it was the smell of death that kept strolling in

Frank Longbottom. 22. Auror. Order.

[sacredlongbottom-blog]

location: Order Headquarters

date: October 25th, 1979

availability: closed for @d-cresswell

Frank can hardly wrap his mind around, well, much of anything lately. Just when it seems as if he’s finally used to all of the chaos, when it seems as if nothing else can surprise him, something does. Even here, alone in the safety of their most recent meeting place, he feels uneasy.

Anything could happen to him at - as he’s truly starting to believe - anytime. That thought alone is enough to catch anyone off guard, he supposes.

He’s about to begin stretching (something, anything to do to keep his mind off of recent events) when there’s a creaking noise from behind him. He whirls quickly, hand halfway to his wand, before he finds himself relaxing again. Dirk. Thank Merlin. “Hey, sorry ‘bout that. Must be a bit jumpier than I thought.”

[tomhollanddaily]

[pettigrewwhiskers]

Jumping at Corporeal Shadows || Open

[sacredlongbottom-blog]

pettigrewwhiskers·:

It was a simple spell, one that shouldn’t have required so much effort on his part to cast; the adrenaline was fading as quickly as it came and now all he could feel was a bone-deep weariness hitting him harder than it had in days.  

“N-no but…” he’d done nothing. Like it often did his fear had caused him to freeze and depend on someone else to save his ass. “I-I should’ve done more.“ he murmured. This was why so few could bear to put up with him; pathetic, truly pathetic.

He swallowed another apology at Frank’s request and looked around jerkily, half-expecting further assailants to appear from thin air, they weren’t Death Eaters though; he hadn’t done anything to anger them… they needed him after all, r-right?

“Thank Merlin.” he said, licking his lips and swallowing. Getting away from this ally was an idea he could get behind whole-heartedly and despite a small flinch Frank’s kick caused he was quickly by the ally’s mouth, looking back and waiting for the other to join him. “Y-yea,” he nodded stiffly, “I’ll be fine. C-can you?” Frank was the hurt one after all.

Frank hardly knew what to say - throughout the years, he’d never quite seen Peter like this. With a soft smile, he reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry about it, Peter. You helped me plenty.” Frank gestured to his head as he spoke, smile widening. 

“I’ll be fine, don’t worry about me,” he said with a shrug. “Nothing a spell or two can’t fix.” He fixed Peter with a stare, tilting his head a little as he did. “Promise me you’ll take care of yourself, Peter. Don’t...don’t beat yourself up too much over this.” 

There was no need, really - to worry about a couple of muggers in the middle of this hellscape they were living in was silly. Frank wasn’t exactly sure how to express that idea kindly, but he wasn’t sure it would matter either way. He wasn’t sure how to handle this - and this was his forte, after all - but Frank supposed there was only so much one could do.

[sacredlongbottom-blog]

marautyr·:

JAMES ISN’T USED TO NOT KNOWING WHAT TO SAY.  It’s plain and simple as that.  Sure, all of this — — the Order, this war — — isn’t something he’s used to, either, but somehow the uneasy silence of the UNKNOWN that’s caught up to him in the days since Dumbledore’s death is the most difficult.

Lips press together in acknowledgement, and at least the murmur of the others as they slowly take their leave in the front rooms is enough to undercut the silence.  But even THAT isn’t enough, after a beat, and so the brief smile that James hitches onto his face feels heavy and light as weak tea.

❝ Do you think Moody’s right ? ❞  As much as he’d like to change the subject, the meeting’s content continues to churn over and over in his mind anyway.  URGENCY has moved in alongside the baseline of numb grief James has been slogging past, and it only serves to make him keener to DO SOMETHING, to do anything.

❝ — — That the ministry’s going through his will to try and find something ? ❞

Never had Frank had such a quiet conversation with James - it was almost the scariest part of this whole thing. It makes him feel uneasy as he listens to the others, their voices filtering in from the other side of the door. He, at least, takes solace in knowing that he’s not alone in how he feels; they’re all just as confused about all of this as he is.

Frank considers James’s question. He hadn’t thought much about whether or not he agreed with their new leader, but had simply digested the information, allowing it to join everything else they’d spoken about. It was hard to make sense of a lot of it, really, but he supposed he’d better try.

With a sigh, Frank pulls himself up a bit more, sitting a little straighter in his chair.

