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Topic Started: Apr 16 2010, 04:12 AM (239 Views)
Finn Lancaster
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His lips quirked up in a tiny grin as he let his eyes move over the face of the woman before him. Genevieve Shaw was not a lady to be messed with. He'd learned that the hard way through his years here at Hogwarts. She'd been his head of house and he'd spent a great deal of time in detention because of her.

“Genevieve Shaw, as I live and breathe. Who would ever guess that Hogwarts had their very own goddess hidden away in its hallowed halls? You are as breathtaking as always, my pet.” Finn took the deputy headmistress's hand lightly in his own. “I always thought it was truly a shame that you never ran off with me after graduation. I was but a foolhardy youth and yet already smitten with your radiant loveliness. Although, I'm sure a certain blond potions professor has already swept you off your feet? Rumour has it that he's been carrying a torch for you for quite sometime now.”

“Mr. Lancaster, to what do we owe this honour?” The professor's face blushed a deep scarlet as she attempted to smother the pleased grin from her face. She tried to direct a stern look at Finn's blatant flirting, yet somewhere beneath the scowl he could still see a spark of amusement in her eyes.

“I just wanted to pop in to see Professor Kerrigan. I needed a quick word with her. We shan't be but a few minutes, my dearest.” His tone was breezy, not betraying the seriousness of the matter that brought him here today.

“I can't just allow just anyone to wander through our halls, Mr Lancaster,” Her tone was steely. Her eyes flicked up to a rather rumpled Declan standing quietly by the door of the deputy headmistress's office. He seemed to be completely oblivious to the conversation going on around him. His eyes moved over the walls of the space, taking in the minute details that Finn himself had already overlooked. The professor's gaze narrowed as she took in the detective's wild unkempt hair and his wrinkled clothing. “Here at Hogwarts, we must protect our students from any unsavoury influences.”

“Angelheart, you wound me.” Finn's hand came up to clutch at his chest indicating that she had hurt him deeply. “Are you implying that I am unsavoury?”

“No, no. Not at all.” Shaw stuttered quickly, her face flushed slightly in embarrassment. “No, Mr Lancaster, you can, of course, make your way to Professor Kerrigan's office. Do keep a close watch on that one.” She inclined her head at Declan.

He was quick to stifle the cocky grin that threatened to wash over his features, instead he brought her hand up to brush his lips over the back of it.

“Until destiny sees fit to allow me to gaze upon your heartstopping beauty once more, my beloved.” Finn spoke softly before ushering Declan from the room.

Moments later, the rapid fire clunking noise of his boot heels hitting the stone floor echoed around them as Finn and Declan made their way through the esteemed halls of Hogwarts. Finn was lost in his own thoughts and striding a few steps ahead of the rumpled detective. After a few moments, he turned to look back at Declan who was walking at a much more normal pace.

“Dec,” An obvious impatience coloured his words, “I would actually like to get to Kerrigan's office before I die of old age. Do you think you could pick up the pace a little?”

Finn's mind was now focused on the reason for their sojourn to the old castle. His ever present grin was no where to be found. His blue-green eyes held a clear look of concern as a feeling of uneasiness weighed heavily in the pit of his stomach. He knew something wasn't right.

He made his way down the corridors to the Transfiguration professor's private office. Anne Kerrigan was the youngest professor that Hogwarts had ever seen, and from what Finn had heard, she was one of their best. They had both attended school at the same time, though Finn was a couple years behind Anne and her twin brother, Andy. So he didn't know them very well.

Andy Kerrigan was the Cannon's sport injury healer and had become one of Finn's best mates. They'd been acquaintances during their years in school, but when Finn started on the Cannon's, the duo found they had a lot in common and become fast friends. So, when Andy hadn't shown up for work in several days, which in itself was a cause for concern but he wasn't at his flat. And Finn couldn't find anyone who'd seen him in days.

He lifted his hand to rap sharply on the door to Anne's office. Moments later, the transfigurations professor opened the door. An automatic grin lit his face. It was more of a reflex for Finn than anything else. A beautiful woman was enough to bring a smile to his face no matter what the circumstances.

