artofmagic

[artofmagic]

DAVENPORT, ARTHUR.

Age: 32 Occupation: Care of Magical Creatures Professor at Hogwarts Portrayed By: Jim Sturgess

BEFORE THE WAR

Born to half-blood parents that left him orphaned at five, Arthur, or Art as he prefers to be called, grew up in Southampton, London till he went to Hogwarts where he was easily sorted into the Gryffindor house. After Hogwarts Art went on to muggle college for the fun and the experience and took up a Biology major and Creative Writing minor. But when it came time to search for a job and a career, Art found his love and passion for animals and creatures of the wild resurfacing. And when he got word that the Care of Magical Creatures position at his beloved former school was open, he just couldn’t help but apply.

Art is generally a carefree, fun loving, spontaneous person but when trouble arises he’s always the one to take the front lines, showing off his inner Gryffindor. Likewise, he’s got a strong sense of nobility and will often rush head first into whatever he believes to be right despite the consequences. He’s a very easy going teacher that likes to have enjoyable, hands-on lessons and is as much of a friend, father or older brother figure to his students as he is a professor, causing him to often forget that he’s in a position of authority.

AFTER THE WAR

Art is one of the many recovering from the effects of the Battle of Durmstrang. Having fought in the Battle of Hogwarts in his youth, he was among the front lines when conflict came knocking once again. He’s doing his best to help his students feel normal again now that all the chaos is behind them, but with flashes of the fight dancing behind his own eyes, he’s finding it a little harder to be everyone else’s pillar of strength. Just as he’s done many times before, Art is trying to relying on his friends, family-those in blood and not-to guide him through a difficult time.

It’s also proven difficult for Art, having two completely different emotions regarding Hogwarts. On one hand it’s been a home to him since he was eleven and the halls have provided him with so much love and joy that he could never repay them fully. But on the other hand the last few years have shown him the loss of lovers, friends and difficult times for young people that Art saw as his very own children. Between the two, he has always been conflicted upon whether he should continue to serve his second home or give in to his flighty feelings and take off into parts of the world that don’t house such sour memories. But now more than ever he’ll have to make a decision and be it a valiant one or cowardly, it will change Art’s life forever.

PERSONALITY TRAITS:

+ kind, loyal, understanding, strong-willed - reckless, emotional, stubborn, idealist

ARTHUR IS OPEN ϟ TAKEN

[artofmagic]

Art found it extremely difficult to stay upset with Astrid running around the way she was. He was always fond of children, instinctively coddling them, adoring them, playing with them. It was impossible for him not to smile when she charged his leg. He chuckled at her words and her innocent, playful behavior and ruffled her hair affectionately as Scorp apologized for his daughter. 

"Of course you can come to make tea," he smiled, reaching down to take her hand when she released his leg. "She's cute, I'll give you that," he called back to Scorp as he led the little girl into the kitchen. At this point he assumed she was Scorp's child, especially after the comment about spoiling her. Perhaps she was the child of a family member, but it seemed unlikely; the admiration between them seemed far more personal, something only blood could summon. Of course Art was curious as to who, how, where, when, why, but for now he enjoyed the child's company and decided everything would make itself known in the right time. 

There was a sense of comfort in having his apartment occupied so. He lived alone since his creatures preferred roaming about the castle grounds and the silence became almost too much for Art sometimes. To hear Astrid rambling, to have the knowledge that one of his most beloved people was sitting in his living room, it allowed him to let out a breath of relief.

Somewhat for the amusement of Astrid, Art used wandless magic and the waving of his fingers to summon two teacups and a glass from his cup boards, open up the fridge for milk and his drawers for tea. He assembled two cup of tea and a glass of milk for the child, taking pleasure in Astrid's amused giggles and undeveloped English.

At the same time he listened to Scorp's voice ring through his apartment, which brought forth a sense of deja vu. There had been many times in Scorpius' teenage years that Art had stood in the kitchen making tea while the younger told him what was wrong. 

"And what exactly does work entail?" he called back, not sure which career path Scorp had chosen for himself. He looked down and smiled as Astrid spoke words of admiration for her father. It was sweet, their relationship was sweet; she was sweet. And for a second Art felt a strong sense of regret, not being able to be a part of this child's upbringing.