“I don’t want to think he’s right, but...I think he probably is. I think they’ve always been quite afraid of Dumbledore.” It wasn’t new information to anyone that the Ministry had always been a bit wary of the man - he had, after all, turned down the position of Minister several times; Frank supposed that was enough to make any of them angry. They may have been his employers, but he couldn’t ever pretend he supported everything they did. “Wish they’d just leave it be at this point. He’s already gone,” he adds, bitterness sneaking into his voice.

[pettigrewwhiskers]

Jumping at Corporeal Shadows || Open

[sacredlongbottom-blog]

pettigrewwhiskers·:

Peter’s frantic eyes darted from the unconscious pair on the ground, then back to Frank and he jerkily nodded, “Y-yea I think so.” So long as they didn’t wake up. “Here, l-lemme help.” Despite being well… himself, Peter had gotten pretty good at a few healing spells over the years (mainly for fixing up James and Sirius).

“Episkey.” he said quietly, pointing his want at Frank’s head, he doubted the charm would mend all the injury, but it might help with the pain a little. “I’m sorry about t-this.” He didn’t even know if it had anything to do with… him, it probably didn’t but he couldn’t help but worry.

“N-no,” he shook his head quickly, “I-I just want to get you h-home and I’ll go too.” Alice could look after him and hopefully Peter could just go and hide somewhere…  

Frank was grateful for the healing spell - he was sure Alice could fix him up a bit more, but it worked for the moment. He gave Frank a grateful smile and a nod, stepping back a bit as he assessed the situation.

They certainly couldn’t stay here much longer, whatever they decided to do. Their attackers would wake sooner or later and they’d have to deal with that (not to mention the trouble they’d been in if someone stumbled across this scene).

“What are you sorry for? Wasn’t really your fault, was it?” Frank didn’t quite understand the apologies, the confusion he felt only growing by the second. It’s not like Peter had asked for this, had he? Frank shook his head, crossing his arms. “Stop apologizing mate, it’s okay. I promise. We got out of that alright.” 

But he understood Peter’s want to go home - Frank couldn’t pretend he didn’t feel the same. He nodded in return, glancing around at the bodies once more. “Think that’s probably a good idea. We need to get out of here no matter what, anyway.” He sighed, kicking one of the attacker’s wands closer to the man’s body. “You sure you’re alright to get home?” It wasn’t as if he doubted the other man’s abilities, but with how shaken he seemed...Frank could never be too certain he’d make in home in one piece.

[forgedinglass-archive-blog]

isn’t it IRONIC ? you take care of everyone      ( except yourself. )

[sacredlongbottom-blog]

location: Godric’s Hollow

date: October 8th, 1979

availability: closed for @marlsboro

Frank pulls his coat tighter around himself, nodding at the nearest passerby as they head toward the proceedings. He almost sighs, watching them go - part of him thinks he should be in there (part of him is fine just where he is).

There are so many people moseying past, milling all about, that it’s hard to keep up. He does his best - as he should, considering it’s his whole job to do so - even as his eyes begin to burn and his cheeks begin to go numb.

His eyes land on Marlene almost by accident. He’s glad to see her here, milling about (but, really, where else would she be?), even after everything that happened in the meeting. A feeling of guilt settles itself in his chest; he should have jumped in, done something to stand by her side (some friend he was, allowing her to fall under fire like that).

With a sigh, he shuffles away from his current spot, approaching her slowly. “Marlene. You alright?” He wonders if it’s the right thing to ask (to her or anyone) at a moment like this, shoving his hands deep into his pockets as he comes to a stop near her.

[pettigrewwhiskers]

Jumping at Corporeal Shadows || Open

[sacredlongbottom-blog]

pettigrewwhiskers·:

Peter had surely done his work. It was a strange thing, as cowardly as he was he could still act more than most would think in times like these… It had been too easy to cast those spells when it came to ensuring his own self-preservation. The second it was done he crumpled again and all he wanted to do was disappear, make himself as small as possible against the wall.

His head was bent down slightly but he managed to see Frank getting unsteadily to his feet and wanted to go over, to try and at least help him but his body refused to move, if anything he felt a little light-headed from the ordeal and wanted to lie down.

His hands were shaking but he needn’t at again as Frank, despite his injured state, managed to take out the second attacker with a singe spell while he’d just stood there doing nothing… Pathetic. Useless. Saving himself had been all he was capable of doing. Frank was probably going to hate him now.

“S-sorry, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, F-frank I-I didn’t know wha-” he swallowed, head bending further and looking as though he were waiting for a blow to fall, “D-do you-” he swallowed, “Do you need a-any help?” Not that he’d likely want any help from a shaking mess like him.

