Quarter to eight in the evening

One of Vasily's colleagues walked away, the notepad and quill following her, suspended in mid-air, still scribbling notes down about the way Ignan liked his steak cooked, and what wine they had selected. The anxiety of finding out what you had ordered was all out in the kitchen passed, and Ignan sat back beside Georg and gave Gabrielle a half smile, a shrug of smile at the corners of his mouth briefly shown before it fell away into his habitual slight frown.

"So, a month has passed very quickly since we were last here, Gabrielle, very quickly indeed." Ignan's eyes moved from Gabrielle sat across him, to the bar, where he, Cillian, Tapendra, Johann and after a little while, Gabrielle had stood drinking. Ignan, Cillian and Tapendra had drunk a little too much, begun singing, and dragged themselves stumbling down the road, Johann and Gabrielle remaining behind long enough to notice Ignan had left his leather gloves on the bar.

"We left here in good spirits," he told Georg beside him, turning to his old friend as he explained, "but not at all sober."

Ignan had woken the next morning to find Tapendra next to him, and Johann and Gabrielle's unexpected visit to return the gloves had provoked Ignan's younger colleague to hide under Ignan's bed. It had taken tact, and clear thinking through a bad hangover to get rid of Johann and Gabrielle as quickly as possible, to rescue Tapendra.

Unfortunately, he'd been rude to both Johann and Gabrielle in the process. Johann had recovered, he was habitually distracted by other things quickly to worry about how Ignan was feeling regularly. Ignan preferred this. Gabrielle on the other hand, well, she was female, she had feelings and paid attention to them. It had been rude of him, and it had taken enough time for him to make amends. Then again, Gabrielle was also a busy woman with heading up the Department of International Magical Co-operation.

"I must apologise once again, I had possibly the worst hangover in years the following morning when you both returned my gloves, which made me terrible company." Ignan explained to Gabrielle, about the last time they saw each other.

Gabie sincerely wished that Ignan would stop apologizing about his drunken escapade almost a month ago. It wasn't like she'd go to the Astronomy Tower & start screaming that Ignan was a bitter old drunk that sang like a drunken Pavarotti when he had a few drinks in him.

"Hush you, or I'll find some way to bewitch your mouth to smile for two weeks straight," Gabie remarked with a smirk on her face as she patted her warm hand on his icy cold one. Old age or not, cold hands made her slightly uncomfortable - after all, she had seen & touched cold hands that had no life in them. A topic best left out of this meal, she thought, taking a rather large gulp out of her water goblet while waiting on the wine to arrive.

True, there many things she had always wanted to know & still did but there were boundary lines that she could not find herself so willing to cross without hurting either one of them. Her eyes looked at Ignan & as if one of them were wearing a Time Turner, Ignan looked youthful even if the stern German features were still there.

She was seventeen, celebrating freedom from school, her birthday & her acceptance into adult wizarding society via the Ministry. Carmina had insisted upon it, Alan frowning as he had tried so hard not to make her all power/pamper hungry but he had resigned to the Italian woman's wishes. Gabie hadn't seen him since, well...1969 to be truthful but one never forgets a face, so in the middle of a tango with a potential suitor, Gabie had left the poor boy hanging to rush over to Ignan. Ignan knew little dancing skills but thankfully enough to where Gabie had switched it to a waltz & thus, they had shared a family moment. Alan would later admit near his death it was a sign that the Storms & Murrays had reconciled somehow.

"Thank you again for inviting me.... I really do appreciate it, ol' man."

"Two weeks!" Ignan exclaimed, "I'd be locked in St Mungo's after two days, the students and my colleagues would believe me to be insane and ready to kill them all. Yes, I'll stop apologising now -." He caught himself before saying sorry once more. Gabie's hand still rested upon his, hers considerably warmer - his habitually cold hands illustrating the need to wear gloves while outside. He felt an underlying need to retract his hand, especially in the presence of Georg. The last time he'd engaged in any hand contact with a woman like this is Georg's eyeline was something entirely different.

"I hear Johann is still lodging with you, so I suppose I was wrong to insinuate you would throw him out soon enough." Ignan changed the subject. "You must have enough room to lose him in the building, and not keep falling over him." His eyes raised as he recalled a memory. "He mentioned he was playing estate agent for you last weekend? We correspond by short letters, keeps him from turning up at the castle unannounced. Only Johann doesn't do short notes some nights, does he actually sleep, because he penned the most elegant and thoughtful essay on crowd decision making the other evening, based on how he observes traffic in the Ministry atrium. It really is something, I should have brought it to show you."

