possibility --

[charlie anderson]

✖ open thread
✖ knockturn alley, charlie's bar Yank's
✖ 11:53pm
✖ clothes
✖ tune

It was a cold and wet evening in Knockturn Alley. It had been raining all evening and night, and the shady lamposts flickered just outside of a pub, the small rotting wooden sign above reading Yank's. The bar used to be a disgusting hole of a place, but Charlie cleaned it up well enough to at least be somewhat presentable. He had not been in London very long, his home was in New York, but he was on a mission. Unfortunately, carrying out missions usually required some form of income, and this was the best he could do. When Yank's first opened up Charlie could barely get the place off the ground because no one wanted to visit a sloppy bar run by an American. Even in Knockturn Alley. But eventually Charlie turned Yank's into a safehaven for Knockturn Alley's most notorious villains, by providing a place of secrecy and refuge for dark wizards.

Make no mistake, Charlie was no dark wizard himself, but Yank's provided the perfect opportunity to overhear the conversations and plans of those dark wizards. He wanted to know more about the famous Tom Marvolo Riddle and his death eaters who had been going around murdering practically anyone in their way these days. Charlie had a personal vendetta to settle. It was probably a suicide mission, but nevertheless Tom Riddle was a very difficult man to get to.

Charlie emerged from a door in the back and returned to his place behind the long wooden bar. He began taking orders from the various patrons and creeps that loitered around the place and started making drinks. As the night carried on the place got busier and busier. Some gambling was taking place at a table in the corner of the pub and now all of the bar stools were full of mysterious witches and wizards. Charlie rolled his sleeves up to his elbows and got to work pouring some magical concoctions. So far the only banter he was hearing was the usual. Nothing significant about Riddle or any death eaters. He did this every night. Listened and listened. One day he would hear something important. Or meet someone important. He just had to. No matter how disgusted he was with most of the scum that ruled Knockturn Alley by night. Charlie took a shot of firewhiskey for himself.

There was a crack outside, and the bright shine of lightning beamed through the short gothic style windows. A group of about five wizards ran inside the pub as the rain started to pour down in heaps. At least he would have good business tonight, Charlie thought.

[Keira Robinson]

It was getting late, and they were still stuck in the room. Merlin knew exactly what the Dark Lord was planning right then. Keira was getting twitchy, as she always does when she stays at one place for too, too long.

For the past five hours, she has been sitting at the long dining table that used belonged to the one of the rich muggles who had faced merciless death at the hands of the Dark Lord himself. Keira thought that they had no one but themselves to blame - hadn't they ever heard of the word 'run' before? They should've fleed when they heard the group of them apparating in their gardens a few days ago. But of course, being oh-so-curious, they decided to check out what the fuss was all about...refused to yield to the Dark Lord's demands...and the poor, young couple had gotten themselves an one-way ticket to heaven. Or hell, Keira didn't bother anymore.

Finally, the Dark Lord dismissed them, without any other jobs for the day, much to Keira's pleasure. Not that she didn't want to serve her master....oh well, she didn't want to serve him. Not when it included killing people. She never liked killing. Or torturing, for that matter. But she was left with no choice, she was already part of the ruthless killing gang. On the bright side...she had some form of protection.

It was pouring by the time they left the huge mansion, the group of them who had attended the meeting. With a silent agreement, all of them turned on the spot, and apparated to Knockturn Alley. It was a frequent hang-out place for her, but the bar she had followed the rest of them into was not a place she was familiar with. Of course, she would have stood outside to analyze the place under normal circumstances, but Keira didn't want to get soaked to the bone in the downpour.

As soon as she entered, she shrugged off her coat, and placed a drying spell on herself. She was heading towards one of the tables, not exactly following her fellow death eaters (she preferred to be alone), when she saw him. He was really handsome, and it's been long since Keira had had some...company.

She caught his eyes, and with a small smirk playing on her face, walked up to the bar. "Firewhiskey," she ordered a drink, never allowing her eyes to leave his. She was good at this, the whole seduction, toying with the heart (and money), and then leaving. It made her feel good, in a way. A small distraction from her job of being a Death Eater. Something to help her forget what kind of mess she had gotten herself into.

