dolohov

[antonintheambitious]

phoebexgraham:

“Oh, well, go ahead.” Phoebe quickly moved as best as she could. “I didn’t mean to hog the whole space.”

“Thank you,” he said graciously. “I appreciate that.” He paid for his purchase and looked back at her. 

[antonintheambitious]

thorfinn-rowle:

“Merlin, you’re impatient today. Just let me finish. Unless you want to pay for my coffee as well?” 

“I’m always impatient and no, I think you’re more than able to do that yourself.” 

[antonintheambitious]

phoebexgraham:

Phoebe looked up at the man and blushed. “Sorry. I was distracted.” She put her phone in her pocket. “What did you say though?”

“It’s fine,” he said, trying to keep his irritation in check. “I just said I needed to pay.” He indicated the till.

[antonintheambitious]

“Is there a reason you’re in my way? I need to pay, you know.”

[poppy-mm-blog]

Ministry | Ant & Poppy

[antonintheambitious]

poppy-mm:

She didn’t take his hand. It felt dishonest somehow to seek comfort from him when they were discussing something that she had deliberately kept a secret. 

“Yes. Sort-of ex-husband,” she reaffirmed. She risked a peek at him, and was a little surprised that he seemed more shocked than cross. But then perhaps her news had not caught up with him yet. But she had already said enough that he was likely thinking the worst. She might as well let him know the rest of it, even if it might make him see her as damaged goods. “We eloped when we were eighteen. But it only lasted several days. He forgot to mention that he was already betrothed… and his parents were not pleased. And so it was annulled and I have not seen or heard from him since.”

Antonin was uncertain of what was going on in Poppy’s head, though he had not been a Slytherin for nothing. Though they were not known for patience, it was a trait he had cultivated for years and he was happy to stay patient now.

“Sort of?” he asked quietly, his gaze still meeting hers. He was surprised, of course, but they hadn’t exactly been dating for extremely long. It had been official for just under a month and he did not expect Poppy’s entire life story beforehand. That said, he was a bit rankled that he had not yet heard this story, something that had clearly affected her. His eyes widened as he continued to listen to her. “I see,” he murmured softly, feeling the empathy he was unused to bubbling up. “I can imagine how difficult that would be, sweetheart. Would you like me to take you home and leave a note for your boss? I’m sure I can help you avoid...him for awhile if that’s what you’d like.”

[poppy-mm-blog]

Ministry | Ant & Poppy

[antonintheambitious]

poppy-mm:

“No. Thank you but… no. I am fine here.” She wasn’t ready to leave the safety of her little sheltered nest just yet. To get home she had to leave her office, and that meant there was a risk of bumping into Francois and she just was not ready for that again. 

She sighed at his question. Sometimes life would have been simpler if he could have simply read her thoughts. “He’s my ex…” ex what? She didn’t want to lie to Antonin - she never wanted to lie to Antonin - but she didn’t really know how to classify Francois either. Could their short romance classify him as a boyfriend? If the marriage was annulled, did he still count as a husband? Her eyes slid away from Antonin, she didn’t really want to read his reaction. “Husband, I suppose is probably the closest.” 

Antonin furrowed his brow as he looked in at her, moving simply so that his hand was under the desk should she want to hold it. While he was relatively good at giving comfort - he thought, anyway - Antonin also knew that he had never been in a position like this before.

They had not talked much about their pasts, that was true. Yet his eyebrow rose as she mentioned Francois was her ex. At first he thought it was simply left at that - surely he could understand being annoyed at seeing an ex, after all. He certainly did not want to see Laurel Selwyn ever again,. And then he realized she was still speaking. “Ex-husband?” he asked for clarification, his tone belying the widening of his eyes. “I think there’s more to the story I’m going to need, sweetheart.”