Bringing his hand from beneath hers, he turned her palm over, as if he was placing something within it, and curled her fingers within his rough hand in a parental affectionate manner, enforcing his concern with the slightest of squeezes. He wouldn't normally entertain such interaction, but it went with that side of the family. They were all a lot more happy to do such things. Ignan and his sister would probably have assumed possession if their father had done such affectionate things on even a semi-regular basis.

"And how are you doing? Busy? Not driving yourself mad I hope?" He added, raising his eyebrows sceptically. Of course she was driving herself mad working all hours running a department, especially one so diverse as International Co-operation. Co-operation wasn't prime with many countries.
"I'm not sure we'd have believed the mere girl who graduated and landed herself an immediate job with the Ministry would now be running that same department. She was more interested in young men and dancing."

Ignan referred to the event that inadvertently, Gabrielle had also just been thinking about, where Ignan and Georg had taken up the invitation to attend the family celebrations. It made a change from coming back to attend funerals.

A choke on water, followed by a snicker. Had Ignan Storm just made a funny? Maybe the world really was coming to an end.... right? Gabrielle was clearly amused by his choice of words as they were in their communal bubble, far from the world's worries.

It was for this matter she would never admit it outloud but Ignan clearly was more fatherly at times, well rather, he seemed to be the patriarch that the Murray clan had so long needed. True, his father wasn't per se Albert & his mother Victoria, but Ignan was a decent mixture of both cultures, just like Gabrielle.

The hand squeeze had released some stress - she clearly did NOT feel up to talking about Joh, his underling intern & Kadyn Hamilton's potential blunder for her department and the Ministry. She still was fuming over it but Gabrielle would have her just desserts & woe to whomever had really caused the mishap.

"Mother & Grandfather always did say the most brilliant minds were mad. After all, without their skills & feats of determinations, how else would man have evolved over time?"

A pause as a smile for the ages - one that she probably had given that day of the party - was seen again. "You're flattering me, whether you know it or not, cousin, but I am very grateful what I have been able to do. I know our mothers would be proud of my, yours too in some regards, accomplishments. After all, a woman leading a political & magical cooperation department? Hardly an easy feat. Oh, yes - add on to that 'young men & dancing' comment. You must admit I was young & youthful, hoping to snag someone to spend my life with. Look at me now - still searching & Prince Charming has yet to walk through that door."

Gabie grinned as she took the first drink of elven wine, soon giggling for a brief second. "Don't tell me you've been keeping them away," was the taunt, knowing fully well Ignan was hardly to blame, but the jab was still amusing nonetheless.

You must admit I was young & youthful, hoping to snag someone to spend my life with. Look at me now - still searching & Prince Charming has yet to walk through that door."

Vlad snorted. "For all you know he might have, but you wouldn't have noticed. You were too busy ogling that...toymaker." It still rankled that Gwydion Mayberry had showed up a month ago at what was supposed to be a nice family dinner, where Gabie and Vlad's friend Kabir might have got to know each other better.

On the other hand...Vlad supposed it probably rankled with Gabie that he had attempted to play matchmaker. But why shouldn't he? Kabir was available; and Vlad knew from some of his women friends that the Colonel was considered exotically handsome. More importantly to Vlad, he was kind, sensitive...and responsible. However, from the looks of things Gabie found him boring; at least compared to her childhood sweetheart. But by all accounts Mayberry was far from the marrying kind. So at this rate, how would Vlad ever have grandchildren to spoil?

"Don't tell me you've been keeping them away."

"Why should he need to do that, when I'm around?" asked Vlad, pretending to scowl. But then he smiled and winked at her, to let her know she was forgiven.

And then, sighing, he sat down at the table...with an entire bottle of Ogden's. "Bella notte," he said, clunking the bottle down in front of him, along with a glass. " I guess I made a right botch of that werewolf presentation..."

Gabrielle was flattered, but remarked that her 'Prince Charming' hadn't yet walked through the door. Was that an indication that she considered herself to be working too hard to look for one, or that she still expected him to fall through it? Ignan wasn't sure. Vlad reappeared at the table from the bar where he'd been selecting something a little stronger than elven wine to drink. At his arrival, Ignan retracted his hand from Gabrielle's, and sat back.