[charlie anderson]

✖ open thread
✖ knockturn alley, charlie's bar Yank's
✖ 11:53pm
✖ clothes
✖ tune

as the wizards removed their robes charlie noticed one of them to be a witch. a stunning witch with flowing blonde locks hanging at her shoulders. he could hardly take his eyes off her as she sauntered over and returned his locked gaze. he took out a rag and polished the section of the bar in front of the lady as she ordered her drink. "comin' right up," charlie replied in his thick new york accent, so out of place in london. he returned a small smile and began to make the drink. he waved his hand over the glass of golden colored liquid and the top burst into flame with a simple enchantment. he placed the flaming glass down in front of the lady.

charlie thought that the beautiful blonde looked rather out of place not only in knockturn alley, but in a run down bar like charlie's which provided a refuge and hideaway for dark and bizarre wizards. charlie scanned the bar for more orders, but all he noticed was that the other scumbags sitting on either side of the blonde all turned their attention towards her. they must have noticed how unlikely she appeared as well. suddenly charlie felt himself become worried and protective. not only did he not want a scene in his bar, but he also didn't want any of these vile men eyeing this girl in such a way that they were.

"you lost or somethin' toots?" charlie asked her coyly, the smile returning to his face. if he asserted his dominance talking to her maybe the other weirdos would give up. "i'll tell ya, it ain't too often a girl like you shows up in a place like this... where ya from?" charlie added, although he was usually the one being asked that question since he stood out so prominently from the rest of the brits in london. he picked up his wand from the bar and bewitched a couple rags to start washing and drying some empty glasses from the bar. he looked away for a moment to eye the other patrons that this blonde had entered the bar with who were now dispersed throughout the place. they appeared rather usual, but charlie noted that they carried themselves with a kind of pride that suggested they might be of some kind of importance in the wizarding world. death eaters? he could only hope, but it was difficult to tell, even with charlie's adept ability at observation. luckily he had carefully hidden listening charms in almost every corner of the place for his own purposes.

[Keira Robinson]

Keira was certainly pleased when the man seemed to return her smile and gaze. She was used to getting her way, used to having men fall at her feet if she wanted it that way. But something about this particular man seemed to entice her more than usual. She watched him work with the smirk still playing on her face, easily ignoring the sick wizards who were gazing at her as if she was a art piece at the museum. At first, she used to get irked by the attention she sometimes got around Knockturn Alley, but overtime, dhe had gotten used to it. Just like how she had gotten used to being a Death Eater.

And then she heard the man ask her whether she was lost, a fiery gaze in his eyes, which kept averting to the other men, suggesting that he was a little worried about the way the men were looking at her. It surprised her, though she didn't show it. Instead, she raised an eyebrow, now curious about where he was from. That accent. He was an American. Interesting.

"Do I look like I'm lost, honey," she smirked, allowing her long fingers to wrap around the goblet. "I'm from around here somewhere..." she trailed off, winking at him as she took the goblet and headed to a table at the dark corner of the bar that was very visible from the counter. She did want to be the mysterious woman who never shared about her personal details, but she also preferred not to talk about her life. No, that was strictly private. And she really didn't want to explain to anyone the silly reason behind the biggest mistake in her life: becoming a Death Eater.

As soon as she settled down at the table, she sipped the Firewhiskey, the fiery liquid causing a burning sensation in her throat that somehow soothed her. As she continued enjoying her drink and occasionally shooting a glance at the man who seemed to either work at or own the bar, she decided that she'd be waiting till the bar closed down that day. There was just something about him that was attracting Keira.

[charlie anderson]

✖ open thread
✖ knockturn alley, charlie's bar Yank's
✖ 11:53pm
✖ clothes
✖ tune

some of the other patrons seated at the bar snickered at charlie's rejection. he couldn't help but laugh it off too, but he was actually disappointed at her vagueness and more disappointed that she left the bar top. he couldn't protect her from the riff raff so easily now, but it was pretty clear she didn't need his protection anyway. her snappy retort told him she had a spark and toughness that didn't a need a man to rescue her from anything. however, even still, charlie kept his eye on her at her table as he continued to serve his patrons who were coming and going. the next hour or so dragged on, and charlie found himself constantly looking back to the blonde alone at her table. she was waiting. to meet someone? who knew. but he kept a sharp eye all the same.

