A Wolf In Sheep's Clothing [Open]

[SEVRUM SNOW]

It had been somewhere between the full moons that the Snatcher lost his mind, or so it seemed. Days had become weeks far too quickly for the man to trace, and he found a drink in his hands most nights, as of late. Tonight, like most others, he found himself trotting along the snow-filled streets of Hogsmede with a lot less scotch in his belly than he liked. Each footfall Sevrum placed was rolled and as silent as a hummingbird's cry, and he left marks in the snow with his rhythmic steps.

The Hog's Head had always been his pub of choice, or at least his favorite in Hogsmede. For reasons he didn't bother to explain, he just felt more welcomed than he did at the Three Broomsticks, and wolves were very territorial creatures. Before long, Sevrum came within view of the aged building, and he flung the door open with a bit for force than he intended. The snow melted into clear drops as he stepped inside, and he wiped these drops onto the mat as he entered before nodding to the barkeep and taking is seat on a stool just in front of her. "The usual?"  she inquired, and Sevrum managed a sly smirk before nodding to confirm. "Two fingers?" She asked, and Sevrum agreed. "Two fingers."


The werewolf cast his gaze around the room with intrigue, his fingers beating lazily against the bar out of habit. The pub was relatively empty, save for the regulars and a stray drinker or two. Many of the tables were empty, and each customer had a fair amount of space between them and anyone else. A few of them recognized Sevrum and waved, though they did not know his name. He made sure of that. In his line of work, names were dangerous. People always thought snatchers to be bafoons-- and most were-- but Sevrum was different; Sevrum was smarter. He always had the sense to wear a mask when he was on the job, and it had proven to be a sound investment so far-- no one had killed him yet.


The barkeep placed a glass on the counter in front of him and filled it with liquid so deliciously golden-brown that Sevrum dropped a few galleons down for her and drank immediately. The scotch warmed him, starting with his throat and landing in his stomach. One would think that such a sensation would melt all the snow outside.Not long after he took his first step, he heard a sound that was too familiar for comfort.

Glass shattered.

Out of instinct, Sevrum drew his wand, and he had stood up from his stool and faced the source of the noise without even realizing it-- he even caught himself growling--, but it was a false alarm. Some fool was just drunk and tried to call his broom in from outside. He was apologetic, and he waved his wand right at the shards to send them flying back up to piece themselves back together in the frame. The snatcher relaxed, sitting back down and turning his attention back to his drink. He sheathed his wand, shaking his head. Relax, Sev. Drink and relax.

[FELIX FAIRBOURNE]

The night was dark, and full of terror. And as such, Felix decided to be a little daring, and after he finished composing an article for the Charms Community magazine, he would go down to the Hogs Head for a quick drink. It was dark in his study, with only a candle or two lighting his work. His quill scratched against the parchment as he finished the long article off, tidying it up with a quip. He chuckled to himself as he read the last paragraph or two to himself, then silently cursed himself for laughing at his own joke. Looking around suspiciously to see if anyone had seen him do it, he put his quill down, rolled up the parchment, sealed it and placed it on his desk for dispatch in the morning.


Standing up and stretching, Felix then walked over to his wardrobe and picked out a dark purple cloak with a mockingbird clasp, which was draped over his shoulders. Underneath, he had a navy blue robe. Finally, he put on his dragon-hide gloves and strode out of the room, shutting the door with a snap. The grounds were cold and frosty, and deserted due to the time. At the gates, he was recognised by the spell that prevented any intruders and they opened, before slithering back into position magically. Walking down the main street in Hogsmeade was always an incredible experience, what with the wondrous lights, sounds and smells coming from every open door or window. However, even at night, with the snow crunching underfoot, only to be replenished by fresh snow showering down was equally exhilarating.


Opening the creaky door to the Hogs Head pub, he was hit with a smell of old straw and what seemed to be pig manure. Felix took off his cloak at the door and draped it over a coat rack, before walking over to the bar and sat down, two stools away from a dark looking figure, who was supping a glass of what looked like whiskey. Felix took off his gloves and placed them on the bar, ordering a glass of a clear, gin-like substance. Paying the bartender, Felix sipped the drink and sighed. "Just the thing to warm up with." He cleared his throat and looked towards the stranger. "So...I haven't seen you around here before, but then, I don't come in here often." He laughed and continued. "My name is Felix, what's yours?"

