take the road less traveled -- carcer

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@carcerronaldhagrid

hogsmeade. a chance to take a break from the crazy of the school right now. the first task had just finished and it was settling down slightly but the school was still buzzing with excitement. he understood that, he had been just as into watching the tournament as the next person, cheering his school on but as much as he enjoyed the buzz and being around people there were times when he didn't. he was walking down a road in hogsmeade toward one of the benches to wait for someone, glad he had picked a quiet one when he spotted the familiar person, someone who towered over everyone he stood next to and he grinned. he had sent carcer an owl asking him to meet around now in hogsmeade, wanting to talk to him about what was going on with him and alice. jay felt it was his brotherly duty to ask carcer about it. he quickened his pace and started running to catch up with the part giant. "carcer!" he called out as his foot hit a patch of ice and he slid forward being sent plummeting forward, straight on a collision course with carcer.

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It had been quite a surprise to receive a letter from Jayden Longbottom. Carcer knew the kid in passing, of course, and Philip as well. But neither so well as Alice. The brothers were always well-put-together, and among their interests was Quidditch, a field Carcer would never be able to help with. The closest the half-giant had come was playing a little with his friends while riding Apollo, but that was hardly fair and he knew it. He couldn’t remember much he’d done to inspire any desire in one of the brothers to contact him, though he was surprised that Hannah had not asked to speak with him yet. He and Alice were taking it slow, but…well, they were progressing in their relationship. At least, it felt that way to Carcer.

So he stood in Hogsmeade, now restored to his full height of thirteen feet, and easily visible to half the town. Noticeable not only for his height, but also the absence of warm clothing; he stood in just robes, without cloak or scarf to shield his body. It would need to be far colder for far longer before he began to notice it. He knew all he had to do was wait to be seen. And, predictably… “Carcer!” He turned around, seeing Alice’s brother—already taller than her, and on his way to matching his father in height—barreling right toward him through the crowd. And then he hit a patch of ice.

Carcer’s response was instant, as he leaned down and held out his hand like a scoop. He caught Jayden by the chest, halting his uncontrolled momentum before gravity could assert a claim. “Easy,” he said, gently pushing Jayden back up to a standing position. His father had drummed into him the incredible importance of controlling his strength around normal people, until he had an even gentler touch than his father, who tended to slap backs too hard for comfort (RJ, of course, had needed no lessons on controlling his strength). And even if he wasn’t very careful not to hurt anyone, hurting Jayden—Alice’s baby brother, who had been beaten to a pulp last year—would be incredible low on his list of people to hurt. Sometimes he felt like he was immune to Alice’s prickly temper that stung so many other people, but he highly doubted that immunity would extend to hurting Jayden, even by accident. “How’ve you been, Jayden?”

@henry

[Deleted]

@carcerronaldhagrid

“Easy,” he grinned as carcer stood him back up and he stepped back in order to look up into his face. he brushed off his front and straightened his shirt and ran his hand through his hair sheepishly. "thanks! dad would kill me if i came back to the castle injured .. i think he's had up to about here of it happening" he said with another grin as he held his hand above his head. he knew his father would never be mad at him for getting hurt or sick, unless it had been a totally stupid action that had caused it but even then he'd never turn his back on jay but it was fun to joke about. the running joke in the family was that jay had caused his father's first grey hairs and he was going to cause his last. “How’ve you been, Jayden?” how had he been? considering he was spending almost every day with his girlfriend he was doing pretty marvelous but he didn't mention that. he knew what was happening between alice and carcer and he doubted they got to spend as much time together as sao and jay did and he didn't want to seem like he was rubbing that in. it felt rude. "i'm good, been good. i'm always good. you?" he said as he folded his arms over his chest and tried, in vain, to stand up slightly straighter. "i want to cut to the chase .. get the serious stuff out of the way before i drag you to the three broomsticks for a drink. i know about you and alice .. and i just want to say .. yay. about time." he said with a grin that held a serious undertone. "but she's alice .. she's been really hurt by james and i just .. don't want that happening again. not to say you'd hurt her but .. just be careful, okay?" he said, chewing his lip and running his hand through his hair lightly. "i'd hate to unleash the inner temper my father is convinced i have" he said with a chuckle.

