Effective Relief- Seyton

[boleyn]

Why do I keep choosing places that can get me in trouble to meet people? Peter sighed, mentally slapping himself. He hadn’t seen Seyton in a few months, since his sister’s funeral, and he chose the Leaky Cauldron of all places to meet his old friend. He knew he had his issues with alcohol. Apparently he still had trouble staying away. Well, he was determined not to give in this time. He couldn’t just drink away the pain. That’s not how he wanted to forget Laura. It was just wrong.

A young waitress came over to his small table, smiling and obviously flirting. Peter would have paid more attention to her advances, but he was so deep into his state of depression that he didn’t care. She obviously seemed ruffled and stalked off looking none too pleased. Peter sighed once again, looking around the small pub. Honestly, the place had come a long way since he was at Hogwarts. He liked the subtle changes. They gave the place a bit more character.

His attention was jerked away from the décor and atmosphere of the small pub by the tinkling of the bell above the door as someone walked through. Peter’s face became a bit more jovial as he saw his old friend. He raised an arm, beckoning him over.

“Seyton! It’s been too long. Glad you came.” He had to work to keep the smile on his face this time. Sure, it was good to see the old friend, but the fact of Laura’s death still haunted him often. He only hoped Seyton didn’t notice. It would only make the meeting more awkward than needed.

[SEYTON MALCOLM GREYBACK]

In the wizarding world, a man wearing a robe would attract no attention whatsoever. In the muggle world, however, it definitely attracted many stares. Sure, to get to the Leaky Cauldron passing through muggle territory was not a necessity... he could have easily gone through the back way into the inn, past like minded witches and wizards who wouldn't have spared him a second glance, but... sometimes theatrics were fun. Seyton was not a man who needed the thrill of attention. Actually, he tended to thrive in the background without attracting much attention whatsoever. After all, as a werewolf it kinda helped him to stay unnoticed... people tended to be wary when his kind were around in his opinion, unless they knew him personally. But once in a while it was fun to attract a few stares, watch muggle parents direct their children to the opposite side of the street as he wandered by... they'd likely forget all about the weird man on the street an hour later, so it wasn't as though he was blowing wizard cover or anything. This was purely for his own entertainment.

The ends of his cloak brushed along the cobblestoned ground as he walked down the side of the street, smiling at kids and parents alike as he wandered by, watching their eyes narrow in wariness when he did. They didn't know just how wary of him they should be... though he of course would never so much as lift a hand against any of them. It was almost amusing, sometimes, how purely oblivious muggles were to the world that lay in the same space as theirs. It almost seemed impossible to be so blind, but he supposed that people believed what they wanted to believe. It was easier for one to pull the wool over their own eyes than anyone else to do it for them.

The entrance to the Leaky Cauldron was not visable to anyone not of magical blood. What muggles saw as Seyton reached the entrance and stepped inside he wasn't sure, but it was none of his concern anymore. It took his eyes a moment to adjust to the change in lighting, but once they did he saw a familiar figure waving and calling him over, and immediately set off to see Peter Tindall.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," he grinned in response once he was close enough to be heard without shouting. He had been looking for an excuse to get away from the castle for a while now. Peter's letter had provided him the perfect excuse to get away from the castle, where he was sure his father still lurked, and all of the hecticness that had filled its walls since the beginning of the year. He didn't want to stay away from the castle for too long... not with the threat of Fenrir lurking over the heads of his siblings like Jasper, but he could take one day away without anything happening that he could have prevented... right? Besides, Peter was an old friend. It would have been more than rude to turn down an invitation to meet up.

Walking closer, he could tell something was off. He'd always had a good read on people... maybe some of the animalistic instincts flowing through his veins aided in such a thing... maybe he was just merely observant. Anyways, he didn't really want to pry on what was up with his friend, so he merely smiled as he took a seat at Peter's table. "How're ya doing? What's new?"

[boleyn]

“How’re ya doing? What’s new?”

Peter gave his old friend a smile, this time not as forced. It was just something about being around people that cheered Peter up, especially since he hadn’t seen Seyton in a while. He moved his chair forward a bit, feeling slightly uncomfortable with so much space between himself and the table, and rested his arms on the hard, polished wood.

“Oh, I could be better. Job’s slowing down a little, still finding it hard to sleep at night because of…” Peter frowned ever so softly. He still found it hard to talk about her. “Nothing really new, I’m still the same Peter, just older.” He cracked a smile and a chuckle escaped his throat. “What about you Seyton? Able to keep up with all your siblings now that they’re all at Hogwarts? I bet they’re a bit of a handful.”

Pete had known about Seyton’s family growing up, and he knew about what he was, along with his dad. He held no hatred in his heart for Seyton; after all, it wasn’t his fault. His father, however, was a different matter. He knew that Seyton had quite a few siblings, and he knew he was fond of at least one or two. Plus, being the oldest of the large brood had to take some kind of toll on the guy. Speaking of which, Peter threw aside his earlier pact of staying away from alcohol. Hell, he need to get some of the stress off himself. He never knew, Seyton might be up for one as well.

