#p:antonin

[mr-gideon-prewett]

No Sympathy for the Devil || Gideon, Anton & Remus || April 8th, 1979 || Through the Looking Glass

Date: April 8th, 1979 Time: 4:30pm Location: St Mungo's Children's Ward (initially)

Standing next to the photographer was a blessing, it meant that for the moment, no one cared about him for the moment. Or about how he looked at the two people that were currently at the centre of everyone’s attention. Better, one of the two. If Antonin was uncomfortable around children (babies with runny noses in particular) he was good at hiding it. If Gideon was right about the man, he was indeed a master of disguise.

Ever since Fabian had voiced his suspicion, Gid had been on edge. Just being at work, knowing that this devil was onlya few doors down the hall made him nauseous. Whenever they met somewhere at the office, he was polite, tried to hide his true feelings, made small talk and gave instructions concerning the campaign. While all of him screamed at him to just turn around and run, to bring as many miles between himself and that man as possible.

He still didn’t remember much from that night, almost two years ago. Sometimes there were flashes, not so much real memories, but sensations. He remembered the heavy breathing right next to his left ear, puffs of air on his skin, a firm, cruel hand gripping the back of his neck holding him down. Sometimes he believed to remember the pain, but he wasn’t sure if that was a true memory, or if it was because he knew there had been pain. Gideon was certain there was more at night, in his dreams when his unconscious made him relive all the worst moments of his life, night after night, after night. Every once in a while, he woke up with the hint of a memory, but they always faded once he tried to grasp them, usually gone completely before long.

“Alright, I think we’ve got everything we need.” Right. His job. He was here to do his job, among other things. Gideon forced himself back into reality, wiping his hands together and plastering a big smile on his face. “Wonderful. That was fun, wasn’t it?” About half the people in the room, some of the children included looked like they’d like to object, but Gideon ignored it and turned towards the photographer. “I’d like the results of this on my desk tomorrow morning, so I can go through them see what we can use. All the results, mind you. I don’t want Ms Skeeter to get her grabby hands on anything I didn’t approve of.” Facing a girl with a clipboard next to him (What was she again? An intern, an assistant he didn’t ask for? Anyway.) he continued without a pause. “Amy –“ “Annie, sir.” She said quietly. “Annie,” he corrected himself, internally cursing his own stupidity and his apparent inability to remember names. “would you wrap this up for me and get everyone back to the Ministry, while Mr Dolohov and I go over some of the details again? We’ll join you later.” Annie nodded eagerly, happy to be trusted with such a ‘responsible’ task. “Great, thank you. And good job, everyone else, thank you all so much for participating.”

Without waiting for any responses, Gideon gestured for Antonin to follow him out the door and into the hallway. This was it. Remus was waiting for them outside by the back door. His job was to get Dolohov there, away from any potential witnesses. Then they’d knock him out and take him to the bunker. An easy plan, foolproof even. So far, the only obstacle was to get their ‘victim’ there without him getting suspicious. “I hope you don’t mind talking about this outside. I need a cigarette.” His voice was casual, not overly friendly, but not unkind either. And yet, it took everything he had to keep it that way. The hallway was empty except for them and Gideon felt a cold shiver run down his spine and his hands were shaking, so he stuffed them into his pockets. “You did rather well in there, I wouldn’t have expected it.”

It too them less than two minutes to reach the door, but they felt like an eternity. Pull yourself together, Prewett. What are you? A coward? Gideon grit his teeth. What was wrong with him? He wasn’t usually one to be afraid of someone, especially not someone who was barely more than a boy. But he couldn’t deny that Antonin made him more than just a little nervous. Yet, he somehow managed a polite smile when he opened the door and waved the other man through. “After you.”

[lionhearted-marlene]

Something about it had been off from the start. Something just hadn’t felt quite right.

It might not have been the first time her parents had invited someone over for dinner, that was for sure, but whenever it were only one guest or maybe two, it had been close friends to the family. Strangers had only ever been invited to balls and bigger events.

But that night, there was a stranger in the McKinnon house and he was the only guest to be seen… and this just didn’t feel quite right to Marlene.

Her parents were also acting strange. They were more cheery and talkative than they usually were - not that her parents were normally grumpy and silent, but… not like this. They nearly seemed excited, but what for? Marlene couldn’t tell and they had certainly not told her - otherwise she would not be sitting in their dining room right then, wondering just why exactly this man in front of her was a good enough reason for her to dress up the way she had. Because Marlene wasn’t wearing just any dress - she was wearing one of the best and most expensive she owned and knowing her mother it was to show herself off. But what for? It just didn’t make any sense at all.

The dinner itself had went on even weirder - her parents kept up the fake attitude and talked about how talented and kind she was, something she had never actually heard out of the mouth of her mother, who usually found many ways to claim the opposite.

Basically the whole night had been one grand theatre performance so far in the McKinnon manor and Marlene could not wait until she finally found out just why they were keeping up this weird act.

After dinner was over, her parents sent them to the salon, staying behind for some ludicrous explanation, which very obviously served to give her some time with their guest.

Antonin Dolohov.

She had heard of his name before, but not very much about it, it just seemed to be connected to the Pureblood community and by the way he was talking and holding himself, she couldn’t be very far from the truth. Marlene kept up the polite smile she had had plastered onto her face for the night as they entered the salon and turned around to the man, not quite sure what she was supposed to say. After all, she didn’t even know why he was here.

"Your parents have been talking very highly about you", the man said as he looked down at her, though there was only barely a trace of a smile visible on his face and it looked more like a cold sneer than anything else. "I do hope you are the person they make you out to be."

