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Ernest (Ernie/Ern) Macmillan (ernsthename) wrote in pandorarpg,
@ 2011-10-24 22:49:00

Entry tags:

!status: complete, ^date: october 31 2003, character: ernie macmillan, character: justin finch-fletchley

Characters: Justin and Ernie
Setting: Starting at Ernie's Office
Rating: PG, likely
Summary: Ernie asks Justin to meet up for lunch.

Ern had arrived at work promptly at 7:00 AM, more than an hour early that morning as he wanted to work on a few things right away. He left before Hannah woke up, leaving her a note of apology and a kiss on her forehead as she was sleeping on the couch. He felt guilty, but he knew that she wouldn't let him leave if she knew what he dreamt. He was going to send a memo to Pucey, but then got sidetracked with the ten other things he should be doing that were on his desk awaiting his arrival.

Ern was anything besides well. He startled far too easily when someone accidentally dropped a heavy volume onto the ground with a loud thump, or at just about any other loud noise. He had a hard time getting any of his ten tasks that needed to be done before he left that evening done as he continually thought of the dreams and of the strange marking that he had just noticed that morning. It looked more like ash than a bruise than anything else, really. He tried to wash it off, but it just didn't go away. And so that added to the list of things that bothered him to no end. He had no idea of what that meant, or whether it did mean anything. Maybe I'm just starting to go mad from the lack of sleep, he thought to himself. He quickly scribbled a note in his journal for Justin, grateful for a prompt response and that he would be able to drop by soon enough.

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ernsthename
2011-10-25 04:04 am UTC (link)

"Good," Ernie said, feeling at least somewhat relieved at knowing that Hann and Justin didn't have the same, terrifying experience. "I'm glad."

"I don't know where to start, really. But I did have a dream, like everyone else--everyone I care about became--inferi." He began to pace nervously as he spoke in the limited space that was his office, it was about five paces in either direction. He did try to spend more time in the board rooms and out on the field, after all. He paused and took a deep breath. "But last night it was a different sort of dream--and I know that Hann believes in that divination--stuff--and she wouldn't let me come to work today if she knew--and I'm a bit afraid of it being real too. Ok, not a bit," he rambled on for a moment before he stopped and looked back at Justin. "You can't tell her. You have to promise that. She'd probably think it's a vision, and I can't have her believing that."

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basilisk_srvivr
2011-10-25 04:11 am UTC (link)

Justin reached out to grab Ernie by the shoulders to hold him still and stop his pacing, that was doing nothing but making Justin feel dizzy.

"Calm down," he said, wondering if he should tease his mate with a gusfraba, but knowing Ernie was in no mood for inside jokes of any kind. He was obviously upset... though Justin would be too if he'd seen inferi made from those he loved dearest.

"Now, you haven't even said what you dreamed last night. Okay, so it was different than the night before. How? Take a deep breath, all right?"

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ernsthename
2011-10-25 04:29 am UTC (link)

"You need to promise that you won't tell Hann though," Ernie said to Justin, trying to regain his composure.

"Please don't. It's the last thing I would want to worry her with. Especially if she thinks it'd happen." It was bad as it was already, but this was the worst possible situation that he could've dreamt of envisioning.

He looked away as if to look at a report on his desk as he didn't wan't to see Justin's reaction right away, nor did he want Justin to see how he was saying it. He took another deep breath and just spoke quickly as if it were all just bursting forth from him. "I dreamt I was being tortured--being flayed alive by someone I couldn't quite see. It was a witch somewhere in the shadows, and she was smiling, and I couldn't get away, no matter what I did, there was blood everywhere. We've been through You-Know-Who. And I've worked for almost five years for the Department, but I've never seen anything as gruesome." His voice shook towards the end of his recitation of the facts, and he was shaking at the mere memory of it. It was that real.

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basilisk_srvivr
2011-10-25 04:36 am UTC (link)

Justin bit his lip to stop himself from protesting. In the end, he knew he would keep Ernie's secret - he always did - but that didn't mean he liked it any.

The image that Ernie painted from his dream shook Justin to his core. He couldn't imagine Ernie that way, being hurt, tortured by someone so obviously enjoying the experience. He wanted to grab Ernie and hide him away, much as his friend had done for him so many years ago.

"You can't keep that from her," he said simply. "Fuck, Ernie... she's already sick enough with worry. And it's bad enough we don't tell her about just how often you do get sent to St. Mungo's..."

He shook his head. "That's just... it was just a dream, Ern. Dreams are nothing but some buggering nothingness dredged up by our subconscious. You're in a rough job, we both know that, so your dream made you remember that. But there aren't any more Death Eaters. It's not going to happen."

His face grew determined. "And that's what you'll tell Han, too. It's just a stupid, nothing dream."

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ernsthename
2011-10-25 04:50 am UTC (link)

"Well it's not just that," Ernie said, knowing that it does indeed get worse. For the purpose of it being Halloween, he was dressed in muggle clothing, luckily enough, as he would have to take a few field calls later that afternoon. He untucked the casual checkered shirt out of his slacks and lifted it up to show Justin the second thing that just worried him.

"I noticed this in the morning, and I have no clue of where that came from," he said, pointing to a black spot of what looked like ash on the left side of his abdomen. "I've tried to get rid of it--and I just don't know what it is--and maybe I'm crazy for thinking so, but I think it has to do with the dream. You can't tell her about that either."

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basilisk_srvivr
2011-10-25 05:00 am UTC (link)

Normally Justin would be enjoying the sight of his friend showing a little skin, but this was not exactly as he would have liked it. At the sight of the mark, he was overtaken by a cold shiver down his spine. He looked up at Ernie's face, as if to beg him to say this was all a joke.