soon enough the bar started to empty out. the rain was still hammering the shoddy wood roof. all who remained was the blonde, still sitting at her table, and a group of a few wizards huddled in the corner still gambling. charlie decided it was closing time. it was quiet enough to close up now. he passed through the maze of tables and chairs collecting empty glasses left all over. then he started to pick up the bar stools and flip them upside over the top of the bar. next he did the same with the chairs and put them upside down on their respective tables. then he stopped at the few wizards left still gambling. "alright boys, time to clear out," he told them. they grumbled and lazily collected their gambling winnings and left the pub, apparating just outside the doors into the rain.

finally, it was just the blonde. charlie found himself at the blonde's table. he leaned over and picked up her empty firewhiskey glass with a smile. he let go of the glass and it floated through the area disappearing back behind the bar. "closing time, blondie," charlie told her crossing his arms across his chest. he wasn't eager to see her leave, but she was the only person left and he couldn't stare at her from the bar the whole night. "looks like you got stood up," he added playfully, running his hands through his disheveled black hair. he could only assume she had been waiting to meet someone who never showed up, although he enjoyed the fact that it was only her left alone now in his bar.

charlie glanced up at the clock on the wall. two o clock. then back outside towards the storm. why was this girl all alone here and so late on such a shitty night... "you got a place to stay tonight?" charlie asked. he quickly realized how forward that sounded and corrected himself. "cause i've got rooms upstairs, y'know for travelers if you wanted to rent one," he hurriedly added. he didn't want to scare her away or have her think he was perverted or something.

he found himself curious about this woman. the fact that she was wandering around knockturn alley and didn't have giant warts intrigued him alone. he wanted to learn more about her. who she was, where she came from, though he could tell she wouldn't be intent telling him any of that based on her reaction earlier. deep down that curiosity made him want her to stay.

[Keira Robinson]

Keira's eyes never lingered on the man for more than a few seconds, but even then, she could sense his own eyes lingering on her, and she smirked into her goblet of firewhiskey. She made sure to sip the alcohol as slowly as she could, taking her time to enjoy the fiery taste of the liquid, as she patiently waited for the bar to actually close for the night.

Soon enough, the crowd began to clear out, and the man had begun to collect the empty glasses. He reached the bunch men who were merrily gambling away to inform them that he was closing, and then it was just the two of them. Her bright, blue-gray eyes followed him as he weaved between the tables, setting them aside for the night.

When he mentioned that it was closing time, she merely handed her goblet to him, and sat back with a sigh. Her eyebrows, once again, shot up when he suggested that she might have been stood up. "What makes you think I was waiting for someone," she paused, "else?" she then added, her lips curving into a smile. Did this man really think she was that pathetic? First, he thought she was lost. Now, he thinks she had been stood up. Like she ever gave any man a chance to do that. She was the one who left them, it's never the other way round.

Her eyes travelled to the window, and surveyed the still raining sky. She could always apparate straight into her flat...but she'd inevitably get wet. Keira hated that. Besides, she didn't want to leave just yet. She was curious about this bar tender.

"Well...I do have a place...but it's raining so heavily, and I don't want to get wet. I'd love to stay here with you," she said in a low voice, before adding: "In one of your rooms, that is." He couldn't say no to that. In fact, she didn't want him to say no. She didn't want to go back to her flat, all alone, and then allow her darkest fears and thoughts to haunt her till she fell into a fitful sleep. She avoided being alone whenever she could. Because she'd be so easily driven to the point of insanity when the screams and pleas of people she had tortured and killed starts replying themselves in her twisted mind.

[charlie anderson]

✖ open thread
✖ knockturn alley, charlie's bar Yank's
✖ 11:53pm
✖ clothes
✖ tune

"well, uh, it's not everyday that a girl like you walks in 'ere and, uh---" else, she interrupted him. oh. he wasn't expecting that. he scratched the back of his head before resting his hand on the back of his neck. she was a forward one wasn't she? it fascinated him a little. well...I do have a place...but it's raining so heavily, and I don't want to get wet. I'd love to stay here with you...In one of your rooms, that is. and more forwardness still! charlie felt his cheeks get a little hot and he hoped desperately he wasn't blushing. all she did was ask for a room, really, he shouldn't have been so excited, he thought. "alright then, follow me," he said holding out his hand.

