Milo McAmbrose

~A Magician in a World Without Magic~ This is an indie OC blog for Merlin Ambrosius for Once Upon A Time.

[milo-mcambrose]

Forest. Tonight. Sundown. || Milo and Mystery Messenger

[wolfothewoods]

"So you’ll listen to a letter, but you won’t listen to me," Holland said, coming out of the woods with a mild smile on his face. Truth be told, he wasn’t sure how this was going to go. He’d made it as far as the owls, the meeting, but after how their last meeting went, he didn’t expect Milo’s feelings towards him to be especially favorable. 

He wasn’t sure what to make of his being there, either. He wanted to think that maybe Milo knew and had still come. That would be idea. But then, he’d gone through such careful measures to be sure that no-one would know it was him. He couldn’t take the risk. And as an auror - for, even after his…encouraged retirement, he was still an auror - he knew how to take precautions. 

No, if he had to make a wager, he would’ve said it was Milo’s curiosity that brought him out. He was such an inquisitive thing. There was nothing more alluring to him, it seemed, than a mystery to solve. In a way, this was Holland’s nod to that. Part one of what was bound to be a very sincere and multi-faceted apology. It was time for him to eat some crow, and he knew he deserved it, after the way he’d treated him earlier. 

Besides, he was a werewolf; he’d eaten far worse. 

[milo-mcambrose]

Well, he guessed that settled it. It had been Professor Thornwood that sent those letters earlier. In hindsight, he really should have known. No one else had quite the same mastery of monosyllables as he did, and he always suspected he had hidden subversive talents. Shame he was too big of a rule monger to let his trick flag fly. 

Then again, the fact that they were out there in the woods doing this whole 'cover of moonlight' meeting kind of suggested that maybe Thornwood wasn't quite the stickler he thought he was. 

He wasn't really sure what to do with it, though. 

"I didn't know it was you," he admitted. Which was harder than it should've been. He was the guy that knew things. The guy that knew everything. To admit that he'd been clueless wasn't a good feeling. And to admit it to the guy that'd pissed him off so royally just a couple days ago didn't help. "You didn't exactly sign it with hearts." 

[milo-mcambrose]

Common Ground || Milo and Graham

[once-a-huntsman]

“Oh, don’t worry, I’m working on a more permanent solution. But step one is trying to keep Lay safe long enough to deal with his brother. The boy has been dealing with this on his own all his life, from what I gather his father favours Triton. I want him to know that there are people who will help.”

He was pretty sure that would be half the battle. Triton seemed to feed of his brother’s fear and he’s noticed that the he was weaker when Lay was stronger. So he needed to increase Lay confidence in himself.

“And here was I thinking you aimed to make trouble.”

[milo-mcambrose]

Milo nodded. He'd never spent much time with Graham outside class, but he seemed like the kind of guy that did the things he set his mind to. Stubborn might've been a good word for it; Milo liked to think he was becoming somewhat of an expert in the subject. And while he did his thing, Milo'd do his. He'd keep an eye out for Triton. 

"Ah, see, that just goes to show you don't know me at all," he said. "I live to please. Really." He flashed him a wink. "Just do me a favor and don't tell anybody, huh? I gots a reputation to maintain around here."

[milo-mcambrose]

Common Ground || Milo and Graham

[once-a-huntsman]

Graham was relieved that Milo quite obviously shared his less than glowing opinion of Triton. He knew some Slytherins wouldn’t see anything wrong Triton’s behaviour.

“Lay stumbled into the hospital wing the other day, thinking it was the entrance to his dorms, because Triton had walked him into a wall so hard he broke his glasses.” Graham felt his voice drop to barely more than growl by the time he finished and took a deep breath to try and push his anger at how scared the poor boy had been back down.

“And then I had the ‘honour’ of meeting Triton.”  He could tell he wasn’t being as successful at tamping down his anger as he would like to, but not much he could do about that.

“I don’t think it will be happening again.” He could feel the predator’s smile on his face. “But would you just keep an eye on him, make sure Triton isn’t retaliating against his brother?”

