Off Guard -open-

[Deleted]

 

Graham would probably regret tonight the next morning. But now wasn’t the next morning, it was late at night and he was sitting in a simple muggle pub. He often prefered to drink home because nobody was there to see him. However staying home and trying to sleep only brought him nightmares due to bad memories. The former Ministry worker was exhausted. The full moon was just behind his back. While the wolfsbane he made himself helped preventing cuts and other injuries, it didn’t help for the lack of sleep nor the joint pain the transformations gave him. Or perhaps it was just because his body was starting to get old.

Since the shops were already closed and he ran out his stock of ingredients to make a painkilling potion, Graham decided to numb the pain with alcohol. He was a regular drinker but he often knew his boundaries. Tonight he had surpassed them in the hopes of a peaceful sleep for once. He had hired a room upstairs but he never made it there. The werewolf’s exhaustion mixed with the alcohol was more powerful than he had taken in account. He fell asleep on the person sitting next to him. Unaware. Exposed.

[ethan blackwell]

It had been a long day for the Seer. He hadn't seen anything harrowing but he almost wished he had, as it would have been a break in the monotony. Even on the strange new frontiers of magic the Department of Mysteries explored, there was a lot of slow, painful, plodding days. After those sorts of days, Ethan usually just wanted to unwind with a drink before he headed home for the evening. He had made his way downtown to do this, and was most of the way through his first bottle of cider when he noticed his former colleague at the ministry, Graham Avery passed out. Ethan had never believed that this man was a death eater, even if Kingsley Shacklebolt had been apprehensive about him, he had proven himself. But of course then he'd been bitten, and Delores Umbridge had all but called for his head, throwing him away as a traitor despite his years of good work.

Ethan considered - there wouldn't be Witch Watchers here. It might be that they were watching Avery directly, but to be honest, they were all probably prioritising beings who were a direct threat to the ministry. Certainly Avery had a strong understanding of how things worked but... He was a drunken old man, and Umbridge had always struggled when it came to evaluating real threats. Ethan wanted to help his former colleague and he was convinced he could get away with it, so long as he told Delores that he was trying to earn the trust of the enemy. That he had seen a vision of his successs.

Slowly he stood making his way toward the older man and after a few words with the barman he knew which room Graham was meant to be in. He apologised on his former colleague's behalf to the man who had fallen asleep on, and began to try to rouse him with a few gentle shakes. "Avery." he said calmly. "You need to head to bed, sir." He used to refer to the man as sir when they saw each other in the ministry just out of respect for a senior member at the ministry, now it was habit.

Ethan had a good heart, and he hated to see a man he had always respected like this. Delores Umbridge wouldn't like it but Avery wasn't an enemy combatant, he was a victim of circumstance. Ethan was willing to take a risk for that. He expected  that whatever punishment she had for him would be minor - after all, he wasa seer, and an unspeakable in war times. The visions he would have and the magical tricks he could discover were too valuable to throw away, even if she didn't believe his lie.

[Deleted]

"Huh? Uh..." Graham blinked up when he was awakened. His blurry vision took a moment to focus but he eventually saw the face of an Unspeakable. He was still half in his sort of dream. "Ah! Mr. Blackwell, please update me on the South African artifact we found. Would you like coffee or tea-" Then he frowned and realized he was not sitting in his office but in a pub. Not wearing his fancy robes but a simple comfortable cloth. Confused he rubbed his forehead and groaned. "Fuck," he hissed as things started to make sense again. "Mr. Ethan Blackwell. Did Umbridge send you for me?" Then he reasoned and shook his head. "No they wouldn't waste talents on an old fool. I should've promoted you when I had the chance. I've always known you were good very good," he grinned bitterly. "They'd just throw in a trainee. She knows damned well I hate those mindless beasts as much as I hate her ugly hateful toad-face. I wouldn't join her enemies." Sure if he joined the werewolf side, the Ministry might be screwed. Now he might be a drunk old fool but once he was a powerful influential wizard. If he could get his shit together and an army to lead, he could do some real damage. But Graham was done fighting wars. Especially if those wars were useless and both parties were wrong.

His head was still heavy and it took him a while to notice something now didn't make sense anymore. "Wait... If you're not here to kill me... Then why?" Blackwell mentioned he needed to head to bed. He liked the sound of that. "Ah, yes, yes. I have a room," he remembered and went into his pocket to take the room key. He tilted his head and looked deeply into the younger man's eyes. "Were we drinking together? We should. Let me buy you a drink, good sir." It probably wouldn't be the wisest thing for him to take another drink. Graham however was convinced he should have another now he found a drinking partner. "Come," he smiled and pulled the Ministry man in the seat right of him. 