he led her to a creaky wooden side door that revealed a small space with a black steel winding spiral staircase. he then led her up the stairway where there was a short hallway. there were two wooden doors on the left, each with an iron number on them, one of them a number one and the other a number two. room number one was currently being occupied by one of the shady guests that had appeared two nights ago. "two is free," charlie said motioning to the second door. he usually charged a galleon fee per night, but he decided he'd let this one get away with staying the night free of charge. he pointed to another door at the far end of that hall that was a little bigger than the other two. "that's where i live, lemme know if you need anythin'."

charlie walked over and opened the door to reveal a small and simple room. "its not much..." charlie added, a little embarrassed that his pub's accommodations were so shabby. there was a small single bed with one white sheet and one wool blanket on it and a dingy yellowing pillow. there was another door that held a bathroom and there was a small wooden table with two wooden chairs across from the bed. lastly against the wall was an old wardrobe. charlie walked over to it and placed his hand on top of its surface. "i been tryin' to keep this one boggart outta there, but it keeps comin' back, so, lemme know if you have any trouble with it."

"there's anotha in numba one, he's been 'ere a couple-a nights now, but he's been pretty quiet, i don't think he'll give you any trouble, but again, if 'e does, i'm just down the hall." charlie wanted to make sure she felt safe here, despite the place's appearance although again, she didn't seem like the kind of girl that needed protecting from anyone. not some creepy wizard in the room next to her or a boggart for goodness sake! but regardless, charlie cared dearly for all his patrons. and since he rarely ever happened upon guests as stunning as this girl, he felt obliged to make sure everything was right.

"oh! i'm charlie, by the way," he added holding out his hand. he couldn't believe he hadn't even introduced himself. his mind was elsewhere.

✖ ooc ;; i was thinking it could be that the man staying next door is also a death eater, and perhaps eventually he knocks on the door and enters the room instantly recognizing keira and somehow revealing her identity as a death eater! bumbumbummmm

[Keira Robinson]

((OOC: Sounds good! Do you want to bring him in or do you want me to bring him in in my next post?))

Keira bit back her laughter with much difficulty when she saw just how uncomfortable - or excited, she didn't know - he got after hearing what she said. He was actually blushing! Not only was he extremely handsome, but he was cute as well. Keira wasn't sure if she was creeping him out, though. She realised that she often had such an effect on not just men, but people in general. She never bothered to butter up her words. She was harsh and mean. Probably why she had never been to popular among her peers since her first year at Hogwarts. And even now, with her...'colleagues'.

She followed him up as she took a good look around her surroundings. The bar was certainly not one of the most neatest ones around. In fact, it was really close to being classified as 'run-down', and yet she liked it. It was like a refuge for the people of Knockturn Alley. Who were probably the ones jeopardizing everyone else's security...but this bar still seemed to be kind of a haven for the ones who would stick out like a sore thumb at Diagon Alley.

Keira had been concentrating so much on her surroundings, that she barely heard the man talking about the opposite room being occupied. She nodded, not really bothered about a stranger staying across her. She looked around the room, realising that it looked just as worn-out as the bar. But she didn't really mind it. She wasn't planning to stay here all night. As soon as the rain stopped, she was leaving. Well, once she had gotten to at least talk to this man about something other than her accomodation, of course.

Her eyes did widen at the prospect of a boggart, but she quickly replaced the look of slight fear with her indifferent expression again. No need to show anyone that someone who looked to be as tough as her was shaken up by a boggart. It was just that her fear was that the people she had killed coming back to haunt her, and the boggart literally took that form. Of people, especially young children, suddenly appearing before her, sometimes dead, sometimes begging for their lives. That was a little more that she could take, and uttering the simple spell of 'Ridikulus' became hard.

She nodded hear head when he offered to help her in case she needed him, and a small yet genuine smile spread across her face. She took his hand when he introduced himself, and shook it. "I'm Keira," she replied, feeling an odd sense of warmth and calm spreading through her at their contact. Now she was more than determined to get to know him.

"What? You're going to leave? Come on, I'm bored. Keep me company," she chuckled, sauntering over to a corner of the room and plopping down on the wooden chair. "You seem to be a foreigner. What made you come here to London, and open up a bar at Knockturn Alley, out of all places?" she asked him, raising an eyebrow in curiosity. She wasn't going to talk much about herself, of course. She wanted to know him.

