apareciumcresswell

[apareciumcresswell]

Tag the OCs

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siriusxorion​:

He’d been avoiding people. He’d talked a bit to Remus, unavoidable as it had been living in the same house, but it was a short conversation - it was all that Sirius could manage. He’d been holed up in his room, unsure what to do with himself; barely eating, barely sleeping, barely aware of the hours passing as he tried to get his head to stop spinning. Why did it matter? Did it really make a difference whether Regulus was alive or dead? They’d stopped speaking long before he’d disappeared, he might as well have been dead years prior. But still….. 

Sirius heaved a loaded sigh, standing up and stretching. His back and shoulder popped as he reached up toward the ceiling and he shook himself. If nothing else, it felt good to move. His stomach grumbled and he padded toward the kitchen, resigned to a bowl of cereal as he had little else in the house worth eating, and he wasn’t sure he could muster the energy for it even if he did. And then the door opened with a bang and he raised an eyebrow, spoon halfway to his mouth. What in the hell had gotten Remus so worked up? But it wasn’t Remus who appeared, it was Dirk. Had he not locked the door? He swallowed, suddenly feeling nervous and no small amount of guilt, putting his spoon down and diverting his gaze. They hadn’t spoken in days. “Most people knock.” He mumbled, dropping his chin into his hands and glaring into his bowl

-

It was one thing to vanish for days and return clearly not himself. It was another entirely have sex with him and apparate out of the damn room before they’d even been able to talk! Needless to say, Dirk had been furious with Sirius’ immaturity and more than a little hurt. So much so he’d taken a step back and refused to deal with the man at all. He didn’t make eye contact during Order meetings, he didn’t send owls, nothing. Dirk had been content to let Sirius wallow and see if he even bothered to try and make amends.  

Then, he’d read the headline of the Prophet that day.

Honestly? While it explained Sirius’ selfish behaviour it did not excuse it. But, once again, Dirk was going to have to be the bigger man. Knowing where Sirius lived didn’t bother to knock but went for the door handle, testing it before flinging the door open. He didn’t care if Remus was in, he wasn’t giving Sirius another chance to scarper. “Most people don’t apparate out of my room post-sex without a word.” he shot back, slamming the prophet down on the table. “We’re going to talk. And so help me God Sirius if you dare try and weasel your way out of this.” his voice low, threatening. “Look at me.” he demanded, “Is this why you’ve been acting so crazy? Looking for any kind of distraction? I mean what the hell? Have you known all this time and were just scared it was going to come out or, when confronted with the possibility your brother might be alive and you needed comfort you decided your dick was the ideal tool to communicate that with!?”    

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ritxskeeter​:

Rita merely hummed, knowing false praise when she heard it. She may have been naïve when she’d taken the job, but she worked under no delusions now, privy as she was to closed door conversations. She’d heard what people had to say about her when she wasn’t around, and the majority of it had only served to thicken her skin even further. No, she didn’t believe a kind word for a second, and she had no interest in pretending otherwise. Still, now wasn’t the time or place for confrontation, so she kept her thoughts to herself. She didn’t care about anything he had to say - small talk held no interest to her, not with the likes of him anyway. 

“How…. interesting.” She answered, glancing up to send him a delicate glance, trying to keep the sneer off her face. She didn’t care, and the more he spoke the more irritated she became. Yet she kept a hold of her emotions, letting them simmer beneath the surface but never gain any more hold over her than that. “He was the senior underwriter for the Ludicrous Patents Office.” She explained instantly, yet offhandedly, almost hoping he would double check her. Of course, he would find nothing but truth in her words. He had just died, but Rita certainly wasn’t the one writing his obituary, and by the time it was published, well, she’d be long gone and the lie would have served its purpose. “Bit of a limp towel, poor sod.” She sighed, fingers dancing over the files excitedly as she seemed to draw nearer to what she’d been after.

-

Interesting. Funny how a word could mean its exact opposite when said in a certain tone. Dirk was sure Rita wasn’t used to being pleasant, nice sure, for the duration of an interview, to get the words she needed to twist, but actually pleasant? For a prolonged period? Unlikely. Dirk was almost tempted to keep being his amicable self just to see how long Rita could stand it. His mother had always told him the biggest weakness of cruel people was to just be kind. Given the way the world currently was he wouldn’t be surprised if this was the only chance he had to try and test that particular theory.

