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last online May 18, 2024 15:14:03 GMT -7
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Sept 19, 2017 19:07:45 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Sept 19, 2017 19:07:45 GMT -7
Luke arrived in London mid-morning today. He had done his best to sleep on the airplane so he wouldn't be jet lagged when he landed at Heathrow International Airport. he still was exhausted by the time he claimed all of his bags and made it through customs. Plus, he had never flown on an airplane before and found the whole thing rather exciting. It had taken a majority of his savings to get him here and find himself somewhere to stay. He found a room to rent starting tomorrow night for fairly cheap on a weekly lease so when he finally found an actual apartment and a job he wouldn't have to worry about getting out of the lease.
For the first night, however, he was staying in one of the only places he knew in London, somewhere his mom and looked up for him: the Leaky Cauldron. The pub was the entrance to the main wizarding hub in London: Diagon Alley which had several side streets off of the main one. It was on this street that he hoped to find a place to live, maybe someone was looking for a roommate. And he also hoped that from word of mouth he could figure out 1) where was hiring, and, 2) how to get to Hogwarts or at least nearby. He had heard there was a village nearby that he figured was his best bet at meeting his siblings. The only problem was, he had no idea what they looked like. He knew their last name and that was it.
The American county boy walked into the pub, 2 duffel bags and a wheel-y suitcase in tow. It was different, not exactly what he expected, but also, it wasn't so different from some of the dive bars back in South Carolina. He walked up to the counter and told the bartender that he had a room on reserve and wanted to check in. The bartender responded that it would be ready soon and he was welcome to have a drink in the meantime. "Uh sure I'll take a beer." he nodded. He sat down at the counter, tucked his bags around his stood and took the bottle he was offered, nodding his thanks to the bartender.
Outfit
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last online May 17, 2024 15:54:02 GMT -7
HOGWARTS CAMPUS STAFF
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Sept 19, 2017 20:53:52 GMT -7
Post by parvati patil macmillan on Sept 19, 2017 20:53:52 GMT -7
Stepping out as far as London during the school year was a rarity for Parvati; what little time she got to herself was typically spent around the castle, but she found herself having to run an errand to Diagon Alley. By force of habit, she found herself at the Leaky Cauldron, though it felt incredibly strange not to see Hannah there. She hadn't heard much lately in the way of updates on Neville's health, which was admittedly concerning to her, though she held her breath that no news was good news—or, at the very least, it was better than the worst.
Her shopping bags in hand, Parvati didn't intend to stay at the pub for very long. She had work that she needed to get done back at the castle, but she supposed that she could stay long enough to have a quick cup of tea. The change of scenery was something that she appreciated, not that her work was of the variety that she would have had the luxury of being able to find a table and sit down for very long.
She approached the bar just in time to notice a young man of about twenty with what appeared to be quite a number of bags with him. Although not intending to eavesdrop by any means, Parvati did notice him mentioning that he had reserved a room already. By his accent, he certainly sounded American, which became particularly apparent as he hesitated while ordering a beer.
“Is this your first time in Britain?” Parvati asked politely, hoping that she wouldn't startle him. Looking at him, he seemed tired, as though he had only just arrived.
@luke
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last online May 18, 2024 15:14:03 GMT -7
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Sept 20, 2017 9:46:42 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Sept 20, 2017 9:46:42 GMT -7
Luke hadn't been paying attention to who was coming or leave the pub. He had been taking inventory of some of the people who were already sat down. People looked a little different here, maybe it was a fashion thing. or the way that they carried themselves, but it was striking at first. He was obviously not in America anymore. The bar here looked familiar, though, he'd seen several dive bars like this back in South Carolina. There was nothing, at least to the eye, different about this particular eye. He'd have to be sure to ask someone how to access the Alley from here, likely just the bartender or whoever showed him to his room.
There was a steady stream of people coming into the pub, it was early evening after all and he guessed that people were getting off work and fancied a drink before heading home to their families or whatever was waiting for them. There was definitely a bit of culture shock in the whole situation. People sounded different, drinks had different names on the menu about the bar. Cars outside were driving on the wrong side of the road. And older woman walked up the bar and after what seemed like one look she had figured him out. He didn't blame her. He stuck out like a sore thumb. "Yeah, I just got off the plane this morning." he nodded with a friendly smile, happy for a little conversation, especially from someone who at least seemed friendly enough. "Pretty obvious aren't I?" he asked with a chuckle and then took another swig of his drink.
parvati patil macmillan
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last online May 17, 2024 15:54:02 GMT -7
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Sept 20, 2017 11:09:46 GMT -7
Post by parvati patil macmillan on Sept 20, 2017 11:09:46 GMT -7
The young man mentioned having gotten off of a plane that morning, which surprised Parvati from the standpoint that he hadn't used some means of magical transportation, though she figured that an airplane might have been a quicker option for him—and one that didn't risk his getting horribly Splinched. He asked, then, rhetorically, if his foreignness was “pretty obvious” to her.