“It’s okay. It’s - we’re fine, aren’t we?” Frank didn’t have the energy to be anything other than confused by the whole ordeal; he gave Peter what he hoped was a reassuring smile and began to approach him. “I don’t think so. Head hurts quite a bit, but I’m sure we’ll be able to find something for that in Diagon.”

It was then he realized how strange continuing their plan might be. He had no idea whether that’d been a simply mugging or a more targeted attack - and it was quite possible it could be the latter. With a sigh, he titled his head, looking straight at Peter.

“If you still want to go, of course. I’d understand if you didn’t want to anymore, though,” he added with a wry smile. Frank wasn’t even really sure if he wanted to, but who was he to get in the way of Peter and his owl?

[quotemadness]

Not that I want to be a god or a hero. Just to change into a tree, grow for ages, not hurt anyone.

Czesław Miłosz (via quotemadness)

[sacredlongbottom-blog]

location: Godric’s Hollow

date: October 8th, 1979

availability: closed for @caradocdearbcrns

Honestly, he was just glad he wasn’t on body duty. Something about it seemed so...wrong - to be disturbing his peace like that...it was necessary, certainly, but still. Frank was happy it wasn’t him.

He wasn’t exactly thrilled to be on patrol, either. Sure, he’d offered himself up for it, but his unease about the body didn’t mean he didn’t want to be paying his respects. Regardless of how he felt, though, here he was, traipsing around Godric’s Hollow, trying hard not seem too suspicious. 

Frank came to a stop at the end of a trail, heaving a sigh. Finally, his eyes landed upon someone he knew, someone he was supposed to be with in the first place. Glancing all around him, ensuring no one was paying too much attention to him, Frank headed toward Caradoc.

He shoved his hands into his pockets as he approached, keeping his voice as low as possible. “Seen anything yet?” It was more small talk than anything, a way to just speak to someone, but he was so hoping the answer would be no.

[sacredlongbottom-blog]

marautyr·:

LOCATION : HEADQUARTERS OF THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX, [ REDACTED ]DATE : 5 OCTOBER 1979

THE HEADQUARTERS SEEM PARTICULARLY HOLLOW, as if Albus Dumbledore, taking leave of this world, took a good deal of the warmth from it just as well.  And perhaps that was an unfair assumption, or perhaps it WASN’T ; James never really made a habit of pretending to know the man’s mind.  Still, that feeling of RUDDERLESSNESS doesn’t sit well, not in the wake of a man whose life seemed characterized by its exact opposite ––––––– the Dark Lord’s disappearance is not necessarily a close of the book, only the chapter.  At least, THAT’S HOW IT FEELS.

The large, scrubbed table seems to mourn even in its own way, two occupied seats seemingly only to CALL ATTENTION to the overwhelming empty ones.  James clears his throat.

❝ — — It seems, odd, doesn’t it ?  Like maybe he’s just running late, and we ought not to start without him. ❞  A boy’s wish for a man’s war, and he knows it.

OPEN TO ORDER MEMBERS !

It’d been days - surely he should feel a bit better about the whole ordeal now? ( That’s not how grief works, he knows that - but it’d be much easier, wouldn’t it? ) And yet he still finds himself curled up in his seat, winding his arms around his knees. The meeting had been...interesting ( wild, unpredictable, something Dumbledore certainly would have never allowed to happen ) and he found himself even more exhausted than before.

He takes a deep, shaky breath and finally turns his attention to the rest of the room. Everyone else has filed out, taking their leave - except for one. Frank smiles weakly at James, pulling his knees tighter into his chest as the other man speaks.

“Like he’s going to come through that door any minute, wondering where everyone has gone.” He chuckles bitterly at the thought of it, feels almost guilty for entertaining such a thought. “I know exactly what you mean,” he continues, voice soft in the near empty room.

[alwaysunnycaps]

[pettigrewwhiskers]

Jumping at Corporeal Shadows || Open

[sacredlongbottom-blog]

pettigrewwhiskers·:

But he wanted to be. A small part of him ached to reply that he’d give anything to be like the other members, to be like his friends, to be brave, to sleep at night without waking moments later in a cold sweat, to not be so damn tired all the time… But he couldn’t. He was himself and while that was a pathetic lot in life it was his and he’d do whatever he could to keep himself away from that dar- away from death. “They’re all doing so well,” he said quietly, “I’m just deadweight.” Maybe if the Order dropped him he couldn’t say anything else; after all he was much too cowardly to leave.    

