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Nathaniel Tuft ♛  Moodboard

❝  the world’s corruption runs deeper     than even you know.                                                                           --no need to skulk about;                                                                i’ll be a free man soon enough ❞

❝ I underestimated James Potter, but at the end of the day it wasn't so bad. Going to Azkaban wasn't part of the plan but I'm confident I'll be out soon--I've proven my loyalty and for that I'm sure I won't be locked up for too long. Besides, I beat James Potter, and that’s something that won’t be forgotten anytime soon --after all, his closest friends got to see him at his weakest, not to mention the little parting gift I left on his arm. So which of us really won? ❞

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DIAD + The Office [4/?]

ft. Albus Potter & Nate Tuft

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It wasn’t often someone used his full name, and when Lucy Weasley did it he was distinctly reminded of his grandmother scolding him as a child. He could almost feel a headache coming on just thinking about it. But he smiled, shaking his head, “No offense meant, Lucy. Just trying to look on the bright side of things, that the cup’s not ruined for good.” Honestly, it was just a cup. He sighed, not sure what she was getting at but sure it would be at his expense--best to get it over with, then. “You know I am, yes. What of it?”

“You think insulting my teacup is fair? First of all, no, it hasn’t been broken plenty of times before why do you think I’m reacting this way in the first place, really, Nathaniel Tuft, you’d think there’s some brains in there, but I’m mistaken,” Lucy scoffed, rolling her eyes thinking about what an idiot Nate was being in that moment before she felt the rage once again envelop her about her teacup. “New feeling, doesn’t happen often, and I don’t like it very much,” just because it was put back together with magic, didn’t mean it was the same. In fact, it would never be the same again. “Can I ask you a question? You a pureblood?”

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labellepoison:

“ That sounds like a good idea, ” Gisèle agreed. “ Not a white or coloured one, though  — I have a ffeeling he’d quite like something dark. You know how much dear darling Jamie likes his darkness. I’ll be there for the party if you will, though. We can’t let such a special friend bonding tattoo go uncelebrated, can we? ”

“You’re absolutely right, black is the only way to go for this. And you know how picky he is, he may not like it at first but I have a feeling it’ll slither into his heart with time.” Okay, that one was a stretch but Nate was far too pleased with himself to care, “How’s this weekend sound? I don’t want to make James wait any longer than necessary for the fun to start.”

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labellepoison:

“ That is so friendly and generous of you. He does like them, and he’d so love one as a present. Maybe something quite special, like something with a little skull? ”

“That’s me--friendly and generous.” Nate’s grin grew by the second, and he nodded, “Something really special, something that’ll really cement our friendship, y’know? A real mark of solidarity.” He shrugged, “You should come along--just in case he needs someone to hold his hand. I hear they’re quite painful.” Of course, he himself wouldn’t be getting this particular tattoo, but that was part of the fun. 

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Nate smirked, “I knew I could count on you to appreciate this unique opportunity. So just let me know what’s on your Christmas list and I’ll see what I can do.” He looked thoughtful for a moment, “I’m thinking of doing something nice for him, though--James always did love tattoos, I think he could use a new one, don’t you?”

Gisèle followed as she rarely did, but then, the chances of Nathaniel Tuft being a waste of time were slim and she knew it. He did not disappoint. “ It’s like Christmas, ” she quipped, “ and you’re the Santa Claus of fun. I wouldn’t mind getting a hand in that pot of honey. ”

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Nate couldn’t contain his grin--Gisele’s curiosity wasn’t easily obtained. Coming to the end of the hallway, he took her by the arm and led her to an alcove where their conversation wouldn’t be so easily overheard, “James and I had a bit of a fight; words were exchanged--some of them unforgivable, but he’s already over it. Forgiving bloke.” Nate looked down at her, hands resting on her shoulder as he finally said, “James Potter is whatever I want him to be, and if you want in, I’m sure that could be arranged.” 

“ Well, good thing nobody cares about their opinion, isn’t it? Tell me. ”

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“Depends on who’s asking. I’m sure there are some people who won’t be happy with his... attitude adjustment, but like I said, I have a feeling you’ll be a fan.”

“ I do like compliant boys. Tell me, have you made him more amenable? ”

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He chose to remain silent but the unimpressed look on his face was unmistakable. Shaking his head once more, he continued with what he actually wanted to speak about, “I thought so.” He said, unable to help the smugness seeping into his tone, “Well, I don’t want to give too much away but I think you’ll find him more to your liking from now on.” If anyone would want to be involved with his plans, it was Gisele--of course, he didn’t totally trust her, but in this, their interests were aligned.

“ It’s the sheer ridiculousness, actually. ” The next sentence caught her attention, though, and Gisèle turned her head uncomfortably close in interest. “ Mr Sun Shines Out of His Arse with grey morals again? I might be interested. ”

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“I will never understand the obsession with Kiran Khan. Must be the money.” Nate shook his head, a smirk overtaking his features, “Wouldn’t you like to know.” He leaned in, “What would you say if I could promise the return of a more... morally ambiguous James Potter?”