Art handed Astrid her glass of milk and as an afterthought, a small dish of cookies too. He then took the two cups of tea and headed back into the living room, calling Astrid to follow. He placed Scorp's tea on the coffee table in front of him before seating himself on the sofa across from the younger man. 

His eyes fell just the way Scorp's did at the mention of Albus and even more so when he noticed Scorp's fingers fidget. It'd been years, but that didn't make the reality of what had happened with the middle Potter child easier to accept. "I understand," he sighed, knowing full well how hard it had been to cope. Honestly, he couldn't even bring himself to be angry at Scorp because if the man did what would help him be alright again then how could Art be angry?

Art noticed the way Scorp's features lit up at the mention of Astrid. He let out a breath, "I'm glad you came, I...I'm glad you decided to share this, with me. I missed you, Scorp." The sincerity was evident in his eyes, all the time he'd spent thinking about Scorp, wishing he'd come around, was evident in Art's eyes. He chuckled when Scorp asked about him. "Hold on there, buddy, we're not quite done with you yet. I'd like some details. I'd like to know what you've been up to on a second to second basis because you spent seven years of your life telling things to me that way and I don't see why it should be any different now."

Art looked over at Astrid fondly. More than anything he wanted to know about her so that he could be a part of her life from that point on. There was no way he was going to let Scorp disappear again, no way that he was going to lose his family again.

Scorp & Art || Reunion

[artofmagic]

I shit you not I am straight up going through Art's archives right now looking for that shit. I will not stop till I find it I swear.

I WISH I TAGGED THINGS I WISH I COULD JUST FIND THAT CONVO AND JUST UGH IT WAS SO GREAT IVE NEVER FORGOTTEN OMG?? IM JUST HAPPY YOU HAVENT EITHER LIKE WE ARE RIGHT HERE WE ARE EYE TO EYE ON THIS FAMTP I JUST. im also happy you love it as well im probs gonna re-read it forever i just love that he kept his promise and just fucking /really/ like after all these years it’s still there it’s still a thing I AM DONE I JUST REALLY LOVE THIS OKAY I FELT YOU SHOULD KNOW 

[artofmagic]

evolet-telove replied to your post:promises l art&evie

i want u to know i hate u but i love u so much this si so perfect i just??

I'm glad you like it bb :D I love it, like ofc I like the things I write but I rarely write something and read it over and over just bc I like it, I like how it turned out and how it sounds and the story and I like just LIKE this so much. It's so canon i'M GLAD YOU FEEL THINGS CAUSE I FEEL THINGS TOO AND LIKE OFC I REMEMBERED THE TEENAGE ART THING R U SRS WHO COULD EVER FORGET AND I'M GLAD WE WERE ON THE SAME PAGE ABOUT IT LIKE OFMG YOU SAW IT COMING AND I JUST I'M GLAD WE BOTH THINK THAT MOMENT IS MONUMENTAL IN THEIR FRIENDSHIP AND I JUST ART AND EVIE ARE SO IMPORTANT TO ME BYE.

[artofmagic]

promises l art&evie

It’s still very unrealistic to Evie. She isn’t having trouble believing it because if she was, she wouldn’t feel like she was about to cry so frequently. But it’s just a feeling, the tears don’t actually come because the thought of Art being gone just doesn’t seem like a plausible one. He’d lived a good, long life so she shouldn’t be sad, she supposes but she didn’t think she’d ever have to face a world without him in it and now here she is.

Art’s will is a tremendous one. The reading for it is packed to the brim with people whose lives he had touched and had clearly touched his too. Perhaps it was a little selfish for Evie to feel as entitled as she did during the reading. She was special to Art and she knew it so of course there was a part of her that had almost expected something great, or at least remotely meaningful. 

Understandably all the largest things go to his daughter but Evie can’t help but to wish she had walked out of her former professor’s home with something but the beat up, bronze key to a safety deposit box. She doesn’t even go home after receiving the key; she needs to know what her relationship with Art meant to him in the end and so immediately, she does research to figure out where the key belonged. And forty minutes later she’s standing in front of an old bank that is set to be demolished in a month.

The woman at the counter looks relieved when Evie tells her which box she wishes to access because apparently they’ve been sending out letters regarding the closure of their services. Evie is almost unresponsive in anticipation of what she’ll find.