[milo-mcambrose]

Milo's lips pulled down into a frown at Graham's account. Despite general opinion, Slytherins weren't all bad. Hell, he liked to think he was a pretty stand-up kind of guy. And while he didn't exactly spend a whole lot of time around that Lay kid (or Triton, for that matter), word of how he was having a hard time was enough to make him unhappy. The fact that he was getting all that grief from himself...or a version of himself...or something within   what the hell, he didn't care, anyway. It just needed to stop. 

"I'll keep an eye on him," he said. "Have some of my friends do the same." It was the best he could do, though. "I can't keep an eye on him 24/7 though, buddy. You really want it to stop happening, sounds to me like you're gonna need to think of a little more longterm solution." 

He did like that grin Graham got, though. Something told him there'd been a bit of a showdown between the two of them, and something else told Milo he'd come out on top. It was all very Cat that ate the Canary. Wolf in lamb's clothing. It was weirdly familiar. "Let me know if there's somethin' else I can do to help you out. You know me. I aim to please."

[milo-mcambrose]

Common Ground || Milo and Graham

[once-a-huntsman]

If Graham was one to swear he would be mentally doing so right now, creatively, and a lot. The last thing Milo needed to be doing was wandering around outside during the full moon. But Graham couldn’t think of any way of warning him off that wouldn’t just make things worse. He supposed he could make sure Milo got caught early but that might not work, and he could always sneak back out. He’d just have to make sure there was nothing to see if he did. 

“Well, good luck with that.” He was aiming for unconcerned and hoped he got there. “Just be careful not to get too close, the thing is pretty vicious.”

Desperate to change the subject before he inadvertently revealed anything he didn’t want to, he remembered that there was something he had wanted to talk to the Slytherin head boy about.

“Speaking of vicious, I wanted to talk to you about a student from your house, at least he is part of the time, Triton.”

[milo-mcambrose]

As evades went, it wasn't what Milo would've called gold-medal-worthy, but he decided to let it slide just this once. He'd figure out what he wanted to figure out; pushing the subject wasn't going to help anything. Especially not with guys like Thornwood and Graham. Chances were, they'd just clam up even harder if he tried to pry, and that wasn't what he was going for. 

So, he went along with it. "Triton." He wasn't one to scowl at a name, but this one didn't exactly make him want to smile and whistle. The way he saw it, there were two kinds of Slytherins, fundamentally. And in his opinion, Triton fell on the other side of the dividing line from him. 

"What about him?" Whatever it was, he knew by the look on Graham's face that it wasn't good. Downside to being head boy: getting roped into student disputes. Which sucked, because he wasn't big on conflict. 

[aquiverre-deactivated20211128]

I want a toxic relationship. I want someone that has the upper hand over my muse, because god knows that’s a rarity in its own. I want possessiveness. And control issues. Intensity.  

[milo-mcambrose]

Yule Ball || Holland and Milo

[wolfothewoods]

Holland, finally giving in to the fact that he would not be getting any work done while Milo was there and that Milo would be there until they’d settled this, put his quill back into his inkwell and folded his arms across the desk. “Sometimes, I wonder what goes on in your head,” he said. It didn’t sound like a compliment, and it wasn’t meant to be one. “Tell me - do you genuinely think the rules don’t apply to you, or do you just wish they didn’t enough that you’re willing to ignore the fact that they do?” 

He leaned forward on his desk. “And regardless of whether or not you think you are, I’m not. I’m your professor, Milo. I know…I know the line has gotten blurred between the two of us lately, and I accept responsibility for that. But as long as you’re a student and I’m a teacher, that’s all we can be. Do you understand that?” 

When Milo didn’t answer immediately, he pressed. “Milo. Do you understand that?” His voice was firmer this time, and he was bothered to find he hated it. The terrifying truth was, he would have done it in a heartbeat. The thought of anyone else taking the young man in front of him to the Yule Ball, of having their hands on him all night, of dancing and laughing and whatever else they did at the dances - his had always seemed to fall on the night of the full moon, back when he was a student - it was infuriating. 

But it couldn’t be helped. There were only a few years’ difference between them, but their different stations made it irrelevant. He couldn’t…he just couldn’t do it. “I’m sorry, Milo. But you’ll find someone else. Surely there are plenty of people, plenty of students your age that would love to go with you. You should ask one of them.” 

