Someone is on your side / someone else is not

Callum Aidhan MacFarlane temporary Auror twenty-two

[callummacfarlane-blog]

Barely a week into his position as an Auror, Callum receives a letter from his parents inviting him home for dinner. The message behind it reads loud and clear: we need to talk. And the topic of discussion is just as obvious, for his parents have made their opinion on Callum's sudden career change blatantly clear. He isn't in the mood to sit at a table, too empty without the presence of his siblings, and have his parents subtly try to push him out of the front lines and back to the behind the scenes work of the ministry. Callum sends back the owl with an apology that he won't be able to make it because of work. The end of the note does contain a promise to join them for dinner sometime next week- despite his growing frustration at their attempts to interfere with his current career path, he understands why they do it and can handle fault them for trying. He hopes that they too understand why he must resist the pull to slink back to his old job. Seeking reassurance, Callum uses the glove that's been enchanted as a portkey to visit Catrina- hoping she'll have a kind word and some of her overflowing tenacity to share. His sisters familiar welcome is a comfort, and she beckons him inside- albeit a little quieter than normal; she's just put the kids down for a nap, she explains. She sits him down and demands he spill it, and Callum does. Though she's not his usual confidant, his older sister has always managed a contagious sort of strength and Callum feels the need to cling to now more than ever. Even with so few words on her part, strength is present in the conversation, but the verification Callum was looking for is not. Where his parents would have nudged, Catrina doesn't hesitate to hit him full on with her opinion, her vote clearly sided with their parents on the subject. As Callum walks past the bedrooms of his niece and nephew he wonders why he thought she would say anything else. His own insecurities and his family's opinion sided against him, Callum decides to yield to the pressure and resign as an Auror. Wanting to make it as easy on The Ministry as possible, Callum decides to save time and the headache for whoever his replacement is and get the paperwork for the upcoming raid transferred over. The cursebreaker listed for his team is Elijah Burke, like the majority of The Ministry's staff, a Hogwarts alumni. Former Slytherin and a year or two above his brother, if Callum remembers correctly. Callum writes a note explaining the transfer, and had planned on just leaving the paperwork on the man's desk, but when he arrives at the cursebreaker's offices he's surprised to find the dark haired young man still there. His aloof presence almost makes Callum want to retreat and come back another time, but he refuses to let himself do that and instead raps his knuckles against the edge of the doorframe to alert the other of his entrance. "Do you have a moment? Auror department business." Callum explains raising up the files.

[valcntinaguerra]

As Margaret all but strutted her way through the ministry – loving the spotlight being on her, of course – she shot smiles and small waves to anyone who looked her way. Working as an intern, it was natural for her to be on the move constantly as her department often required hand-to-hand paper deliveries as opposed to memos. After all, case files were a little bit higher on the ‘top-secret’ spectrum. However, that never quite stopped the blonde from taking a look at the Ministry’s sad attempts at finding death eater and it always helped to have the ability to warn people who have fallen onto the radar for the aurors. As she reached her destination, her gaze moved to Callum before offering him a warm smile. 

“Hello, handsome,” she teased, holding the files out for him. “Special delivery.”

@callummacfarlane

[callummacfarlane-blog]

The quill in Callum’s hand bumps back and forth against the wood of the desk, fraying its soft feathers as his jittering hand is unable to leave the utensil at rest. Callum’s been in a constant state of suspense since receiving the news about his brother. He’s simultaneously relieved and aggravated to be sentenced to manning the desk. It’s restricting to be trapped inside, terrifying to be out in the field, and beyond draining to feel useless no matter where he is.

He’s pulled from his thoughts be a honeyed feminine voice, and lifts his eyes in order to put a face to the voice. “Miss Young?” Callum drawled out in surprise, hand moving to accept the files while assessing the former Slytherin queen in front of him. With a separation of house and grade, Callum hadn’t had much interaction with the Young’s second daughter, though their social circles had overlapped every now and again and her reputation at Hogwarts had certainly been hard to ignore.

Callum deposits the files onto his desk, thumbing through them for a brief moment. They’re certainly the files he was expecting, though the courier is a far bigger surprise. “Thank you,” Callum offers belatedly, tone a hint bashful due to his slow response. He hesitates a moment longer, but as it normally does his curiosity gets the best of him and voices his thoughts. “It’s a bit of a surprise to see you here. I hadn’t realized you had such an interest in The Ministry—much less in the department of HIT Wizards?” Callum ends it as an open question rather than a statement, allowing Margaret to opportunity to fill in the blanks.

[callummacfarlane-blog]

(OOC) Callum’s App

✥ APPLICATION ✥

 OOC: Name, age, pronouns, triggers: Bev, 18, she/her, NA

IC:

– Callum Aidhan MacFarlane is a 22 year old Auror that fights for the Ministry of Magic. Previously they were in Ravenclaw house, so they can be Pensive, Tolerant, Whimsical, and Sensitive. They look similar to Thomas McDonnell

 Job/Career: Upon graduating from Hogwarts Callum spent time working with both the Committee of Experimental Charms and the Ministry of Magic’s Research Committee. After about a year and a half in there the Ministry offered him a position within the Department of Mysteries, for which Callum served as an Unspeakable working both in the Brain Room and Death Chamber. Though Callum certainly prefers his role within the Department of Mysteries, with the return of Lord Voldemort and the growing forces of his Death Eater army, the Ministry needs all help it can get as far as Magical Law Enforcement goes and Callum has undergone extension training over the past several months in order to step in as a temporary Auror.  