Parvati ordered her tea and then answered the young man with a slight laugh. “A bit,” she told him good-naturedly, taking a seat at the next stool over. “Are you here on holiday, then?” Summer hadn't arrived quite yet, but it seemed likely because he appeared to have made arrangements in advance of his arrival.
@luke
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last online May 18, 2024 15:14:03 GMT -7
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Sept 20, 2017 13:31:45 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Sept 20, 2017 13:31:45 GMT -7
She admitted that he was obvious and he didn't really care, but he gave a nod anyway. He had never before appreciated how weird it was to be from another country. In America he knew he had been born and raised there. He was an American boy and even more than that, he was from the South, a place that praised itself for it's strong connection to History and the country. And while Luke didn't agree with a lot of Southerners, he certainly was proud of where he came from and kept a strong feeling of patriotism to his home country. He gave a tip of his glass towards her to acknowledge what she had said and kept his same goofy, Southern smile.
She asked if he was on Holiday, which, he took as he asking if he was on vacation or visiting. He'd have to get used to the British slang. He knew they said some words differently here, he just hoped he'd still be able to communicate fine. "No, I just moved here. I'm here for good, or at least for the foreseeable future." he said. "Name's Luke Maebury." he introduced himself, Southerners were friendly folk and Luke thought it would be good to make some friends early on. People who could help him.
parvati patil macmillan
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last online May 17, 2024 15:54:02 GMT -7
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Sept 20, 2017 14:31:45 GMT -7
Post by parvati patil macmillan on Sept 20, 2017 14:31:45 GMT -7
“No,” answered the young man. “I just moved here.” It was slightly unexpected, by his appearance and the fact that this was his first time in Britain, but Parvati supposed that everyone had to start somewhere. “I'm here for good,” he added, “or at least for the foreseeable future.”
He then introduced himself to her. “Name's Luke Maebury.”
Parvati did likewise with a small smile. “Parvati Macmillan,” she spoke, still awaiting her tea. If he was moving to Britain permanently, she guessed that he had probably dealt with the Department of International Magical Cooperation at some stage of the process, though she was doubtful that he had ever had to correspond with Padma directly.
Either way, he seemed too young to be able to recognize her as having been a member of Dumbledore's Army, at least without her giving her maiden name. There was no way that he would have been old enough to have been even an infant at the time of the war, so—for him—Parvati recognized that she was any other stranger.
@luke
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last online May 18, 2024 15:14:03 GMT -7
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Sept 21, 2017 12:48:02 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Sept 21, 2017 12:48:02 GMT -7
She introduced herself as Parvati MacMillian. A name that he had never heard before, but that wasn't saying much. He wasn't very well versed in English Wizard culture. He knew the stories of Harry Potter of course, as every child did. But since none of it really took place in America it wasn't something that they spent a lot of time talking about in school. They covered it in History of Magic during their fourth year and that was about it. "So what do you do, Parvati MacMillian?" he asked her taking another swig of his beer, noting the difference in taste of English draft. He was just making polite conversation with the woman, she had sat next to him, however, he didn't want to be seen as rude for asking her about her life without actually having known her for more than 5 minutes.
He knew he had to get a job, and that was part of the reason he asked. Maybe it would give him some sort of inspiration. Both of his parents worked for the United States Magical Congress. He wasn't sure if he was even allowed to work for the Ministry of Magic since he wasn't a British citizen. He was here on a year long Work Visa. He had to find a job soon otherwise things wouldn't work out well for him. It was also possible, however, that he could get her to tell him about Hogwarts or that village nearby, which was his ideal place to work and live since it would put him close to his siblings.
parvati patil macmillan
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last online May 17, 2024 15:54:02 GMT -7
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Sept 21, 2017 13:38:43 GMT -7
Post by parvati patil macmillan on Sept 21, 2017 13:38:43 GMT -7
“So what do you do, Parvati Macmillan?”
“Please,” Parvati smiled, feeling slightly uncomfortable at his use of both her first and last names in what was otherwise a casual conversation, “call me Parvati.”
Her tea now brought over to her, she began to add milk to it. “And I work at Hogwarts,” she explained. “I'm the school counselor there.” Luke must have known about Hogwarts, at least. Given its hosting the Triwizard Tournament, Parvati was certain that the school would have made it into the American newspapers. They must have known something, she imagined, about Elaine Dupree, too.
“Wouldn't need it if that bint hadn't gone mad and killed those Muggle-borns,” slurred a gruff-looking warlock behind them.