[milo-mcambrose]

He wasn't a spoiled brat. Really, he wasn't. He knew how to handle rejection as well as the next guy, and okay, maybe he was a little bit bummed about it, but that wasn't why he got all hot around the collar with what Professor Thornwood said. It was just such a cop out. He'd have been fine (well, fine-ish) if he'd actually had a good reason for it. If he'd said he wasn't interested or even that he didn't think it was a good idea. 

But instead he'd taken the easy way out, saying that it was against the rules. Just that. Like the only reason it was a no-go was because somebody else said it was. He wouldn't even own up to turning him down, and that was what really pissed Milo off, because he'd pegged Thornwood as better than that. Seemed like he wasn't the only one with untapped potential, letting people down. 

"How 'bout you tell me something, Professor," Milo shot right back. It wasn't sharp or snippy. It was cool, because that was how he was. Some people got flustered; Milo just got a case of the 'don't give a shit's. "Do you genuinely give a damn about the rules, or are they just a convenient way of keeping your ass out of the fire? Because I gotta tell you: as brush-off's go, that's pretty weak." He stopped just short of telling him he'd expected better of him, because that sounded too much like he cared enough to expect anything. He knew better than that. 

Instead, he straightened up, tucking his hands in his pockets. What the hell, who cared anyway? It was just some stupid dance. But, "Just so we're clear, though - you're what? Four, five years older than me? Tops? So would you stop acting like you're the next great sage come to life? 'Cause I gotta tell you, it's not a good look on you. 'Condescending asshole's kind of out of season too, just a head's up. I'll ask who I wanna ask, dance with who I wanna dance with. You and your rule book have a nice night." And with a mock salute that couldn't have been more derisive if he'd tried, he turned and left.

[milo-mcambrose]

Muggle Studies || Milo and Will

[knaveofbloodyhearts]

Will looked over at the boy and laughed softly. He was in this class because it was an easy class. He grew up with muggles and knew more about that world then he even did the wizarding world. It was why he kept the coruse. That and he didn’t actually plan on staying in this world after graduation. No, he would just live his muggle life.

"Yeah, you’re right there. This class really isn’t that hard though. But I guess it’s not quite the same if you don’t know a lot about the muggle world." He shrugged as he looked at the boy. He knew him from Slytherin, but they hadn’t really said a lot to each other. he really wasn’t fond of that house, or anyone that would be friends with Anastasia, but he wasn’t sure how close the two were so he decided to just keep in quiet there.

[milo-mcambrose]

Milo tended to make it his job to know a little bit of everything (or a lot a bit of everything, preferably) about everyone in the school, and so he knew enough about Will to know he was brought up in the muggle world. He also knew he had a bit of a clusterfuck with Anastasia, another Slytherin. Some sort of epic falling out he preferred to pretend he didn't know the details of, because there was a fine line between well-informed and gossip-mongering. He liked to think he toed it well. 

"No kidding," he said, nodding. He himself had been raised as a wizard, but he came from a family (at least, his part of it) that was fascinated with muggles. He had the background. He just also had a bit of a falling out of his own with little things called examinations. He and studying just weren't good bedfellows; his mind was too restless. "But y'know, that rules out about three quarters of the population here, give or take a little." 

[princessandreaofnaosarchive]

Ever-Bashing Boomerang || Andrea and Milo

[princessandreaofnaosarchive]

Nodding, Andrea followed Milo thought the corridor to the wall that led to the Slytherin common room. When he turned around, Andrea gave him a nod, letting him know that she was ready to face the ever-bashing boomerang. The common room was in a mess in easier said terms. The house elves would surely have a lot of work to clean everything up, not to mention all the material damage the boomerang made and that the teachers would have to repair.

Before she knew what was happening, Andrea saw the boomerang rushing towards Milo and her and before she could even react, Milo stepped towards the boomerang, making it go for him and hitting him squere into the chest. Andrea made a face at that, pretty sure that hurt. But as soon as Milo got hold of the boomerang, Andrea pointed her wand to it and steading her hand, ignoring the words Milo spoke. ”Immobilous!” she shouted and the spell fired, hitting right where it was supposed to - into the boomerang.