No such luck.

"Ern, she's gonna find out about it eventually. She does see you with your shirt off from time to time, no matter how slow you two go."

He shook his head, in denial about just how strange this all was becoming. "I bet it's nothing, just some sort of strange skin condition. Maybe you slept on something, or got caught by a rogue spell."

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ernsthename
2011-10-25 05:09 am UTC (link)

Ernie watched Justin's reaction and can only begin to imagine Hann's. "I know," he said, "but maybe if it's not linked to the dream it wouldn't be so bad. I can probably hide it for a day or two and hopefully by then she'd forget about the dream, at least."

Ernie shook his head. "I would've noticed it the night before--I know it wasn't there last night," he said, the anxiety quite clear in his voice. "I'd much prefer if that were the case though."

"I'm going to stop by St. Mungo's sometime before I head back this afternoon. Hopefully I can get out of work early enough that she wouldn't notice the difference." Ernie just about never left work early, especially on a day like today.

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basilisk_srvivr
2011-10-25 05:39 pm UTC (link)

"Ern," Justin groaned. He knew the circle, it always began that way - keeping something from Hannah to protect her because he was worried she'd worry. Eventually she would find it out, or at least part of it, and her reaction would no doubt justify the next time Ernie wanted to hide something from her.

This was the very reason why Justin preferred to stay single and not tie himself to one person.

"I'm sure the medi-witches will be able to find out what's wrong. It's a skin ailment - it has nothing to do with dreams. That's just utterly ridiculous."

And now Justin needed to lighten the mood, if only for his own sanity. "Though please, by all means, keep up the strip act. Maybe I can check to see what other 'marks' might have been left on your body, eh?"

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ernsthename
2011-10-25 09:15 pm UTC (link)

"Yeah you're probably right. It's probably just a coincidence, which really link together logically. I guess I'm just getting a tad bit paranoid," Ernie said, tucking his shirt back in. "Probably just letting those dreams just get at me for no reason, too. I'm probably getting far too tired that my imagination is just running wild," he added, relaxing a little at the thought. The dream was still frightening, but when it's not taken as some bad omen--it was bad, but not something he can't deal with... And he didn't really believe in most forms of divination anyways. What he was most afraid was of Hannah getting frightened after all, right?

"And forget it," Ern said, jokingly to Justin in response to his comment about stripping. "I've checked and there's nothing else, and I don't think a second opinion is necessary."

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basilisk_srvivr
2011-10-25 11:16 pm UTC (link)

"And speaking of imaginations running wild, you know that's what Hannah does when she worries - which means she's no doubt thinking of stuff ten times worse than is actually happening. Which means it would likely be a relief to her to know the truth." Justin accused. "You nkow how she is, Ern. You keep hiding stuff from her, and she's not gonna sit and take it forever. Now, of course you can keep things up and eventually end up free and single like me, but something tells me you're not interested in that."

Justin pouted at the denial of his libido. "Awww, Ern, you always know a second opinion's practically essential! I bet you can't see the spots right above your butt cheeks, even in a full length mirror," he added with a waggle of his eyebrows. "C'mon, mate, I haven't been to the Honeypot in a whole week and I could use a show."

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ernsthename
2011-10-26 03:08 am UTC (link)

"I know, I know, I know," Ernie sighed at what Justin said, because it was the truth that he didn't really want to hear. He wasn't sure whether the truth was any better than she could've or would've imagined. But maybe he can water it down enough. He knew Justin was right that by not telling her she was getting anxious. "I'll talk to her sometime," he said, trying to figure out how he can do it without her completely blowing it out of proportion. Or not any more than he did.

"I'll take that risk," Ern said with a grin. "And no, if you really miss the Honeypot, you can make your way down there. There will be no show in my office."

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	basilisk_srvivr 2011-10-26 04:14 am UTC (link)
	"You better make sure sometimes is soon, before she finds out other ways, else you won't have a girlfriend much longer." He grinned at his friend and spontaneously grabbed him and pulled him into a hug. "You're alright now, yeah?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

ernsthename
2011-10-26 04:22 am UTC (link)

"I think so," Ernie said. "Once I get this checked, and it is indeed a skin condition or something, I think I'll be alright." He never seen one like that though. It just seemed odd to just happen overnight too. But he decided against going along with this line of thought.

He could still easily remember what went on in the dream and can see it in its own frighteningly real way, but once he got a grip on where his stance was on divination he was able to dismiss it as another dream. Which is what it was. He'll have to remember to emphasize that with Hann later though.

"Thanks, Justin. I don't know what I'd do without you," Ernie said, squeezing him tightly in the hug before letting go.

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basilisk_srvivr
2011-10-26 04:45 am UTC (link)

Hearing Ernie say that tugged at Justin's heart. He felt the same way, but rarely said so in a way that wasn't joking. That was how Justin dealt with things - either made a joke of it, or denied it.

"All right, enough of this mushy stuff. Let's go get you fed before you fall over and pass out. Han would have me by the bollocks if I didn't take care of you." He slung an arm over Ernie's shoulders and started leading him out of the office.

"Now, how 'bout that new restaurant down Diagon? I hear there's a server there with knockers out to here!"

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ernsthename
2011-10-26 05:28 am UTC (link)

Ernie was going to comment about being able to get along well enough despite being in near-starvation workaholism mode... Justin would've certainly made a point to show up to make him eat, and visits weren't the most smiled upon practices at work. For some reason or another.

"I wouldn't mind trying the new place--for its food--not since--but I suppose you can go ahead and stare at her breasts, if you want," Ernie said with a shrug. It wasn't anything new with Justin, but Ernie didn't mind that in the least.

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