She’s led into the secure room where the woman withdraws a rusting safety deposit box and places it on the table in front of Evie. She places her hands on the cover and leaves them there for a moment, thinking of how Art’s fingertips rested on that very spot at one point. 

With a breath she sums up the courage to unlock the box at long last, throwing back the cover to find a thousand pounds. And underneath all that cash is a worn and folded photograph of Evie in her fifth year huddled close to a an overly enthusiastic, grinning, de-aged teenage Art.

[artofmagic]

Art never stopped hoping. It was one of his best and worst traits. Years passed, tragedies occurred and still he didn't stop hoping. He got many visitors every time alumni were allowed back on campus, of course he did, he treated each and every one of his students in a fashion that made them want to return to thank him. The tradition of alumni dinners had began only 5 or so years ago and every time, Art couldn't help but scan the Great Hall for one particular face. Couldn't help but expect a particular shade of blond hair every time there was a knock on his door around the alumni visitation periods. He just couldn't stop hoping; it was his curse.

So when a small knock sounded on his door one day when he knew the alumni would be around, he was still hoping. "I'll be there in a second!" he called out from the depths of his apartment, though he doubted whoever was at the door heard. Part of him took his time making his way to the door if only to prolong the thought of "maybe." "Maybe it's him this time. Maybe." So understandably, when he finally answered the door and set his eyes upon the duo waiting, his face and heart sank all at once. 

For all the hoping he had done he was certainly at a ridiculous amount of loss now that what he'd wanted all along was finally right there before him. So many words and feelings rushed into him that he didn't know where to start or what to do. As a matter of fact it was a good fifteen seconds before he even brought himself to mutter, "Scorp..."

His eye shifted to the little girl in Scorp's arms but his questions regarding her were easily underwhelmed by his surprise at seeing Scorpius again. "Where the-" he refrained from cursing remembering there was a child among them, "where have you been? After all this time you show up here you piece of-" He stopped, not wanting to intimidate the girl who was watching him intently, observing his every move as if to absorb his very being in her brain. His eyes soften immediately and he took a deep breath, offering her the ghost of a smile

"Merlin, come in," Art said, holding the door open. He'd redecorated only a slightly since the last time Scorp had been around but the furniture was all the same, the lighting the same and the apartment the same. He dwelled on the things that had occurred in that very apartment on that very couch for a moment before gesturing for them to sit. "D'you want anything? I ah...I still have chamomile in the drawers...if you'd like," he spoke hesitantly, heading towards the kitchen. 

Between his thoughts, his questions and his feelings he didn't entirely know how to behave with Scorp. He wanted to throttle the now grown man but hug him all at once and he desperately wished he could sort it all out in his brain before one of them said or did something they would regret.

Scorp & Art || Reunion

There were grabby hands pointed at him, big blue orbs silently pleading to be picked up. Astrid demanded to be the one to knock on Art’s doors and ever since he’d introduced her to the animated movie of Frozen, even knocking had become a choreographed tradition. She had to be picked up so her chubby little hands could reach the highest point of the wooden doors and place a rhythmical set of four knocks against its surface (Just like Anna does, daddy!). He’d quickly learned that the sooner he caved in, the bigger were chances of avoiding the other necessity of singing do you wanna build a snowman and this day has been merciful to him so far, so there goes a hope it continues being that way.

Astrid was familiar with the story of Art (How can be a history teacher, daddy, when he is an Art teacher - something Scorpius struggled with explaining and Astrid never gave up. Ever.) He’d described him as a father figure and at times, his daughter would even refer to him as to ‘grandpa’ when asking when she’ll get to meet him. She seemed genuinely excited to meet every person he considered important in his life, but Scorpius suspected there was more to it - the obvious more of getting to see Hogwarts. For a while he’d been considering to revisit the place he once considered home and his daughter has grown restless with his answers of ‘soon’ so yet again, he’d found himself at her mercy, unable to say no.

So here he was, smuggling a young witch that wasn’t supposed to come there for many more years to come and both of them were enjoying it more than they should’ve. Him because he was breaking the rules after such a long time of acting like an responsible adult only, and her - well, same. She was his daughter, after all, mischief streaming through her veins. In all honesty, he was a little nervous, standing here and waiting for Art to open the doors; he couldn’t even remember on what ground were they before he left, and he hadn’t checked in in a while. Art didn’t even know he had a daughter and it was a sort of big deal. Was he even here anymore? Would he let them in? Of course he would, his subconscious reassured. 