[milo-mcambrose]

Milo tried not to cringe too hard as Andrea aimed her wand his way. He knew she was wicked with a wand, and he trusted her not to whammy him into next week by accident. Still, he couldn't help running through a little mental checklist, just to make sure he hadn't done anything to piss her off lately. 

He didn't make it very far in the list before he heard the spell, and he breathed a sigh of relief when it hit exactly where (he hoped) she meant it to. The boomerang stilled, which was great, because he was already pretty sure he was going to have a bruise there come morning, and after a few seconds just to be sure, he took it in just the one hand and went to join Andrea at the entrance to the common room. "Well, that was exciting," he said, rubbing his free hand over the tender spot on his chest. "Remind me to have a sit down with the first years about second-hand prank shops." 

[milo-mcambrose]

Forest. Tonight. Sundown. || Milo and Mystery Messenger

For all everybody liked to give him grief about being a slacker and a troublemaker, Milo really didn't make a habit of being late (unless he was doing it to make a point). Actually, when it was something he was interested in, he was usually early. And he was definitely interested in finding out who this mystery messenger was, and what it was they wanted to meet with him for. 

The sun was just starting to set when Milo made his way out to the forest. The message hadn't exactly been specific on what part, but Milo figured they didn't mean the forbidden bit. Somewhere in the woods behind the gamekeeper's hut, probably, so that was where he headed.

"Okay," he called out as he walked through the brush, "I'm here, just like you asked. Now it's your turn. Come on out, mate. Don't be late, remember?" 

[milo-mcambrose]

Common Ground || Milo and Graham

[once-a-huntsman]

Not finding pranks funny himself, he did have to side with the professor on this one but Graham was surprised, if he didn’t know better he would say that Milo was actually enjoying his detentions, which seemed unlikely given Milo’s reputation. He couldn’t imagine Thornwood would make detention all that fun for Milo. “Well you have been serving that detention for a while now, and people talk.”

When Milo mentioned the whomping willow and the full moon Graham was very careful not to show any reaction but wondered if the boy had any idea how much of a related note it actually was. “Wasn’t that paper months ago, you still working on that theory?”

He didn’t believe for one second that Milo hadn’t asked Thornwood about this and he had probably been shut down real quick. He felt a little sorry for Milo, he had managed to ask the only other person who would shut him down just as quick.

“I figured it was students. The light is better during the full moon, so more tend to sneak out. Maybe it’s some kind of challenge.” He wasn’t sure how good an explanation that was, but it was something, and anything that pointed Milo away from the truth was a good thing.

[milo-mcambrose]

Milo'd told enough lies in his lifetime to know when he was hearing one, and damned if that didn't make him just that much more curious. What was it about the Whomping Willow that made everyone clam up? He got that it was scary and all. The thing could flatten a guy in the blink of his eye, and from what he'd seen of it, it had a nasty attitude. 

What he didn't get was why nobody wanted to talk about it. It was right there. It wasn't like it was any great secret. 

"Yeah," he said. "I'm still working on it. Kind of feels like I'm missing something with it, I just hate unfinished business. Of course," he went on idly, hands tucked in his pockets, "might not be a problem if people wouldn't stop either shutting me down or spinning shit." The latter he said not so much as an accusation as just with a significant little smile. "But hey, you know what they say - you want something done...Next full moon's in a couple of days. I'm thinking it's time I just bite the bullet and see for myself." He leaned in to whisper almost conspiratorially, "Between you and me, it's not like sneaking out's much of a challenge around here."

[milo-mcambrose]

Common Ground || Milo and Graham

[once-a-huntsman]

Graham could see that something he had said had disturbed the other boy but wasn’t one to pry and he figured that Milo wasn’t either.

“Why would I want to go into any of the girl’s bathrooms?” Graham asked in genuine confusion. Even after six years there were some things he just couldn’t understand about humans.

“So, you still stuck serving your indefinite detentions with Thornwood?” He asked jerking his head towards the groundskeeper’s house. He’d heard students talking about how Thornwood had given Milo a weekly detention with no time scale after one prank too many in his class. And personally he thought it might be a good thing, he knew from his own experience mentoring younger students how having someone stubborn pushing could help get someone back on track. And they didn’t come much more stubborn than Thornwood.