Peter wasn’t the sort to be offered to come to dinner anywhere but Godric’s Hollow. He could cook himself but the meals were usually fast and pretty plain; he didn’t have it in him to put much effort into it nowadays. But, it would be an evening spent with someone else, not alone. And Frank was an auror, surely he could keep him safe for an evening? He wouldn’t be endangering them or anything and- he didn’t want to be alone much anymore. He couldn’t.

All his thoughts about dinners were shoved from his mind in favour of abject terror when confronted with danger, the knee to the groin had been a knee-jerk reaction, no pun intended, though Frank quickly dispatched the mugger.

He was flat against the wall, trembling and frozen in place for the moment as he watched Frank be tackled to the floor. He wanted to help but- but.. he couldn’t bring himself to move. He wanted to run though, managed to even take a step towards the ally entrance but Frank called for help… and the mugger couldn’t see him. His trembling hand took three tires to pull his wand from his trouser pocket, his appendage so shaky he couldn’t even be sure his spell would land anywhere helpful but… he’d been called, running wouldn’t work now.

He brought his other hand to his wand to try and steady the grip and stuttered, “D-depulso!” His charm fired, blowing the mugger back to slam against a wall but Peter could only continue to stare in shock, hands still shaking.  

Frank’s head was pounding but the disappearance of the mugger was clear. He heard the man slam into the wall and did his best to roll over, pushing himself to his hands and knees. The world swam in and out of focus, but the sudden silence behind him told him that he needed to move - Peter must’ve been attacked again, he must’ve been taken out and Frank had to do something about it.

It took tremendous effort, but Frank staggered to his feet, whirling around on his heel to take in the scene. Peter hadn’t been taken out, in fact, but rather stood frozen in the middle of the alley. The mugger he’d saved Frank from was struggling to his own feet and, with a sigh, Frank stumbled over to his wand.

He reached his first, luckily, and pointed it at the remaining attacked, taking him out the way he’d done the first. Frank hardly watched the man drop to the floor before he was hunching over, hands on his knees. Certainly he must have a concussion, what with the way his stomach was churning.

“Merlin, can’t even get an owl in peace anymore,” he croaked out, still leaning over. "You alright, mate?” He wasn’t sure what had rooted Peter to the spot ( fear? shock? pain? all of the above? ) but he hadn’t expected it. Still, Frank couldn’t quite find it within himself to be mad. Rather, he was more...confused than anything else.

[sacredlongbottom-blog]

burbagecr·:

“I’ve had quite the time for the past few weeks.” she chuckled bitterly, “I’m sure you’re right though, tomorrow will be hellish with all that’s going on.” Charity had been trying to keep up her facade of calm but it wasn’t working. She couldn’t speak to her parents about what was going on and Doris was off working all day. As soon as she mentioned Dumbledore, she felt herself crumble a little.

“I’ve been crying all morning.” she said weakly, “I can’t seem to help it. I can’t believe he’s gone…I’m sure you’ve figured I’m muggleborn….” Charity’s throat grew dry, her hands were suddenly as shaky as Frank’s were when they ran into each other. “He’s the one who told me what I was…I-I didn’t know before then. My parents were clueless. This strange old man shows up out of nowhere and changes my life for the better. I never got an opportunity to thank him for that.”

Frank smiled weakly - of course she’d been having a time, hadn’t they all? Yet again, he hadn’t quite stopped to consider the other side. He felt quite like he needed to grab one of these books off the shelf and beat himself ‘round the head with it. ( He avoided doing so, however - he supposed even he was allowed one day to be a bit...off. )

He listened to her intently, determined to do better this time around. Frank hadn’t known she was a Muggleborn, not really ( he’d suspected, maybe, but this was the first the notion had ever been confirmed for him ). “I’m sorry, Charity,” he said softly in response, turning back to face her. “I...I’m sure he knew. He knew everything, didn’t he?” He laughed a little, fond memories of the man rushing back to him.

[kim-jisoo]

[sacredlongbottom-blog]

burbagecr·:

“Ah, I could guess.” she replied, offering Frank a weak smile, “I’m off today but I’m so exhausted. They’ve had me running around like a mad woman these past few weeks.” Charity was basically a glorified secretary in the Muggle Liaison Office. She couldn’t help but feel a little jealous of anyone whose job was more interesting than her own at this point. She knew for a fact that she would never be able to hack it as an auror, it took too much bravery. Charity knew she would falter if she would ever be called to action.