[poppy-mm-blog]

Ministry | Ant & Poppy

[antonintheambitious]

poppy-mm:

Antonin looked a little out of place seated on the floor. One of her new favourite pleasures was seeing Antonin first thing in the morning, when he still looked a little rumpled from sleep. But now he just looked a little too stiff to be seated on her office floor. But then he probably thought she looked a little out of place under her desk too. 

“I wasn’t feeling well,” she told him because it was easier than answering anything else - and admittedly true enough considering how nauseous the idea of sitting beside Francois for a meal made her feel. Her traitorous phone - face down so he couldn’t see exactly how many messages she was currently ignoring - beeped beside her. She couldn’t be sure whether it was Kat, or maybe yet another reminder that she hadn’t responded to Antonin. She realised that she had to say something else, otherwise he might worry about her more. But really, what was she going to say? “And the French Delegation is….” she swallowed, “Francois Delacour is here and he’s…..here.” 

He knew he was sitting rather stiffly, but truthfully there was nothing good to lean against and Antonin had always been bred for good posture. He listened to Poppy carefully, trying to figure out what she was saying just as much as what she wasn’t. “I’m sorry you weren’t feeling well, sweetheart,” he murmured softly as his eyes crinkled in empathy - a feeling that he was mostly unused to.  “Do you need me to take the afternoon off and get you home?”

Though Antonin heard the beep of her phone, he said nothing, choosing to focus on the woman in front of him. She was quiet a bit and he bit his own lip as he waited for her to tell him what exactly was going on. Antonin’s eyebrow furrowed and he tilted his head to the side. “I’m afraid I don’t understand,” he said quietly, his tone very succinct. “What is wrong with Francois?” Antonin had met the other man - in a cursory sort of way, of course, nothing substantial - but had not found him particularly egregious.

[poppy-mm-blog]

Ministry | Ant & Poppy

[antonintheambitious]

poppy-mm:

She froze when she heard Antonin’s voice. She remembered that she was supposed to be meeting him - how could she have forgotten about Antonin? She felt terrible, but not enough to encourage her to get out from under the desk. She didn’t answer him right away, vainly hoping that maybe he would think what he had heard earlier was some sort of spirit, and that the office was actually empty. 

His face appearing in her line of sight squashed that particular hope. 

“Because I don’t want to. The French delegation is here,” she told him in a small voice (like it explained anything at all) before she bit down lightly on her lower lip. “Hi. What are you doing here?” Merlin she hoped Kat hadn’t sent him. 

Antonin idly wondered what could have upset Poppy so much that she wanted to hide under her desk. He had never felt the need to do something like that before, though he supposed remarking on that fact would be a bit tactless. He moved so he was sitting on the floor across from her, mentally reminding himself that he needed to have his suit laundered.

“And what is wrong with the French delegation?” he asked her, genuinely curious. The tone of her voice made Antonin’s features soften and he leaned under the desk to press a kiss to the corner of her mouth before pulling back. “Hello, sweetheart,” he drawled softly, now aware that something had upset her. “I saw that you weren’t going to lunch and I became concerned that something happened, especially when you didn’t respond to my texts - though this blasted phone needs replacing so there’s no guarantee that they went through.”

[antonintheambitious]

thorfinn-rowle:

“It is. She ensures I’m miserable otherwise,” he grinned, only half joking. Katherine had a way of making sure her displeasure was known far and wide. Thorfinn only sometimes cared, which was more than how much or often he cared about the opinions of other people. “Well you are trying to get the next best thing,” Thorfinn pointed out. “How is my fiancé’s best friend?”

“That is their job, is it not?” he asked the other man, only half joking himself. Antonin had never heard of any woman who had not made her displeasure with her husband known, though he supposed there were outliers in everything. He shrugged his shoulders. “Poppy is...radiant,” he said in response, well aware that he was being more romantic than he usually allowed himself in public. “Her birthday is coming up though so I am trying to plan for that.”

