| Details for The Heart of the Matter |
| Summary: | Graham goes to check on Gabby after a strangely worded letter. They start to share, then start to fight. |
| Date: | Sat Jul 06, 1938 |
| Location: | {$location} |
| Related: | Plot: Forgotten Shadows |
| Characters |
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The Watson House
Gabrielle 's been working on star charts for Madame Lunaris all day. Her aunts left for work earlier, placing a plate of cookies next to Gabby, encouraging her to eat. She's been mostly feeding the cookies to the puffskien sitting in her lap as she paints. The dinning room is fairly clean and empty. The china cabinet once held a whole set is now being used for a bookcase. She's dressed casually, her sleeves are rolled up, exposing her scarred right forearm as she paints. She has a large stack of books at the other end of the table, and her wand is just to her right, with in grabbing distance.
Having been back for a day or so the young man is still not completely back to his usual self cold feeling lingering a bit, but Graham couldn't put off the visit as the message had been weighing on him since being received. The auror luckily has good contacts at the ministry and has tracked the other down to this house. He moves through the front yard and up to the door reaching out to knock lightly on the door before stepping back.
Gabrielle frowns….no one ever comes here. Merlin, she hopes it's not another bill…She'll stand up and hastily roll down her right sleeve, grabbing her wand . She'll peek through the window and then hurry when she sees who it is. The door opens and she'll just step aside for him to come in. She looks worried.
Graham nods to the other as he opens the door and reaches pulling his robes tighter about him as he steps inside. "Hows Summer?" he speaks though his voice is missing something usually in it the friendly overtone. It's not mean but just cool, the auror moves out of the way of the door and a few more steps inside.
Gabrielle closes the door, biting her lip, trying to decide how to answer, "Summer has been good. How have you been Auror Cohen?" She'll glance over to the kitchen, "Can I get you anything to drink?" The inside of the house, while happier looking than the outside, is in just as much disrepair. That's not to say it's dirty, just…alot is clearly needing fixed. "My aunts made cookies this morning, would you like some, "Her voice is odd, like she's trying to say something without saying it.
The young man shakes his head slightly "No thanks." Graham tries to shake off the clipped answer but the others tone bring him about as he nods "Better then I look no doubt, I visited Azkaban as part of my investigation." Graham explains a bit though not much detail at first really "I got your message but figured something was a miss at the sudden giving up." he is able to offer a half smirk here. "So what is really going on?"
Gabrielle pauses , concern and a touch of fear on her face, "Oh…no. I'm just…" She'll glance around the room, almost like she's expecting someone to jump out at them, "I'm fine." She'll walk him into the dinning room, and grab a small piece of paper. "I did rather well on my OWLs, so everyone's surprised." She'll force a smile , "I did aces on transfig, considering how awful I was at the beginning on the year."She'll scribble something rather quickly on the paper, it has several grades written, but in the middle, snuck in it says, -Apparaite us out to talk.- "I can safely now say I can get a real job if my art doesn't make it."
The young man is alert enough to see the note nodding in perceptively. "That is very good, grades will allow you to get the job you seek." Graham says casually and as the words are spoken it makes sense he'd lift his arm to pat the others shoulder in a mentor sort of way however in a swift movement he grips not to hurt but not to be broken lose. In another movement he's turned where he stands and *CRACK* apparates.
Cohen Residence
The house itself is rather plain on the outside matching many of the other buildings and blending in well enough. It has been kept up with however and is not in disrepair or anything. The inside of the house while not big is large enough for a gathering should the owner choose to have one. In the living room is a couch perhaps second-hand and a few chairs.
The kitchen is stocked with a bit of this and that as if the owner isnt home as often as hes away. Up the stairs is the bedroom and bathroom which have also been maintained well enough.
As soon as she's back on solid ground Gabby's legs give out some. She looks green, but thankfully she didn't eat anything today. Sir Nibbler to the rescue, again! She'll take a few deep breaths, trying to steady herself. She's swaying, but not toppling over, "Oh..Merlin!"
Graham holds onto the shoulder of the other until he's sure she wont fall down immediately even if she does look a bit ill for the moment then his hand drops back to his side and he watches his cat go running for the bedroom. The auror takes a step back but allows the other a moment to recovering from apparating "Indeed kind of like getting pushed through a straw?" he offers
Gabrielle nods, trying to focus on her breathing, and not puking. She'll try to look to see where he brought her, "Is it…safe here? To talk?" Her left hand goes to her right forearm, nervously.
The young man glances around "Yes, this is my home it's warded heavily." Graham says as he moves through the house towards the kitchen. "Guess it's my turn, would you like anything?" he asks the other as he gets a glass of water for himself taking a drink and leaning back against the counter "So what is going on Miss Evans?"
Gabrielle nods softly, closing her eyes, "Water, please." She'll look up nervously, and bite her lip…she's not sure where to start. "I…I think they're trying to use The Golden Heart to kill anyone that isn't a pure blood." There. That's it, in a shell.
Graham nods moving to grab a glass and filling it before moving over and offering the glass. He listens to the information, but doesn't seem very shocked at the news "I would believe that, I must let you know miss Evans my trip to Azkaban was not spot or pleasure cruise. Callus's father is there." the same tone of voice is still there not much excitement. He is silent a moment in thought "How is it you know that they are purists?" he asks.