[SEVRUM SNOW]

One sip came after another. The drink seemed to empty itself. The barkeep refilled it. Sevrum paid.

It was such a blissful routine; Sevrum wanted nothing more with his free time than a nice quiet drink. All too often people think lowly of snatchers. In their minds, they're kidnapping defenseless victims for petty cash, scooping up innocent children and women for a quick coin, and that was sometimes true. But Sevrum didn't do many of those degrading jobs. No one ever realizes just how professional some snatchers can be. Sometimes you get caught in the middle of a wealthy blood feud where lives are at stake-- especially yours. Those always paid well. And a wizarding war? Those were great for business. Each side is always trying to snatch someone from the other, and Sevrum was always the man to do it. Although, when he was sprinting in a forest after someone who's throwing killing curses back at him, trying to retain full vision while staring through a mask, he dreamed for nothing but a nice quiet glass of scotch at a cozy pub.

The cold wind swept in quickly as the door swung open, and the candlelight of the pub flickered for a moment. There was the swish of a long cloak, and then a rather cheery-looking man sat down two stools down from him. He ordered a drink and turned his attention to Sevrum.

"So...I haven't seen you around here before, but then, I don't come in here often." he said with a laugh, but Sevrum didn't smile. Sevrum wouldn't be alive today if it wasn't for his healthy distrust of outgoing strangers. He had has experience with spies-- and he identified them quickly having been one himself-- and he wasn't all too keen on warming up with just anyone who sat next to him.


"My name is Felix, what's yours?" he asked, and Sevrum turned to him, managing a grin. The man didn't seem to have a dishonest bone with his body, but Sevrum thought it would still suit him best to be cautious. He didn't give the man his name, but instead reached into the pocket of his blazer and pulled out a few galleons, setting them on the table. "Another round for both of us, if you would," Sevrum said to the bartender. He looked to Felix, intrigued. "So what line of work are you in, Felix?"

[FELIX FAIRBOURNE]

Sitting down at the bar, Felix supped his drink as he looked around the pub. It was relatively empty, as it usually was in the Hogs Head, the less family friendly pub of the two in Hogsmeade. The pub itself was usually a little less clean and tidy than the Three Broomsticks, and its patrons were usually on the wrong side of the law, or at the very least, a little rough around the edges. As Felix looked around, he felt a little overdressed in his silk, embroidered robe, but didn't let it bother him. There was an elderly woman sitting in the corner, and by the candle light that was illuminating her face, Felix watched her talk animatedly to herself, holding her drink with shaking, withered hands.

Looking back to the bar, Felix downed his drink and - with a satisfied gasp - ordered another from the bar tender. As his drink was poured, Felix looked to his left and saw the man sitting two stools along. He was younger, but had a dangerous, older look to him, like he had seen and done more than his apparent age would suggest. At Felix's introduction, the man did not smile, and nor did he respond adequately for Felix to think him a normal, friendly person; although, he was sitting in the Hogs Head, so the chances of him being friendly were slim. Felix introduced himself, but the man did not return it, merely grinned at him and put his hand into his pocket. Felix's eyes followed his hand, ready to pull out his wand and defend himself if the man started a fight, but instead he pulled out some coins and ordered a round for both of them. "Thank you." Felix said. "Same again." He then said to the bar tender. Looking back to the man, he responded. "My work?" He took a sip of his drink, then pulled out his pipe and lit it. "I'm a teacher up at the school. Dare I ask your own?" He said, through a cloud of smoke. Felix could tell that he would do well to be on his guard around his man, as there was something about him that wasn't quite right.

[SEVRUM SNOW]

Sevrum would usually drink deeply from his scotch, but this stranger had him on his toes. He seemed harmless, but the most dangerous people often enjoyed coming off that way. Instead, Sevrum was utilizing some of the tactics he learned for covert operations when he was an Unspeakable for the Ministry. Take several sips so it looks like you're drinking, but make them very, very small. Get lots of ice, and spill.

"Rocks, please," Sevrum said to the barkeep, and she used a pint glass to scoop up some ice and our it into his drink. It splashed up onto his clothes, but no one came to the Hog's Head for the service.