Marlene raised one eyebrow at his words, not quite sure just why he would be hoping that. “I’m doing my very best”, she told him, her voice quiet from the lie. Oh, how she hated this. “Excuse my confusion, but we have never met before and now my parents have invited you to dinner. Is there any specific reason behind this all?” she asked, finally getting the words off of her tongue that had been burning there for ages, even though she wasn’t quite sure if she wanted to hear the answer.

Antonin Dolohov raised his eyebrows as he smirked at her, though his eyes were still as cold as ice. “I’m surprised they haven’t told you about it yet. The reason behind this all, as you want to call it, is rather simple. Hard times lie ahead of us and your parents seem to think it is time to form alliances, if you understand what I’m saying.”

Marlene didn’t. At least not right away. “Alliances? What are you…”

She had been about ask, when it hit her. Of bloody course. How could she not have known any sooner? Why else would her parents invite this strange man into their house? All colour drained from her face as she stared up into the sneering face of Antoning Dolohov, frozen to the spot for at least ten seconds, before her anger got to her and broke her out, making her turn on the spot and run towards her parents.

"YOU WANT TO FUCKING MARRY ME OFF?!" Marlene shouted, when she came back into the dining room. "Don’t you fucking know me at all?! I WILL NOT marry someone you deem as worthy and I WILL NOT form alliances with Voldemort!” she screeched at the shocked faces of people she used to call her parents.

"I tried to get along with you, I really did, because there’s a war going on and family is supposed to be important! But no more of that! NO FUCKING MORE. Family does not make you feel like shit for the entirety of your life!" Marlene wasn’t done yet, when her mother finally found her voice back and cut in.

"Marlene Rose McKinnon, behave yourself! We have a guest, for god’s-"

"Behave myself? BEHAVE MYSELF? THAT GUEST YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT IS MY BETROTHED IF IT WERE UP TO YOU, SO EXCUSE ME IF I WILL NOTBEHAVE MYSELF!” Marlene shouted back, but as tears started to fill her eyes, she sank back into herself and shook her head.

"I’m leaving. I’m leaving and I’m joining the Order", she told them in a surprisingly calm voice, even though the storm inside of her wasn’t even close to calming down.

"Marlene Rose McKinnon, you will take those words back and forget all about it!" Louisa McKinnon growled back, taking a threatening step towards her daughter.

"Like hell I will, mother. I’m joining the Order and there’s nothing you can do to change that", Marlene told her, shaking her head again as the tears started to roll down her cheek, and with a last look at her father, she turned around and ran out of the room and upstairs into her own to pack her things.

When she looked back at it, Marlene couldn’t remember how long it had taken her to get out of the bloody dress she was wearing and into comfortable clothes, all the while throwing her possesions into the trunk that had already been spread open on the floor, as if she had known she would have to leave in a hurry sometime soon.

Marlene was sure she would forget most of what she needed, but when she closed the trunk, her room looked surprisingly empty, missing most of the things that had filld it up before. It was heavy when she picked it up, enlarged by a spell, but she barely noticed it as she barged down the stairs, finding her parents waiting there for her, already opening their mouths to say something, to stop her, but she cut them of.

"No word. I’m leaving, something I should have done months ago. This is not up for discussion." And with those words, Marlene rushed past them and out of the door - not spending one thought to Antoning Dolohov, who surely still was around there somewhere. She didn’t bother to turn around and have one last look, this house hadn’t been her home in a long time.

She wasn’t quite sure where to go, as she apparated away, her head filled up with only one thought.

I am entirely on my own.

[lionhearted-marlene]

A marry suprise || Antonin & Marlene

Coming home from Hogwarts was always a lot harder than leaving for Hogwarts, Marlene thought. But coming home from Hogwarts now involved a variety of feelings. It was good to leave the school because of the recent attack... but it was terrible to come home for the last time ever. She wouldn't be going back to Hogwarts and it scared Marlene endlessly.

But, being the woman she now is, she didn't let any of that show as soon as she stepped out of the train and greeted her mother with a stiff hug, nodded at her father and followed them home quickly. There wasn't much that had changed in the house, her mother had redecorated a little and there were different flowers around, but apart from that, it was just the same old house she had grown up in and always tried to escape.

As soon as the McKinnons arrived, Marlene went up to her room and started to unpack her trunk, picking up a book as soon as she was done to start reading. She usually wasn't much of a reader, but she was, when she was home - it was better than talking to her mother.

The first few days were as boring as always and she was already looking forward to her visit at Igraine's house, when one day at lunch, Louisa McKinnon suddenly looked up and spoke to her. "Marlene, we will have a guest here tonight, for dinner. I want you to dress up and make yourself pretty, wear the green dress. It compliments your eyes. Dinner is at seven. And behave."

Marlene raised one eyebrow at this words, but simply nodded with a small sigh - she knew better than to try and argue with her mother. The older woman did not give up on what Marlene should wear, either she did it voluntarily or Louisa McKinnon made her. At least it was just a dinner with someone and not a huge ball. Those were always the worst.

And so, at seven o'clock that night, Marlene walked down the stairs in the green dress, which admittedly, really did look good on her. Her hair was in a neat chignon at the back of her head and she was wearing simple, yet complimentary makeup - all in all, she looked just like her mother wanted her to look.

As always, the guests would be welcomed in the parlour, so the brunette girl made her way right towards the room, actually feeling a little curious now, who would be their guest. After all, her mother hadn't said. She put on a polite, slightly shy smile, before she entered, miming the perfect daughter she actually wasn't and curiously looked at the man, who stood in the room, talking to her father.