Gabrielle takes the glass with a soft "Thank you". she starts to bring it to her lips but stops when Graham mentions Callus's father, "How long has he been there?" Gabby frowns , looking down at the glass, "Hogwarts wasn't safe enough….The sunday after Durmstrang, when I went to my bed, there was a photo sitting on my pillow."Her eyes will flicker up to Graham's for a moment and then back down to the water in the glass. Her voice is a controlled calm, she's trying to stay calm. "It was of my mother. I'd show you…but I didn't think to grab it before you brought us here….and I don't want you to take it away."
"About twenty-years." Graham says figuring she'll make the connection herself. "Sneaking in and out is one thing attacking a student and escaping quite another." the auror says about the safety of Hogwarts compared to her home she was at it's the most well connected place ever. "Was there a message or anything with it or just the photo?" he asks breaking his moment of silence.
Gabrielle nods, "I didn't know who it was from. It just said to go to the Hog's Head that night, alone, if I wanted to know more about my mother." She'll look up, "There wasn't enough time to contact you. I didn't even know if I should at the time." She'll fidget with the glass, still not drinking it. "It was Callus…apparently my mother's side…apparently I"m related to them." She'll swallow, and wait for Graham to say something, or arrest her…
Graham is listening closely as she speaks, and it's lucky he's standing a bit away from her by the end. He doesn't speak at first taking a moment to get a breath or two. "You went..seriously?" his voice is calm but an edge to it which likely makes it worse then if he yelled. "Miss Evans, do you understand he could have murdered you right there? Let me guess you brought a student as backup? He could have killed them as well." he pauses taking another breath "I cannot help you if you wont help youself." he finally says.
Gabrielle 's cheeks flush, if he's mad about that, wait till he hears the rest. "I was helping myself. I took a chance to learn about my mother. and I did." She'll look at Graham, with a frown , "I didn't know who it was. I didn't think the Vengals had anyone inside Hogwarts they could have used to get me a message ."
The auror is angry perhaps not the reason she may think he's risking his life to catch these criminals visiting Azkaban and the other just throws their life into maybe chances for no reason. "If you truly couldn't think who would want to lure you out.. Instead of going to a teacher. I can do nothing to help you. I am sorry Miss Evans i'll be giving no more information. On this case. If I find you to be withholding evidence I will have you prosecuted for obstructing an investigation." Graham's gone rather clinical. "I am not trying to be mean, but if you are so un-caring about your own safety, you cannot be trusted with information."
Gabrielle 's eyebrows go up and she'll bite the inside of her cheek, "Uncaring?!? " she'll take a deep breath, "I am trying to help. If I didn't care about my own safety, I would have just went with him, like he asked! I sent you owls when I could, with what I felt was safe to have them carry! How did the Vengals know where the Heart was? How did they know when to grab it? Merlin! My safety isn't more important than a genocide!"
Graham sighs not raising to her raise in tone. "I wish I could believe that as your reasoning, I believe that the trap worked exactly as expected. I understand you wishing to learn about your mother truly I do, but throwing caution and sense to the wind doesn't justify the end. Your questions aren't new to me on the time and place of this and it's being researched." he steps away back to the kitchen and back pacing perhaps.
Gabrielle needs to tread carefully here, she knows. "It wasn't the reason when I went,I admit that, but now?I have friends…people I care about. They are going to murder them. All of them, in the name of protecting magic. I can't sit back and do nothing when I have the means to help…I've meet school mates of my parents. They are always reluctant to talk to me about them. I hoped it was one of them."Gabby sighs, "I don't think it was a trap. He wants me to join them. It was an offer." She'll set the glass of water down and take a step into the kitchen to see him a bit better. "Who's looking into it? Other Aurors? the ministry?" He voice isn't accusatory, more just concerned.
"That's not a good offer.. they are murders thieves at best at worst they have far worst planned. You would be better not knowing of that 'family' and sticking with your friends from school." Graham says though he goes back to listening to her words. He is silent deciding to answer "It's a bit of both. I received a list of all who knew of the movement of the item before hand and all who were present that evening." he finally answers.
Gabrielle tilts her head, "Oh course it's not a good offer. They're all insane. And fanatical, and powerful and evil. And while I would love to not know of them, that's not an option. They've destroyed my life once, I'm not going to let them do it again." She'll take another step, not too close, to him, "My mother was with them. And she turned, sabotaged whatever happened with The Heart 13 years ago. And they killed her and my father for it." she'll nod softly, slightly relieved that he didn't just leave it to the ministry to figure out.
Graham nods "Yes they are." he pauses at the part where her mother was part of the family "I am sorry to hear that really and understand while you'd want them to be taken down maybe more then myself, but please understand that your mother may have saved many lives with that sacrifice. She would want you to be safe any parent would. I will try to tell you what I can, but you must take more care and if a Vengal is going to be somewhere let me know so this can end. We should get you back to your aunts before your missed." he concludes.
Gabrielle shakes her head, "I know. But this isn't about revenge. He knows my friends, has named them to me. Their houses and years. I still have a stake in this. And if you get Callus, the next one will step up. You need the Heart back, not just Callus. He trusts me. I can help stop this."
"I will try, which is all I can offer and more then I should to be honest. You may have a stake in this I cannot see the future but I will not include you if it means you come to harm and that's something I can promise." Graham says he turns back and offers his arm to grab this time so he can apparate her back where they had been.
Gabrielle nods, taking his arm, "I can see the future. We're all going to be harmed if they're not stopped."