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Jayden thanked him, mentioning offhandedly about how tired Neville was of him getting injured. It sounded to Carcer like Jay had perhaps gotten hurt over the summer, like a one-time-too-many sort of deal. He could still remember Jay’s stay in the hospital wing, after he’d been beaten so brutally. They had never managed to catch the guy, which was a real shame. Carcer wasn’t normally one for violence, but he might change his ways for a chance to deliver some much-needed karmic justice. Assuming, of course, that Jay’s family didn’t kill the attacker outright, which they probably would. He knew Alice would have. He’d seen her on the day the Purifiers attacked Hogwarts. She didn’t really want to fight, but the spells she had fired off had been brutally powerful. Faced with Jay’s attacker, and with her temper? Carcer would bet his last gold galleon on Alice vaporizing[/s] them.

Still, it was not the time to dwell on such things. Jay wasn’t hurt any more, and seemed to be fairly happy, which was good. Phil, Carcer knew, was in Brazil, while Andy was still here. And Mrs. Longbottom had taken up a job at Hogwarts. The only immediate family member left was Natalia, who worked at St. Mungo’s and was apparently still with James. Something that surprised Carcer, given how James had always acted with girls. Carcer couldn’t help but grin at Jay’s last line. “My dad told me your temper would be worse when you finally lost it, because you hold the world up to a higher standard than your dad did when he was your age.”

His smile faded a bit as he put one hand—or rather, half a hand—on Jay’s shoulder. “I waited a long time to call your sister mine. I can’t promise never to hurt her, everyone fights sometimes, but I can promise I will never intend to hurt her. I love her too much for that. In fact, before I thought I had a chance, I was close to tearing James apart for making her feel the way he did.” He smiled again at that. He was….so lucky that she’d chosen him, when she could do so much better.

@henry

[Deleted]

@carcerronaldhagrid

“My dad told me your temper would be worse when you finally lost it, because you hold the world up to a higher standard than your dad did when he was your age.” jay laughed when carcer said his dad had told him about his temper. did everyone think he had one? heck he wasn't even sure about it. his dad was convinced and so was his mother but jay had never been angry enough in his life to hurt anyone. he'd never even been angry enough to think about hurting anyone. even thinking about the people who had hurt him wasn't enough to test his temper. "everyone seems to think this but me!" he said as he folded his arms over his chest as he stopped himself from laughing. he had never thought of himself as someone people didn't want to cross, ever. sure he wanted to become an auror but he didn't think it would change his views on the world. second chances were not a myth and people could change. it was possible and not everyone who was on the dark side was evil. he was sure of that.

when the conversation turned to alice he looked at carcers hand when he laid it on his shoulder, well tried to lay it on his shoulder. being a half giant meant that was difficult but he tried. “I waited a long time to call your sister mine. I can’t promise never to hurt her, everyone fights sometimes, but I can promise I will never intend to hurt her. I love her too much for that. In fact, before I thought I had a chance, I was close to tearing James apart for making her feel the way he did.” he nodded slightly. he knew that carcer meant that, he didn't think that carcer could hurt anything unless pushed to do so. he looked up at him and looked him square in the face. "i know. it's been something i thought you two would do for ages but she was always so hung up on james." he said as he ran his hand through his hair and he sighed a little. "yeah james .. it wasn't his fault really. trust me i joked about going all brother like on him and dad pointed out that he hadn't actually done anything wrong .. but still. the thought was there" he said as he reached up to pat carcers hand. "just look after her okay? she deserves someone like you, someone kind who'll treat her right" he said, with a good natured grin added to the end. "and someone whose shoulders she can sit on cause she's kind of a short one isn't she" he joked as he folded his arms again.

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Jayden was always a very forgiving sort of person, much more passive than most Gryffindors. That was why Carcer's dad had told him that Jay would be a force if pushed. Neville Longbottom had been much the same way, willing to forgive and forget...but when sufficiently angered. Well. He didn't much like to remember the destruction at the castle, nor how quickly and easily Neville and Harry had dispatched their attackers. But Neville certainly hit larger numbers than Harry by utilizing his plants. Phil whad the same way with plants, but Jay apparently wasn't interested in them. Which might make him less dangerous. Still, Carcer shook his head in negation.

“James wasn't under any obligation to return her feelings, I agree with that. But not acknowledging them and discussing them with her? Failing to even notice them? Those things are wrong and he should be held accountable for them. But...that's not my job.” No, his job was to keep her as happy as he could himself. And given everything they'd done recently, he could only believe she was happy. Surely she would let him know if she wasn't.