"For all you know he might have, but you wouldn't have noticed. You were too busy ogling that...toymaker."

"Don't tell me you've been keeping them away." Ignan realised the jab was at him, and looked surprised.

"I have enough to be doing without worrying about your potential suitors..." He responded quietly,

"Why should he need to do that, when I'm around?" asked Vlad, scowling and then smiling. Ignan noted his uncle's selection of Ogden's as a fallback.

"Bella notte, I guess I made a right botch of that werewolf presentation..."

"A poison chalice, I did warn you." Ignan replied, raising his own wine glass in a half toast to Vlad. "Even the approach to propose a speaker was carefully undermined by Declan. You did admirably in the circumstances. I'm surprised Kurby is still in one piece."

Vlad had been invited to the school a previous weekend to speak on werewolf rights by SAWS who had originally approached Ignan and Declan together, only Declan's position as Deputy Head and rather more as Acting Head due to Analiza's trip away had seen him exhibit a most curious little power trip.

Maintaining good relations with his senior colleague (position and most certainly not age) he gleaned whom the speaker Declan had organised was but not in satisfactory time. SAWS had already approached Vlad, and Ignan met him in the 3 Broomsticks prior to the event to explain a little more background to the situation. It was the least he could do after Vlad had provided such a firm reference to Analiza and the Governors for his appointment part way through the Autumn term. Things at Durmstrang had begun to degrade, and he doubted many would give him such a favourable review, even now.

"There's still the possibility of inviting my own guests into my classroom, I can twist the Ministry's examination requirements of my subject to suit many areas not conventionally included. I consider it provides a more rounded education for them, and it breaks up the monotony of drilling them in wandwork." 

Georg returned shortly after Vlad, a bottle of brandy in one hand and an empty glass in the other. He looked tired, and he was; the effort of not throttling the children was beginning to show, but mostly it was the hangover from the previous night. He should have followed Ignan's advice and staggered his drinking.

He sat next to Ignan with a grunt, putting the bottle down after he'd filled his glass.

"Hmph. At least you can bring in speakers, Ignan," he told his colleague, shrugging. "Not too many of my classes give me the chance to mix it up - though if I'm ever presented with the chance to throw them off their feet a bit, I try..."

He settled fully into the chair, giving Vlad and Gabrielle a nod. He'd met Gabrielle for the first time at her graduation party; still seemed odd she'd risen so quickly, but Ignan's family wasn't known for their lack of brains, so the more power to her. She seemed a capable enough lady; he suspected she kept Johann firmly underfoot.

Glancing at Ignan and Vlad, he smiled. "Don't be so hard on yourself, man," he told Vlad, raising his glass slightly. "You did the best you could, given the circumstances; the other man, though - seems an interesting fellow, though not in a positive manner. Bagnold, isn't it? Didn't seem to want to be there at all."

"A poison chalice, I did warn you,” said Ignan, lifting his glass. Even the approach to propose a speaker was carefully undermined by Declan.  You did admirably in the circumstances. I'm surprised Kurby is still in one piece."

“Yes...you warned me," Vlad conceded, filling his own glass. If Gabie hadn’t been there, he might actually have drunk straight from the bottle. It was not a thing he did often, but it happened…

He smirked  “As for Bagnold…I didn’t have my crossbow with me. Pity.”

“But...you say O’Morain actually undermined the students, just for approaching him about a speaker? Why would he do that? True, the man seems petty, but what is wrong with students just asking him about something? If he disliked the idea, he could always have  said no…”

"There's still the possibility of inviting my own guests into my classroom, I can twist the Ministry's examination requirements of my subject to suit many areas not conventionally included. I consider it provides a more rounded education for them, and it breaks up the monotony of drilling them in wandwork."

“That would be interesting,” Vlad allowed. “Declan O’Morain would probably have apoplexy.” He stared at his glass, thinking. And then he began to smile.

"Hmph. At least you can bring in speakers, Ignan. Not too many of my classes give me the chance to mix it up - though if I'm ever presented with the chance to throw them off their feet a bit, I try..."

"Don't be so hard on yourself, man," Georg added, raising his glass. "You did the best you could, given the circumstances; the other man, though - seems an interesting fellow, though not in a positive manner. Bagnold, isn't it? Didn't seem to want to be there at all."

“I got that impression myself," Vlad agreed. "But why did he come, if he didn’t want to? The way he obviously feels about werewolves, you’d think he’d jump at the chance to turn young minds against them.”