“Oh? He must’ve known an awful lot about magical law and sporting needs.” Dirk mused. Honestly it sounded like a tough job, the word ‘ludicrous’ was in the title for a reason after all. “Well, not everyone can be interesting, if we all were then, well, nobody would be interesting at all.” And what a boring world that would be. Mind you Dirk wouldn’t mind a little boredom these days, not that any of them would get it. He moved through the files to start looking for what he needed, leaving the room silent for a few moments while he got on. “Are you writing anything up at the moment?” he asked, still casual, even friendly. “I can’t imagine it’s easy trying to get the Prophet to print anything now, unless they went the muggle way but then there’d be no moving pictures.” It was a little like dangling meat above a crocodile, trying to engage Rita, he wondered when, if, she’d jump.

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medasgalaxy​:

Andromeda chuckled at her friend, “Well, you look rather brownish.” she teased a bit, it was nice to see Dirk, they share a passion for languages and he was always kind to Dora. “It’s not that you are not hard to miss, my mind is just in another place at the moment.” she changed her language to French, knowing how they always did that. It felt nice to be silly for a bit.  

“She’s fine, with her dad, wrecking havoc.” she joked. She loved her daughter vivacious attitude.

-

Dirk huffed, “I know and I hate it. I’d have been here sooner but work’s been crazy after the no magic stint.” he raised a brow but didn’t miss a beat flowing into French to match her, there were so few people he could play this game with. “What’s got you so distracted? Not that there aren’t a million things to worry about these days.”

He switched again, to Latin, “Something the pair of them excel at I’m sure. You’ll be lucky if the house is still standing when you get home.”  

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siriusxorion​:

He grunted slightly at the pressure around his hips - it hurt, but not nearly enough for his liking. As Dirk leaned his head back, Sirius' hand trailed up his sides and over his chest, landing on his neck and holding him in place, although he didn't apply much pressure - not yet, anyway. And after all, Dirk wasn't the one who deserved it, as tempting as the stretch of pale skin was. In another flash, they'd all but swapped positions, Sirius finding himself on the receiving end of a commanding hand and he grinned wolfishly, despite the difficulty the fingers brought to his breathing. It was what he'd been after, hadn't it? His hands dropped, one to the underneath of Dirk's thigh and the other wrapping around his back as he stepped away from the counter, holding him flush against him as he carried him off toward the bedroom. He knocked the hand away from his throat for the moment - today would not be as easy as Dirk had grown used to, he thought, an intoxicating battle between the two of them. He ducked his head to suck at the tender flesh in the hollow of Dirk's neck, bumping and nudging into things and making one hell of a racket until he finally bumped into the bed and dropped into it, covering the smaller body fully with his own.

Neither of them were strangers to getting a little rough when they were intimate, that went back as far as their sixth year in Hogwarts in the Prefect’s Bathroom, so he squeezed harder around the other’s waist and fluttered his eyes at the pressure on his neck. Sirius didn’t need telling twice and after bashing his way through his apartment they reached his bedroom and landed on his green sheets, Sirius attached to his neck and no doubt leaving marks. He wound both hands around Sirius’ neck, legs still attached fast and all but hung off him so long as the other had the strength to keep himself off the bed.Dirk smirked up at him, if Sirius wanted a fight, then fine. His legs loosened, trailed down and wrapped under the other’s knees before he stretched them, knocking the other’s legs from under him and using the momentum to roll them, nearly off the bed, but leaving Dirk on top. he reached a hand down and palmed Sirius’ crotch, squeezing too hard, “How rough are we going?” he asked lowly, even in the throws of passion they needed limits. He rammed a leg between Sirius ‘ the other keeping him steady on the bed and trailed his hand back up to the other’s neck while the other undid the top button of his jeans. “How bad to you want it, Black?”    

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medasgalaxy​:​

Andromeda loved to cultivate her own herbs for potions, however there were some things that either took too long or were too rare to keep at home, this is when she came to this little apothecary that had everything she might need. She was about to enter the little place when she bumped into someone.   

“I’m sorry, I didn’t see you there.”

-

Dirk was not an avid potioneer by any stretch of the imagination, but he did need to recreate the mixture that kept his hair green every few months, so he was out collecting the ingredients needed for that. Running into Andromeda was just a pleasant surprise. “I’m surprised, I’m a little hard to miss, even if the hair’s fading.” he said with a little laugh.

“It’s been a while Dee, how’s Dora?”  He loved the little girl, she had a zest for life.

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ludovicbvgmvn​:

Ludo’s smile faltered at Dirk’s response. Had he just said no? Rejected him? That’s never happened to him before, and Ludo wasn’t entirely sure how to react. He felt offended, how could somebody possibly turn down the opportunity to spend time with him? One of the greatest Quidditch players of all time? Ludo simply stared down at Dirk for a moment, trying to comprehend what was happening. He was sure he had the stupidest expression on his face, equal parts offended and confused. But, Ludo shook his head, allowing his smile to return as a couple of chuckles fell from him.