[poppy-mm-blog]

Ministry | Ant & Poppy

[antonintheambitious]

poppy-mm:

Sitting on the floor, under her desk, was not how Poppy anticipated her day would end. She was supposed to have made herself glamorous and made her way down to the Ministry foyer by now, but instead she was huddled into herself, her dress still hanging on the shelf beside her desk. 

The French Delegation had arrived that morning. She and her boss were to have lunch with his equivalent Department Head from the French Ministry. But no one had told her that Francois was going to be there. Or that so much of the lunch time conversation would revolve around his wife and new child. His second. 

So no. She wasn’t ready to go down to the party and face Francois and his happy little family. She wasn’t even sure what would be worse: if he wanted to talk to her, or if he didn’t. 

Her phone buzzed again beside her. Katherine. Again. She’d escaped to the bathroom during the lunch to let her friend know what was happening, but hadn’t messaged her back since. She quickly texted back: Office. Never coming out. She put her phone back, face down, and wasn’t sure how long it was before she heard her door open. She didn’t know how Kat had managed to get to the office.

“I told you. I’m not coming out.”

@antonintheambitious

Antonin had been attempting to find his girlfriend for the past twenty minutes. When he passed her boss and saw that he had gone for lunch with the French delegation, he idly wondered why she had not gone with them. A couple of texts he’d sent had not gone through though he blamed it on the fact that his phone was in desperate need of replacement.

He had the afternoon off and Antonin decided he should go check on Poppy. Was she sick? He certainly hoped not and as he walked up toward her office, he heard little but silence. His brow furrowed – perhaps she had gone on ahead then – but he soldiered on, opening the door.

“And why is that?” he drawled. “Is everything alright?” He followed the voice and saw her legs peeking out from the bottom of her desk. Walking around, Antonin looked down. He leaned over until his eyes met hers.

[antonintheambitious]

thorfinn-rowle:

“No, this is true, you are by far the better looking between you and your grandfather at this current date,” Thorfinn agreed, amusement in his voice. He managed to keep from pointing out that being more attractive than an old geezer was hardly an accomplishment, though his face indicated his mirth. “Thankfully I am well in the good graces of the lady in question,” Thorfinn said, his eyes finding Katherine’s figure in the room. They had their share of ups and downs over the years, but they had reached a truce of sorts now.

He smirked, hearing the amusement in Thorfinn’s voice. Truly, Antonin enjoyed amusing people, enjoyed bringing their guard down in conversation like this. It was during these times when he truly learned information, some of it he even filed away for perusal later. But now, he took a sip of his drink and nodded as he watched his companion’s eyes move around the room. “The best place to be, I would imagine,” he said as he watched the woman in question speak with Malfoy. “You would find the one woman who could charm this entire room,” he drawled, amusement dripping from his voice this time. “How ever will the rest of us catch up?”

[antonintheambitious]

thorfinn-rowle:

“I suppose I’ll have to imbibe a little more then and let you know,” Thorfinn said, taking a larger sip of his drink. He was only teasing, as he actually quite liked Antonin–or at least more than he liked others at this party.  “And come now, your grandfather is a handsome fellow. I won’t have you insult him!” he said, pretending to take umbrage with Antonin’s comment. “I only mean that I have never been unpopular with the ladies. I’m sure that if I were not already betrothed, I would have no problem filling that void in my life.” 

Antonin merely took a sip of his whiskey - a small one, this time - and raised his eyebrow at Thorfinn’s comment. He smirked slightly and tilted his head to the side. “Yes, he is, but I wouldn’t say he’s better looking than I am now,” he stated with a surprised tinge to his voice. Antonin shrugged his shoulders - he had never seemed to have problem with ladies in general, only those he wanted to marry it seemed. “I am sure you would not,” he offered, inclining his head. “Though I would argue that only one lady needs to think you popular at this point.”