“Fancy a drink, while we’re here?” Pete added, raising a thin eyebrow at his old friend.

[SEYTON MALCOLM GREYBACK]

“Oh, I could be better. Job’s slowing down a little, still finding it hard to sleep at night because of…” Oh yeah... of course. Seyton bit his lip ever so slightly, nodding in understanding. He felt like he should say something, but what was there to possibly say? What had happened to Peter's little sister made him sick to his stomach, but he didn't feel that he really had a right to feel that way seeing as he was of the same 'blood' as the monster who'd attacked her. Thankfully Peter didn't blame him for what he was, because it would really suck for Seyton to lose a friend because of rogue werewolf's actions. “What about you Seyton? Able to keep up with all your siblings now that they’re all at Hogwarts? I bet they’re a bit of a handful.”

His siblings... yeah, definitely a handful. Or were they? It wasn't like he needed to be chasing after them 24/7, he just... didn't like not knowing what was going on with them. Some, like Zmeyette for example, were of little concern to him. They were lost causes, as much as it sucked to recognize that. Other siblings, like Luna and Jasper, were much greater concerns to him. Especially Jasper after Fenrir's little move the other week... "I'm okay," he shrugged, leaning forward on the table slightly with his elbow. "And yeah, you'd think that, wouldn't you? The ones that talk to me are doing well, I guess... haven't had much time to talk to them unless they come to me, thanks to the things going on at Hogwarts this year." That referred to more than just the attack of Hugo. There was much to plan with the tournament going on at the school this year, and Seyton as a nurse had to make sure that everything was relatively safe for the students. It already promised to be a packed year.

“Fancy a drink, while we’re here?” After a moment of thought, Seyton nodded. He usually wasn't a drinker, other than in the summers when he could be nearly 100% sure that there would be no need for him, but one drink today wouldn't hurt anything, right? "Yeah, I'll have a... firewhiskey, I guess."

[boleyn]

Peter dropped his eyes ever so slightly when he saw Seyton bite his lip when he mentioned her. He didn’t mean to make his friend uncomfortable; in fact, just the opposite. But, hey, he was always one to speak his mind.

“I’m okay. And yeah, you'd think that, wouldn't you? The ones that talk to me are doing well, I guess... haven't had much time to talk to them unless they come to me, thanks to the things going on at Hogwarts this year."

Peter raised an eyebrow. He knew Seyton didn’t get along with all his siblings, though it was more their fault than his; after all, he had to play big brother somehow. Even if they didn’t want him to be. Or so Peter speculated. He didn’t want to pry into Seyton’s personal life, he knew it was a tender subject.

“Oh? What’s been going on at Hogwarts?” Sad to say, Peter hadn’t had time to keep up with all the events going on outside of work and his dad; when he was around. It seemed everyone was getting scarce, and it honestly frightened Peter. He knew his father blamed him for his sister’s death, and he couldn’t change that… His father was set in his ways. Peter was being left alone, and he couldn’t handle it. He hated solitude. And just that being his so called “punishment” left him drained and scared, like a caged animal.

“Yeah, I’ll have a… firewhiskey, I guess.” Seyton’s reply on drinks pulled Peter out of dark thoughts. He nodded. “Sounds good to me.” With a small wave of his hand, he beckoned the waitress from earlier over and ordered the two firewhiskeys. Once she was gone, he focused his attention back on Seyton. Something told him he might be intrigued of the goings-on at Hogwarts this year.

[SEYTON MALCOLM GREYBACK]

To say that Seyton was protective over his siblings would be a massive understatement. Those siblings who decided to side with Fenrir… well, okay, he would happily leave them be. He didn’t need to be arguing with them 24/7. But those siblings who, like him, had grown up away from the influence of the werewolf and had more desire to stay away from him than follow after him like a little puppy dog, those were the ones Seyton cared about more than anything. Sure, the Greybacks might not be one’s traditional family, but in Seyton’s mind they were still family. For that reason he could understand, at least partially, Peter’s situation, despite the fact that he only had half siblings. If anything ever happened to Jasper, or Luna, or many others, he’d be more than crushed. He suspected that Peter was still feeling the aftershocks of his sister’s death far more prominently than he was letting on, but of course wouldn’t say anything. Seyton respected the man’s privacy to grieve in his own way.

That Peter was clueless as to what was going on at Hogwarts was more than surprising… but then again, the man had had more than enough on his mind lately than to worry about the goings on at the school. To Seyton the tournament was a huge deal, but then again his life revolved around Hogwarts and its students because, as one of the nurses, it pretty much had to. The tournament was also such a big deal to him because of the danger involved and all of the planning needed. Much of the outside world was probably focused on the upcoming Quidditch World Cup, or their own little issues… so he could spare a minute to explain.