“I think you misheard me,” He started, relaxing his stance and folding his arms across his chest. He wasn’t going to take no for an answer. “I wasn’t asking for you to join me.” Ludo clarified, “I was telling you that we’re going to lunch.” He grinned, shrugging his shoulders slightly as he pulled an empty chair from a nearby desk. “Lunch break must be soon, yeah? I can wait for you.” He plopped himself down in the chair, deciding it was now his main mission to get Dirk to like him. It was so odd, not to have somebody falling all over him. Ludo was sure he’d be able to change that, as long as Dirk was willing to give him a chance.

-

Dirk assumed that would be the end of it, evidently he was wrong and, oh, the older man had chosen just the wrong words to get his back up. Dirk paused in his writing, his eyes flicked up to the other’s smug face and without breaking eye contact he put his quill aside and lent back slightly in his chair, “No, I think you misheard me Mr. Bagman.” he began, voice still polite, “You do not tell me anything. You are not my boss, you are not my mother, you are not my father, and while I suspect it may be somewhat difficult for that bludger-bashed brain of yours to comprehend, you are not the morning and the evening star.”  

He paused a moment to let his words sink in, “And I do not appreciate being told what to do by a man who is none of those things. So, you can wait here if you like.” he picked up his quill and continued writing, “I won’t be going for lunch for another half hour. Then I will be making my own way to the cafe across the road and ordering and eating my own lunch. If you’re that determined to remain around me you can follow and I won’t say a word.” Because then he wouldn’t be having lunch with Ludo. Ludo would just be having lunch in the same place as him and hopefully that would be enough to sat the man’s leviathan-sized ego.  

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severusxtobias​:

He knew he should have watched his words more carefully, but Severus was still surprised at the question, and not in an altogether positive way. Would he care to share? Was Cresswell serious? Or was he simply as ignorant as he’d always assumed him to be? “No.” He said coldly, a note of finality to his tone that hopefully warned Dirk off continuing down that path of conversation. Severus tended to be non confrontational, surprisingly enough to most people, but he wasn’t afraid of a fight if one came knocking - but today he was tired, and simply wanted to get his errands done and retire early to his room at the Leaky Cauldron, and if that meant a regrettable conversation with the likes of Dirk Cresswell, so be it. 

“I’ll take the suffering, I should think.” Severus replied smoothly. It would take a lot more than an inconvenient burn to make him accept the help of a muggle born, let alone one who kept company such as Sirius Black. After all, it wasn’t anything he hadn’t grown accustomed to from a young age. Merlin knew he’d endured worse than this, and he wasn’t really the sort of man to accept help from anyone, muggle born or not. “I am fully aware of how long it takes.” He snapped, his patience wearing thin. He had not sought out this interaction, he hadn’t asked for help - why couldn’t people leave well enough alone? If he chose to remain in pain, that was his prerogative, was it not? “I am.” He said pointedly, giving Dirk a dark glare. “I suggest you follow my lead." 

-

There were times in his life where Dirk’s kindness, so heavily ingrained in him by his dear mother was sorely tested and this was one of those moments. Severus Snape was just so unapologetically full of hate. It was enough to get anyone’s back up. As it was, Dirk found his annoyance coming out in a different way, “What happened to you?” he asked, his voice wasn’t angry, not judgemental, simply puzzled. “I just... it’s frightening to think about how much you must have suffered to push back this hard against any form of kindness.” He didn’t know the other’s past, and he likely never would, but he could infer it had to have been cruel. That and he knew his school years were difficult.

He’d only come across the man being confronted by Sirius and his fellow trouble makers but he’d always told them to stop. There was no glory in a four on one match and, much like Sirius, James Potter was a real ass back in the day. “So you’d rather deal with the pain then accept the help of someone like me?” he asked, again voice plain, not calling him out to try and instigate a fight. “I’m afraid I can’t. I like helping people, I don’t asking for help. And I really am sorry that your life has led you to a point where you find it impossible to engage in either.” What a sad, lonely life it must have been. And if it had gone this far odds were he couldn’t change it, “And I’ve never been one for following leads I didn’t agree with, either.”  

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ritxskeeter​:

She shrugged at his response, the flippancy of it not missed on her, but she remained unbothered and stuck to the task at hand, although a bit more carefully. Boring. A little scandal now and then was what made life worth living - and really, no one had been hurt. They were all on an even playing field, after all. Dirk was simply being over dramatic. “Oh, I don’t mind it all that much.” Rita replied easily, although it wasn’t true in the slightest. She was going mad, really, but at least she could still do something, no matter how inconvenient. And she wasn’t one to show her hand to anyone, let alone someone she barely knew. And she wasn’t going to put herself below a goblin, that was for certain.    