Shrugging, as if to say Bagnold and O’Morain were both beyond his understanding, Vlad raised his own glass. “To Durmstrang.”

 

"To Durmstrang." Ignan echoed, also raising his wine glass, "Though to Hogwarts too, one can never be too careful where one's employer has ears... and present company." He raised his glass again to Gabrielle, Hogwarts alumni, and one who had done very well out of being such. Then again, Slytherin house was always the most similar.

"It is good to see you all. When I moved to Hogwarts from Durmstrang back in November, I felt oddly alone, but of course, Gabrielle was here, Vlad very well secured me the place with his generous recommendation to Analiza, Vasily landed here to rectify his life, and Johann inconvenienced all of us with his presence. That's just family - to have Georg back is just, beyond my greatest expectations." He clapped a hand on his friend's arm sincerely. He didn't want to ruin their relationship again. Literally the only other person he could think to bring to his life in England was dead, so bringing her back was impossible.

"Pity Johann had to work." Ignan added trivially, when actually, that comment would conflict with what Gabrielle knew Johann was doing. When Johann had said working - he'd meant working for Vedir, but had kept that point to himself, so Ignan assumed it was for the Ministry.

"Is all well in the world?" He asked his companions, including Georg this time, not too keen to lead conversation, but unfortunately ending up doing so by talking too much. Raising his wine he sipped slowly.

Gabrielle listened to the old men banter & saunter of being Durmstrang alumni, causing her to snort in her own wine until Ignan saluted her. "Danke, darling... at least you've got better manners than the old goat," she spoke up, giving her father a smirk & wink to confirm she was willing to deal with his form of teasing. After all, hadn't she dealt with it since childhood & lived to tell the stories?

"Yes, quite terrible indeed, Father, but what did you really think it'd be? Werewolves, vampirs, ladies in white, & dark creatures from your stories to entertain me as well as existance back in your native lands don't frighten as easy here. Werewolves, whether good people or not, will always find difficulty adaptating. The poor buggers," Gabrielle said, sounding slightly more than just sad about the situation.

"You did your best & lightning strike me dead for saying this, but I'm proud of you."

The wine goblet was refilled by her hand, allowing the gentlemen to discuss more topics around the table, while she allowed herself another taste of the beverage. The same beverage that spat out abruptly (luckily not striking Vlad or Georg) when the name 'Johann' popped up, causing Gabie to choke for a second. "I'd rather not discuss him, if you'd be so inclined, Ignan. The young Storm is hardly in my good books as of late. It's best to say him & Mr. Hamilton are long due for a sitdown in my office. The end."

A pause as she wiped her mess up.

"Anything of interest minus work & the young Storm going in your lives?"

"Other than Tapendra's birthday, but I don't think even that meets your selective criteria." Ignan replied with a smirk to Gabrielle. "Apart from Georg's arrival, there has been little of note about the castle other than the usual 'work' related matters you refer to."

He looked to his good friend.
"Quite a turn up for the books to see him again." The introductions, or rather re-introductions had already passed when they had all arrived. "He doesn't look any older, does he?" Ignan shook his head.

"To Durmstrang...Though to Hogwarts too..."  Ignan raised his glass again, to Gabrielle. ..."And present company."

"Danke, darling..." said Gabie. "At least you've got better manners than the old goat."

"Baaah," Vlad retorted, making a face at his daughter. He and Mina had enjoyed the same sort of mischievous banter, during their too-few years together. He raised his glass along with Ignan, his expression showing that whatever he might say, he was a very proud Papa...

"It is good to see you all. When I moved to Hogwarts from Durmstrang back in November, I felt oddly alone, but of course, Gabrielle was here, Vlad very well secured me the place with his generous recommendation to Analiza..."

Vlad smiled and nodded, to indicate that he was pleased to  be of help.

"...Vasily landed here to rectify his life, and Johann inconvenienced all of us with his presence."

Gabie almost choked on her drink. "I'd rather not discuss him, if you'd be so inclined, Ignan. The young Storm is hardly in my good books as of late. It's best to say him & Mr. Hamilton are long due for a sitdown in my office. The end."

Vlad couldn't help grinning, both at Gabie's reaction and at the episode which caused it. He had heard about the antlers and thought it very creative. He wouldn't mind giving Declan O'Morain a pair, with cloven hooves to match...