"I'm a teacher up at the school." Felix informed him, and Sevrum had a sudden realization. His eyebrows raised and his voice became a bit more friendly as he spoke. "Ah, you're that Felix, are you? Felix Fairbourne? I've heard of you. Good things. What is it that you teach again? Transfiguration? No, Charms, was it?" In truth, Sevrum had only heard of him because far too many rich kids with important parents wanted to snatch up their teachers on exam days. If they thought that breaking into Hogwarts and stealing a teacher for a few hundred galleons was a good deal, Sevrum didn't want to do business with them.

"Dare I ask yours?"

"Retired," Sevrum replied immediately, taking another small sip of his drink. Retirement, of course, was just a euphemism for I'm an ex-unspeakable who deserted duty, and now I use my special skills to kidnap people for a living. Retirement was easier to say, and saying it wouldn't have aurors after him by the night's end.

"But perhaps it's best not to discuss work. You came here to get away from it, I trust. Not much else to come here for."

[FELIX FAIRBOURNE]

Felix watched the man drink, feeling that this man was not to be trusted. He had an aura about him that was so fearsome that Felix deliberately left his left hand on his thigh, keeping it as close as possible to his wand, which was hidden in his robe pocket. The man did not seem old, certainly not in Felix's age bracket, but he held himself like an older man. When Felix informed the man as to his profession, his eyebrows raised and he immediately became a little less monosyllabic. Felix smiled, although it was a knowing smile, rather than a warm one. It intrigued Felix to know where the man got his information, but he kept it to himself."Charms, yes." Felix said, taking a sip of his drink, but not taking his eyes off the man. "Glad to hear you've heard good things - I try my best." 

Placing his drink down on the bar, Felix raised his eyebrows at the mans response as to his profession. Retired? Really? Well, it was possible, but highly unlikely for a man who looked so young - or perhaps he was just born lucky, and older than even Felix. "Retired? But you look so young...interesting." Felix's lip curled and then he nodded in agreement with the mans statement. "Very true, let us not talk about about boredom of careers - or a lack of." Smirking, Felix turned a little more towards the man. "So did you come here to get away from anything? Or are you just here for a quiet drink?"

[SEVRUM SNOW]

The look that was buried in the Felix's eyes was a look Sevrum was all too familiar with-- distrust. Although, it was a wise distrust on Felix's part. After all, Sevrum was anything but trustworthy. He'd a kill a man the moment he inconvienienced him, and sometimes just because he felt like it. Betrayal was a specialty of his-- hell, it used to be his job, and it's how he left his job-- and Felix Fairbourne was smart enough to see that. Kudos to him.

"Retired? But you look so young...interesting."

Sevrum managed a chuckle as his next words came to mind. "Trust me. My employers weren't exactly happy about it," he joked, laughing a bit to himself in a manner that he was sure may rub some people the wrong way. It was very rare that he managed to find humor, though, so he just embraced it wherever he did, even if that meant laughing at his own inside jokes next to a stranger at a bar. "In fact, I'd say they're holding a bit of a grudge."

Sevrum took another small sip of his scotch before setting the glass down with a clank and waiting for the man to speak. The snatcher couldn't shake the feeling that he was being interrogated, and that wasn't a feeling he was comfortable with. He was beginning to further question Felix's motives. Sevrum wouldn't but it past the Mistress for Magic to send a hit-wizard after him, but he very much doubted that it would be the Hogwarts Charms teacher. Still, sky's the limit with that woman.

"So did you come here to get away from anything? Or are you just here for a quiet drink?" He asked, and, at first, Sevrum wasn't quite sure how to respond, but then he came up with something rather clever. If the man was a trained assassin or anything like that, he would instinctively respond to danger. If Felix reacted like a trained operative of the Ministry, Sevrum would recognize it and do what he had to do. But, if he didn't, then Sevrum would play it off as being drunk. After all, Felix had no way of knowing how much he had to drink that night.

So, Sevrum took his glass in his hand, scotch still inside, and threw it across the room and into a window with as much strength as his werewolf arm would allow him. It went straight through the window, and shards went crashing down to the ground. A trail of scotch fell from the air like rain, and people flinched and swore in confusion. Sevrum just looked to Felix as it happened, observing.