“Wha’ if he dun like me daddy?” Astrid asked, propping him to lean in and place a gentle peck against her nose which of course elicited set of giggles out of toddler. “Dun do that daddy, ‘s silly.” He couldn’t help but smile at the way his daughter attempted to teach him of proper manners, intentionally provoking him to be the bad cop, because the actual bad cop of Victoire always corrected her when she spoke, claiming that if he coddled her, she’d grow up with a speech defect or even worse, spoiled. (even worse). But yeah, he was a single dad and couldn’t really help himself; to spoil her he wanted, needed even to reassure himself of being a good parent. With teeth, he chased her fingers, acting like a wolf playfully nibbling at its pray - another thing she didn’t find scary but rather amusing because he’d obviously failed himself as a parent by buying her a dog while this young. “How could anyone not like you, my little star?" And a reply of "You have a point." Of course she was his child.

[artofmagic]

Never had a generation give me more grey hairs is more like it. Good, I'm glad and I'm glad Ian's doing well too. Unfortunately I didn't get to know him outside the classroom but it always makes me happy when you kids keep in touch after leaving here. You're gonna tell your neighbors to suck it up, that's what you're going to do. Trust me, I know the feeling of telling neighbors I'm gonna have all the pets I want very, very well.

Your oh so valuable time, huh? Alright there, your majesty. Glad you're making friends and getting on well in the city though. Sounds great! I hope you guys have fun. I'm glad you're travelling, Evie. Life is so short and the world is so big, honestly it's a shame not to be able to see it all.

I'm not even sure if I count as alumni..

[artofmagic]

That means a lot, kiddo. The halls are empty without you and your bunch too. How are things, how's it in New York? Tell me everything. Seriously, everything, I'm all ears.

I'm not even sure if I count as alumni..

[artofmagic]

I missed you so damn much, kid. 

I'm not even sure if I count as alumni..

[artofmagic]

I'm not even sure if I count as alumni..

I sure hope they let me in.

[artofmagic]

Shit, Holden, you've really got to teach me how to be zen like that. I used to be at one point...I think. I don't remember at what point I started referring to myself as a cynical bastard, but it happened.

It's a lot harder focusing on the good than the bad. It's a lesson I think everyone can learn a little more of.

Not to brag but I helped with all the decorations.

Maybe it will but all wounds heal somehow, Art. Pff, you make me sound better than I am. But then again, maybe people should be a bit more positive. Because that’s my secret. Focus on the good instead of the bad, it’s as simple as that.

[artofmagic]

There you go, that's the spirit. You're a catch if I've ever seen one.

I swear to Merlin

[artofmagic]

The cynical part of me says your blind faith in human kind will get you hurt one day, but the other larger part of me hopes you don't because your faith is priceless. If more people thought the way you did we'd be living in a much better world, you know.

Not to brag but I helped with all the decorations.

Well no human being means any harm, not really. We all want to be happy and we’re all a little bit lost so sometimes we don’t act eactly right but we’re all good deep down.

[artofmagic]

Like fine wine, old man, you grew into your face. I mean look at that jaw, look at those shoulders. Swoon worthy!

I swear to Merlin

[artofmagic]

You're too good to people, you know that? Even I have reservations when it comes to giving people the benefit of the doubt, but you...you can't see a single bit of harm in a human being, can you?

Not to brag but I helped with all the decorations.

They are not delinquents, just…Hyperactive kids. I’m sure that even if they end up breaking something they would mean no harm. I’m sure that at least a couple of them have, Art. 

[artofmagic]

Of course you wouldn't. And you're not all that old, you know. Or maybe you are. Seeing the alumni again is making me feel pretty old and if I'm feeling pretty old then I can't imagine what you're feeling.

I swear to Merlin

[artofmagic]

Well, disrespectful little delinquents need to be dealt with somehow. And knowing this bunch, I get the feeling they'll be causing havoc. Or not. Is it wishful thinking to say they may have matured a bit since graduating?

Not to brag but I helped with all the decorations.

Oh, thank you! But really, no need to tear anyone apart.