“Annie, my love. The photos Andy has shown me do not do you justice. You are a vision of loveliness.” A soft cough from behind him, pulled him from what was likely going to be a very verbose description of her beauty. Instead, he brought himself back to the matter at hand. “I do apologize. My mouth tends to wander off on its own without checking in with my brain occasionally. Let me introduce myself, I'm Finn Lancaster. I'm a good friend of your brother's. And this dashing bloke is Declan Quinn.”

Without waiting for an invitation, Finn stepped into the room and took a cursory glance around. Everything was neat and orderly. Nothing was out of place. He stepped over to the mantle and picked up a small frame, that held a picture of Anne and her twin. A small sad smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as the reason for his visit crashed back down on him. He set the frame down in the exact spot it had been in before turning back to the professor.

“Sorry to bother you, my dear, but...” Finn paused awkwardly for a few moments, trying to figure out the right way to phrase his next words. “I was just wondering if you'd heard from Andrew recently?”


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Anne Kerrigan
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That no good, manipulative, utter rogue of a man! She should have known he would try to sneak his way into the castle, no doubt in an attempt to the corrupt the innocent minds of her students.

“Oh, for crying out loud,” she grumbled under her breath, glaring in frustration at the massive ink splotch spreading black tendrils across the parchment. Forcing herself to loosen her grip, she placed the tip of her quill delicately on the sheet and began correcting the essay once more.

No, this did not surprise her in the least. That the Headmaster had actually allowed him into the castle, however, had rendered her speechless. Obviously, that Dylan man or whoever he was had worked some sort of voodoo magic over Reynolds. Why else would Reynolds have let a maniac run freely about the halls?

“Why indeed,” she mumbled under her breath, dark eyes scanning quickly over the comment she had written on the student’s paper. With an exasperated sigh, she scratched out the word “voodoo”, which had managed to find its way into the middle of her sentence.

This was not good. Now he was allowing him to get inside her head. This Dylan man inside any part of her was a frightening notion indeed. Who knew what sort of rampant diseases raged in that man’s body. It was baffling to Anne why women found him so desirable. Sure, he was devastatingly gorgeous in a dark and mysterious way, what with those glittering eyes and his perfectly tousled hair, but once he opened his mouth he was about as attractive as an ogre. Or Filch.

And yet, every female in the school, from first year to Professor, was completely head over heels in love with the new flying instructor. Even the bloody portraits fawned over him as he passed. The Fat Lady had fainted when he greeted her. The entire castle was in heat, it seemed… everyone but her.

Seriously, Shaw had actually slapped him on the arse; that’s how ridiculously out of hand the situation had become. And it didn’t help that he encouraged her fellow gender to act like fangirl’s on steroids, what with his sly winks and charming grins…

Snap!

Dazed, Anne looked down to find that she had accidentally snapped her quill in half. She threw it down with an angry huff and ran her hand through her hair, which she had allowed to remain down for once, instead. Her eyes fluttered shut briefly, willing herself to calm her addled nerves.

A knock on her door deterred this exercise, however, and caused her to jump in her seat. She eyed the door warily, completely expecting it to be lover boy himself.

With short, distinct steps, she strode towards the door and threw it open in one swift movement, mouth set in a thin line, expression grim and faintly annoyed. To her astonishment, however, it was not the skirt-chaser who greeted her, but another tall, light eyed, smirking man. Merlin’s beard, was Dylan now recruiting his friends to come torment her? Her eyes flitted quickly over the man’s face, taking in the mischievous glint in his blue-green eyes, and the crooked, charming smile he sported.

Yes, he could easily be one of Don Juan’s friends.

“Yes?” she asked, barely speaking the sharp inquiry before he was off.

“Annie, my love.” Anne’s eyes narrowed dangerously. Nope, she did not like this man already. “The photos Andy has shown me do not do you justice.” A spark of interest lit her toffee-colored eyes. He knew her brother? Her brother was showing men photos of her? She swore if Andy had set her up on a blind date without telling her…

“You are a vision of loveliness.”

The cough that sounded from behind the man caused her a moment’s surprise, as she had barely even noticed that another person was there. Another man, of course, she confirmed moments later as her eyes sought him out. A… well, there were really no words to describe him. However, Anne did feel her interest peak in the much older man. He looked to be someone who had a keen mind, which made her warm to him instantly.