He laughed at Jay's joke and shrugged. “Next to me, everyone's short. I'm even taller than Dad.” Truthfully, he was probably as tall as a half-giant could get. He looked at Jayden for a moment, considering the things Alice had told him. Finally, he reached out to poke the Gyrffindor in the shoulder. “You giving me the brother talk because Casey gave it to you, or has he not found out he needs to just yet?” Oh yes, he knew enough about Jay's interactions with one Saoirse Finnigan.

@henry

[Deleted]

@carcerronaldhagrid

“James wasn't under any obligation to return her feelings, I agree with that. But not acknowledging them and discussing them with her? Failing to even notice them? Those things are wrong and he should be held accountable for them. But...that's not my job.” jay nodded slightly and folded he folded his arms across his chest and huffed out a sigh. "no that's my job. but dad made me promise not to go after james unless he did something to hurt alice .. something worse than not having feelings for her. " he said as he frowned slightly. he still didn't see how james could have missed it. he himself had seen that sao had liked him for longer than they'd been going out. he'd had a crush on her since their first year but he'd always been too afraid to tell her. love was one of those confusing things that didn't make sense, not to the people looking at it or to the people feeling it either. it was just one of those things.

“Next to me, everyone's short. I'm even taller than Dad.” he grinned a little and nodded slightly. while he'd never surpass carcer in height, he was sure that he was going to grow taller than his dad. right now he was all leg according to his mother but he was starting to fill out. he'd been training hard for quidditch over the last year and it had paid off by adding a decent amount of bulk to his frame and it had earned him the title of captain so he figured it was all worth the hard work it had been. "well i don't think i'll ever get taller than you .. but my dad. i can get taller than him. i'm not far off it now" he said as he looked up at carcer. there was a moment of silence between them as they both stood there, considering but carcer moved and spoke first, poking one of his fingers lightly into jay's shoulder. “You giving me the brother talk because Casey gave it to you, or has he not found out he needs to just yet?” he couldn't help the laugh that escaped him. he hadn't actually spoken to casey since him and sao had started dating but she had. he seemed okay with it but jay was sure there was a talk coming. "it has nothing to do with casey buddy" he said with a grin as he shrugged his shoulders. "but i expect i'll get one from him in the new year. he's been busy since he left school and he's been really sick the last few weeks so i don't think he'll be able to come warn me off his sister before the new year" he said as his grin fell slightly. he knew how worried sao had been about her brother and it had worried him a little too. he didn't like knowing she was upset and he couldn't do anything to make it better.

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It was amusing, to Carcer, to see Jay’s annoyed response on the subject of one James Potter. Not because Jay wasn’t intimidating—very, very few people were, to someone like Carcer—but because it was hard to reconcile this whole protective streak with his memories of the kid. Jayden Longbottom mostly stood out in his mind for his ability to pack away food almost as well as Carcer, for his enthusiasm and endless energy, Quidditch or otherwise, and for that nice streak that his dad said was a lot like Neville would have been if given the chance.

Jayden expressed hope that he would get taller than his father. Neville was very close to half of Carcer’s height, not the tallest, but certainly up there. He realized that Jayden was right. The kid had never really felt as large as his father, and that’s why Carcer had missed it. Neville had a quiet sort of authority with him, something brought on by his personality and the weight of his experience. It was like, when he entered the room, he was suddenly the leader of the people in that room, without effort on his part. Jayden still lacked that sort of presence, which made him feel smaller than his dad. But physically, he was pretty close in height.

Carcer blinked upon learning Casey was sick. “I hadn’t heard,” he said, annoyed with himself. Casey was one of his friends from school, and he’d not known at all about him being badly sick. He could tell by Jayden’s expression that Casey’s sickness was not an easy one. “It’s been too long since I’ve seen him anyway. I’ll go pay him a visit tomorrow, I think.” Whatever sickness he had, Carcer was almost guaranteed to be immune to it.

Nothing too be done about it now, though. Carcer refocused back to the here and now. “How’s things at the castle with the tournament going on? I heard the first task had some spectacular displays of insanity.” Something about a pretty boy from Beauxbatons climbing over a tree that should have killed him and almost did.