[milo-mcambrose]

Milo let out a half-chuckle, half-groan at the mention of Thornwood. "Does everybody know about that?" He knew how the rumor mill spun in Hogwarts, maybe better than most people (he used it to his advantage probably more than he should've), but still. It wasn't as much fun being on the other side of it. "The man just can't take a joke." 

All the same, he was smiling as he said it. Truth was, he actually sort of looked forward to his weekly detention. Thornwood was stubborn and quiet and angry 99.99 percent of the time, but the other .01 percent, he was actually kind of interesting to be around. Damn cryptic, though. 

"Hey, on a completely unrelated note," he lied, "I heard tell you were the guy to talk to about the goings-on on the grounds. Besides, you know, the big guy." He nodded towards the house. He'd tried broaching the subject with Thornwood already, and he'd shut him down faster than a ministry health inspector at the Hog's Head. He was hoping Graham might be a little more...amenable. "I was doing some research on the Whomping Willow for Earth Magic, and was wondering if you'd noticed any connections between lunar cycles and the way it behaves." It always seemed to get more active around the full moon.

[milo-mcambrose]

Common Ground || Milo and Graham

[once-a-huntsman]

"I get it more now, but when I first came here I couldn’t understand how you lot didn’t get yourself killed." Graham replied with a rueful smile. “Rushing off head first into danger without a thought.”

He was starting to realise that Milo’s carefree exterior was masking a darkness in his past that he tried to hide and he wondered what had happened to him.

“I suppose it might be dangerous, but even if I do now have other options, it is my home.”

[milo-mcambrose]

Home. A part of Milo hated how people threw that word around, like there was some deep, philosophical meaning to it. Maybe there was, but if so, Milo wasn't invited to that particular party. At least, he hadn't been since he was ten years old. Hogwarts was just a place to him. A good place, yeah. His own personal kingdom (or playground more like). But it wasn't home. 

He didn't have one of those. And the way people talked about them, like they were this amazing thing, it made him sort of...jealous. He didn't do jealous.  It wasn't part of his bag of tricks, and he tried to avoid it whenever possible. 

He shoved a hand in his pocket. "Yeah, well, there are worse places around the castle than the forest," he said. "Pro-tip? Never go in the girl's bathroom on the third floor. You'll get an earful, at the very least." He frowned thoughtfully. "Matter of fact, it's probably safer to stay out of any girl's bathroom period." 

[milo-mcambrose]

Potions Prank || Milo and Gold

[ahbutimanarchive-deactivated201]

Professor Gold just shook his head at the young man.  ”Don’t play dumb with me Mr. McAmbrose.  I know as well as you do that you’re the one pulling these pranks all the time.  I can appreciate it’s all in good fun, but I would really not wish to see you expelled.  If there’s one thing I hate more than my time being wasted, it’s seeing wasted potential.  Perhaps that’s why I’ve let you get away with your antics thus far.  But keep it up and I assure you, I won’t put up with it anymore.”

[milo-mcambrose]

"Sir, yes sir," Milo said with a crooked grin and a loose salute. "If that's all sir, I'd hate to waste any more of your time. And I got a lot of potential someplace else. So thanks for the heart-to-heart, but I'm gonna be late for my next class."

[milo-mcambrose]

At lunch, later that day, another owl came to the Slytherin table. Different owl, carrying a different note, but it was written in the same deliberately nondescript hand. This one bore only three words. "Don't be late."

Milo gaped at the letter. Second in a day. The other one was still sitting in his trouser pocket. He couldn't help the snort that escaped. Whoever it was, they were kind of impatient. And bossy. But if anything, it just made him that much more curious. That night at sundown it was. And he wouldn't be late. 

[milo-mcambrose]

An owl arrived at the Slytherin table a few days before the Yule Ball. It was one of the school owls, nondescript, bearing a note written in a neat hand reading simply, "Forest. Tonight. Sundown." There was no signature.

Milo read the note once, then twice, then three times. For all the good it did him. There was no name on it, no little sign. The handwriting even looked like someone had gone through a lot of trouble to make it look different and unrecognizable. They wanted to meet up in the woods that evening. Very covert stuff, and Milo was trying to decide if it was creepy or kind of charming as he looked around the Great Hall, just to see if he could pick out any particularly attentive gazes. Nothing doing.