Brief Background: Callum was the third of four children born to Douglas and Blair MacFarlane: a pureblood couple that had met during their own time at Hogwarts. Though the MacFarlane’s had wanted several children, after the birth of their first child, Catrina, the couple struggled for several years to have any other children. Six years after Catrina’s birth, they finally gained a son: Hendry, and their problem of infertility suddenly reversed, it was only fourteen months after his birth that Blair gave birth to her third child, Callum. Now outnumbered by kids, the couple had planned on stopping there but just before Callum’s fifth birthday Blair had discovered she was pregnant with her fourth child, a little girl they named Elspeth (“Ellie”)—though a surprise, she was certainly not unwanted and the baby of the family was doted on by her parents and siblings alike. The siblings were a diverse bunch and each of them ended up in a different Hogwarts house—Catrina the bold eldest entering into Gryffindor, Hendry to Slytherin, Callum to Ravenclaw, and when Ellie finally arrived she was sorted into Hufflepuff. Sandwiched so close together between the wide age gap of their sisters, Hendry and Callum grew up rather close. The boys had very different personalities but they complimented each other most of the time. Callum would get lost in his own thoughts, in unanswered questions that plagued him and Hendry if he wasn’t careful would start to crush himself under his un-ending drive to be better; both boys were often far too serious and it was usually each other that was the best at pulling them out that headspace and making the other lighten up. Hendry had been disappointed when his brother been sorted into a different house than himself, but the two remained close during their time at school, and both planned on following in their parent’s footsteps and taking up a job at the Ministry. From the time he was little Hendry had insisted on wanting to be an Auror, and often tried to persuade his brother to do the same. Callum was much more indecisive on the subject. Several of the Ministry possessions interested him, and while he was competent in dueling and combative spells, but, unfortunately for Hendry, becoming an Auror had very little appeal to him. Spending his whole life around wizards, muggle studies had interested him while at Hogwarts and he briefly considered spending some time working in Muggle relations but his brother’s severe reaction turned him away from it, settling in a research field until becoming an Unspeakable. Hendry, as he planned to, became an Auror after graduating and did so successfully until a few months ago when he had gone missing while out on the job.*** With the return of Lord Voldemort, he wouldn’t be the first to go missing and Callum fears that his brother may be one of the causalities at what seems to be an inevitable war. It was his brother’s disappearance that made Callum step up and volunteer as a Auror—something of a debt to his older brother who had striven for this job for so long.

***OOC: I would love to do a plot where Callum believes his brother’s disappearance is because he died on the job defending against Death Eaters when in fact Hendry had changed allegiances and decided to join them. In the theme of the RP and the complexities of bonds throughout this war I’d love to play out Callum finding out his brother is alive and his brother either trying to get him to stay out of the war completely or maybe even trying to get him to join Voldemort’s side (possibly both? I really just want to see where it goes)

 Character Traits / Personality Description: ( a short list or a few sentences are fine ):

Pensive: Even when he was little, Callum was a thoughtful kid by nature—his mind always occupied with what’s and why’s and how’s; and it was of little surprise when he was assigned to Ravenclaw. Though certainly consumed with the want for knowledge, this is not something that was always reflected in his grades. Callum didn’t do poorly in any of his classes, but he wasn’t a star student—when your mind is ensnared by so many questions it can be hard to reign them in to the topics that you are actually required to do assignments on. More often than not Callum’s thoughts are well beyond the course of the parchments he’d turn in and he’s spend much more time reflecting or seeking answers, making him perfect for working with the Department of Mysteries—spending hours on end investigating questions that may truly be unanswerable.

Tolerant/Discernment: For those who seek true answers they often find that there is hardly ever a single answer or one unwavering viewpoint on a subject, and Callum has found this to he true. His thoughtful nature has taught Callum to use discernment, to try to think about things from different standpoints, which in turn has made him tolerant of the beliefs of others, even if they are not his own. Callum believes on letting people find their own personal truth and letting people live as they choose to as long as it doesn't interfere with anyone else's happiness. This viewpoint has sometimes got him in trouble, especially in the development of the war when such definitive lines are being drawn with Callum not eager to pick a side.

Sensitive: Growing up with a pure-blood status and three talented siblings sometimes it’s hard for Callum to feel comfortable in his own skin. In particular his closeness for his perfectionist brother let to feelings of inadequacy—for if his brother’s own deeds that surpassed his own weren’t good enough, how could he compare? This sensitivity has led to Callum being a bit reserved, sometimes afraid to put himself out there and tried new thing for fear of judgment or failure.

Whimsical: This is a side of Callum that not a lot of people get to see, due to his sensitive nature as previously discussed. Linked to this aspect of his personality is a creativity that helped land Callum in Ravenclaw. Callum wants to explore new methods, try new resources, find new solutions for the over growing and developing world he lives in—and sometimes these ideas are far too fanciful in other people’s opinions. Too often as an imaginative child, reality was shoved in his face to replace thoughts too large for his age, making him far much hesitant to allow people in to that part of his brain. Another aspect of his whimsical nature is his indecisiveness that sometimes leads him to waiting too long, making an impulsive choice, only to change his mind later and switch to something else.

  Family:

Father and Mother: Douglas and Blair MacFarlane

Sister: Catrina “Cat” MacFarlane (29)

Brother: Hendry “Mac” MacFarlane (23)

My Character: Callum “Cal” MacFarlane (22)

Sister: Elspeth “Ellie” MacFarlane (17)