[FELIX FAIRBOURNE]

Felix was attempting coax this man - this strange, unknown man - into a mistake. He was not stupid, and he was exceptionally intrigued as to who this man was, and what he was doing in the Hogs Head. The dark man seemed to be hiding something, and he was doing a very good job about it; a stupider person than Felix may have been lulled into a false sense of security, but his time as an Auror had taught him to distrust easily, especially when it came to strangers in pubs. Felix raised his eyebrows at the mans comment, stating that his previous employers weren't happy about his retirement. "I don't even think I want to ask." Felix said with a small laugh, feeling more and more foreboding about the man.

Sitting on his stool and sipping his drink, Felix's senses were hyper-sensitive. He could hear the woman somewhere behind him muttering to herself and another woman in the corner knitting a huge scarf, as her goat nibbled the end, unbenounced to her. Something changed in the mans eyes. It was almost as if he knew that Felix suspected something was up, and was either scared or was planning something. Felix suspected it was the latter, and he was proved right. 

Suddenly, the man lifted his drink glass and threw it hard through a window across the room. The harsh-smelling liquid from the glass sprayed everywhere, as did tiny shards of glass from the window. Instinctively, Felix lifted his hands up to protect his head, as he did not know where the man proposed to throw the glass. As the man stood there, Felix stood up and walked closer to him. "Are you drunk?"  Felix said angrily, resisting the urge to pull out his wand and curse him for scaring the living daylights out of him. "What in the name of Merlin did you do that for?" Felix was feeling more and more restless around this man, and his little stunt did nothing to dent that. He was half tempted to walk out at that very moment, but interest kept his feet planted.

[SEVRUM SNOW]

"Are you drunk?"

Felix exclaimed with a fearsome combination of anger and utter shock. Sevrum waited a moment longer, but the man didn't draw his wand. His arm tensed up like he wanted to, but he didn't. This didn't necessarily guarantee that the man meant no harm to him, but it was a promising start. Sevrum looked back to the bar, acting like nothing had happened. Surprisingly enough, the bartender didn't care much, either. Things like this were entirely normal in the Hog's Head, and the barkeep simply took out her wand, waved it at the mess, and it tidied itself up quite nicely and quickly.

"What in the name of Merlin did you do that for?" Felix inquired, and Sevrum only grinned, refusing to answer his question yet again. "Another," he muttered quietly to the bartender, taking his seat back at the bar and placing another few galleons on the counter. With only a little bit of hesitation, she set down a new glass and filled it a few centimeters high with scotch. After taking a sip in silence, Sevrum turned to Felix with as mundane as if nothing had happened at all.

"Another drink?" He asked him, gesturing to the stool he was previously sitting in. Then, Sevrum turned his attention back to his scotch, taking a few more small sips.

Confusion was one of Sevrum's favorite reverse-interrogation tactics. The less you wanted to give someone the answer, the harder they had to work to get it from you. The problem with that was that most intelligent or trained people would know how to ask what they want without revealing their intentions, but that's why Sevrum fancied confusion. There was no better way to get people to shout unfiltered questions like frustration. Throwing a glass through a window unprovoked and then ignoring it ever happened-- that crap would confuse just about anybody.

"Well come on then, Fairbourne. The night's just begun, hasn't it?"

[FELIX FAIRBOURNE]

Strangely, after doing something so shocking and random, the man simply turned back to the bar and acted like nothing happened. Felix was left standing there, his eyes boring into the back of the strange mans head, expecting for him to show even a little bit of emotion to show why he had just stood up and thrown his glass through the window. Less surprisingly, the barman acted as if someone had just spilled their drink, and waved his wand to clean up the mess and repair the window.

Felix asked the man why he did what he did, and all he got in reply was a sly grin, followed by asking the barman for another drink. He took a sip and then, finally turned towards Felix. "Another drink?" Felix said incredulously. He then laughed and took a step back, so he was level with his own bar stool again. He really did not know what to make of this man. First, he seemed strange, but relatively pleasant. Sure, he had an aura about him that screamed that he was dangerous, but he was friendly enough. However, his little stunt with the glass had turned Felix completely off him. His Auror training - which he could thankfully still remember - was in the back of his mind. "Why did you do that?" Felix said, lowering his voice tone and sitting back down, but he didn't drink. He did not want to annoy this gentleman further, but he was not scared by any means. "And don't call me 'Fairbourne', not even my friends call me that." He smiled a wicked smile, deciding to have a little fun. "Let's hope the next glass doesn't upset you. Or is this common? If so, I doubt the barman has many in reserve."