“I do apologize. My mouth tends to wander off on its own without checking in with my brain occasionally,” the younger man continued, changing his tactic. Anne merely arched an eyebrow, seeming to ask him if he really wanted her to respond to that particular comment.

“Let me introduce myself, I’m Finn Lancaster,” he informed her, “I’m a good friend of your brother’s. And this dashing bloke is Declan Quinn.”

“Charming,” she quipped, eyes moving guardedly from one face to the other. Before she was able to ask just why they had decided to visit her, the man who had named himself Finn pushed past her into her office. If possible, Anne’s mouth became even thinner as she turned, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Please come in,” she instructed wryly, “Go ahead and make yourself comfortable.” While her tone was obviously sarcastic, Finn actually seemed to heed it. She watched with unmasked disbelief as he strode over to her mantle, picking up a photo and gazing at it mournfully.

“Yes, please feel free to go through my personal items while you’re at it,” she added dryly, annoyance edging into her voice now. Honestly, this was going a bit far now.

“And while you’re at it, maybe you could explain why you—”

“Sorry to bother you, my dear, but…” Finn spoke, interrupting her sardonic remark. “I was just wondering if you’d heard from Andrew recently?”

“Are you serious?” were the first words that erupted from Anne’s mouth, eyes glittering dangerously. “You came all the way here to interrupt my work to—” Anne’s lips snapped together midway through her sentence, understanding dawning across her features as she put it together. Her gaze turned demanding, though her brow lowered over troubled eyes as she glanced from one man to the other.

“Where’s Andy?” she asked in a low, cutting voice.
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Declan Quinn
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Declan wasn’t sure what was more fascinating – Hogwarts’ ancient and impressively grand castle, or Finn’s equally grand and impressive lexicon of saccharine flattery.

Though, perhaps the most extraordinary thing of all was how many women seemed to actually respond to said flattery. Declan would have been visibly cringing if he were the recipient of such over-the-top doting, but this Shaw woman, beneath her attempts at a stern exterior, was quite obviously barely withholding a flirtatious giggle. The frightening thing was that it was hardly the first time he’d observed such a reaction from the opposite sex when in the presence of Finn’s shameless wooing. Probably wouldn’t be the last, either.

Women, Declan presumed, were almost certainly one mystery he would never have the slightest hope of solving.

The castle provided him with a state of wonder for entirely different reasons, and unlike Finn’s atrocious romancing, there was nothing particularly peculiar or mysterious about it. Only natural that he should feel interest and curiosity whilst observing the celebrated school of wizardry that he had not been fortunate enough to attend in his youth. The accounts he'd both read and heard hadn’t done it justice.

“Dec.” Finn slowed just enough from his position ahead to throw the admonishment over his shoulder as they made their way through the castle’s halls. Annoyance had tightened the younger man’s features and gave a slight edge to his words of reproach. “I would actually like to get to Kerrigan's office before I die of old age. Do you think you could pick up the pace a little?”

But Declan’s pace remained unhurried and steady. As he spoke, his eyes traced the intricate carvings in the gilded picture frames lining the walls, ignoring their dozing occupants entirely. “Dehydration would be far more likely, though I think our progress would still have to be diminished quite a considerable amount for even that to be in the realm of possibility.”

Finn blithely ignored both this and the faint, upward tuck Declan’s lips were giving, choosing instead to press onward without another word. Professor Anne Kerrigan, whom they were to meet, was the sister of the missing Andrew Kerrigan, and at Finn’s desperate request, Declan had agreed to offer his services and accompany him in paying her a visit. One of the rare occasions his friendship had been able to be appealed to. Though, the promise of what could possibly turn out to be an interesting case didn’t exactly deter him any, either…

When they finally arrived, Finn gave the Professor’s office door a few hearty knocks, and, after a short wait, a surprisingly young woman answered. Slender and composed, she settled her astute stare on Finn’s broadly grinning features and narrowed it slightly in suspicion.

“Yes?” she asked.

Finn wasted no time. “Annie, my love,” he began with that amorous smile he had down to a science by now. “The photos Andy has shown me do not do you justice. You are a vision of loveliness.”

Recognizing this as only a warm-up to the barrage of sweet-talking that was certain to ensue, Declan issued a faint, but pointed, cough. It wasn’t difficult to surmise that Ms. Kerrigan would not be one of those women easily swayed by charm, and any attempts at such would probably prove more harmful than good.