Her fingers paused for just a moment at his question and she narrowed her eyes into the file she had been about to pull, before she flicked her gaze up to his innocently, the cloud of distrust gone as hers met his. “Nothing to bother yourself with, I assure you. You’d be bored to tears.” Rita smiled sweetly, lifting one shoulder as a single laugh fell off her lips. “Some old records for an obituary.” Another lie. She hadn’t written an obituary in years - she refused. “Simon Gladwell, you know.” She waved her hand in dismissal as she returned to her search. 

-

Dirk had to squelch the urge to raise a brow. For a woman who... somehow, and it had to involve magic, snuck around learning things she had no business learning and putting them out there for the world to see, he imagined things must be quite irritating right now. Still, it was not business of his and it would be a foolish move to try and antagonise a woman like her. In situations like this, Dirk often asked himself: ‘What would Sirius do?’ And then he’d promptly do the opposite. In this case, Sirius would no doubt barge on and make a nasty comment about the usual things she printed. As for Dirk: “That’s great to hear, you must be very resourceful to be coping so well right now.” And he smiled.

Translation, since he was so good at translating: ‘I’m looking at something I’m not supposed to and there’s no way you can prove it.’ “You’d be surprised, I can read just about anything, comes in handy with all the languages. When I was learning Gobbledegook I had to read the journal of a Gringotts banker. They like to be very details about even the smallest things.” God knows he’d have fallen asleep reading it a few times if not for the task of actively translating. “Oh? I actually don’t? What did he do?” Dirk asked.      

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dvisyhookum​:

Daisy smiled gently at him. She didn’t deserve his friendship, if he only knew what was on her arm just under her sleeve. He certainly wouldn’t be inviting her over for dinner with his muggle parents if he knew. But, even with the mark on her arm, she didn’t believe in the things they did. Daisy wasn’t a bad person, she didn’t care who you were or where you came from. As long as you were a good person, you were good in her books. Not everybody was the same as she was, though. There were only a few people that would understand why she had agreed to join them despite what she believed in, and she wasn’t sure Dirk was one of those people.   

Her head nodded quickly, and she smiled softly at him. “Yeah, I’m sure. I’m okay.” And she was, really. As long as she continued to get paid and as long as they continued to simply use her for her ingredients, she would be fine. Daisy always kept her wand nearby, she had been practicing defensive spells in her free time. She could handle herself for now. “I appreciate your concern, Dirk, I really do. But I promise I’m fine.” She frowned slightly at the mention of getting her in touch with the shops in Diagon Alley. She used to sell to most of them, but she unfortunately had to sever the connections with them. They were some of her best clients, but at least she still connections in Knockturn Alley, who paid just as well. “The apothecaries in Diagon cut me off after my parents passed. They didn’t want to do business with a kid.” It felt horrible to lie to him, but she couldn’t tell him the truth. “You can help. Maybe you can just come check up on me periodically? It’s nice to know I have somebody thinking about me. But you’re busy, if you don’t have time, you really don’t need to worry about me.”

-

Dirk chewed slightly on the inside of his lip, wondering if Daisy was as okay as she said. He didn’t want to call her a liar, even if he still harboured doubts. In truth, he’d like to think Daisy would come and confide in him if things ever became too difficult. That was what friends were for; to help without judgement. He strove to be that kind of friend, who could listen without throwing accusations and try to keep a dialogue open; that was part of the reason Dumbledore had reached out to him to begin with. But, if Daisy didn’t want to talk about it there really wasn’t much he could do. So he took another sip of his green tea and nodded at her words.

“They did what!?” he yelled, putting the cup down a little bit more forcefully than he’d intended and a little tea spilled over the side. “That’s disgraceful! You’re every bit as talented as your parents were and have a thriving greenhouse here; those snobbish reprobates!” he shook his head, “I am not standing for this; how are new people supposed to make steps in the Wizarding World when businesses are so agist, even to people with a family history of success in the area!?” The injustice of it all riled him up to no end, “I’ll send a few letters believe you and me; and not just for you. If they’re treating you like this who knows who else they might’ve fobbed off. The Department of magical law are gonna get an earful, Mr. Mockridge’ll tell me who speak with, he’s a good man.” Dirk trusted him wholeheartedly. He’d protected him in the Ministry and Dirk was sure he’d do the same for Daisy as well if he just explained. “And of course I’ll keep coming by, but if you ever need me and I’m not here you know how to reach me, right? And please do it, you’re my friend, that’s never a bother.”        