[SEVRUM SNOW]

Felix obviously wasn't very happy, which made Sevrum reasonably amused. "Why did you do that?" Felix asked, but Sevrum only took a sip of his drink. In all honesty, he was starting to wonder why he was even bothering to ask questions when only a few had been answered.

"And don't call me 'Fairbourne', not even my friends call me that."

"Fair enough. Drink up, Princess," Sevrum joked, cracking a smile and managing a chuckle before taking another small sip.

"Let's hope the next glass doesn't upset you. Or is this common? If so, I doubt the barman has many in reserve."

For a moment, Sevrum didn't drink. He kept his hand on his glass, looked to Felix from the corner of his eye, and spoke very matter-of-factly. "Relax. I was only testing you," he replied calmy before bringing his glass up to his lips. "Rocks, please."

Whether or not Sevrum was currently sitting next to someone who was hired to kill him, the night was sure turning out to be far more interesting than he intended. It was pretty common for Sevrum to test strangers in bars like this, but most of them had the common sense to move away from him after such an incident. This guy was different. Although, if he was an assassin, he would have killed him after he threw the glass. He could have claimed it was self-defense, and no one would have asked too many questions-- especially in the Hog's Head. Felix didn't try to kill Sevrum, but he didn't run away. Sevrum thought that he might have been one of the few lurking members of the Order of the Phoenix, but that organization had all but disappeared after the fall of you-know-who. Whatever Felix's deal was, it made for a more interesting night than most.

[FELIX FAIRBOURNE]

This man, although he was obviously attempting to toy with him, was getting on Felix's nerves. His overall attitude made Felix want to get out his wand and threaten him, at the very least, but Felix forced himself to stay calm and collected. This was for two reasons mainly - one, he didn't want the guy to know he got a rise out of him, and two, it was quite obvious that this man was dangerous - his overall attitude and demeanor displayed a person with a dark background (or even present), so he would rather not find out who would win in a duel. When Felix asked him a question, the man simply took a sip of his drink. Felix pursed his lips and stood back, level with his own bar stool once again. 

"Princess." Felix said, unsmiling. His blood pressure was lowering, and he decided to play the game. It was quite obvious that this man thought he could toy with anyone he happened to come across, and Felix was determined not to be played. "That's funny." He said, as he sat down. He clasped his hands together in front of him on the bar, avoiding the sticky patch where someone had obviously spilled their drink, or perhaps that was splash back from the glass-through-window incident a few moments earlier.

"Testing me...for whatever reason? Do you think I'm an assassin or something?" Felix smiled. "And if so, for whatever reason do you think you're important or dangerous enough to be killed?" Felix leaned against the bar, slightly regretting the provocation move, as if the guy was truly dangerous, it may be a bad move. However, with 8 years of being an Auror behind him and being highly regarded in the Charms community, he was relatively confident he could hold himself in a battle with most people. If this man was truly dangerous, the next question would be where in society did he tend to dwell? Was he perhaps a remnant of the old Death Eaters, or perhaps part of the new revolution group, the Black Lotus, now attempting purge society of all those that are non-pureblood? Either way, Felix would have great pleasure in cursing him, if it came to that.

[SEVRUM SNOW]

Until now, Felix had tolerated him well enough, but the streak of good humor was now coming to an end as Felix was void of all smiles, and was instead becoming increasingly angry toward Sevrum. The snatcher knew Felix wouldn't be too happy with being called "princess," but he figured he'd at least take with with a grin to ease the tension-- he didn't. At this point in the game, efforts to relieve tension were abandoned, and Sevrum's playful remarks would be traded for hostility, and perhaps even a jinx if Sevrum kept on with his game.