His lips quirked into a small smile as he eyed the letter once more before folding it back and tucking it into the pocket of his trousers. Mysterious meeting it was, then. He'd find out who his little pen pal was. 

[mrharryp0tter-blog]

Meet the Blogger

About the blogger:

► Name ➔ Kenny ► Will you answer all questions truthfully ➔ Sure ► Are you single ➔ It's complicated?

► Are you happy ➔ Yup

► Are you Italian ➔ A little ► Are you German ➔ A little ► Are you Asian ➔  No ► Are you angry? ➔ Nope.

► Are you Irish ➔ A little (let's be honest - I'm like the product of a UN orgy)  ► Are your parents still married ➔ They never were.

TEN FACTS ► Birth Place ➔ South ► Hair Colour ➔ Brown ► Eye Colour ➔  Blue ► Birthday ➔ October ► Mood ➔ Cheery ► Gender ➔ Male ► Lefty or Righty ➔ Lefty ► Summer or winter ➔ Summer ► Morning or afternoon ➔ Morning

TEN THINGS ABOUT YOUR LOVE LIFE  ► Are you in love ➔ Yes ► Do you believe in love at first sight ➔ Yes ► Who ended your last relationship ➔ I'll get back to you on that. ► Have you ever broken someone’s heart ➔ Not intentionally, but I think it's happened. ► Are you afraid of commitments ➔ Maybe a little. no more than anybody else I don't think. ► Have you hugged someone within the last week? ➔ Hah. Yes.  ► Have you ever had a secret admirer ➔ Yeah. It was cute. ► Have you ever broken your own heart? ➔ Nah. 

TEN CHOICES ► Love or lust ➔ Love.  ► Lemonade or iced tea ➔ Sweet Tea ► Cats or Dogs ➔ Dogs ► A few best friends or many regular friends ➔ A few best friends ► Television or internet ➔ Internet ► Pepsi or Coke ➔ Neither.  ► Wild night out or romantic night in ➔ Wild night out. ► Day or night ➔ Night ► IM or Phone ➔ Phone

TEN HAVE YOU EVER ► Been caught sneaking out ➔ Nope. I've done it. I've just never been caught. ► Fallen down/up the stairs ➔ Yup. ► Finished an entire jawbreaker ➔ Yup. ► Wanted something/someone so badly it hurt? ➔ Yes. ► Prank called a store ➔ Yep ► Skipped school ➔ Nope ► Wanted to disappear ➔ Nuh uh. Maybe crawl into a hole a little while, but never disappear.

TEN PREFERENCES 

► Smile or eyes ➔ Eyes  ► Light or dark hair ➔ Dark ► Shorter or Taller ➔ Tall  ► Intelligence or Attraction ➔  Intelligence ► Hook-up or Relationship ➔ Relationship  ► Funny and poor OR rich and serious ➔ Rich and serious (I'm not shallow, I swear. I'll make plenty of money myself. But I like serious guys, as long as they can relax a little)

ABOUT ME ► Last Phone Call ➔ My friend ► Last phone call you received -> Ditto ► Last person you hung out with ➔ Ditto again ► Last thing you ate ➔ Stir fry ► Last thing you drank ➔ Tea ► Last site you went to ➔ ...is this a trick question? ► Last place you were ➔ Bookstore

FAMILY ► Do you and your family get along  ➔ Most of it. ► Would you say you have a “messed up life” ➔  Nah, no more than anybody else. ► Have you ever run away from home ➔ No ► Have you ever gotten kicked out ➔ No

RIGHT NOW

 ► What are you listening to right now ➔  "Flawed Design" by Stabilo. ► What are you thinking about right now ➔ I'm trying to solve a mystery. ► What would you do right now if you could➔  Get some friends together and go play a pick up game. It's been forever since I've gotten to run around. ► Where are you sitting right now➔ Beanbag 

[milo-mcambrose]

Milo's Broom (Headcanon)

Milo doesn't often draw from his sizable inheritance, but after his old Nimbus broke in his third year, Milo purchased one of the few Firebolts still manufactured after the Goblin Iron Strikes. Standard with its Unbreakable Breaking Charm and speed of at least a hundred and fifty miles per hour, it has been his pride and joy since he first purchased it from Quality Quidditch Supplies.