“There’s a tournament going on. The house tournament. Two students from each house, male and female, pitted against the other teams in tasks. The first task is coming up next week. There’s been a lot of planning for it and a lot of hype around the school… and then there was one of the Weasley’s, Hugo, a fifth year Gryffindor, attacked back in September for no apparent reason. That still hasn’t been solved… probably just a bully against the entire Weasley family or something, but it is kind of unsettling.”

[boleyn]

“There’s a tournament going on. The house tournament. Two students from each house, male and female, pitted against the other teams in tasks. The first task is coming up next week. There’s been a lot of planning for it and a lot of hype around the school… and then there was one of the Weasley’s, Hugo, a fifth year Gryffindor, attacked back in September for no apparent reason. That still hasn’t been solved… probably just a bully against the entire Weasley family or something, but it is kind of unsettling.”

Peter raised his eyebrows, resting his chin in his hand as he listened to his old friend explaining the goings-on at Hogwarts. A tournament? Wow; they had never had anything like that when Seyton and Peter were at Hogwarts… Peter’s interest was sparked as he tried to imagine the tasks the students faced.

His expression changed dramatically as Seyton moved onto the topic of the boy, Hugo. Peter’s eyes filled with worry and he chewed the side of his lip as he listened. Damn, that was definitely something you didn’t hear every day. Especially not at Hogwarts. That place was a safe haven, and to have something like that happen was most definitely unsettling, as Seyton said.

“Damn, is the kid alright now? Do you know what exactly happened, or is it all still a mystery?” Trust his hit wizard instincts to kick in as he heard about it. Then again, it was pretty natural, especially with the death of Laura still so fresh in his mind. To hear of someone else being hurt just made Peter angry. He didn’t like seeing people hurt, even if he didn’t know this Hugo kid.

[SEYTON MALCOLM GREYBACK]

Seyton couldn’t pretend that what had happened to the Weasley kid wasn’t worrisome. Bullies were common at any school, but a bully to the extent that Hugo had been injured was just plain vicious. Though the attack had occurred a while ago, and there had been nothing like it since, Seyton hoped that the ‘criminal’ was caught soon. Such a brutal attack at a school age could only bode evil things for the kid’s, whoever he was, future. Though the ministry was equipped with qualified aurors, they didn’t need to be chasing after yet another dark wizard no matter if it was two, five, or even ten years down the road. It was time for the wizarding world to be at peace both in the schools and in the real world.

“Yeah, he spent a few days in the hospital, but he’s okay. It happened about a month into the school year, so he’s had plenty of time to recover since. But whoever did that to him is still at large, unfortunately. Hugo couldn’t remember a thing about he attack, and whoever did it was good. They left no evidence behind, so I guess it’s at a dead end unless the attacker slips up and brags or something, which won’t happen this long afterwards.” Wasn’t there always evidence to trace the ‘bad guy’ back to his roots and nab him? All of the muggle shows and Seyton’s knowledge of crimes said that there was. Considering Hugo’s state, it was kind of alarmingly efficient of his attack to leave not a trace of their identity behind. Alarmingly efficient then translated into worrisome, but with nothing going on since, Seyton supposed he could settle his nerves and relax.

Excluding Hugo’s attack and all of the tournament related work, the infirmary had been rather quiet lately. Well, except for the odd student here or there, and Seyton’s visitors who mainly seemed to consist of the siblings he was at least on ‘ok’ terms with. The nurse wasn’t complaining. It was good to be busy, which he always was with paperwork and studying the latest remedies and task related work, but it also good to not be needed. That meant that students were wising up about potions, not so many spells were backfiring on underqualified wizard, and the school in general was becoming a safer place. Seyton knew that he wasn’t in danger of losing his job just because of a lack of injuries, so the quietness of the infirmary thusfar in the year was relaxing.

[boleyn]

Peter listened intently as Seyton informed him of the Weasley boy’s mishap. It was really quite startling, to say the least. Hogwarts was always a safe place, even in dark times. And now was not the time people wanted to deal with dark wizards, or a rising one at least. They were shaken enough by the previous Dark Lord, Peter could tell. He hadn’t been around at the time, but his parents had known about it well enough. The stories his parents had told had eventually pushed him towards the position he held today. And to be honest, he was glad he was doing something to help the Wizarding World. It made him feel… heroic. Even if it was only the “little guys” he was going after, it was something.

He grew slightly puzzled as Seyton went on to say the ‘criminal’ had left behind no evidence. This obviously wasn’t an amateur if they could do that. If it was a student, then they had to be pretty damn powerful to be able to wipe someone’s memory clean like that. He knew a Memory charm or two; he had to use them from time to time on Muggles, but they weren’t his favorite part of the job. To be able to do that… It kind of scared him, how much power one could hold in their wand.

“That’s really quite odd. Usually there is always some sort of evidence, no matter how small. But you said it happened early in the school year? Yeah, I don’t think you’d find anything now… Unless the boy finally regains something of the incident. But it had to be some powerful student, if it was a student, to be able to perform such a strong Memory charm. Hell, I still have issues with them time to time… That’s worrisome. Real worrisome.”