“ And here I thought you were getting off with Kiran Khan for a second there. But that’s terrible, did you sleep with him and teach him how to fuck right too? ”

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labellepoison:

“ You could be worse, ” Gisèle conceded, smirk amused. “ Merrily murdering, and yourself? ”

“I’ll take that as a compliment, coming from you.” He shrugged, his tone almost too nonchalant, looking down at her with a sly smile, “Just having fun with your second favorite Gryffindor--since we all know I get top honors there.” He continued, “You know, I was thinking of fifth year the other day--and what good influences you and I were on Jamie.”

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“Good thing you already think I’m cool, right Gisele?” Nate asked with a grin, arm slung over her shoulder, voice low, “How’s my favorite merry murderess been?”

“ You can try, but you can’t make that much cool just happen, darling. ”

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He really was having an unlucky week when it came to Weasley women. Nate sighed, schooling his features into one of sheepish remorse, “To be fair, it’s probably been broken plenty of times before--the wonders of having magic, right?” But honestly, in his opinion, the cup wasn’t anything to write home about anyway. He pulled out his wand and one quick reparo later, the cup seemed to be back to normal. “No harm done, eh?”

“I’m sorry, that almost almost sounded like my antique Noritake teacup made of fine bone China got BROKEN, even though it’s all the way from Japan and survived World War Two and all. But that couldn’t be it, right? Right?”

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“You know, I haven’t actually done anything to you, Dominique; in fact, out of respect for my friendship to James, I’ve even let you insult me multiple times throughout this conversation without doing so in return.” He pointed out with a smile, “I’m not playing with anyone. James is my friend, and I don’t see why you’re treating that fact as some sort of crime?” Merlin, he knew the Weasleys were a temperamental bunch (particularly the ones with Veela blood) but this was a bit ridiculous. How could they ever expect to win a war being so ruled by their emotions? Nate kept still as Dominique jabbed at him with her wand, raising his hands slowly to show he wasn’t trying to retaliate, “I already told you I wasn’t going to say anything to Yaxley--and it’s not like he doesn’t already know the rumors going around about the two of you.” He didn’t laugh, but the amusement on his face was unmistakable, “Honestly, Dominique, hex me if you’d like, but we both know all it’s going to look like is you losing your temper over nothing. I’m not going to fight a member of James’ family.”

“Oh shut up!” She growled, eyes focused on his in a glare that promised he was on the last leg before she actually lost her temper. It was a Delacour talent, her mother had told her that. Raging seemed to be a common thing amongst the prettiest race though at the price of transforming into a bird ( an actual bird – this is why she took up violin instead of boxing ) but at the moment she wished that for once it could be used t her advantage. “Look sweetie, Unfortunately for you, he is my family. He will listen to me more than he would ever listen to you and after this bullshit and the things you’ve said is more than enough to make him hate you,gremlin. Listen up, Nate. You are playing with the wrong fucking family because if I can’t squash you well…do you see where I’m going with this? You’re fucked.” Dominique seethed, face red from her blood pressure rising. If death was achievable by a look, Nate would have surely dropped dead by now. “If anyone knows me, they know i like Kir. And if you fucking start on Justin– You know what why wait.” She hissed, pulling out her wand, pressing the tip into his neck. “Just give me an excuse.”

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( JAMES POTTER & NATE TUFT ) Ϟ Moodboard

                                  I regret opening up to some people;                                 they didn’t deserve to know me like that.

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Well, fuck. Nate wasn't stupid; he took James turning his back on him for what it was, much more than simply walking away for the night--much more than needing space. James was asking all the right questions; questions he should've been asking for years. Nate had been taking James' naivety, at least when it came to him, for granted, and now it had come back to bite him. Luckily, Nate was a man of contingencies; he had plans in spades, even some for a situation such as this. James' friendship was valuable, a great cover for him, and in the event that the war go south for his side, who better to vouch for him than James Potter? No, he couldn't lose that. So while James walked away from him (still too trusting even when he didn't trust), Nate pulled his wand from his sleeve and shot a bludgeoning hex at the back of his head, swiftly followed by a "Flipendo" that sent James flying into the wall. "Sorry, mate," He said, picking up the other boy's fallen wand as he made his way over to him. "It's nothing personal. I just like to protect my investments, you see, and I didn't spend the past two years befriending you for it all to go to waste because of Lance fucking Ahn and your vapid siblings." He chuckled, "Though I guess they were a bit smarter than you about some things, eh Potter?" He crouched down next to his ‘friend’, looking over him with faux concern, "You've been sloppy lately, James--stretching yourself thin trying to take care of everyone around you. You forget to take care of yourself." He shook his head, "And you thought I didn't pay attention to the important things." He pointed his wand at the other boy, fully focused, "You're strong." He admitted, "But right now, I'm stronger. Imperio." He uttered the curse with ease--of all the Unforgivables, it'd been the one that had interested Nate the most. And a weak James Potter--one who had decided not to trust him--was too good a target to pass up. Why bother earning James' trust when he could just command it? He'd be more useful to Nate than ever, like this. "Now," He said, once the curse was in effect, "Get up. We'll clean you up and head back to the dorms before everyone else comes back for the night. Time to get our friendship back on track, don't you think, Jamie?"