“They’ve got a section on humor. I know that.” she said, “I’m actually not quite sure how I ended up in potions actually…I was looking for defensive charms and then somehow got lost in thought.” Charity bit her lip, considering if she should bring it up, “I ah…assume you’ve heard the news about Dumbledore?”

“Merlin, you’re going to have quite the time when you get back, I expect.” He gave a light little laugh, not at all envying her return to work. He’d already experienced the flurry of chaos and confusion - the worst part was over for him. When he’d return to work, he knew what was coming for him, at the very least. “I understand. Hard to focus on much, isn’t it?”

Frank continued to glance around at all the titles, his eyes never fully focusing on any one of them. For needing a distraction, he wasn’t doing such a good job of actually distracting himself. He was just reaching for a book on “beauty” potions when she asked the million dollar question, the elephant in the room.

“Y-yeah. I have. It’s...it’s just everywhere,” he replied, voice a little quieter than it had been before. He sighed, looking down at his feet. “A bit unreal, isn’t it?”

[pettigrewwhiskers]

Jumping at Corporeal Shadows || Open

[sacredlongbottom-blog]

pettigrewwhiskers·:

Straddling the area of grey between the Order and… them, was pushing him up to and past the edge. He’d gotten better at sleeping in school, his friends being a comfort more than he suspected they knew but now… Now it was worse than ever; the few times he did manage to drift off he was up covered in sweat with echoes of that darkness surrounding him. “N-nothing!” he said quickly, too quickly, “I just,” he shook his head, “S-stuff’s kinda crept up on lately, t-that’s all.” He looked down and wrung his fingers together, “It’s okay. I’m sure n-no one else is acting like this.” But then, he knew no one else was doing what he’d been forced into.

“Oh… Okay then.” he said, giving a tiny smile in return; it was always such a surprise to him and if not for everything else he’d be genuinely grateful for the affirmation. As it was, it only worried him more, being friends with him was dangerous.   

He wasn’t strong enough, not brave enough to keep them safe.

“So long as I-I’m not keeping you.” he said, about to see if he could politely decline dinner before his jumpiness picked up on footsteps behind them, he turned back and yipped, “Frank!” Before a masked stranger grabbed him (at least it wasn’t one of their masks) and shoved him against the wall, a wand pressing against his cheek. ‘Your money, now!’ the first figure demanded while the second set upon Frank.

“I-I- O, bu- you-” Peter couldn’t get any words out, his mind was in overdrive and without thinking a knee shot up, right into the assailants unmentionables, causing him to double over.

Frank shot a small smile back at Peter. Everyone handled things differently, he supposed, but he figured Peter was at least doing the best with what he had to work with. That's all anyone could really ever ask, wasn't it? "Eh, doesn't matter how everyone else is acting, really. You don't have to be like any of them, promise." It was no wonder Peter was so frazzled, comparing himself to everyone else in the Order. It was one of the things Frank could never do; so many of the other members were always going to be faster, stronger, and smarter than him, if he spent his time trying to measure up to them all, he'd go mad.

His offer of dinner had been improptu - he hadn't really thought about it before throwing the idea out there - but he did mean it. With everything going on, he and Alice didn't have people over as often and he quite missed the sight of his friends popping by. He was about to turn and add this, to show Peter he really meant the offer, when the younger man yelled out in fright. Frank whirled on his heel quickly, hand shooting to his wand. A masked man was descending upon him quick and Frank did what he could think of quickest: he kicked the man's shin as hard as he could.

The kick bought him some time to stumble back a foot or two as pulled his wand out from his sleeve. It was lucky that he and Peter had just turned into an alley, a shortcut, or else he'd have a lot of Obliviating to do later ( though, he supposed, that had probably been by their assailant's design ).

Frank's eyes landed on Peter and his own attacker a few feet away. Peter had managed to land a blow against the mugger, but Frank sprung into action anyway, unable to stop himself. "Petrificus Totalus!" Peter's mugger fell to the floor, stiff as a board. Frank felt better knowing that Peter had some time to collect himself, but he'd hardly thought about his own safety; the second thug was barrelling at him. Frank raised his wand again, ready to attack, but he wasn't quick enough; the man tackled him to the ground, his wand flying out of his hand.

His head collided with the ground hard and he was almost seeing stars. Gasping for breath, Frank ducked his head, narrowly avoiding a heavy punch as he called out over the man's shoulder, "Peter! A little help?"