Nothing much has changed (Isaac)

Guest

Edward hadn't stepped foot in Hog's Head pub for almost a decade.Yet it seemed as though it had only been yesterday, the layout was exactly the same, right down to the smell of roast beef cooking. The only thing that had changed were the people.And that was precisely why he was certain that no one would recognise him, why he was sure it was safe to enter. He'd changed a lot since he was twenty, his face and frame, slimmer, his hair neater, his style over all was much more poised... And he now wore glasses.

He walked in, straight to the bar where he ordered a drink. Once the bartender had got it, he glanced around, and decided to take his drink to an empty table, where he shrugged off his over coat and placed it on the back of the chair before taking a sip of his drink, which happened to be a firewhiskey. He wasn't entirely sure why, of all places, he'd chosen Hog's Head, perhaps it was nostalgia, or maybe it'd just been the closest place, considering he'd been visiting the village.

Guest

New intelligence had been received from the grapevine that Isaac had opted to look in to himself. His trust for those who'd been working for the Nightshade group had been waning since the previous two attacks. Despite Felicia's efforts in working through the newer recruits and determining who was worthy of their time. He trusted her conclusions without faltering. He knew they would not allow weaknesses to enter their ranks again.

But, because he trusted Felicia's decisions did not mean he trusted the recruits.

Which was why he was in Hogsmeade, checking out the lay of the land whilst making sure his face was seen. They had to keep their public appearances up, to throw off the idea they were in hiding. But, also, Isaac was trying to work out a way in to the castle should Violet Lynch not bring them what they needed.

Stepping in to the pub that he'd avoided in his youth, Isaac ordered himself a Firewhiskey from the bar and paid -- cash, he never kept a tab anywhere, nor used payment methods that could be traced. Whilst he wanted to be seen, he didn't wish to be tracked.

As he turned to the room as a whole, Isaac noted only one other man in the bar. Someone a little younger than him. Quirky looking. Any other time, he might have left it. But, he needed one, genuine witness. Moving to the table, Isaac pressed a smile on to his lips.

"Mind if I sit?" Isaac asked casually, he could do this with ease. "Or are you expecting someone?" He added, not wanting to force his presence on someone, especially not in a pub where it was known for not always being well to do.

Guest

Edward had been almost zoning out as he sipped his drink. So much so that he didn't notice the man enter the pub, until he was stood in front of him, asking for a seat. He glanced up at the man, almost expecting to recognise him, see a familiar face from his school days. The people had indeed changed.

Edward was, of course, polite. He wasn't about to suggest that the man sit somewhere else, he was raised with better manners than that. He gave the man a slight nod "Please," he said, with a polite smile while gesturing for the man to sit. In all honesty, curiosity really got the better of him. Curious as to why this man decided to sit with him rather than take one of the many free tables available. Perhaps it was loneliness. Lonely people were the kindest... Wasn't that the saying?

"What brings you here, of all places?"he asked.

Guest

"Thank you." Isaac replied to the man, taking a seat opposite him. His features were carefree, not giving the impression of the strain he was under at the current moment. A relaxed persona was much easier to explain away, whereas stress signs were not so easy to back up with an explanation.

Placing his glass on the table between them, Isaac sat back comfortably as he contemplated the question been posed. The real answer was obviously not one he could bring himself to expose to the man he'd just met, so a lie was the only option he had.

"I was reminiscing, to be quite honest." Isaac told the man with a small smile. "I schooled at Hogwarts, though this is many years ago now. However, I never came to the Hogs Head. You'd have thought, with the reputation it offers, a boy of thirteen would have been more interested." He explained with an amused smile.

"Turns out, the bar is not quite so fearsome as I was led to believe all those years ago." He summarised, lifting his glass from the table and taking a small sip from the amber liquid. It burned all the way down, but Isaac didn't grimace in the slightest. "And you, what brings you here?" He asked, before realising something.

"Ah, manners, I'm Zac, by the way. Isaac Hayford, but Zac is fine." He explained, extending a hand across the table to the man before him to finish the introductions.

Guest

The man seemed to just be genuinely friendly, relaxed even. He sipped his drink as the man stated he'd been reminiscing, talking about his school days. Edward supposed, besides wanting a drink, he'd been feeling slightly nostalgic too, not so much missing his days at school (they weren't his favourite, truth be told), rather just thinking back all those year, back to what had bought him to Hog's Head in the first place.

"Zac," he nodded, reaching across the table to shake his hand "I'm Edward, Ed if you'd like." he greeted, not entirely sure if he should state his last name. He genuinely didn't know if anyone would still be looking for him, after all these years. He certainly wasn't sure how well known the name would be to this man.

"As for me," he leaned back in his seat "I suppose it's the same, reminiscing." he flashed him a smile "Though certainly not looking back fondly on my school days," he wasn't a fan of school. It wasn't the learning, but rather the people that really made his school days difficult. "Just here, Hog's Head," he said "Some very fun times here," he nodded, taking another sip of firewhiskey.