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siriusxorion​:

Sirius let loose a low groan at the word - please - but it was lost in Dirk’s mouth once more and his hands wound around him, pulling him flush against his own hot skin. Everyone wanted Sirius, and yet no one wanted him. It was what kept him coming back to Dirk, he thought; the fact that he wanted him to come back. It was intoxicating, being wanted. It was the validation Sirius craved, no matter how adamantly he may deny it. His fingers trailed up and over Dirk’s shoulders before falling back down across the newly exposed flesh of his chest, pausing only to rub over one of his nipples before he kept moving downward. “Dirk…” He breathed, breaking away from him, panting slightly. His hand found the bulge and his fingers wrapped around it, rubbing through the fabric of his pants, but he wasn’t patient enough and after only a moment he was unbuttoning and unzipping rather roughly, trying to get at what he wanted.

Dirk didn’t hesitate to yank the other’s shirt off and press their chests together, the warmth of the other’s body was addictive and every time they came together it felt like it was still new and exciting. He desperately clung and squeezed the other with his legs, maybe treading that blurry line between pleasure and pain but it wouldn’t be the first time. When Sirius broke their kiss he moaned lowly throwing his head back till it rested against the cabinets, eyes closed in bliss. His legs jerked, thick thighs squeezing even harder around Sirius’ stomach as he rubbed his crotch. With a growl of his own he yanked them close again, squishing Sirius’ hand against his bulge, “Bed.” he demanded. one hand on Sirius’ shoulder, the other around his neck, “Now.” He punctuated the command by squeezing the hand at his neck hard enough to cut his air off altogether; their would always be something intoxicating about forcing Sirius Black to struggle against him, today would be no different.

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ludovicbvgmvn​:

Why he possibly needed a third interview was entirely beyond him, he had the job in the bag since before his first interview. But, he attended anyway, and things were official now. Ludo would be the Head of Magical Games and Sports once this Quidditch season was finished. It was bittersweet. He’d miss playing Quidditch, but he knew he couldn’t play forever. He was growing older, he wasn’t quite in the same shape he had been back when he was in his early twenties. So, this felt like a natural next step. Besides, Hamish had been talking of retirement for years now, practically buttering Ludo up to take over his position, which was why it was so confusing he’d need a third interview. It was over with now, though, and Ludo decided to take a little tour of the Ministry, to see if he could find Alice or somebody else to drag along for lunch. 

He stepped out of the elevator on a random floor, ignoring the voice telling him where he was. He’d find his way. Ludo wandered around slowly, sticking his head into random doors to see if he recognized anybody. Unfortunately there were no familiar faces, but he did run into a few fans. After signing a couple of autographs, he continued on his way. Popping his head into the next door, Ludo grinned as he spotted a head of green hair. Dirk wasn’t his first choice. Or his second, or third. But, spending time with somebody he didn’t particularly like was better than spending time alone. “Congratulations!” He started, leaning over Dirk’s desk with a boyish grin. “You’ve won a free lunch with everybody’s favourite beater. C'mon, anywhere you want to go. My treat.”​

-

Everything was back to normal or rather, everything was back to normal with a proverbial mountain of extra work to be caught up on. The Goblin Liaison department had done better than several others trying to keep working during the period of no magic but, aside from visits to Gringotts and the Goblin colonies in the South of England they’d been unable to get in touch with the parties they needed. So everyone was working twice as hard trying to deal with missed messages, pushing back deadlines and returning some order to the madness if the department. He hadn’t seen Mr. Mockridge for two days straight since he was making so many in-person visits to Goblin tribes and being dragged into ‘Department Head’ meetings here at the Ministry. He sighed and finished writing his letter, sending it flying to the out-post office with a flick of his wand.

He’d sent over two dozen similar letters requesting updates from tribes over Scotland already this morning. Odds were he’d need to visit them himself but that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing; if he was there alone he could ask a question or two about how they were coping with the Death Eaters, put them in contact with the Order if needed. His thoughts were interrupted by a loud voice that almost had him jumping as he looked up from his desk to see Ludo of all people hovering over him like a grinning kid. He was sure the other meant well but this was hardly the time and, if he were being honest, Dirk wasn’t in a hurry to listen to Ludo go on about how wonderful he was for an hour. “Oh, no thank you,” he said politely, “I have a lot of work I need to finish.”  

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severusxtobias​:

“Mm.” He hummed in response, only half paying attention to what the other was saying. It was curious, though, wasn’t it? “I’ve a few suspicions.” He murmured, more to himself than to Dirk as he thought. He was willing to bet all the money in his vault (not that that was saying much) that it had stemmed from their side. Who else would want to turn off magic? It was an idea he’d heard whispers about, although of course, not all magic. Who knew something like this was even possible? Something had gone wrong, no matter who was behind it, of that he was certain. Still, he doubted he’d get a solid answer in this lifetime, so he wasn’t going to worry over it.       

