Mortal Body, Timeless Soul

Farid Khan. 23. Half-blood. Quidditch player.

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There was a distinct possibility that Audrey could have been signing something completely off, but she hoped he could look past that and read her lips to see the apologies she was mouthing, along with the drink she offered. But regardless, he still seemed rather bothered and she froze awkwardly as he began to pick up his items, to which she hadn’t even realized she’d broken. It was too late now to help him and it seemed she didn’t have to offer to replace the items as he seemed to expertly fixed them.

At this point, Audrey was afraid he was ignoring her and was going to brush her off, but with gruff reluctance he accepted. She brightened considerably and was a little surprised to hear him speak, but she didn’t mention it. “Absolutely!” Audrey nodded so that he’d know verbally and physically, just in case. 

She began walking back, looking over her shoulder so that he’d be able to see her mouth. “Have you ever been to the Leaky Cauldron?”

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While a sense of relief washed over Farid when the woman confirmed that the pub she worked at served peppermint tea, there was a part of him that was a little annoyed that there wasn’t an opportunity for him to change his mind. Now, he would have no choice but to take the witch up on her offer for a drink. Even though he knew she wasn’t forcing him in to doing it and that he was the one that willingly accepted the cup of tea, he wouldn’t have minded if he missed the chance for one in order to return home to put himself to sleep. Since he already opened his big mouth though, he would have to see it through until the end, or at least until the tea kicked in and woke him up enough to disapparate. “Brilliant. Lady’s first.” He said and then motioned for the woman to begin walking so he could follow her. He may be irritated from the lack of sleep, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t at least try to be a gentleman.

Farid fell into step with her once she began walking and then turned to read her lips when he noticed them moving in his peripheral vision. She had asked him if he had been to the Leaky Cauldron and he withheld the urge to burst out laughing. Who hadn’t been to the Leaky Cauldron? It was the most popular pub and inn in Wizarding London. Every witch or wizard had visited there at least once in their lives, including Farid. He would hang out there with his mates during summer holiday away from Hogwarts, and still did from time to time when he was back home. “Of course! If I wasn’t practising during summer holiday, then I was there with my mates. I frequented the place so often that Tom and I became acquaintances,” he told her, letting his feet lead him to his destination instead of the woman now. “I’m assuming you work there?”

Suddenly, it hit him. He hadn’t introduced himself. Even though his name was everywhere and people already knew who he was, he still thought it was polite to do so anyway since he didn’t know her name. “Sorry. Where are my manners? I’m Farid Khan.” He held his hand out for her to shake.

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Audrey might have been panicking a little, frantically looking him over if he was hurt at all. However, as soon as he managed to get up, he began gesturing angrily at her. It took her a moment to realize he was signing at her and another to realize it was Farid Khan, Quidditch extraordinaire of all people. It wasn’t like she’d never met a Quidditch player– She’d just never met one she might have had slightly fancied. But everyone and their mum did. Merlin, she didn’t realize how early she could have messed up in the day. 

“Uh, uh!” She stuttered trying to think what to do. Then she remembered she did know a little sign. The great thing about talking to nearly everyone was that she picked up random things– In this case, it was ‘hello,’ ‘I love you,’ and thankfully, ‘sorry.’

Still, quite rushed, Audrey closed her right fist over her chest and rotated it clockwise. “I’m sorry. Sorry.” She repeated. “Um, do you want a drink?” Audrey asked, enunciating her words so he could read her lips easier as she gestured behind her, pointing back at where she’d just left. Somehow, offering free drinks had become Audrey’s go-to for anything. That was probably terrible business, but she couldn’t think of anything else she herself could offer. “Drink?” Audrey asked again, smiling as a default and gesturing nonsensically out of nerves.

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If it wasn’t the way her lips seemed to find it difficult to produce a coherent sentence, then it was her body language that made it obvious to him that she was nervous. Farid wasn’t sure if it was because she recognised who he was or because she had bumped into him, but he couldn’t bring himself to care very much right now. It would be a lie if he said that he hoped that she wasn’t another fanatic Quidditch fan though, because he wasn’t in the mood to cater to anyone other than himself at the moment. Sure, he knew it was rude to think that way, but he had needs like anyone else and nowhere in the job description of the English National Quidditch team did it state that he was obligated to acknowledge what his fans wished 24/7. But when the witch lifted her hand to sign an apology to him that he was suddenly surprised. He could tell that she wasn’t fluent in it, or knew any more than a few words since she quickly returned to using her voice, but he did appreciate that she at least tried to communicate with him in his native language. It wasn’t often that people did that, always assuming he would use his own voice.