[charlie anderson]

✖ open thread
✖ knockturn alley, charlie's bar Yank's
✖ 11:53pm
✖ clothes
✖ tune

"nice to meet you, keira," he said happily. he was so used to being around the strange men who frequented his pub all the time that sometimes he forgot how much he missed the presence of a woman in his life. a beautiful woman at that. he blushed a little again when she asked to keep him company. in all honesty he was neglecting going back to his lonely apartment to listen to whatever his surveillance in the bar had picked up. he was so singularly focused on his mission to find tom riddle in england that he forgot that he needed to live for himself a little. it was always on his mind, but he was glad to push it to the back of his mind for a while.

charlie followed her over to the small table and pulled out the chair beside her and sat down, resting his elbows on the wooden surface. "how'd you guess?" he asked sarcastically with a small laugh. he knew the question was coming. it always did. but he tried to tell a variation of his story that did not involve revealing his true purpose in england. in knockturn alley. he had to consistently maintain his lie, and unfortunately, that was just what he had to feed this girl, no matter how much he wanted to be honest with her. "well," he started running a hand through his dishevelled hair again as he often did. "i grew up in the u.s. in new york. i went to salem's institute, its like the school you have hear, um... what's it called... frogwarts? hogwarts! that's it. sorry, i haven't exactly been 'ere very long," he smiled.

"so anyway, just a few years ago i wanted to get away y'know. see the world, live somewhere new and all that crap," he lied. "but, uh, its a tough livin' here. i was broke so i tried takin' ova a bar, not this one here. but i kept failing, y'know nobody wanted or cared to visit a yank establishment, as they called it... so i came to the place of all down-trodden people. here, knockturn alley. this place was rotting, some old man tryin' to get rid of it, so i bought for a small price. cleaned 'er up best i could, and here we are. just tryin' to make a livin'". in reality, charlie's family had been comfortably wealthy. in states he had a successful job as an auror, and a talented one at that. so he was by no means struggling, although that was part of his story and his new life now. when he found out his parents had been murdered he packed up his life and moved it to england to find tom riddle. despite the lies in his story, he came straight to knockturn alley, straight to this old run down bar, and bought it for not so cheap a price, and paid in cash. all so that he could overhear the comings and going of death eaters and other powerful wizards and find out where tom riddle and his posse was. he had no plans as to how he would overtake them. it'd be a suicide mission. but he was carefully planning and searching for years.

charlie leaned back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest. "so there's my boring story for yah. you can't expect me to talk about myself all night. what's your story? what's a gal like you doin' in knockturn alley late at night hmm?"

[Keira Robinson]

Keira was getting more and more amused by the second as he blushed yet again when she asked him to stay. She was dangerously close to giggling. Which she hated. She rarely laughed, let alone giggle like a dizzy teenage girl.

She heard his life story, a little surprised at what he shared. Of course, she had heard of Salem Institute, but she had never actually met anyone from that school. In fact, she barely heard anything about that institution, that she sometimes thought it didn't even exist. That was just how little she had heard of it. Though, she was sure Charlie hadn't heard much of Hogwarts either. It was rather obvious from the way he was pronouncing the school's name. Keira surpressed a laughter again. Frogwarts...that sounded funny...

Her raised eyebrows and slow nod of her head should have been an obvious indicator that she was rather impressed with his life story. He wanted to see the world, live a new life. Basically, he didn't want to live the routine life everyone was living. School, work, family, then death. It was boring. People like Charlie, who wanted to experience a different life, always impressed, and intruiged, her.

"Me?" she smirked. Oh, he'd never want to know about her. She'd never want him to know about her. What would he think when he realises that she was a immature woman who had taken a horrible decision at the wrong time, wrong age? That she was stuck in something she was, deep down, trying to escape from?

"I'm Keira. You already know that. I don't really have a story. Used to study at Hogwarts, and after graduation, didn't have the drive to find a job, fall in love, have children...so I just hang out at different places, trying to find something that interests me," she finished with a shrug. She wasn't lying completely - she did do that. When she didn't have any tasks given by the Dark Lord to complete.

Just then, she heard a a gruff voice right outside her door, calling someone out.

"Oi! Anybody here? The room is full of Earwigs, how d'ya get rid of that! Horrible service for a galleon, really," she heard as she heard a loud tap on the door further down the hall. When no one answered, she heard footsteps before it reached her own door. "You in here?" she heard him hammer on her room door. Obviously, the man was finding for Charlie, and was looking into both the rooms to find him.

Keira sighed. "Better get that before you lose the galleon."