[ethan blackwell]

Ethan listened to the drunken ramblings of the older man, feeling a stab of pity for him. Graham Avery was better than this and Ethan knew it. He'd looked up to this man and yet here he was professing his hatred for werewolves, calling them beasts. Here he was mocking the Ministress of magic for her face. The fact that Ethan quite agreed with Avery concerning the latter point was neither here nor there. It wasn't dignified to say it. Still it almost startled a laugh out of the young seer. The Unspeakable sighed. He had never took Graham Avery as someone who appreciated suck-ups and sycophants, so the choice then was obvious. Honesty. Polite honesty, but honesty none the less.

"Honestly, sir. As lovely as that would be, I think you've probably had enough." He explained, doing his best to sound diplomatic. He was, after all, dealing with a drunken werewolf. "You've just fallen asleep on this gentleman's shoulder." He explained impassively gesturing to the other fellow at the bar, "I'd be quite surprised if the bar tender wanted to risk serving you anything else." Ethan found himself slipping back into formal and professional language, simply because he was so used to such around the older man. "If you need some help getting to bed though, I wouldn't mind walking you up stairs?" He offered, hoping to spare the poor man some embarrassment.

[Deleted]

The older man's smile faded into a pout when the other declined his offer. "Pity," he sighed. "But you're probably right." He'd really let himself go tonight, did he? His eyes turned towards the man on who he had apparently fallen asleep on. "I'm terribly sorry, sir," he told the man who looked rather uncomfortable. What a night, hopefully he won't remember much of it the next day. A sober Graham would be utterly ashamed if he saw himself like this. "Fair enough," he replied although he wished things would be different. His gaze shot towards the stairs when they were mentioned. Those were going to be quite the challenge if he had to conquer them alone. Even when sober climbing stairs wasn't ideal. "I believe I don't have much of an option," he told the younger man with a half smirk.

"Needing help to walk the bloody stairs. That's the legendary Graham Avery these days. Pathetic," he mumbled to himself bitterly. This couldn't go on much longer. He needed to be the father and responsible adult he always had been, the kind of person Kalli needed him to be. If he would waste away, die or become incapable of functioning.... Who would take care of her? Hadn't it been for his daughter he'd probably have ended things already, given up on trying. "This can't go on much longer..." Graham used his good arm, his right arm to lean on the bar and lift himself on his feet. With is left, weak arm he reached out for the young Ministry worker's shoulder to lean on. With no friends left, it was hard to accept the little kindness that was offered. May this be a trick, then so be it. His sober self find his way out somehow tomorrow.

[ethan blackwell]

Honestly, Ethan felt as though he was intruding. What he was seeing here was a man who he never knew well imploding. He wanted to help because he was a compassionate and decent person - at least he hoped so - but at the same time who was he to even try to help this man? He had no idea. It was all he could do to simply offer his once-distinguished former colleague his arm. A shoulder to lean on as they made their way toward the staircase. He wanted to say something encouraging, and his brain reached for it. He wanted to find the words. He tried to remember everything he knew about older man, what would inspire him,and motivate him? Ethan knew that even thinking this thought was potentially troubling the other was drunk and clearly ashamed of himself already. This could go poorly.

"How's your daughter, sir?" He settled on this as he walked with the older man, hoping a reminder that there was someone else who was dependant on him, a smart girl with a passion for learning if her being sorted into Ravenclaw was anything to go by. Ethan knew by his own thoughts on his younger family members that young children were usually the apple of their parents' eyes. He certainly had been to his folks. As the pair ascended the stairs, his eyes focused on the path ahead but he kept catching sight of the older man in his peripheral vision. He wished he had something he could tell this man, he wished he could control his ability to see the future so that he could give the other some advice.

[Deleted]

The two stumbled their way towards the staircase. The real challenge was just ahead. He'd hoped the alcohol would numb the pain in his right leg but instead of doing that, the entire leg was numbed. Great. This was even worse than he assumed. Sure he might not give up on drinking but he wouldn't let it come this far again. That he promised himself. This was pathetic. Blue eyes widened in shock when asked about his daughter. "Kallie," he mumbled to himself as his eyes went down to the stairs, watching his feet so they wouldn't fall. Hadn't the younger man been here, it'd have been a mess for sure. Once upstairs, he checked the number of the room key and stumbled towards it, leaning on the other male. "Kallie is, alright. I suppose... She is very strong. After all she has been through, she is still good. After we lost her mother and I was... cursed in front of her eyes, she never blamed all werewolves for what happened. She is better than I'll ever be." He remembered hating werewolves ever since they killed his parents. From the start he never had a good impression about them. Greyback was the example he had to work with and that man had always terrified him. Maybe even more than the dark lord had done so. The dark lord although evil had been predictable but Greyback was a mindless beast who could change mood very quickly.