"Testing me...for whatever reason? Do you think I'm an assassin or something?"
he inquired with frustration, and Sevrum raised an eyebrow. A trained assassin would never joke about possibly being one. While some may think the tactic would be deceitful and manipulative, any good assassin knows that, if you're next to a mark, the last word you want in their mind is "assassin," even if it's jokingly. Sevrum was now very sure that Felix Fairbourne was no assassin, and he could drop a bit of his paranoia for the time-being.

"And if so, for whatever reason do you think you're important or dangerous enough to be killed?"


Sevrum smiled, finally taking a real gulp of his drink. "You pass," he replied quite simply after swallowing a gulp of scotch. "Forgive my behavior, but you can never be too careful of strangers in pubs, am I right?" the snatcher explained, his voice less mysterious and hostile than before. After another gulp, he offered his hand for Felix to shake. "You can call me, Sev, Felix, and I think I owe you a few more rounds."

It would be useful to have a friend at Hogwarts. After all, few places were safer to hide than the castle. Unless there was good reason to believe Sevrum was there, the Ministry would have to go through all sorts of red tape to look for him there, and Sevrum would be long gone before they got consent for that. It was perfect, and Felix Fairbourne may just be the guy he needed to get the ball rolling with that idea.

[FELIX FAIRBOURNE]

Wondering what hell this guy was going to do next, Felix was not particularly happy about provoking him, or sticking around much longer to find out whether he was indeed as dangerous as he perceived to be. After Felix attempted to gain the upper hand by using dominant language, the man smiled and took a longer draught of his drink. "I pass." Felix repeated, keeping his expression impassive. After taking his time thinking things over, Felix ordered another drink, a double this time. He placed a few coins on the bar and downed the drink in one. He placed the empty glass back down on the bar and placed his forefingers on his temple.


If this man was dangerous or important in some way, or he felt he was, then this man would no doubt fear - or at least be cautious around - strangers approaching him with the same friendliness as Felix did. Putting himself in the man's shoes, Felix surmised that he perhaps suspected Felix was either attempting to befriend, or even assassinate him. Understandable, if one is a formidable or important person that one side or the other wanted to remove from the picture.


Felix turned back to the man and nodded, a small smile upon his face once more. "Very true. Fortunately, I've rarely been in a position to fear such a thing." In reality, his time as an auror for the Ministry of Magic had never given him an opportunity to go undercover in an assassination plot, but he knows how skittish a hunted man can be when they fear such a thing. Taking the man's extended hand in his own, he shook it hesitantly, but in a friendly manner. "Nice to meet you, Sev. And a few more rounds...well, why not." Felix said with a shrug of his shoulders. He had already had three glasses of whiskey, but a few more sounded quite appropriate. "I expect you've thrown several glasses through windows of establishments, then. I just hope that they are all as ... accommodating as here." Felix said with a smirk, shooting a glance at the barman, who looked up at him for a moment, shook his head and resumed his cleaning, muttering under his breath.

[SEVRUM SNOW]

It had been a year since Sevrum was in the field for the Ministry, but he remembered this instance well. There were too many times where he was undercover and was trying to sell a persona to someone the Ministry considered dangerous, and he remembered the feeling of being the the crossroads. There always came a point where you gave your pitch, and all you could do was wait. When the waiting was over, they either did what you intended them to do, or-- more than likely-- they killed you. 

But Sevrum was still alive for a reason. He was a salesman of sorts, but he sold promises and alliances. Although, he was unsure if his record would remain untainted, because he was about half sure that Felix was about to get up and walk out of the Hog's Head. Sevrum would have if it were the other way around. If Felix had been distant, freaked out, and then said it was all a test, apologizing and offering his hand, Sevrum would have gotten a drink somewhere far away from him, but the snatcher had one thing up his sleeve: interest. At one point, his face was plastered all over the wizarding parts of the United Kingdom, and, even if people didn't remember him fully, his face was buried in the back of their minds. By that alone, Sevrum's very face was intriguing, and he thought that Felix may just be the guy who liked to be intrigued.

"I expect you've thrown several glasses through windows of establishments, then. I just hope that they are all as ... accommodating as here."


Sevrum laughed, shaking his head and glancing at the disgruntled bartender out of the corner of his eye. "I've had to fight my way out of a few pubs," he joked back, though his joke was one of those it's-only-funny-because-it's-true jokes. "But as long as I don't hit any customers, the Hog's Head is pretty tolerant of my little tests. Not much else of a reason to come here, is there?"