[charlie anderson]

✖ open thread
✖ knockturn alley, charlie's bar Yank's
✖ 11:53pm
✖ clothes
✖ tune

charlie listened to her story with interest, but hers too, was so vague. maybe he wasn't the only one who had something to hide about themselves. "hang out in different places, huh? like run down pubs in knockturn alley?" charlie snickered. he still couldn't believe someone so beautiful could associate herself with the scum of these streets. charlie removed his pullover to reveal a plain fitted white tee shirt and placed it in front of him on the table. this place seriously needed some air conditioning, especially on humid rainy days like today. he had never gotten around to enchanting the entire building. there's always seemed to be something wrong with the place. he continued to listen to the rest of her story. a hogwarts student! hopefully she wasn't insulted by how poorly he had pronounced it earlier. his eyes locked on her delicate features. at least she was a free spirit. according to her story anyway. no commitments to anyone. charlie wished he could live that way sometimes, although his story told her that he pretty much did. she could never know that his mind was constantly at work, constantly investigating anything, every place, and every one.

charlie heard the gruff voice too, banging against his apartment door down the hall. dammit. he really didn't want to leave. "maybe he'll go away?" charlie suggested, although he knew that the strange man residing in room one was aggressive enough that he probably wouldn't. footsteps down the hall. now banging on the door to room number two. their door. charlie sighed. he would have to go deal with this. "its not the galleon i'm worried about losing," charlie added. he got up from the wood chair and approached the door. he opened it lazily to find the death eater he had been monitoring in room one standing before him. he was a burly man with broad shoulders and a tough square face. his black eyes glistened with irritation. charlie only opened the door enough for himself to be seen. he didn't want this man to think charlie was busy shacking up with one of his patrons instead of doing his job.

"earwigs, really?" charlie said, exasperated. "its really not that difficult to--" charlie was interrupted by the death eater smashing the side of his fist into the door sending it swinging open all the way to reveal keira sitting at the small wooden table in the room. charlie reached for his wand in his back pocket. he didn't pull it out just yet, but he kept his hand on it. death eaters were dangerous people and this guy might have just wanted to cause trouble because there was a beautiful lady bunking in next door to him. charlie realized that he stood in the way of that, and he would remain in this man's way so nothing bad would happen to keira. the man looked shocked once he seemed to recognize keira. charlie looked back at her with his brow furrowed in a way that said wait, do you know this guy?. charlie became more uneasy having the growing feeling that this death eater was going to be a problem. he kept his hand firmly on the handle of his wand resting in his back pocket. he was ready.

[Keira Robinson]

Keira merely shrugged when he seemed to be skeptical about her hanging out at a place like Knockturn Alley. It was pretty confusing why someone like her would want to be even seen at Knockturn Alley, but she had learned the ways of ignoring everyone around her at a very young age. "When you know how to defend yourself, you can roam anywhere," she said.

She smirked when he took off his top layer, only to reveal a white shirt that pretty much clung to his body. And might she add, a very toned body. "Too hot, Charlie? Sorry. I can have that kind of effect," she joked, surprised at herself. She rarely jokes. This man must be bringing out the normal side in her.

She snorted when he suggested that the man banging on the door would go away. "I seriously doubt it," she replied, referring to the incessant hammering. As Charlie got up to address the problem, Keira turned her head a little to stare at the dark clouds that were still pouring. She used to love rain. To get wet in it, and then get back home and dry herself before snuggling up near the fireplace with a hot chocolate, and just stare at the rainy sky, content with how cozy she was. And then there were her parents, who said a girl shouldn't be out in the rain, getting wet, rolling around in the grass like she used to do. They repeatedly restricted her till eventually Keira got frustrated with the idea of even stepping out of shelter when it rained.

When the door suddenly slammed open, startling Keira, she immediately jumped up with wand in hand. She never took chances. But when she saw the man that sat before, her heart plummeted right down to her stomach.

It was Andy Coleman. Her fellow Death Eater.

Damn it. He really couldn't find any other place to stay for the night? He had to come down to Charlie's bar and spoil her tiny chance of actually getting to know someone who she was genuinely interested in? Coleman was a Death Eater in his forties who worshipped the Dark Lord, looked like an extremely large, mutated version of a rat, and annoyed the hell out of her with his existance. The feeling was pretty mutual - for some reason, Andy and Keira could never get along. Hell, Keira could not get along with any of the Death Eaters.