When the redhead had then offered him a drink, Farid couldn’t help but consider her offer. Even though he wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone and wanted to go home to make the potion, he was still too tired to disapparate and figured that at least having a cup of tea would wake his mind up enough to actually do it. Also, it looked like she wouldn’t take no for an answer if he refused. He then leaned down to pick up the bag of now shattered contents before he silently cast the mending charm then diminuendo and placed the shrunken bag into his suit pocket. Farid really didn’t want to use his voice as he didn’t have much energy to conjure it up, but he knew he would have no choice as she wouldn’t understand him if he didn’t. “Alright, fine. You have peppermint tea, yeah?” He asked after he sighed in defeat and pinched the bridge of his nose, his thick accent coming through. All he hoped was that the tea wasn’t expensive because the rest of his money was back home.

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Date: 22th may, 1945 Location: Streets of Diagonal Alley Time: 08:22 AM Availability: open

Today was Audrey’s turn to take care of the Inn, and as they were running low on some supplies, she had gone out to restock. The streets of Diagon Alley were never too crowded in the mornings, so Audrey walked leisurely, eyes on the shops rather than what was in front of her. It was amazing, how resilient the community was, she thought as she took in how quick the business were rebuilding. 

“Looking swell, Mr. Stibbins!” Audrey smiled and waved at the old man as he wiped his window clean.

He waved back, rag in the air. “Come in, Audrey! Got the ol’ girl running up again!”

Audrey turned on her heels, walking backwards to face him. “Can’t! I’ve got errands to run! But I’ll definitely stop by later! Pop by the cauldron for a drink– On me!” She laughed as he ushered her off and returned to his window.

And in a moment, it appeared Audrey had been too confident walking in the slow streets because, at once, she’d knocked back into another person. “Ah!” Audrey scrambled over. “I’m so sorry! Are you alright?”

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Farid sighed in annoyance after he yawned yet again after doing so four times in the last three minutes. He did his best to find even the smallest amount of patience that he might have stored inside of himself in order not to cry out in frustration. It was too early for him to be up at this time on his holiday, which only made him feel even more grumpy. He hadn’t slept a wink last night, and even though he attempted to soothe himself to sleep with a cup of peppermint tea and a book, he had failed to do so. So in one last desperate attempt at meeting with success, Farid had decided to resort to drinking a little bit of Sleeping Draught, but realised that he had no more left and was also out of the ingredients that he needed to make it. By that time, the sky had already begun to change to a lovely light blue and he had reluctantly pulled himself out of bed to get dressed to pay a visit to the Apothecary to purchase what he needed to make the potion. Thankfully, his house-elf hadn’t made him breakfast yet, Cepheus knew that Farid liked to wake up late when he was on holiday, or he would’ve felt bad for not eating as he wasn’t hungry at the moment. And that’s how he ended up walking the cobbledstone streets of Diagon Alley.

Once he had purchased what he needed at the Apothecary, he thanked the shopkeeper and walked out to make his way home. Just to be sure he had everything with him as he did not want to go back, not to mention he was left with only 1 Galleon to his name now because he had no idea that potion ingredients were so bloody expensive now-a-days, he checked the contents of the bag as he walked. Due to the fact that he hadn’t had his usual cup of tea to wake him up in the morning though, Farid’s brain was not working properly and he completely forgot that he shouldn’t take his eyes off in front of him when he was walking. So when he smacked dead into someone, he should’ve expected it.

The impact had been quite intense because he ended up landing on his backside on the street. He groaned out in pain with his face twisted up in a grimace as he laid there on the floor. This just really wasn’t his morning. He was already having a shitty day and it was too fucking early for him to be dealing with something like this, let alone people. Still, he remained silent as he pulled himself off of the street and dusted his suit off. When he finally looked up to see who he bumped into, he was met with the face of a pretty redheaded witch. If it was any other hour, and he had his tea, he would’ve been kind to her, but he was too exhausted and grumpy and really just wanted to get home. ‘Bloody hell! Will you watch where you’re going,’ Farid signed furiously, an angry expression on his face. He knew it was his fault, but he didn’t care about that right now and neither the fact that she probably didn’t speak sign language. ‘You nearly killed me!’