He jerked his arm away at the words, turning slightly in an attempt to block the other man’s view of his injury. His arm shook in the familiar way he would use to shimmy his sleeve down which, of course, didn’t work. With a sneer, his head turned back to Dirk. “I am not going to trust my health to some muggle bullshit.” In truth, it was all his father had allowed in the house growing up, and he had used it to nurse many wounds. His aversion was strictly on principle. “It’ll be fine until I can get back to the school.” He said shortly, his tone implying the topic was closed. He straightened, still angling his arm into his side as if to keep it away from the other. “Well, that sounds like your problem, not mine, so I suppose you’ll just have to deal with it." 

-

“Really? Anything you’d care to share?” he asked, voice still friendly, open, though he wasn’t a fool; Severus had never made it a secret how much he valued a person’s blood over their actions and personality. It was sad, narrowed minded; but then didn’t that just sum up the Dark Lord and his Death Eater’s all in one? Regardless, now wasn’t the time nor the place to throw such topics out. Still it didn’t mean he’d miss the opportunity for a follow up question like anyone else would. To Dirk’s mind it had to be the other side behind this; likely an attempt to depower just their enemies that had back-fired spectacularly.

Dirk narrowed his eyes just a little at how quickly the other tried to hide his injury; just what had he been doing to get that kind of response? Stifling the urge to huff at the other’s words, Dirk calmly responded, “Well, we’re all as good as muggles right now, aren’t we?” No magic, no witches, no wizards, just normal people. And it didn’t bother him half as much as he suspected it was bothering the other, “It’s the only option available besides pointless suffering.” Trust a blood purist to cut their nose to spite their face in such a way. “Well, that’ll take a while I should think.” He remembered the train ride alone was nearly half a day, then the walk up to the school itself, no apparating to the edges of the grounds now. “Just like you’re dealing with your burn it seems.” he said, again, nothing overtly rude in his words; Dirk had long since mastered the art of talking.       

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advancedem​:

It was not a silly question, even though Emmeline let out a half laugh at the end of his words anyway. It was sort of like being in the middle again, but this time she did not know in the middle of what. Usually, somewhere between magical and muggle - and who it was okay to share that with. The world felt a little smaller whenever she was reminded that Dirk Cresswell lived so close by, the funny feeling of spotting him in the Hogwarts halls crossed her mind. That first time she saw him was strange, and she wasn’t sure if it had been him or someone who just looked like him. After a while, that feeling settled and reminded her that these worlds were not always so separate, even when she sort of needed them to be more so.

“I’m okay.” her voice softened, as if being too loud could still reveal some institutionally kept secret of the past several hundred years. “But, yeah, me too. I mean…that I’m staying home, my parent’s home, for a bit, just to make sure things are okay.” Emmeline did not think it was wise to assume that the war wouldn’t eventually touch the muggle word. After all, that was sort of the point. And it was her parents she feared for most, often wondering if putting them somewhere in hiding would have been best. The upcoming days would be the most telling.

Dirk had been very surprised to see Emmeline at Hogwarts; granted the pair of them hadn’t been close enough in age to be exactly friends as children, but he’d always waved at her if he saw her leaving the house when he did. Plus, their parents seemed to get on well enough; as soon as he’d seen her in school and told them, his parents had invited them over for a ‘catch up’ and to try and put some of their own worries at ease. It had made him feel better knowing they had someone else to talk to about magic. He nodded at her words, “You and me both. Though I gotta admit it’s nice having time with them; usually work’s mad,” that and his Order business, “Everything’s at a standstill now, so Mr. Mockridge told me to take a little time away.” 

And he was very grateful to the department head; honestly Dirk had struck it lucky when Mr. Mockridge had taken him under his wing, he hoped to whatever Gods were about he’d last in the position for years to come. “But I guess I was more worried about you really,” he finished with a shrug, “I guess, I just know you’re more familiar with magic than I am and I wanted to check you’re not reaching the end of your rope. I’ve seen a few people, well,” he grimaced and rubbed the back of his head with a hand, “They took it very badly.” Freak out would be too mild a term to describe some of his ministry co-workers.

He looked down for a moment and licked his lips, “I haven’t told mine. Any of it. About what’s happened, about...” he shrugged and gestured between them, “About what we’re doing. I hate lying to them but they’d eat themselves alive with worry if they knew.” And they would be too a big a burden for him to bare that he couldn’t take on during a war; selfish as it was to think it.    

Her mother seemed nervous a lot of the time, and of course she would be. Emmeline already watched with close eyes whenever she knew her mother had business at the ministry - a known blood traitor. And her dad….he’d never fully get it. “Still feels funny, like I’ve got to be watching them just in case and they think they’re protecting me somehow.” Surely, Emmeline was reliant on magic, but she was no concern to herself at the moment.