[FELIX FAIRBOURNE]

After the man had decidedly warmed up, and introduced himself through his name - albeit a shortened version - and not through tests and glass-throwing, Felix felt a little safer. Not ten minutes before, he was on the edge of pulling out his wand doing something he would probably regret, or leaving. However, now the man called Sev had mellowed out, he felt like sticking around a while longer, to try and get some kind of information on him, as he was heavily intrigued. It was occasions like the one he was involved in that his mother warned him about - "don't talk to strangers!" she warned him, and for most of his adult life, he had ignored the advice. There was nothing to prick the interest than walking into somewhere unfamiliar and talking to a stranger - it was a sure-fire way to make interesting friends, or indeed, enemies.

"Oh really?" Felix said, taking a sip of his drink. Felix didn't just want to come out and ask him why he led the life he apparently led, but the question was itching the back of his throat, surging forward. Swallowing the question, Felix continued the now-friendly conversation. "Yes, I suppose the Hogs Head is a little more tolerant than other pubs in town." Felix can't imagine someone being allowed to throw glasses around without much bother in the Three Broomsticks, the classier, more up-market pub in Hogsmeade. "Still, it's good for a quiet drink without too many questions asked." Looking around the bar, he was surprised to see a few more people in there than last he looked. "Anyway, Sev," Felix said, turning to his new acquaintance and lowering his voice. "you must be either a supreme criminal, someone really avoiding attention or simply quite paranoid." Felix said with a small smile. "Now, I'm not particularly interested in what you may or may not have done - but should I be worried about talking to you?"

[SEVRUM SNOW]

"Anyway, Sev,"

Any sentence that started like evoked Sevrum's most deranged and irrational paranoia. For some reason, he immediately thought it would end with something like The Mistress sends her regards or Well, time to kill you now. The likelihood was almost nonexistent, and he knew that, but there was still that overpowering part of him that worried too much. Beneath all his training and toughening experiences, he was a scared little dog running away from the Ministry with his tail between his legs.

But Felix wasn't some cunning assassin over-dedicated to selling his role before making the kill. He was just a curious stranger at a bar. 

"you must be either a supreme criminal, someone really avoiding attention or simply quite paranoid."



Sevrum grinned playfully, taking another sip of his scotch quickly before replying. "Or maybe I'm all three," he said as a joke, though the statement held more truth than anything he'd said all night. Perhaps there was some part of the werewolf that just wanted to blurt out Hello, I'm Sevrum Snow. After all, he was being careless. Giving him the first part of his name, hinting that he may actually be a criminal-- it was almost as if he was asking to be caught, but wasn't that the game? What was the fun of running if no one was chasing you? Maybe Sevrum was upset because the Ministry was getting lazy. They forced him into hiding and then just left him there. Perhaps Sevrum just wanted something to stir up the pot again, or maybe he was just tired of running.

"Now, I'm not particularly interested in what you may or may not have done - but should I be worried about talking to you?"


"Only if you're afraid of going to Azkaban," Sevrum replied, his face void of a smile or any indication that he was joking. He took a sip of his drink, letting his statement linger before looking back to Felix and cracking a smile. 

"Kidding, kidding."

[FELIX FAIRBOURNE]

"Or maybe you're all three." Felix repeated, smiling slightly and taking a longer drag of his drink than he usually would have. Felix was a kind man, a man that had emigrated over from southern France with his parents when he was very young, and had lived in an affluent area of south-western England ever since. The area where he was brought up was a very well-to-do magical area, and all of his neighbours were kind, helpful and rich.

Felix was brought up with a silver spoon in his mouth, but he had no airs and graces, and he certainly had never fraternised with criminals. Of course, his career - before Hogwarts - as an auror had brought him into contact with many criminals, and hardcore criminals at that, but he usually drew the line at drinking with them in bars, leaving himself open to extortion or assault.