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It made Adaline nervous, waiting for Farid’s house elf to come back, however, she supposed ti was good that it was taking him so long. If it only took the creature a few moments then it could mean that there was no one home and that Farid was not okay, but if it was taking longer than it could just mean that Farid was going to be coming down the stairs in a matter of moments. She shifted from foot to foot, trying to find something to focus on so that she wasn’t just standing there wringing her hands like an idiot. She eventually turned her eyes to a painting on the wall by the door, finding solace in just staring at the colors that swirled around in a simple design. She bade her time counting the petals on a flower in a vase and tugging at a lock of her hair that was singed slightly at the end. As soon as she heard footsteps, she turned and breathed a sigh of relief at seeing her friend.

She winced at his question, knowing she must be a mess, but before she could pop her knuckles and sign an answer to him, he was pulling her into the sitting room by her wrist. As soon as she was sitting, she cracked the knuckles of her hands and began to sign wildly. ‘I know it’s late, I’m sorry but I had to make sure that you were alright.’ Adaline’s hands were shaking and she hoped that she was making sense. Seeing him in front of her had calmed her down considerably but she was still shaken up about the events that had only just taken place. ‘I was at the Crouch manor when the bombs went off and everyone was running around and fighting and throwing curse, and there weren’t just wizards, Far, there were muggles too, everywhere,’ she signed to him, having to take a moment to lean back and take a deep breath.

After a short moment, she sat back up and continued. ‘I didn’t see you anywhere and the fighting had been going on for hours, I had to make sure you were okay, but I didn’t know if you were out there or in here and it had just eben too long I had to come here and see for myself that you were okay.’ She clasped her hands together, looking at him as though trying to acertain that he truly was okay. ‘Where have you been? You haven’t been out, have you? You’ve been here the whole time?’

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It was obvious that Adaline was a little distressed from whatever she had experienced before she had arrived and it did nothing to calm the worry that Farid felt. Despite being happy that his friend had managed to escape the danger she must have been in, it was quite noticeable that she had only done so by the skin of her teeth and pure luck that she was still breathing. He couldn’t begin to imagine what she must have been through tonight, but with both of the worlds plunged into darkness and the sirens blaring, Farid couldn’t understand why anyone would be foolish enough to be out at this time; muggle or wizard. Though, he was sure that Adaline would be more than happy to explain why and quickly withdrew from his head to return his attention back to her. Just knowing that she was safe now that she was there with him and that he would at least have a chance to keep her safe if anyone decided to change that was enough to bring a small bit of calm to him.

Watching the woman’s shaky hands begin to produce the signs needed to tell her story, Farid did his best to pay close attention to them even though it was proving quite difficult from how quickly she was signing. Thanks to years of practice though, he was able to guess what she was saying from the words that he did catch. ‘No, don’t apologise, it’s alright. You’re always welcome at any time, Addy.’ He reassured her and then remained quiet so she could continue. Apparently she had been at the Crouch manor when the bombs went off and it didn’t take much work for Farid to figure out why. Pureblood families were always throwing posh get-togethers for whatever reason, and being Adaline was part of one and marrying into another, it was fairly obvious why she would be there too. It also didn’t surprise him that they’d throw it in the middle of an air raid being they seemed to fancy themselves invincible. What confused him was the fighting bit. ‘Wait, what? What do you mean everyone was fighting? Who was fighting and why? And what do you mean muggles were there?’ He knew he shouldn’t bombard her with so many questions, but he didn’t understand what she was saying. He didn’t pester her when she didn’t reply right away though, and allowed her to collect herself.

Once she seemed to have done so, Adaline moved on to tell him that she was there to check up on him when she hadn’t spotted him outside and asked where he had been lately. Farid wanted to reply that he wasn’t stupid enough to venture outside during an air raid, unlike many other people it seemed, but refrained from being so blunt. ‘Yeah, I’ve been here the whole time. All week, actually. I’m on holiday until I leave for Wales next week for a match,’ he replied and watched as her eyes scanned his body again to make sure he was okay. ‘I promise you I’m fine, Addy. I can’t say the same for you though.’ Farid then gently took her face into his right hand and slowly moved it over to the side to assess her cuts. “Let me,” he spoke with his voice this time, a hint of his thick accent slipping through. He was no healer, but he knew a bit from his fair share of cuts and broken bones from Quidditch as a child and what he learned at school. Pulling out his wand, he cast a silent episkey on the wounds and watched as they instantly healed. “There we go. Good as new.” He reached out to caress her now uninjured cheek, a soft smile on his face, and then placed his wand on the table before handing Adaline a cup of tea. “Here. Drink. I think you need it.”