-

Dirk had been very surprised to see Emmeline at Hogwarts; granted the pair of them hadn’t been close enough in age to be exactly friends as children, but he’d always waved at her if he saw her leaving the house when he did. Plus, their parents seemed to get on well enough; as soon as he’d seen her in school and told them, his parents had invited them over for a ‘catch up’ and to try and put some of their own worries at ease. It had made him feel better knowing they had someone else to talk to about magic. He nodded at her words, “You and me both. Though I gotta admit it’s nice having time with them; usually work’s mad,” that and his Order business, “Everything’s at a standstill now, so Mr. Mockridge told me to take a little time away.”

And he was very grateful to the department head; honestly Dirk had struck it lucky when Mr. Mockridge had taken him under his wing, he hoped to whatever Gods were about he’d last in the position for years to come. “But I guess I was more worried about you really,” he finished with a shrug, “I guess, I just know you’re more familiar with magic than I am and I wanted to check you’re not reaching the end of your rope. I’ve seen a few people, well,” he grimaced and rubbed the back of his head with a hand, “They took it very badly.” Freak out would be too mild a term to describe some of his ministry co-workers.

He looked down for a moment and licked his lips, “I haven’t told mine. Any of it. About what’s happened, about...” he shrugged and gestured between them, “About what we’re doing. I hate lying to them but they’d eat themselves alive with worry if they knew.” And they would be too a big a burden for him to bare that he couldn’t take on during a war; selfish as it was to think it.    

[apareciumcresswell]

ritxskeeter​:

Rita had grown bored relatively quickly. Staying home hadn’t worked out well for her the day before, what with Ludo sniffing around, and so she had doubled her wards to make sure he couldn’t make his way in too see Brisket when she wasn’t home and taken off. She may not be able to generate any new stories, but there were a few less than heated topics she had in the back of her mind for just such an occasion that could use a bit of extra research. It may not land her back on the front page, but what else could she do for the moment? Especially without the use of her animagus form and quick quotes quill, she was reduced to only a small step above useless. And she hated it. 

It had been absolute hell navigating muggle transportation to get there - especially nursing the hangover she’d gotten from her antics with Sinistra; Rita hadn’t counted on her potions not working - they’d been made beforehand, for Merlins sake. But here she was. She’d never used the visitor’s entrance before and while the telephone booth was preferable to the toilet (both of which she hadn’t been sure would even have worked) she certainly wouldn’t be giving up the Floo any time soon. Annoyed as she was, the last thing she wanted was an interruption, especially with her head throbbing the way it was. But still, she straightened with her usual smile and turned at the voice. “A little surprise is healthy now and then.” She replied smoothly, recognizing the intruder as Dirk Cresswell. Bit of a bore, really, but that was only partially his own fault. “Oh no no, I’d hate to take your time away from such…. pressing matters.” She eyed the papers in his hands, her pleasant tone slipping slightly on the words. Boring. “I’m just doing a bit of research, fact checking, you know.” She waved away his words. After all, it was public record. Rita had just as much right to be here as Dirk did, maybe more, if you asked her. 

-

“Preferably not one that cripples our entire society.” he returned smoothly. Rita Skeeter was like a bloodhound, he knew that without even having met the woman before. It was no surprise she knew him, that was her business. But Dirk made a point of being forgettable within the ministry; he was good at his job, very good, but he didn’t make waves. Mr. Mockridge was going out of his way to help him stay safe in the Ministry and he wasn’t going to waste all the work. So, it made sense to approach this interaction very carefully; the last thing he needed was any sort of press.

And knowing Rita, it would only be negative anyway.

“It’s nothing too pressing, right now there isn’t much for my department to do.” he said with a small shrug, “The Goblins seem to be enduring this business much better than we are.” Gringotts still operated, though the magically sealed vaults weren’t exactly working; he had to stow the slight smugness he felt at this lack of magic really hammering the purebloods. “What is it you’re looking into?” he asked, his tone curious, but not pressing, as though it were a passing fancy. Years of studying language had taught him how to speak very convincingly even when he wasn’t feeling it.    

[apareciumcresswell]

severusxtobias​:

Severus had debated simply being out the robes and calling it a day, but he knew he would be kicking himself for it later, as he only had a few pairs of new robes as it was. So he had gotten a room at the Leaky, at the very least to store his items while he shopped to stave off any more unfortunate incidents, but more likely so that he could drink at the end of what would be a very long day and not need to catch a god awful muggle bus to get home. He had left his outer robes upstairs, rolling up the sleeves of his shirt in the hopes that it wouldn’t be so obvious the left one was singed beyond repair. That, and the rough scratching against his blistered skin hadn’t felt exactly comfortable. 