Felix asked, quite plainly, whether talking to Sev was a risk. Whether or not Felix was in any danger - regarding illegal reasons or otherwise - didn't concern him that much. However, he did not want to be hunted for fraternising with a known criminal, as that would not only damage his good reputation within the ministry, but it could also threaten his job at Hogwarts, something he could not afford to lose. When Sev said, with an incredibly straight face, that he should be worried about talking to him if he cared about going to Azkaban, Felix kept his own face impassive, calculating whether or not he was joking. "Funny, funny." Felix said, laughing as Sev sipped his drink and smiled. Felix blew through his mouth and shook his head, getting a little more worried by the second.

"So," Felix said, with an air of changing the conversation. "have you heard about the new group coming into formation? The," he lowered his voice and leant in closer to prevent anyone else from hearing him, "Black Lotus, I believe?" He coughed and shot a quick look around. "You-Know-Who all over again, I fear." Felix was attempting to gain a bit of ground in finding out who this interesting Sev character was, and he was good enough at figuring out whether someone was telling the truth to find out if this guy was with the new rebels.

[SEVRUM SNOW]

Admittedly, Sevrum was a bit rusty when it came to joking around. Sure, he had made himself laugh plenty in recent days, but he knew that was just the beginning of what it felt like to go absolutely insane. In reality, how many people could live in the woods all alone-- void of all human contact-- and stay sane for more than a few months. Sevrum was surprised he wasn't making an absolute full of himself as he tried to adjust back to the real world for the first time in a year. Although, it seemed like the man wasn't in as much of a joking mood, because the tone changed in an instant. The air that had warmed Sevrum's heart one moment was chilling it the next, and Felix looked more serious than before, and that was saying something.

He asked about the new rebellion that was just starting up with whispers behind walls-- the Black Lotus. Sevrum had heard their name before, but that was nearly it. He knew that they were pureblood supremacists, and that they were basically a reincarnation of the Death Eaters, but he hadn't cared enough to ask around at all. Ever since the last wizarding war, rumors of the Death Eaters coming back to power had reached even his ears, and he had been in hiding for quite a while. He was honestly seeing little difference between the Black Lotus rumors and all the others that preceded it.

"Just the basics, though I must say that it seems to be hogwash. I mean, how many times were we told as kids that the Death Eaters hadn't died out? How many times have we had false alarms? Call me out of touch, but I just don't see any difference. Do you?" he questioned with genuine interest. Not only did Sevrum secretly want to know more about these rumors, but he was curious by the manner in which it was brought up. At first thought, it sounded almost like a recruiting trick, and Sevrum wondered, for a moment, if Felix Fairbourne himself was a Back Lotus.

[FELIX FAIRBOURNE]

Upon asking Sev whether or not he had heard of the Black Lotus, the air in the inn seemed to change, as if a rush of cool air rushed through a crack in a window, chilling all occupants to the bone. It was quite a risky topic to discuss in a pub, as many people either did not know about any possible rebellion/vigilante group in the making, or were too scared to even talk about it in the confines of their own family. There were rumblings though; an old friend in the auror office had written to Felix, conveying worries and concerns regarding certain members of the ministry, and criminals on the run, and their respective beliefs and agendas. It was worrying news indeed, and he was conveying this information to his new acquaintance for two reasons.

One: he hoped to gain some further understanding on the group, if indeed Sev knew anything about them, and if Sev did know about them, and was a supporter, then he had enough identification on the man to report back to the ministry, if need be. However, Sev was seemingly clever - or ignorant of the Black Lotus - enough to not give too much away to Felix.

Overall, Sev seemed to be disinterested in the rumours, something that Felix did not foresee. It was obvious this man was one to fraternise with the darker, more despicable members of society, so he assumed that the man would know more, or at least care. To keep him in good terms, Felix nodded along and decided to agree, even though his knowledge of the group stated that they were indeed out for trouble. "Very true." Felix said, taking a sip of his drink once more, noting that he felt a little light-headed and would not drink any further after the glass in his hand was empty, he wanted to be clear minded just in case the worst should happen. "There have been rumours fluttering around for as long as I can remember, and I am definitely not an authority on whether these rumours have any foundation." Felix said, with a veil of knowledge behind him. "All it takes is one nutcase, and a band of supporters behind them, and our well-built world will come crashing down." He looked around dramatically. "Who knows? There may be someone who agrees with this supposed Black Lotus group in this very room." He winked and raised his glass.