"That's just family - to have Georg back is just, beyond my greatest expectations."

"Hear, hear," said Vlad, filling his glass and raising it again. But before he could drink, Gabie commented on his recent debacle at Hogwarts.

"Yes, quite terrible indeed, Father, but what did  you really think it'd be? Werewolves, vampirs, ladies in white, & dark creatures from your stories to entertain me as well as existance back in your native lands don't frighten as easy here. Werewolves, whether good people or not, will always find difficulty adaptating. The poor buggers..."  She sounded sympathetic and who could blame her. Being a werewolf was a terrible curse at the best of times, but  lately...

"You did your best & lightning strike me dead for saying this, but I'm proud of you."

Vlad pretended to be astonished, raising his glass,  bolting the shot and slamming the glass down rather forcefully; while he tried not to let it show that he felt as if steam was coming out his ears.

"Anything of interest minus work & the young Storm going in your lives?" asked Gabie. Vlad supposed this was her way of saying , 'All work and no play is BORING...' A frequent comment of Mina's, back in the day...

"Other than Tapendra's birthday, but I don't think even that meets your selective criteria."

Vlad grinned again. Gossip travels almost as fast as bad news, and even in the Wizengamot they'd heard about the aftermath of that little celebration...

"Apart from Georg's arrival, there has been little of note about the castle other than the usual 'work' related matters you refer to."

Such as having an arm ripped off by a student, thought Vlad, but refrained from saying it aloud. At least Ignan appeared no worse for the experience; though of course he and Vlad were both...shall we say well-worn?

Vlad himself had little worth mentioning. The only socializing he'd done lately (except for that dreadful dinner with Mayberry and Kabir) was his tea-and -sympathy session with Tulojow Nagde, after the Hogwarts Assembly. He felt very drawn to Madame Nagde, but had not figured out a way to progress beyond dropping off flowers...which he'd done yet again tonight...or Owling the odd little gift here and there. He glanced at Gabie, thinking she might have some suggestions. But he hardly wanted to talk about that in present company...

Ignan came to  his rescue, by changing the subject. Glancing at Georg Kirchlehner and shaking his head, he commented, "He doesn't look any older, does he?"

"No," said Vlad, "and it's damnably unfair to the rest of us. What  is your secret, man?"

Georg drank deeply before smirking, cheekily. "My secret? My secret was being born with a face that made me look 30 when I was 16," he said. "Not getting asked my age at bars and always being assumed to be an upperclassman came in useful, even if it was rather annoying at times. Now I'm 50 and look 30. It's about time I looked younger than I am, for a change."

He set his glass aside, stroking his mustache. "Though the onset of graying hair is imminent, I'm afraid - especially now that I have to do deal with the children day in and day out. Ignan, thankfully, seems to have gone grey sometimes around the age of 30..."

"It did, actually." Ignan confirmed, his hair having gone white prematurely in his thirties, which was a family trait on the Storm side. "What do you mean thankfully?" He asked Georg.

At that moment however, their food arrived, steaming and smelling ever bit as good as dinners at the Three Broomsticks did. For Ignan and Georg, after last night's drinking for Tapendra's birthday, the food was as welcome as the hearty breakfasts Hogwarts created. Conversation was interjected with passing condiments, refilling glasses, and complimenting each other's choices for how edible they were. It was second nature to the adults.

"If we don't want to dwell on the recent past, why not on the future. Where are you all escaping to from this place? I for one, plan on escaping anywhere I am unlikely to run into Hogwarts students this summer." Ignan explained as they all began to eat.

Gabrielle giggled behind her goblet at the discussion on aging - her & Georg were the youngest looking ones, but she remained the baby at the table. "Well, isn't the reason why the Storm's hair go white is because it'll fit the cheery disposition that your family has heralded for centuries?" Gabie piped up, snickering as she winked over to Ignan as the meals appeared.

She eyed her food, scanning it over three times before cutting into it slowly, taking a bite as Ignan asked what the future was to uphold. Hm. Gabie knew what was coming up: summer interships, travelling around the world, interdepartment and overall meetings at the Ministry, summer legislations.... A whimper left her lips and it didn't hail as one pleased with their dinner.

"I'm like you, Ig, I'm going to need a large holiday. One that lasts longer than three days - I think it's warrented, what with all that's going on lately there at work..." and in my personal life, she thought, knowing all the men would hear that and what that would bring.

"How about you, Georg?"