Guest

"Good to meet you, Edward." Zac replied, shaking the man's hand firmly so that there could be no denying he was more of an alpha male than a submissive kind of man. Making sure people knew what they were dealing with, even if they currently didn't pose a threat to him. It would plant the seed, though, that he was not a man to be reckoned with.

"You didn't make it as one of Hogwarts finest, I take it?" Isaac asked with an amused smile playing on his lips. From the look of the guy now, Isaac doubted he would have made the right social circles, but he didn't wish to be quite that rude to assume the man to have been in the nerdier group of people.

"So, what is it you do, Edward?" Isaac asked, making it look like general chit chat, but he was just making conversation of little consequence to have an alibi. Nothing too personal asked, and therefore nothing personal had to be given. And, well, perhaps, though this was a long shot, the man before him might be of use.

Guest

Ed got the impression, just from the strength of the man's handshake, that he was probably one of those that Ed would have avoided in school. But alas, he wasn't in school anymore. And he hadn't been in school for quite a while either.

"Good meeting you too, Zac," he replied with a smile that faltered slightly at the man's next comment. It was something of a sore spot for him, his school days. He wasn't a fan of really discussing it. Academically, he was great, clearly one of the smartest. Socially, not so much.

He let out a slight chuckle, keeping the mood light "Certainly not one of their finest." he replied "Expelled actually. It wasn't a fun time," he gave a shrug "I suppose I really outdid myself. Summing up, a Rube Goldberg machine gone wrong," Wrong being that he'd harmed the wrong person intentionally. Human error, though not his, not in his mind at least.

He was glad for the change of subject, to what he did for a living. He didn't actually have a 'set' job. It changed as frequently as it needed to change. "Lots of things. At the moment I'm in the business of potioneering." he replied "What about yourself?" he asked the man.

Guest

Edward had pulled out a card of interest to Isaac when the other male told of the fact he'd been expelled from school. That, to say the least, was interesting. It made him something of a misfit in society, but also reduced the number of Edward's the man before him could be down to a small handful. Isaac didn't know in that moment, which Edward the man before him was, but it would be easy enough to find out and deduce an idea.

Tucking that idea away for later -- to discuss with Felicia -- Isaac simply let out a small laugh on the reason why Ed had been expelled from Hogwarts. "Summing up makes one quite curious." Isaac told the man. "What, exactly, went so wrong for you to get expelled?" He questioned. Of course, the other man didn't have to answer the question. They were stepping in to personal questions now.

Questions, though, that could possibly give Isaac something to think about, after all, Rube Goldberg machines weren't for the impatient.

"Curse-breaking." Isaac replied to the question. Though, the fact he was currently flitting between work was not something he was going to share.

Lifting his drink to his lips, Isaac took a long, slow drink, savoured it, and swallowed. "Freelance potioneering?" Isaac asked Edward after a moment, as if an afterthought. It was, kind of, but also an idea. If the man worked for the Ministry, he'd be no good. For the school... perhaps useful, but if Freelance, then it showed he wasn't overly tied to a side. A useful person, but only Felicia would truly know if Isaac's ideas were right.

Guest

He let out a small chuckle, that almost veered on uncomfortable when the man asked what exactly went so wrong, that was bad enough to be expelled. In truth, he'd hurt someone, very badly. Two things had gone wrong with his machine. Firstly, it didn't work properly, with what was meant to happen. It had been one of his darker machines, one he'd thought of at a very dark period of his life. His intention had been to kill, he had only maimed. Secondly, the wrong target had been hit. An innocent student, a girl in his year. He'd meant for it to hit the person who had made his life hell for the entirety of his school life. And he could have gotten away with it, had the timing been right. That was one of his mistakes, one of his regrets, something he'd keep in mind if there was a next time. But that was in the past, and he wasn't about to divulge that with a stranger.

"Oh, it's far too complex to go into detail," he replied "In short, I messed up the timing." he shrugged a little before taking a deep sip, finishing his drink as Isaac went on talking.

"Curse breaking? That sounds interesting. Something I've always wanted to learn more about. What does it involve?" he asked.

He nodded "Freelance, yes. I'll make anything you need for the right price." he said. He didn't have the credentials for a 'proper' job. He was his own boss, and he liked it that way.

Guest

The lack of detail on what had happened was disappointing, to say the least, but Isaac let the conversation go with but a small smile that said he'd accept the story as it was. He'd find out for himself, out of curiosity, and deal with the information when he had it.

As they both finished their drinks, Zac motioned to the barman to bring them another. After all, it seemed they would be drinking together for a little while longer, at least.

The question of Cursebreaking made Isaac shrug just slightly. "I break in to tombs, graves, else wise profitable places, and take treasures beyond some people's widest dreams. I create wards impenetrable -- or, near as damn it. I break wards created centuries ago. Ancient Egypt, for example, is a treasure trove, but a death trap to the untrained man." Isaac explained, nonchalant in his description because he did not think much of the risk of his job.

Even if he was cutting down on that work now.

"Anything?" Isaac asked to the words Edward had spoken, his eyebrows raising just slightly. "That's a very broad scope of work... with different legalities attached..." He said, a small smile playing on his lips. If Edward were open to the... less legal kind, he was definitely an asset Isaac would have to discuss with Felicia.

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