his emerald eyes moving with the thestrals as they started to all meander past the student and teacher. It was never explained why the Hogwarts thestrals would take flight like this, but they always did. And whenever he could, Curse would come to see it.
The professor sat down in the grass, his sittig height coming about to eye-level with the first year. "Look," he breathed, his smile widening as the thestrals unfurled their leathery wings in unison. Within minutes, the dark, bony creatures took a V-like shape, with the largest thestral leading. After a few clumsy leaps foward, their powerful wings opened and caught the morning air, and they were up.
"Beautiful." Curse's emerald eyes rose towards the heavens with the thestrals. Beautiful was not a word most would use to describe the creatures, but the professor truly meant it.
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Post by Eden Fletcher on Oct 24, 2010 13:59:58 GMT -5
Eden knew the second her question annoyed the Professor. He seemed more tense than he had earlier, as if he had been dreading the inevitable question. For a minute, it seemed that Professor Kameron would be like nearly every other adult she met and lie to her, in the name of protecting her innocence. His stare was questioning, and slightly unnerving but she held her ground, craning her neck to stare right back, her own blue eyes barely blinking. Then he turned away from her, distancing herself and Eden thought she had blown it. Grown ups never liked a too forward child. She should have played up the charming, frivolous sprite more, apparently she had read the man wrong. He wanted to see a naive innocent Eden, who knew nothing about darkness. That there was actually evil in the world.
Then he told her, and her respect for the man inched up a notch.
Death. You had to see someone die. Eden hadn't expected that to be their special power. It was freaky, and her breathing hitched a bit, her irregular heart beat, a bit more apparent. Had Emery known? Had he purposely told her to search for the giant squid to keep her from looking at the carriages? Who had she seen die? Then she remembered. Eden had been nearly seven and she had followed her brother and cousin to the lake. They had went fishing without her and she felt left out. Her memory was fuzzy, but she remembered watching bees fly out of a tree and stinging cousin James. He'd been allergic and died on the spot. An accident.
"That's dark... I saw my cousin die...he was allergic to bees and got stung." She said softly, offering up who she had seen die because it felt right. Eden glanced at the strange creatures again, wondering why they had been created.
"What else can they do? What is their---" Her question was cut off by Curse, crouching to her level. She followed his direction, her mouth dropping open as she watched. Despite their inherit ugliness they were graceful fliers. It was something that Eden hadn't seen before and she was trying to understand it. She knew there was a lesson here, there had to be. What did it all mean. Why were there such creatures, what was their purpose. What was the reason for their existence. Everything had a reason right? Was their good in everything? No such thing as inherit evil? That an ouch of good had to be everywhere, all you had to do was search for it? Was even Sienna good? Did she have a soft side, a inner beauty no one saw yet?
"Cool." She whispered, glancing at the older man, who was still at her level. She liked him. Max was lucky.
"Do you ever fly with them?" She asked as she watched them fly higher.
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Post by Curse Kameren on Nov 2, 2010 0:37:31 GMT -5
"Do you ever fly with them?"
"Me? No, never," the Potions Master shook his head, his emerald eyes still watching the thestrals as they stayed in sight. Though he never admitted it, Curse was terrified of flying. Never rode a broom, never rode a thestral. He even avoided muggle airplanes whenever possible. Curse watched the graceful horses in flight for a while longer, content just to view it.
The professor's eyebrows shot upward into his black-and-white hairline as he checked his watch. "Starting to get late in the morning, Miss Fletcher. Better get you back to the castle before you're missed at breakfast." He smiled as he pushed himself back up onto his feet, beckoning the first year along with him back towards the castle. "And If Max doesn't know where I am he'll take that as an opportunity to wander off..." He smirked lightly, glancing down at the young girl.
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