"But she can't do this alone. She needs protection, guidance, a parent, a better one than the sad excuse of a man that stands next to you," he rambled drunkenly. Graham went with Blackwell into the room and then closed it behind him. He leaned against the back of the door and took a deep breath. "I do not fear death, Mr. Blackwell. I fear leaving her alone in this cruel world." Graham felt like having a warm bath and then rolling into bed. The older man tried to fumble with the buttons of his shirt without success. "Shit. Useless fucking arm," he cursed as his left fingers couldn't get grip on the buttons. Usually Mimi dressed him. She was an old elf in their family for a long while even before Graham was born. He freed her but she still wouldn't leave, so he hired her instead. She sort of was like an aunt to both him and Kalli. However Mimi was currently at Hogwarts, watching over his daughter. Mostly because he didn't want to disappoint her either. Some would say; she is just an elf. But to Graham she was more than that. Kallie and Mimi were the last family he had. She was an elder and he respected her.

He had one more little fit, trying to struggle out of his shirt without trouble. The werewolf's anger seemed to shine through as the full moon was just behind his back. Graham was close to tearing the shirt to shreds when he lost his balance, knocked over the other man who he'd completely forgotten about, and fell on top of him. "Urgh," he groaned, knowing he had no strength in his arms to push himself up. The greying blonde panted as he tried either way. His right arm could do something but his left was useless once again. Blue eyes gazed down into those of the other man. His left brushed the hairs away from Ethan's face. "Fuck you're actually pretty cute Mr. Blackwell," he mumbled like a true drunk. "I wouldn't mind not getting up if it meant I get to look into those eyes a little longer." This was without a doubt the worst he'd had ever had. Graham never said these sorts of things to anyone. Not even his wife had heard him speak like that.

[ethan blackwell]

Ethan wasn't sure if he was listening to a concerned father, or a bitter old drunk, trying to sound passionate and emotional. He listened to the Slytherin alumnus' rant, and did his best to keep his expression impassive as he did so. He decided that it was the former, even if the alcohol hadn't helped Graham convey his concerns in a reasonable and well-thought-out way. Ethan didn't doubt that everything the older man was saying was in some way true. As they arrived in the room, Ethan heard the man's self flagellation, and remembered that his arm hadn't been useful even when the two of them were both at the ministry. As Ethan watched the older wizard fumble with his buttons, unsuccessfully. Ethan felt a rush of sympathy. "Let me help you." The younger wizard said, gently. Unbuttoning a man's shirt certainly wasn't what he'd planned for the evening, and this wasn't the context he'd have preferred to do it in, but he would help none the less.

Just as he moved in to help, however the older Wizard knocked him from his feet. For a moment Ethan was shocked uncertain if what was happening now was accidental or not. He looked up at the older man in a mixture of confusion and pity. He saw the older man trying to get up, but he also heard his words. He found his cheeks glowing at the older man's words, "Thank you." He said not otherwise certain what he should say, but he also pushed the older man off him. For a moment he reflected that the other was a handsome guy. That if he weren't a drunk, and if Ethan were more free to do as he pleased without the risk of Delores Umbridge coming for his job, things may have been different. The fourteen year age difference was no trouble to him, but the context of anything that might have happened was.

"I'm sorry, mister Avery but I don't think I can give you that... But if there's anything else you need, I'd be happy to try." He offered, his calm tone returning.

[Deleted]

How did he get here again? He looked at the younger male and into the room. Oh yeah he rented this place. He blinked. "Give me what?" Graham didn't understand, he didn't recall asking for anything. Well aside from staying like this a little longer. Oh- That was probably it. The older man rolled over, off Ethan and stared up at the ceiling. Anything he needed? "I need to get my shit back together.... And my wand, she took it from me," he told Blackwell as he half glanced into his direction. "Can't even fucking undress without my bloody wand. I feel like a senile old man in a nursing home," he groaned and let his arms fall next to his body.

"If you could get my wand, I'd give anything in return but my daughter's hand," he told the man. Kallie... For her sake he would get better. He didn't want her to be ashamed of him. He was ashamed of himself. Not even about being a werewolf anymore just for sinking this low.