[adalineulrith-blog]

date: may 16th, 1945 time: 01:29 am location: farid khan’s residence availability: @farid-khan

Unable to identify the missing presence of her friend during the fighting as a blessing or a curse, Adaline could not stop thinking about it was she cast protego after protego. Every moment she expected to turn to see him fighting or on the ground, and the suspense was getting to her. One of the few people in the world that Adaline felt she could go to, Farid was someone the blonde could not imagine being out in the fight. Still, she worried. If she had yet to see him, it could mean the worst.

By the time she had told Mani she was going to check on her friend, her wand was already out. It had been too long for her to continue worrying and she knew she would not feel better until she knew for herself. Without waiting for a response, she swiftly turned on the spot and apparated to his place of residence. Knocking on the heavy door, she waited, shifting from foot to foot for someone to answer the door, to tell her that he was okay or at least alive. As soon as the door opened to a house elf tugging at its ears, she was speaking.

“I need to see Farid. If he is here, I need you to take me to him, or let him know I’m here,” she told the small elf, taking a step across the threshold when the little thing disapparated, presumably to go and get him. The whole while she fidgeted, unable to relax until she knew everything was alright. She was sure she was a sight herself, blonde hair mussed and pulled back. Her makeup was surely ruined and there were a few cuts she could feel on her face from the initial explosion.

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With his eyes still on the book that he was reading, Farid slowly reached for the cup of peppermint tea next to him and then took a sip of it when he managed to successfully secure it in his hand. It had only been a few days since he had returned home on a much needed holiday from Quidditch and had been spending his time trying to regain as much energy as he could. This time, he had decided to stay at his house in the countryside instead of returning to his parents. He would be leaving for Wales next week for another match and he couldn’t bear having to say goodbye to them so soon again. It was already hard enough the first time. He made sure to send his usual owl to see how they were doing though, and also apologised for not being able to stay with them this time around. However, it would be a lie if Farid said that it wasn’t nice that no one was around, other than his house elf, and that he had the whole house to himself. It allowed him to slip inside of his head to reevaluate all the excitement he had last week and sort out his emotions to figure out how he really felt about it. So far, he hadn’t regretted his decision.

While he had spent the beginning of the week catching up on his sleep and conserving energy, Farid had decided that he had conserved enough to pull himself out of bed and do a little exercise. And that’s how he ended up in his study. Sure, he knew sitting in a chair was no different than sitting in bed, but he would argue that at least his mind was doing the exercise. After he managed to find a decent book in his large library, Farid opened it and allowed himself to get lost. When he was deep inside of a book, time and everything around him disappeared so he hadn’t realised that the sun had set or that it was already half past one in the morning. It wasn’t until he felt a tap on his right leg that the rest of the room returned to his view and he noticed his house elf in front of him. ‘Cepheus, what is it?’ Farid asked the small creature after he closed his book. Cepheus apologised for disturbing him and informed him that he had a visitor.

Taking a look at the clock, Farid finally realised the time and wondered who could be visiting him this late. He then told Cepheus to get the kettle on before making his way down the grand staircase. When he saw the blonde hair, he didn’t need to guess who it was and a smile instantly crossed his face. He couldn’t remember the last time he saw Adaline and he was overjoyed that she came to visit him, even if it was late and unexpected. It was when she turned around and he saw her face that he took in her appearance. Her hair was in disarray, her makeup ruined, there were cuts on her face, and she had her wand out too. ‘Addy! Are you alright? What happened to you?’ Farid quickly signed to her, the worry evident on his face. Before she could answer him though, he gently took her wrist and pulled her to the couch in the sitting room just as Cepheus placed two cups of tea on the table. ‘What in the name of Merlin are you doing out at this time? They’ve already set off the sirens.’ He said, his face still twisted up in concern.