[antonintheambitious]

Reconaissance | Emma&Antonin

[antonintheambitious]

emmavanxty:

His words rang with the same tone of her fathers in regard to what sort of party this was. He’d repeated a nearly identical phrase for most of her life as he encouraged her to behave and make solid connections. “Right, but most people aren’t particularly interested in networking with a fifteen year old quidditch captain, unless they’re offering summer internships at the ministry in departments that are frankly uninteresting.” She realized that what she said could be misconstrued as lazy or disrespectful. “That being said, I’ve had my internship for this summer locked up since last November.”

“Obliviator Department. I wanted it out of the way before practice got too serious.” Madam Greengrass was looking at her now. That devil woman would nit pick anything in order to give you a good rap on the knuckles. Emma quickly looked away so she wouldn’t meet her eyes. “I can check my phone every day, it’s not as easy to catch wind of the ministers new policies. I’d hate to miss out in favor of a snapowl.”

Emma shook her head and took a sip of her own drink, non-alcoholic in the presence of her father. “No need to apologize.” She offered. “It’s a shared sentiment by any sane person in the vicinity, I’m sure.” Emma knew that the tensions between purebloods, halfbloods, and mudbloods had been rising over the year to heights that people couldn’t have predicted unless they were in the inner circles. Sure, there might be a few mudblood sympathizers or blood traitors in the room, but they weren’t stupid enough to speak up. Of that, she had no doubts. 

If Antonin knew that he sounded like her father, well, he most likely would not have continued the conversation in the same vein. He was older than she, of course, but was not the type of man who considered himself so adult that he was an “adult” in the eyes of students. “They should be,” he stated quietly, his voice soft so as not to be overheard. “The future generation needs to feel welcomed, lest they graduate and think they own the world.” He chuckled. “I am sure you have,” he told her with a raised brow.

“It’s a good place,” he stated. “And learning how to obliviate well is an art form, one that is very difficult to find at times.” He smirked and took another long sip of his drink as he followed where her eyes had been. “You’re very interesting, Miss Vanity,” Antonin drawled. “Not many students your age would care. Clearly you have more opinions about the future than your other classmates.” It was said as a statement, but was more of a question, and he wondered just what this girl’s future plans were.

He chuckled. “Perhaps it is, but that does not mean we need to discuss the filth when it’s gone.” Though he did not like muggles or muggleborns, Antonin was practical, knowing they could never get rid of all of them. “And what is your opinion on the topic?” he asked her. “It seems to be the most politically polarizing topic that I’ve come across.” The question was direct, yes, perhaps more so than he would like but they were in public with likeminded individuals, most of whom seemed not to care about their conversation.

[antonintheambitious]

Reconaissance | Emma&Antonin

[antonintheambitious]

emmavanxty:

Emma had been hopping from event to event the entirety of spring break. Pureblooded society used every opportunity of student’s free time to socialize them, groom them, and push them further up whatever ladder their family was trying to climb at the moment. Emma’s father had bought her a brand new dress and insisted that she come with him to this event since he’d barely seen her over the break. It wasn’t a request. Like most suggestions of Tennyson Vanity, it had the air of requirement. 

It was a dreadfully boring affair. The few people that had bothered to take to the dance floor were ancient and moved slower than the conductor, whose grey beard nearly touched his toes. Anyone Emma’s age or close sat on the outskirts of the room, sneaking drinks if they could, or lazily looking through their phones. Emma was passing the time by trying to read the lips of the ministry officials. She was positive that there was an outbreak of dragon pox in Denmark that they were trying to keep hush, hush. 

A vaguely familiar voice distracted her from deciphering the minister’s new policy on either dragons or dorsal fins. Emma turned to see Antonin Dolohov speaking to her. He was a pureblood that she’d seen around since she was a little girl, and she hated to admit that she definitely had a crush on him for quite some time. She stared at him hazily for a moment, before realizing that she needed to respond.

“Uh, yeah. I mean, it’s kind of a drag, but I’ve been to worse parties. Are you having a nice time?”