He was awful though. James had pushed away his then best friend because he didn’t want his concern, had gotten into fights with his father, had drunk himself into oblivion and he’d been the very definition of stupid. Acting like such a kid. “But now we do have a war.” And it made James question everything he had once known. He’d once foolishly believed he could handle whatever the world threw at him. Thought he was a good soldier, ready for battle. Knew how to keep people out of his mind, knew how to keep a cool head, knew how to strategize. And that had gotten him nowhere so far. Some good his mind had done for him. He couldn’t even pull his family together, much less focus as much as he wanted to on the war efforts. “And it goes to question what it is you decide to keep to yourself, too.” James understood secrets. Understood them well. Back in fifth year, however, James had been entirely forthcoming to Nate. Had he received the same treatment? It was hard to remember. That year mostly existed in this haze of smoke, of fog. The same kind of mystery that Nate was shrouded in. What did he know about Nate, outside of his want to be a minister? Why did Nate never speak about himself? Why always wonder about James? “They want you uninvolved,” James repeated carefully, “Yet they are somehow okay with you being friends with me, a Potter? Pretty sure that wipes off any chances of that, mate.” The last word was almost spat, but it was careful, deliberate. “You offer to help, but your actions are erratic. I can’t be your only friend. Who else do you even hang out with? And what is it that you have in common with them?” He couldn’t think of another person who spent time with Nate off the top of his head. At least, not that he ever saw. Not that was in front of a crowd. Or through open doors. “Why don’t I know those things about you?” He could recite each name and birthday of Lance’s siblings by heart without hesitation, yet he knew nothing of Nate’s family, not really, not besides little aside comments Nate would make about them. “You want me to survive, yet how do you expect to survive yourself? Those that don’t choose a side or the worst kind of targets because neither side can trust them. If you can’t commit to a side, how can you hope to rule one day?” So, so many questions, more than James had voiced. All swirling through his head, causing it to throb painfully. Gripping the side of his head, fingers digging into messy strands of black hair, James shook his head, took a step back. “You can’t say anything. You don’t have to. Just…give me some space, alright? I’ve got a lot on my plate.” Maybe it was just the stress that was making him paranoid. Maybe he just needed some sleep. How long had it been since he slept? “And I need some time to think.” Turning on his heel, thrown off and shaken, James moved to turn to leave. Maybe the dorms would be relatively empty. He didn’t even know where he wanted to go anymore. He just didn’t want to be there. Or by anyone. He wanted answers. He wanted less questions. And Nate was providing no real, solid answers. He was only producing more questions. 

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"Yeah, you were young and stupid, and we didn't have a war to worry about--you weren't awful, James. You shouldn't beat yourself up over it." In fact, fifth year James was at his best, in Nate's opinion. But he knew enough to know James wouldn't care to hear that opinion. "And there are plenty of times when you don't answer, and who am I to pry? We all have things we want to keep to ourselves, right?" Nate excused himself quickly, not at all liking the direction James' questions were going in. Ignoring his questions about his political aspirations, Nate replied easily, "No, I'm not." Quite the opposite, in fact, "But I've offered more than once to help you. Train, strategize, whatever you'd want. And I would help you--pick up my wand and help you. But I've got family to consider too, James, and they want me uninvolved." That was true, too. His family didn't know about his connection to the Death Eaters, that he'd chosen a side (the side he thought would win). Everyone wants something. It seemed like James had learned something from Nate after all--or maybe they were more similar than he'd thought. "I want to be your friend, James. I want you to survive the war." He lied through his teeth--although, that wasn't really fair. It wasn't that he didn't want James to survive, it just didn't matter to him. "I don't know what else I can say to convince you." He siad, his tone mournful.

“Plenty of people get their hearts broken, Nate. It’s no excuse for what I did. I was young and stupid. And, yeah, you being there helped. Because I didn’t have to expect anything back from you, either.” Everyone else would have given him looks of sympathy. He would’ve hated it then. But, in reality, that sympathy would have showed that they were concerned for him. Nate had never showed those signs. “You asked if I’m okay, but, you know, that’s what you always ask. Like it’s a routine. A chore.” Not out of real, genuine concern. He didn’t have advice to offer him, words of understanding. At every turn, actually, Nate didn’t understand. “I’m not even mad. Trust me, when I’m at mad, you’ll be fully aware of it. I’m irked. Because maybe you shouldn’t need to know when their birthdays are, but you should sure as hell care that they don’t like you. Effort would mean something.” And when had Nate ever done anything meaningful for him, truly? “And what are these ideas, hmm? If you want the world to be a better place, start with this war and pick up your wand. You’re not part of the Army.” It wasn’t even a question. James didn’t have to be a part of it himself to know. “So you talk big of everyone needing to do something, but what are you doing?” James was just so tired. And his head was throbbing. His heart was aching. And he wanted to shut it all off, like he did in fifth year. But, no, James wasn’t that person anymore. And if Nate couldn’t see that, then why was he still around? “Everyone wants something. Even when someone’s intentions are good, they want something. To know someone better so that they can help them. Be there for them. You’re there, sure, but I’m starting to think it’s rather superficial.”