Thankfully, after introductions were made, Finn began getting to the actual reason behind their visit. Declan followed him into the room slowly, stopping not far from the entrance as his eyes leisurely studied his surroundings – more out of casual interest than purposeful cataloging, though it would be a lie to say a small part of him didn’t file some of his observations away for later consideration regardless. Much like Finn’s shamelessly flirtatious nature, Declan could never quite rid himself of that particular aspect of his character entirely.

All observations came to an end, however, when Finn inquired about Andrew’s whereabouts. Ms. Kerrigan’s reaction was snapped and immediate, irritation rearing its head first before alarm began to settle on her features when she realized what the implications of their visit were. Her gaze sharpened, flitting swiftly from Finn to Declan, and when she spoke again, her tone was one of steely demand.

“Where’s Andy?”

What would have almost surely been described as an uncomfortable silence fell upon the room and the occupants within it, but Declan was impervious to such things. Which was likely the reason why he was the first to break it.

“Missing,” he supplied helpfully.

He spoke with a simple ease, his tone unadorned by sympathy or any of the other things one might consider tactful in a situation such as this one. But this was how he conducted all of his business, the reason why many found him so abhorrent and, at times, inhuman when dealing with him, though there was quite honestly no conscious malice being committed on his part. Logic and reason were cemented into his being so entirely that only the facts mattered to Declan. Emotions – normal ones, anyway – were completely out of his range of skills.

This much was proved by the continuation of his response.

“Much like Blackbeard’s treasure, or Excalibur. Though, hopefully unlike the scrolls of Agrippa, as I believe they were recently found partially incinerated and thoroughly illegible.”

He clasped his hands behind his back, gave her a faint smile, and drew his stare away once again to idly take in the space about them.

“Lovely cabinetry.”
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Finn Lancaster
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“Are you serious? You came all the way here to interrupt my work to—” Her words were cut short as she cast suspicious glares at both he and Declan. Realization washed over her face as she began to understand why he was asking about her brother.

“Where’s Andy?” she asked in a low, cutting voice.

That was really the question now wasn't it? Finn stayed uncharacteristically quiet for several long moments as he contemplated how to tell her that they didn't know where Andy was. How did you tell someone that their family member had vanished, seemingly without a trace? Was there a gentle way to dump that at someone's feet?

Anne didn't look like the type who'd appreciate a sugar coated response. No, she was definitely the kind of woman who'd want a straight forward answer but even still, there had to be a way to fill her in without being callous about the situation.

“Missing,”

Like that, Finn thought with an inward groan.

Declan had never been the most socially adept person ever. In fact, he may be the only person on the planet who was born with absolutely no social skills to speak of. It was amazing that Ministry hadn't done a study on Declan's complete lack of tact yet. They did studies on everything, and surely a man with no social graces warranted a closer inspection. Maybe the Ministry officials would come and get him now. Anything to make him stop speaking.

“Dec...” Finn began, in an effort to thwart whatever odd bit of knowledge his friend was planning to impart next but it was too late. Declan's mouth continued to move.

“Much like Blackbeard’s treasure, or Excalibur. Though, hopefully unlike the scrolls of Agrippa, as I believe they were recently found partially incinerated and thoroughly illegible.”

And then for a single blissful moment, Declan was quiet. His sharp gaze still taking in the space around them. Finn's relief was short lived as the detective opened his mouth once again.

“Lovely cabinetry.”

“Merlin on a moped! Declan, please just stop talking.” Finn blurted out finally. He cast an exasperated glare at his friend before turning a sympathetic gaze on Anne.

The young woman had yet to react to Declan's tactless ramblings, so Finn decided to step in. Moving to the professor's side, he slipped an arm around her shoulder to in a vain attempt comfort her. No matter how tough the woman was as a professor, surely, news of her brother's disappearance would leave her shaken. And the very thought of it left Finn feeling helpless and more than a little guilty for having to be the one to break it to her.

“Don't worry your pretty little head, cupcake. Declan may be a bit of a dolt when it comes to social niceties, but he's absurdly good at his job. We'll find Andy and bring him back home in no time.”
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