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Gawain Robards (sir_gawain) wrote in strugglewithin,
@ 2009-01-11 13:50:00

Entry tags:

*complete, gawain robards, october 1997, remus lupin

RP: Drinks
Date: October 11 1997
Characters: Gawain Robards, Remus Lupin
Location: The Leaky Cauldron
Status: Semi-private
Summary: Gawain is out drinking ...
Completion: Complete

When Gawain finally left work, he rubbed a hand over his face. It was late - but not as late as manyof the nights. The work seemed to be stacking up on his desk at an alarming rate, and a majority of it was bogus. Half of it was supposed 'crimes' Muggleborns had committed, and the other half were real crimes that he may or may not be allowed to pursue. Yaxley was requiring a written summary of each investigation on a weekly basis, and more than a half dozen he'd been pursuing had been dropped, supposedly on orders of the Minister. They were all murders of Muggleborns, and Gawain had yet to receive an answer about why they were being thrown out, though he knew.

It was the same reason that no one was allowed to investigate where Rufus Scrimgeour had "moved" to. Not even the man's cousin, Brutus, was allowed more than the official story. It made Gawain's hands curl into fists, hating the fact that his former mentor and friend had been murdered and no one seemed to know or care.

And that was why he'd been spending more and more time at the pubs lately.

He looked around, seeing familiar faces of the regulars in the Leaky. He got himself a pint and retired to a quiet corner.

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lunaraffliction
2009-01-11 02:12 pm UTC (link)

There were five days left until the full moon, and Remus was already feeling the familiar tingle down his spine and craving the taste of blood - of rare meat. It wasn't surprising - he was used to suppressing his wolfish temptations - but there was a noticeable difference in his physical reaction to the moon, lately. He knew it was because he'd stopped taking the Wolfsbane potion; Snape had been making it for him for so long that he was quite aware of his physical changes in its absence.

The Leaky was quiet as he walked in, and he approached Tom at the bar with a self-deprecating smile on his face. The old wizard was always more than willing to give him a meal and add it to his tab, no matter how long it took him to pay it off. Remus suspected that it would be months in this case, but Tom never complained. No, instead, he gave Remus a foaming pint, assured him that he'd have a steak pie out within the next quarter hour, and gestured for him to find a seat.

For once, the task of finding a seat was relatively easy. Remus had spotted Gawain quickly - located in the best corner seat in the house. Normally he wouldn't have been inclined to sit with anyone, but their last meeting had been somewhat amicable. There was no reason to be rude and ignore Robards' presence, now.

Clutching his pint, he approached the Auror and offered him a faint smile. "Are you terribly busy?" he asked. "Or may I offer you some company?"

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sir_gawain
2009-01-11 02:25 pm UTC (link)

Gawain had spotted him immediately when he'd come in, taking in the rather threadbare clothes. The man radiated tension, though whether that was normal or not remained to be seen.

He nodded to the empty seat. "I'm only having a bit of dinner. Nothing to keep me busy, so please," he said, wondering if this was a coincidence or a planned meeting. His routine had become just that over the last week or so - he'd come here every night after work, so if it wasn't a coincidence, it wouldn't be difficult to guess his movements.

"You've been well?"

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lunaraffliction
2009-01-11 02:36 pm UTC (link)

Remus smiled thinly and took the seat across from him, setting his pint down on the Leaky's beer mat. "As well as can be expected," he answered. He'd no idea if Robards knew about his condition or not, but there was no sense in hiding it.

"And you? Surely you didn't have to work today?" Or maybe he was committed and showed up at the Ministry on weekends. Remus didn't know him well enough to speculate one way or the other.

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sir_gawain
2009-01-11 02:41 pm UTC (link)

"I work most every day," he replied, shrugging a bit. "Not enough hours in the day, it seems, for what I have on my desk."

And he had been working every day the past two weeks or so. Maybe a day off would do him good. But what would he find if he didn't go in? Gumboil was a good man, but had his own concerns in the MLE, though perhaps they could work out a rotation so one of them was always on duty. Then again, how did he know he could trust Gumboil?

He sipped his beer, watching the other man. "Full moon's soon then?"

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lunaraffliction
2009-01-11 03:11 pm UTC (link)

"I can imagine," replied Remus. He'd want to get as much of his own work done before someone else decided to finish it for him.

He took a sip from his pint, eyebrows lifting a fraction when he heard Robards' question. So he did know. That was...fortunate. Frankly, he was surprised Robards was still talking to him, Auror or no.

"Five days," he said. "Is it that apparent?" He didn't want to appear to weak, especially since he ran into Death Eaters on occasion. He knew they'd take advantage of his condition when they could.