He had a point, Parvati thought, though bringing that up was a surefire way of dissuading anyone from starting a life for themselves in Britain. Subtly rolling her eyes behind the individual's back before looking reassuringly over to Luke, Parvati was quick to make sure that the scaremongering wouldn't take hold. “Don't mind him,” she stated firmly, resting her hand on the countertop. “The Ministry have got Aurors on patrol where necessary. You've got nothing to worry about, Luke.” She knew the Minister for Magic herself, after all.
@luke
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last online May 18, 2024 15:14:03 GMT -7
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Sept 22, 2017 11:01:44 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Sept 22, 2017 11:01:44 GMT -7
She insisted that he call her by her first name and he gave a polite nod of appreciation to that. He had always been taught to respect his elders, not that she was old, but she was certainly older than him. And especially after she told him what she did for a living he felt she deserved respect. All teachers and people who worked with kids all day, everyday needed it. Not to mention just everyone in general. She worked at Hogwarts! Awesome! Perhaps she really could tell him all he needed to know. He even pondered bringing up the fact that he had siblings there and trying to figure out if she knew them. She could be the in he needed. He wasn't sure how else he was going to meet them. He had no idea what they looked like. He didn't even know their first names. A boy and a girl with the last name that he originally had: Linley. That was all he knew. He couldn't imagine that there were many students there with that surname. He would have been surprised if there were more than the two.
When she said what it was that she did, a wizard from behind them, who, by Luke's calculations had already had a sizable amount to drink before the sun had even gone down, insisted that Hogwarts wouldn't need her if it weren't for the muggle-born killings. Of course he had read about it in the newspaper. And it was something that his mother obsessed about when he told her that he was moving to the UK. He was strong, though, not that he thought he could take them all on himself, but he was brave in the face of challenges in order to protect the people that he loved. That was why he was sorted into Wampus house, the house of the warriors. Parvati then went on the explain that they ministry had seen to it already and had measures in place to protect the wizarding population.
"I'm sure the students appreciate having you, of course, especially with the circumstances." he nodded. He wanted to say that he hadn't really been worried about Elaine Dupree or any of her followers, but he wasn't sure why? Perhaps because he was a pureblood. But he knew that wouldn't matter since he would have sided on the side of the Order, had he known how to do so. But right now, his biggest concern was to find his siblings. "So what's Hogwarts like?" he asked. "I'm sure it's different in comparison to Ilvermorny. How's the tournament been going? I've read about the first 2 tasks, has the third happened yet?" he asked. He knew neither of his siblings were involved in the tournament, but he also had read enough to know that the tournament really did have an effect on the whole school.
parvati patil macmillan
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last online May 17, 2024 15:54:02 GMT -7
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Sept 22, 2017 11:39:09 GMT -7
Post by parvati patil macmillan on Sept 22, 2017 11:39:09 GMT -7
Luke expressed that the students must have been appreciative of her presence at Hogwarts as someone to whom they could turn, given the circumstances—Elaine Dupree and the others who must have had some involvement.
“So what's Hogwarts like? I'm sure it's different in comparison to Ilvermorny.” He was probably right about that, Parvati considered, though she had never visited the North American school to know for herself how much the two actually differed.
Before she could answer that things had been busy at the castle, owing to the Triwizard Tournament, Luke brought it up on his own. “How's the tournament been going?” he asked. “I've read about the first two tasks,” he added, wondering, “has the third happened yet?”
“No, not yet,” Parvati informed him with a small smile. If there were any copies of the Daily Prophet from the past few days still floating around the pub, Parvati thought, he would be able to read all about the latest preparations.
“It's been an exciting year,” she continued after a sip of tea, although that was saying the least. If anything was going to be out of the ordinary at Hogwarts, a year spent forging bonds with other magical schools was better than nearly all alternatives. “I've enjoyed it, getting to see another Triwizard Tournament.”
@luke
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last online May 18, 2024 15:14:03 GMT -7
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Sept 25, 2017 10:14:16 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Sept 25, 2017 10:14:16 GMT -7
The third task hadn't happened yet, he nodded when she said that. He knew it was happening in April sometime but he wasn't quite sure when exactly. He had been so busy in preparations to move halfway around the world recently that he hadn't kept up on a lot of news. He was sure if anything deadly or dangerous happened then he would have heard about it, but since he hadn't he hadn't really thought about a lot of news. "Oh good, maybe I'll stop by and watch it then. It should be interesting seeing the winner announced." he nodded. She said that it was good to see another tri-wizard tournament and he began to put two-and-two together. She was old enough to have been involved in the previous one, the one during which a Hogwarts student died and the Dark Lord truly returned to the wizarding world. Luke's parents had also lived through the event, but, like him, across the Atlantic. From what he heard, America seemed like a different planet in comparison to the UK during the second Wizarding war in the late 90's. "How old were you for the last one?" he asked, hoping he wasn't coming across as rude. He knew it was taboo to ever ask a woman about her age. It wasn't as though he was trying to figure out how old she was now, he just wanted to know if she could have been involved in the events that followed the tournament: Dumbledore's Army, the war, etc.
parvati patil macmillan
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last online May 17, 2024 15:54:02 GMT -7
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Sept 25, 2017 14:26:42 GMT -7
Post by parvati patil macmillan on Sept 25, 2017 14:26:42 GMT -7
“Oh, good,” Luke acknowledged, adding that maybe he would stop by and watch it, then. “It should be interesting seeing the winner announced.” It would be, Parvati was in agreement, though she kept her fingers crossed that the winner would be Anna.