"Robinson! Fancy seeing you here! Getting a little cozy with a bar owner, I see," he sneered, and Keira could feel her cheeks coloring in anger. Andy tried to push past the door, but saw the firm grip Charlie had on the handle and snorted. "You know who you're messing with, kid? Do you know who we work for?," he breathed down at Charlie, flicking the sleeve of his robes just momentarily, but enough to reveal the Dark Mark that had been permenantly impaled on his left forearm.

Keira visibly cringed. That was it. The small flicker of hope that she had had in her vanished just like that, all thanks to Andy Coleman, who thought that proclaiming to the world that he was a Death Eater was the single most honourable thing he could do in his life.

Keira couldn't look at Charlie. Instead, she fixed her eyes on Andy, her blue-gray eyes burning with fury. "Get out, Coleman. What I do here is none of your bloody business," she growled in a dangerously low voice, holding her wand aloft.

Andy Coleman was a rather daft man when it came to handling intellectual issues, but even he knew better than to mess with Keira. She was rather popular among the Death Eaters for her powerful dark curses. There was a reason the Dark Lord liked Keira enough to send her into mission frequently even though she was one of the youngest of their followers. There was also a reason why all of the other Death Eaters hated her. She can be quite nasty when angered. With his hands held up, as if defending himself, Andy began to walk out of the room. "Just trying to be normal here, woman. And you," he spat at Charlie. "What do I do with those bloody Earwigs?!"

By then, Keira had tuned out the both of them, since she was too mortified to even look at anything but the floor. She didn't understand why she was feeling so horrible, so disappointed that Charlie just might have found out that she was a Death Eater. But all she knew was that as soon as the rain was gone, she had to get the hell out of the bar before Coleman further embarassed her with detailed accounts of what she had done to numerous innocent people.

[charlie anderson]

✖ open thread
✖ knockturn alley, charlie's bar Yank's
✖ 11:53pm
✖ clothes
✖ tune

"hey, she's not getting cozy with anyone," charlie said, although he now regretted removing his sweater. "and even if she was it'd be none-a your business pal." how could keira possibly associate herself with a bafoon like this? then charlie looked down at the man's scar and his grip tightened on his wand. he had to remind himself that he was the one who was friendly towards death eaters and accepted him in this safe haven that was his bar. he hurriedly composed himself and tried his best to wipe the disgust off of his face. he knew very well that he had housed death eaters in his bar all the time. he was dependent upon using his legilimens to read their thoughts and find out more about this dark lord voldemort. but all of his work was always secretive. he had never had one standing right in front of him waving around the skull on their wrist right in his face. he had to suppress his anger. lord voldemort killed his only family, but he had to think of things on a grander scale instead of attacking every death eater he knew. that's why his tactic was always infiltration from within. he checked himself and remained calm. "i know very well who you're workin' for, otherwise you wouldn't be stayin' in my place tonight," charlie reminded him.

wait, what did he just say? we work for. keira? he looked back at her, his brow furrowed. he had no idea. not the slightest inclination. she must have had some occlumens abilities, because he couldn't get inside her mind with his own legilimens. he felt somewhat betrayed. he had only just met the girl, its not like she owed him any allegiance. maybe he just thought he had betrayed himself, for thinking about this girl as someone he wanted to spend the night with when she was a death eater. he knew there was something different about her, but he was so disappointed to learn why she was really loitering around knockturn alley with the rest of these creeps. "what? huh?" charlie was lost in his own troubled thoughts and was brought back to earth when the death eater mentioned the ear wigs again. "right, ear wigs. i'll clear it up for you..." charlie voice was gentler now, absorbing all of the information he had just learned.

he followed the burly man back to his room, leaving keira alone, and quickly cast some enchantments to solve this man's ear wig problem. charlie used his legilimens to penetrate this man's mind while they were in room number one alone together. he picked up standard information, nothing he didn't already know. useless. he couldn't have been as far up the chain. but keira... she was probably up there. she had to be to have occlumens abilities. he left the man back in room number one, satisfied with his earwig removal and reminded him that he wouldn't be afraid to hex the bejesus out of him if he bothered keira again, no matter who his powerful friends were. charlie was confident in his abilities from being an auror.

as he walked back to room number two, he hoped keira would still be there and hadn't dashed out of the place in a hurry. luckily he opened the door and there she still was. he entered the room in silence and closed the door behind him, resting his back against it. "so..." he started to say with a small smile. "a death eater?" he decided that he wouldn't let this part of her get in the way. after all, his cover in knockturn alley forced him to pretend to be a friend to all death eaters anyway. the problem was, he was conflicted with being honest with her. he wanted to be honest, reveal his true intentions, but that would be impossible. he didn't know enough about her, she could have him shipped to the dark lord in a box with a bow when he least expected it.