The event this evening was one he’d attended on his own - with no ring on his finger, Antonin had not been allotted a plus one – and the majority of the company was rather boring. His eyebrows rose at the sight of the younger generation with their phones out, though he said nothing. He was not so old yet that he should be lecturing the younger generation, though Antonin wondered if muggle ways of life would continue to penetrate pureblood society. He certainly hoped not.

The hazy look made Antonin bite his lip in amusement. He certainly did not look that old, did he? Antonin took a sip of his drink. “Parties like these aren’t for having fun,” he told her, his voice tinged with the sound of one who what repeating what he had been told a plethora of times. “Parties like these are for fostering connections, ensuring our way of life goes on in the future. At least I didn’t come upon you on your phone. I don’t think old Madam Greengrass would approve.” He gestured to the older woman who was watching a crowd of Hogwarts students along the walls like a hawk.

“As for myself, yes, I’m having a decent enough time,” he said steadily. “It is always good to interact with society.” His lips twitched at the corners. “It’s certainly better to be at an event that ensures the dregs of our society are unable to attend, though one should not speak of such things in polite company. I apologize,” he said with an incline of his head, his nose wrinkling at the thought of muggles.

[antonintheambitious]

thorfinn-rowle:

“Well you are not the most unbiased judge of how horrible your company is,” Thorfinn pointed out, taking his drink from the bartender, and raising it to Antonin in a sort of toast. “Ah, so she’s scared of the thought of eternal commitment to you. I understand her trepidation. And I’ll have you know that I don’t think I’d be entirely unlucky in finding my own, though it is nice to have it all taken care of already.” Thorfinn couldn’t help but think that even given the choice, he and Katherine would still end up together. He couldn’t imagine her with anyone else, nor did he want to.

Antonin raised his eyebrows and let out a soft chuckle. “I suppose that is true,” he stated swiftly. “I am told I become more tolerable with alcohol,” he quipped, taking another drink after raising his glass to Thorfinn. “I think she’s more frightened about the thought of eternal commitment than commitment to me,” Antonin said dryly. “But perhaps you are right. Perhaps she’s found photos of my grandfather and has realized how poorly I’ll end up aging.” He smirked. “Not entirely unlucky?” he asked. “Do tell.”

[antonintheambitious]

Reconaissance | Emma&Antonin

@emmavanxty

Antonin Dolohov skimmed the crowd, looking for a girl – a Hogwarts student, really – he’d been told about earlier that week. Vanity had approached him at work earlier in the week. Though the two of them were both involved in the same social group, they played different roles and Antonin knew that recruitment was about to begin for the Dark Lord again soon. Apparently young Emma was something of a prodigy when it came to quidditch and her father assured Antonin that his daughter would be up to the task. Unwilling to recruit someone so young without knowing her own prowess, Antonin took it upon himself to talk to her, perhaps see if her spellcasting was at the level it would need to be by the time recruitment began.

He held his glass of whiskey in his hand as he walked over to the girl he recognized vaguely from other events and mostly from the photo her father had shown him. “Miss Vanity, I trust you are having a good evening,” he said smoothly.

[antonintheambitious]

thorfinn-rowle:

Thorfinn nodded approvingly. “I am familiar with the lovely creature,” he acknowledged. “I suppose I’ll have to accustom myself to seeing more of you if you’re in a relationship with my fiancée’s best friend,” he sighed, pretending it to be a hardship. “And it took her longer to agree? Why? Had she heard of your reputation?” he teased. He turned from Antonin for a moment to order his own whiskey.

“That you will,” Antonin drawled. “Do try to keep yourself from having a fit over it. I hardly think I’m horrible company, albeit a bit pedantic at times.” His eyes were amused and Antonin ran his hand down his jawline as he handed his empty cup to the bartender, nodding for a refill as Thorfinn ordered his own drink. “Perhaps there is that. It’s hardly a secret I’m looking for a wife. You might have some sympathy for those of us who have to find our own.” He smirked.