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	sir_gawain 2009-01-11 05:13 pm UTC (link)
	"You look tense," was Gawain's answer, his lips quirking. "So you blend in with everyone else just now." He glanced around, keeping an eye on the other patrons. No one seemed to be paying them any attention. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	lunaraffliction 2009-01-11 05:24 pm UTC (link)
	Remus laughed, which was a welcomed sound, considering its infrequency. "Yes, because on normal occasions I'm quite calm and collected." Which was quite far from the truth. He leaned back in his chair and took another sip of his pint. "And you?" he asked. "Have you found reason to be more tense than usual, or is it residual tension?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

sir_gawain
2009-01-12 06:07 pm UTC (link)

Gawain sipped his beer, shrugging. "There's plenty of tension to go around, it seems," he commented, not wanting to say too much more out in the open.

Their food arrived then, and Gawain tucked in, seeing Lupin do the same.

"Things changed at all since we last spoke?" He looked over. "Are there still those leaving?"

It was hard to tell, with all the trials of those who hadn't fled.

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lunaraffliction
2009-01-12 09:12 pm UTC (link)

"Not exactly character building, anymore, is it?" mused Remus. Voldemort was wearing the general public down little by little. Remus wouldn't be surprised if, in a few months, people began to accept what was happening to them. It would be easier for them that way, and he knew some people wouldn't have patience or desire to struggle any longer.

He cut into his steak pie and let the steam seep out, eyes flicking up at Robards' question. It was possible that the Auror had switched assignments - or been delegated a new one - since they'd last talked, but fleeing Muggle-borns wasn't exactly a secret. Remus wasn't about to say anything about safehouses or the transportation that was being offered to help escort people out of the country, but he thought making a general comment was safe enough.

"Yes," he replied. "They are. I think it's probably safe to say that the number of abandoned trials is increasing; the people supposed to report in now have had more time to plan an escape."

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sir_gawain
2009-01-14 07:46 pm UTC (link)

"No, it's not. Though not sure if it ever was, really," he commented quietly, immediatley regretting his words. He needed to keep his mouth shut and his eyes open - not the other way around. "Tension never did anyone any good."

The shepherd's pie was good - better than he could make on his own, at least - and Gawain's stomach was happy to get something other than beer. Come to think of it, he hadn't had much of a lunch, either.

He nodded at the information from Remus. "True enough." He sighed. It'd make his job all the more difficult then. He'd probably get more and more people to investigate for various contrived wrongdoing. And yet he couldn't blame them for leaving, either.

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lunaraffliction
2009-01-14 09:21 pm UTC (link)

"Some stress is good stress," remarked Remus. "People often show their true colors in tense situations. Or maybe that's just something we talked about in the Gryffindor tower." He smiled and took a bite of pie. Because he was only living on one meal a day if he was lucky, it was warmly received.

Robards didn't have much to comment on in terms of fleeing Muggle-borns. That was good. Perhaps it meant that no-one had delegated searching them out to the MLE yet. The Aurors and Hit Wizards were more skilled than half of the Death Eaters that had been trailing Remus, and anyone doing it for financial gain was part of a sorry, unorganized lot.

"I suppose we'll really have to worry if they get the folks in International Magical Cooperation to start contacting the other wizarding governments."

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sir_gawain
2009-01-15 08:47 pm UTC (link)

Gawain had to nod because it was true. It was a tactic taught in Auror training - when interrogating a subject, a stressful situation often made them more liable to just react, rather than think then respond.

"Yes, we will," he agreed, frowning. He'd have to nose about, see if that was happening. He wasn't sure what he'd do if they were, but at least someone would know - someone not a Death Eater. "Do you know if they have?"

It galled, a bit, to have to ask. His head really wasn't on straight, if he hadn't thought this one through. Too much was going on - the quaffles were going every which way and he could only keep track of so many. The proverbial Snitch could be right next to him and he'd probably not notice.

The two ate in silence, and Gawain was surprised to find it was rather companionable. Pushing away the empty plate, he reached into his pocket to cover the tab.

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lunaraffliction
2009-01-15 09:06 pm UTC (link)

"I've absolutely no idea," replied Remus. "Then again, I'm not in a position that would make me privy to that sort of information. Perhaps no one is." It wouldn't surprise him, though he hoped someone would glean a little information that they oughtn't know.

He ate his steak pie, trying not to swallow it in a few mouthfuls, but he was hungry and the urge nearly overwhelmed proper etiquette. Once he was finished, he leaned back in his seat and reached for the remains of his pint.

"I've got mine on a tab," he piped up, noting Gawain lying down too many coins. "But let me add to the tip. Hang on."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the remainder of what he had. He looked at the few sickles and knuts in his hand, and a coin - also a sickle - that he never spent. It was engraved with the initials "MWPP" and had belonged to Sirius. Remus kept it on his person, nearly always. He thumbed it away from the others and then added to coins to Gawain's pile. "Thanks," he said, somewhat sheepishly.

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	sir_gawain 2009-01-15 09:09 pm UTC (link)
	Gawain nodded, watching as the other man got out a few coins. One in particular caught his eye because it seemed to be scribbled on. Initials, it looked like, though he couldn't see it well enough to see more than a P and an M. "No worries, mate," he said, smiling a bit. "I needed the company." (Reply to this) (Parent)