[Keira Robinson]

Keira had never felt that mortified in her life every before. Well, just once, when her brother Kenneth had tracked down her and her then boyfriend at Hogsmeade village and forced her to leave with him, because the said boyfriend was 'too dangerous'. Most of her peers had witnessed that ridiculous act. At least, back then, it hadn't been her fault. Now it was.

She had seen the flicker of disappointment in Charlie's face. It was just for an instant, barely there, but she had seen it. And somehow, it made her feel horrible. She had been looking forward to a normal evening with him. An impossible thought, but a girl could hope. And then the oaf Coleman had to come ruin it all. Keira was already devicing a plan to send the most painful hex possible his way in the morning. Oh, he'd scream like a girl. He would.

She turned to survey the skies again when the two o them had gone, and gritted her teeth when she realised that it was still raining. Damn it. Damn the rainy sky, damn her habit of gettinguncomfortable in the rain, damn her parents for making her develop that habit. Now she couldn't escape from this bar. From Charlie.

Before she knew it, he was back, shutting the door lightly. "so...a death eater?" Keira turned to look at him, before looking away again, shifting her attention to the Boggart-infected wardrobe. She swallowed heavily. It sounded terrible, and real, when she heard it from someone else. Tenfold worse when that someone was Charlie. She never knew that was possible. "Well...yeah," she said in a small voice, shrugging. Her tone had gone from the confident young woman to a destroyed one.

"What, you aren't running away? A Death Eater woman mustn't be so appealing now, huh?" she asked him, a bitter smile spreading across her face as she sat back down heavily, staring intently at the table now.

[charlie anderson]

✖ open thread
✖ knockturn alley, charlie's bar Yank's
✖ 11:53pm
✖ clothes
✖ tune

"runnin' away?" charlie snorted. he walked away from the door and back over to where she was sitting. "i wouldn't open a bar like this one, if i was afraid of a couple-a death eaters," he smirked. he had to be back on now, back to his visage of the welcoming bar owner who took in all the downtrodden. the bar owner who trusted death eaters to seek accommodation right next to the place he slept every night. he didn't want to lie to somebody he was so attracted to, but he couldn't afford to tell her the truth. it was much too risky. he had to keep up the lie at all times. he leaned his back against the wardrobe. "and i'm especially not afraid of you," he teased with a small smile.

suddenly, the wardrobe behind charlie's back started to shake rapidly and he took a step away from it. it shook and shook, the boggart must have been dying to get out with all of the people that had come and gone in the room recently. charlie didn't panic, he turned to face the wardrobe and took out his wand, ready to cast ridikkulus. the boggart erupted from the wardrobe, but since there was the two of them in the room, it was confused as to which shape to take. charlie knew what shape the boggart would take for him. he had seen a boggart take the form before. his worst fear was failure. failing to avenge his parents' deaths. and so when he encountered boggarts they usually took the form of his own dead body. the boggart came out and was instantly confused. at first, probably because he was standing closest to it, it appeared as charlie's own dead body, mangled and bloody. then it shifted into the young victims of keira's, begging and pleading for their lives. then, almost immediately, the boggart shifted back into charlie's dead and mangled body.

"ridikkulus!" charlie called out, sending the boggart flying back into the wardrobe where the wooden doors shut with a snap. keira's fear had only appeared on the boggart for a second. charlie was confused as to what he had actually seen. it looked like young children but it was hard to tell what was going on before the boggart had switched back into charlie's fear of his own death. both of them stood silent for a moment, but charlie could tell that keira was a little shaken up by the experience. charlie just wanted to know more about what her worst fear really was. it was some young children, and he had just learned she was a death eater, but he just couldn't imagine her killing them. he didn't want to imagine it either. he pushed the thought out of his mind. "d'you wanna... stay in my place for the night?" charlie suggested. he didn't want to leave her alone with the boggart.