Right now, however, he was regretting every decision he’d made since he woke up, as an overly friendly voiced called out his name. He couldn’t catch a damn break, could he? Every bone in his body wanted to whirl on the spot and snap at the idiot interrupting him, but he simply turned silently, appraising the newcomer. Dirk Cresswell, of who he knew little more than his name and the fact that his hair had always been an obnoxious shade of green. A fact that had, unfortunately, not changed. “Cresswell.” He greeted coolly after a moment, inclining his head. Severus considered toying with him - pretending nothing was wrong with his magic, but the payoff would hardly be worth the risk of a stunt so easily disproved. Plus, it might make their little run in go that much longer. “It is no matter.” He said instead, shrugging slightly. “Although Madam Malkin appears to be suffering greatly.” He glowered, eyes flickering into the window of the shop again. With all the fitting having to be done by hand, he had encountered a bit of a wait while trying to replace his robes. 

-

Dirk had dealt with more than a few frosty receptions in his time. Severus had been this way during their few school interactions and it seemed that hadn’t changed. He wasn’t put out. His smile remained steady and he nodded at the other’s issue. “I can imagine, almost all of Diagon’s been closed down by this. I don’t understand how it’s happened but I wonder how long it’s going to last.” Dirk would be lying if he hadn’t imagined this lasting forever; it wouldn’t be completely awful.  

He got a better look at the other now he was close and inhaled slightly seeing the blisters on his arm, “Goodness, what happened to your arm?” he asked, getting a better view of the injury, “It looks nasty. Are you treating it? I know some muggle ointments that would at least help with the soreness and itching.” His mother had burned herself on an oven tray several years ago, he remembered how much it had hurt her. Even if he suspected Severus wouldn’t be grateful, he’d want to help, it was what he always tried to do. “I wouldn’t feel right letting you go on with it so sore.”    

[apareciumcresswell]

dvisyhookum​:

It really did sound absolutely lovely to meet Dirk’s parents. Ever since her own parents had passed away, Daisy craved any sort of parental attention. Of course she could visit her grandparents at any time, but she didn’t want to put them in any danger. They lived away from everything, their only involvement in the war was what they read in the paper. Daisy would rather communicate with them through Owls rather than visiting. It was safer that way. “I’ll come any time, really. I’d love to spend some time with your parents.” she grinned.

Daisy’s eyes fell down to where Dirk’s hand landed on top of hers. She didn’t deserve his comfort or his concern. Not after taking the Mark and agreeing to work for the side that wanted to hurt people like him. “I’m okay.” she assured him quickly, her head nodding. She was, technically, okay. For the most part, she was left unbothered. It seemed as though they really were simply interested in her plants and ingredients, most of the Death Eaters stopping by were potioneers. There was the occasional instance where somebody would come check up on her just for the sake of making sure she was following their rules, but they had not yet done any harm to her. But now, after there had been attacks on Pureblood families, she could only assume they’d come knocking on her door for information. Daisy was exactly the type of person they’d suspect would do such a thing. “I promise I’m alright. They’re usually pretty good at just getting what they need and leaving. Besides, I don’t want to trouble you or the Ministry. You’ve got enough on your plate, no need to worry about me. They might be sketchy, but they do pay well. I hate dealing with them, but I can’t really afford to refuse them.”

-

“I’ll see about setting something up.” He knew Daisy had lost her own parents, it was hardly a secret, and he didn’t want to rub his own parent’s in her face or anything like that; but rather, the opposite. Maybe it would do her some good. He didn’t like to think of her here alone all the time, especially with the world the way it currently was. Besides, seeing them always made him feel better, he liked to think they were just the kind of people who could give Daisy a little peace of mind too.

She spoke too quickly. One thing Dirk had learned was how to read the way people spoke. It was an unexpected side-effect of learning the amount of languages he had. There was a tone to everyone, the way the spoke, hovering over a syllable, leaving an extra beat between words. A person could read into that and learn a great deal about what someone wasn’t saying. Dirk licked his lips and took another sip of the excellent tea. “Daisy, are you sure?” he asked quietly, “I like to think you know I’m not the sort of person to judge.” he added with a small smile. “And no amount of trouble is too much. The world’s already going to hell in a hand basket but that doesn’t mean we stop looking out for each other.” his voice gentle, reassuring. “Maybe I could help get you in touch with some of Diagon’s stores? Or even shops abroad, they’ll pay well for quality ingredients and you grow some of the best.” Not an empty compliment; Dirk knew people had talked about her family’s growing abilities even before what’d happened to her parents. “I wanna help.” It was what he always tried to do. Even if he wasn’t always the best at it he’d try.