Fortune Favors the Bold [ARCHIE]

[Deleted]

february 1st, 2026

Frank normally avoided the Great Hall when it was crowded.  The ghosts of his memories there with Catriona, though decades past, were still fresh in his memory.  Even when he took his place at the staff table at the Welcome Feast, as was his duty, and found his children in the crowds, he couldn't erase it.  He didn't want to.  Mercifully, after the Welcome Feast, most professors were not required to take their meals in the Great Hall, and Frank always found an excuse to miss the busiest times, only quietly coming in to take a plate back to his quarters.

Today though his leg hurt worse than usual, and he didn't feel particularly keen to climb the staircases with a plate of food back to his quarters.  His children had obviously eaten earlier, for he did not see their telltale golden hair in the hall when he got his food.  So he made his way to the Staff Room, grunting slightly as he limped along.   It was empty, mercifully, so he took a seat furthest from the door and pulled out a book.  He was teaching Ancient History, a newer course offered at the school, but one he knew and loved well already.  His time with his father on the digs around the world had reminded him that, though he would never go back to being an Auror, he still had a passion inside him, however low the flicker may be.  He was soon lost in his book, eating slowly so that perhaps his leg pain would ease before he had to climb the steps, and he didn't notice when someone else entered the staff room.

octavian archimedes vector jr.

[octavian archimedes vector jr.]

the darker the weather

the better the man

February 1, 2026
@frank

Archie was often questioned about his previous career as a Cursebreaker and then at the Museum, but it all felt like a past life to him now. Did he miss it? At times, but then he just had to remember those last few jobs and how they’d shaken him so badly he’d decided to stop and pursue something else. Working at the Museum had been quiet, and after his father had died, it caused him to reevaluate what he wanted. It was never too late to start over—in his opinion. He supposed it was from a wish deep down. Wishing that his own father had stopped, he reevaluated and started over. But, unfortunately, now Archie was doomed to crave the validation he would never be able to receive.

Over his tenure here, he saw students come and ago, and the staff was mostly comprised of former Cursebreakers now. Entering the staff room, he noted a new face, but not unfamiliar. Frank Lancaster joined them recently—though what Archie knew of him was through word of mouth than from the man himself. Archie had already eaten dinner but noted the book he was reading. ”Good Evening, Frank.” He spoke though not too loud, a small smile on his face. Archie hoped he hadn’t interrupted him, but it wasn’t often they got to chat. This year had brought new Professors all around for History of Magic, Charms, Muggle Studies, and now Ancient History—a class Archie wished had been taught when he was a student.

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[Deleted]

Frank nodded as Archie greeted him. Archie was one of several former Cursebreakers turned teachers, and he expected that many of them had similar lines of thinking to him when he decided to pursue teaching instead of his Auror career. Though perhaps not quite the same. “Evening Archie,” he grunted in reply. He read to the end of the page in his book, then closed it somewhat reluctantly. He’d made his twins a promise when he came to the school to try and be more social around adults, as he had become a recluse in the year since Catriona had died. He was still having trouble starting conversations however, so he supposed this was a start.

“Did I miss anything at dinner?” he asked curiously. He found the Great Hall to be too full of memories of his time here with Cat, and he was not ready to face those ghosts just yet. “I hope my twins don’t cause any trouble,” he added with a gruff chuckle. He sometimes worried about Caillen - she had set fire to her mothers garden after she had failed to keep it alive after her death. He knew she was hurting, and that she was angry with him for shrinking into himself afterwards. He had handled the year after the Quidditch explosions badly, and he was still trying to make up for it.

octavian archimedes vector jr.

[octavian archimedes vector jr.]

the darker the weather

the better the man

February 1, 2026
@frank

Archie took a seat relatively near Frank but not close enough to disturb him. In the chair next to him, he placed his bag with essays that required looking over. His seventh years were completing a mountain of NEWT assignments in preparation for their exams. But after a brief pause and moment of silence, he heard Frank move and speak again. It wasn’t expected, but it wasn’t unwanted either. Archie considered himself a relatively sociable person though easy-going enough to not be incredibly loud.

”The usual things.” It was pretty typical. Even the random pumpkin pastry flying from one table to the other was typical these days. ”A particularly loud prank on a few Hufflepuff first years but otherwise normal.” A harmless prank, but the Gryffindor and Slytherin that had teamed up were handled by their respective Heads of Houses. Something told Archie that Parvati would be much more merciful than Blaise would be. Frank inquired about his children, who were sixth years at the school. Archie gave him an encouraging grin. ”Not at all. At least in my class.” He couldn’t recall anything in particular in terms of trouble. Mentally he wondered if they behaved better than his own twin half-sisters. They were in the same year, and his brothers were in their fourth year. Though Archie and Nova weren’t particularly close to them. ”I think everybody is ready for the first Quidditch match.”

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