Opportunities for attendance for the general public were few and far between, she knew, and what few seats that were available were generally reserved for Ministry officials or others with direct connections to the Tournament—the families of the Champions or the press, for example. She couldn't say with any certainty that he wouldn't be allowed to spectate, because stranger things had happened, but security was much tighter than Luke seemed to believe.
“How old were you for the last one?”
Parvati hoped that the question had come because she appeared to him to be younger than her actual age, though she wasn't offended. Anyone who was from Britain or knew their history well enough could have figured out her age—give or take a year, perhaps—just by knowing that she had been in the same year as Harry Potter.
“It was my fourth year,” she replied to him, nodding. It didn't feel as though it had been such a long time since then, but, then again, it had been a while. “My sons and my niece and nephew are all at Hogwarts now,” she explained, “so it's nice, living vicariously through them whilst I can.”
@luke
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last online May 18, 2024 15:14:03 GMT -7
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Sept 25, 2017 19:59:09 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Sept 25, 2017 19:59:09 GMT -7
Luke had been thinking since she told him that she was the guidance councilor that she could be very beneficial in his efforts to contact his siblings. She would know the school and likely she would know the two students. But more than that, she could likely even mediate a meeting if he asked her about it. He wasn't going to, not yet anyway. He wanted to get settled first and not have to stress about them at the same time that he was working on finding work and a place to live. He wanted to have all of that under his belt before he began to try and contact them. However it didn't hurt to plant the seeds.
She was in her 4th year when the last tournament occurred, making her the same age as Harry Potter was, if he remembered correctly. He couldn't remember exactly how old the man was, but he knew he was in his early-to-mid 40's. With them being the same age, the likelihood that she was involved in such historical and profound events was likely. As was likely her disdain about having to go through it all again. She mentioned that her sons and other relationships were currently at Hogwarts and she was happy to be able to live vicariously through them. He nodded along with that. "My siblings are there so I'm excited to hear about what they thought about the whole thing." he told her, finishing his bottle but not eager to have another.
parvati patil macmillan
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last online May 17, 2024 15:54:02 GMT -7
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Sept 25, 2017 20:28:37 GMT -7
Post by parvati patil macmillan on Sept 25, 2017 20:28:37 GMT -7
“My siblings are there,” Luke told her then, “so I'm excited to hear about what they thought about the whole thing.”
Parvati nodded, trying to place who his siblings must have been. He had said that his name was Luke May—something or other. She had to consider that it was entirely possible that he had changed his name or that his siblings had a different surname than his, because she knew that she would have remembered it.
“Your siblings are at Hogwarts?” she asked, seeking clarification after another sip of her tea. Parvati didn't want to sound wary of him and whether or not he was who he claimed to be, but she knew that she had to exercise an abundance of caution.
His siblings could have been, she supposed, students belonging to the delegations of Beauxbatons or Durmstrang, too, which could have accounted for why she couldn't place them. She knew her Gryffindors best, though she couldn't recall that she had ever heard Luke's name before in her conversations with any of the other students, either.
@luke
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last online May 18, 2024 15:14:03 GMT -7
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Sept 26, 2017 17:16:35 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Sept 26, 2017 17:16:35 GMT -7
Luke didn't blame her about being curious about his situation. It was odd, he knew. And he could only imagine how very sketchy it sounded. An obviously American boy insisting that he had siblings at an exclusively UK academy. However, since he had already brought it up, he knew the conversation would go on, and he wasn't worried about talking about it. He was fairly confident, not only that she would be able to assist him in reconnecting with the two Linley children, but that she also would keep his quest a secret until he was ready to dedicate more time to it. "Well I was adopted. And it turned out that my biological parents had two more kids a few years after I was adopted. And somehow they ended up here in the UK..." he wasn't entirely sure how they had got here or why they had moved. But he knew that the two Linley children were listed on the Hogwarts roaster that his parents had located for him through their own jobs with MACUSA. "Sorry, I wasn't planning on spilling my life story to a stranger in the pub." he admitted. Maybe one drink was more than he needed. Not that he was normally a light weight. A Farmhand like himself could normally knock a few beers back and still be able to get himself home. However, he hadn't eaten much over the past 24 hours and was extremely tired.
parvati patil macmillan
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