@henry

[Deleted]

@carcerronaldhagrid

“I hadn’t heard, It’s been too long since I’ve seen him anyway. I’ll go pay him a visit tomorrow, I think.” he nodded slightly as carcer talked about going to see him. he'd have gone to see him himself but he hadn't thought seeing your girlfriends brother would be a good enough reason to leave school over one of the weekends, so he was going to wait till the holidays and if sao was going to see him he'd ask to tag along. "i think he's still in saint mungo's? i know sao said something about him being allowed home but i'm not sure" he said as he scratched the back of his head. "he had dragon pox, well has." he added for clariffication encase carcer was wondering. it wasn't like it was a huge secret anyway so he didn't think there was a problem with him telling the other male.

“How’s things at the castle with the tournament going on? I heard the first task had some spectacular displays of insanity.” oh the tournament! well that had been a great thing to watch. even though he was going to be cheering for hogwarts and for anna during the duration of the contest, he had to admit that emile had done a pretty spectacular job in the maze. the durmstrang champion had too but he hadn't done as well as anna or emile. "it was amazing! so intense. emile did a good job of cementing to people that his humongous ego might just be a little bit justified" he said with a laugh as he folded his arms across his chest in a relaxed way. "are you going to try and watch the next two tasks?" he asked as he dropped his arms from his chest to his sides. "want to sit and get a drink and a bite to eat? my shout." he said with a grin as he felt his stomach growl. "i'm starving." he said with a wide grin on his face.

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Carcer nodded at Jay’s words. So he’d probably check in at St. Mungo’s first, then pay a visit to the Finnigans if Casey had already been released. Dragon pox? Nasty bit, that. Once more he was thankful for being nigh-invulnerable. He definitely had to visit his friend.

If only a poke a little bit of fun at him being green.

Emile was the Beauxbatons champion, Carcer assumed. He knew the French school had come in first in the First Task, at any rate. He couldn’t say he knew Emile personally, though. Well, perhaps he would have time to catch the Second Task. Though for the eternally patient Jayden Longbottom to describe Emile as having a huge ego probably meant he was actually a smug little toerag who needed to be put in his place.

Jayden offered to pay for his lunch, claiming he was starving Carcer laughed out loud. “Word of advice, Jay: Never offer to pay for a half-giant’s lunch. And you’re almost as bad as one yourself, I remember you packing it away. So thank you, but I’ll pay for lunch.” Jay’s family was wealthy, but that didn’t mean Jay himself was just walking around with a pocketful of Galleons, and it would be rude to spend that much of his money besides. Carcer, on the other hand, had a reasonably well-paying job, on top of a very hefty bonus for having saved a great deal of treasure and four other Cursebreakers from a shrinking curse. It was certainly a start—he now had his own vault in Gringott’s, and a tidy sum there.

“Come on, let’s order and then you can tell me how Saoirse has been.”

@henry (mwahahaha, now let the battle of “I’ll pay” “no I’ll pay” commence! THIS IS HOW NICE GUYS BATTLE)

[Deleted]

@carcerronaldhagrid

“Word of advice, Jay: Never offer to pay for a half-giant’s lunch. And you’re almost as bad as one yourself, I remember you packing it away. So thank you, but I’ll pay for lunch.” jay grinned and rolled his eyes slightly. he could pack it away. he was sure he'd be able to eat probably as much as what carcer could on a really good day, if he skipped breakfast. though the only times he skipped that meal were when he felt like he was dying which thankfully didn't happen all that often. he shrugged his shoulders and fell slightly into step with carcer, taking two steps to the half giant's one. "i asked you to come get lunch. i'll pay. don't argue. i'll tell you now, arguing with a longbottom is just asking for trouble." he said with a grin as he half skipped to keep up the pace. when they found a place and found seats, jay kneeled on the one he had chosen. he'd sit in a moment but he was going to look at the menu and for some reason he felt like sitting on his knees, so he did.

“Come on, let’s order and then you can tell me how Saoirse has been.” jay's smiled turned soft at the thought of his girlfriend and he rested his chin on his hands, his elbows on the table as he leaned against it. he ordered the food he wanted and looked at carcer again. "she's great. well apart from being worried about casey and everything else... i mean she's kind of nervous about the tournament and she's worried about what's going to happen .. " he said as he chewed his lip. "maybe she isn't so great after all ... " he mused softly as he sat back on the chair he'd been sitting on and he folded his arms against the table. he didn't like it. he wanted her to be happy and relaxed and just enjoying their time at the school but things just seemed to keep happening. "though i have big plans to ask her to the yule ball .. so hopefully they cheer her up."