Sins of the Father [Alex]

[Max Kameren]

Place The Ministry of Magic | Time March 2016 | Characters Involved Curse Kameren, Alex Kameren

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Curse Kameren’s free fingers circled round the splint he’d made to straighten his broken ones as he mused, staring down at the notebook he’d been scribbling in since the very early morning. Something wasn’t right. Curse had expected a few bumps and bruises training his Juniors at the Dragons for the first time, but what he’d received had been different. It left him bewildered, in need of answers.

He’d found answers in the Ministry’s archives, and then some. A haunting face had stared back at him from an Azkaban file, wild green eyes so intently focused on him even from the piece of parchment that Curse couldn’t get it out of his mind for hours. It lingered still, leaving the Auror pacing his office until his juniors arrived.

“ALEX!” Curse Kameren swung out of his office and yelled, his customary approach to calling his juniors as opposed to the more office-friendly memos the other aurors used. He smirked in satisfaction as he watched several Junior Aurors start at his outburst, turning on his heel back into his office to await his Junior’s presence.

“Disciplinary meeting.” The door swung closed as Curse heard familiar shoes step into his office. He turned in his chair, arching a brow up at his junior. In the dim grey morning light of the office it was easy to see a newly-crooked nose and the faint purple shadow of a black eye sinking his emerald eye lower. Something in their duel later had backfired in a way Curse Kameren hadn’t intended, leaving only the other dueling partner to blame. Alex Kameren had some explaining to do. “Sit.”

[Alecsander]

“ALEX!”

Alex rolled his eyes at Emmi as they entered the bullpen to the sound of Curse yelling. He shook his cloak out, hanging it next to his partner's, and went to answer the summons.

“Disciplinary meeting. Sit.”

Alex had been so shocked to see a black eye blooming on Curse's face after his mentor had hit him with a jinx that he had jerked his wand, inadvertantly breaking both their noses. It was the first time he'd broken his nose, and he'd sworn quite inventively after he'd finished seeing stars and blackness. Not an experience he wanted particularly to repeat. He eyed Curse warily and not without a little acerbity. He had to be Cedric's son. There simlley weren't any other candidates, his uncanny resemblence to Alex's father notwithstanding. He remained stubbornly mute.

[Max Kameren]

The surly presence Curse had summoned suddenly appeared in his doorway, glowering at him with his similarly broken nose. Their mutual injuries had cut short the lesson yesterday, requiring medical attention that took the rest of their afternoon. It had ruined what would have been an otherwise productive day of teaching his Juniors and pushed back important cases on his schedule. He could see the discomfort in his Junior and took a morbid requital in it: served him right, for whatever curse he’d cast at the beginning of their duel.

The auror sighed, flipping his notes closed and meeting the Junior’s green eyes evenly. “As I’m sure you’re aware, curses like the one you cast yesterday at the beginning of our duel are against the protocol stated in your handbook for practice scenarios. However…” Curse fidgeted with his splint fingers as he spoke, arching a brow at the stony face across from him, “In all my research last night I could not manage to figure out what spell you cast to have such a mirrored effect. And that’s saying something – I’m very good at research.”

“So,” Curse sat back in his chair, staring at Alex expectantly, “what did you cast? If you surprise me I’ll lessen your punishment.”

[Alecsander]

“So,” Curse sat back in his chair, staring at Alex expectantly, “what did you cast? If you surprise me I’ll lessen your punishment.”

"I cast!?" Alex suddenly broke his silence. "This isn't my fault." He itched to be anywhere but here, having this conversation. He wanted to pace but forced himself to sit still, but was unable to completely smooth his expression.

"You look just like him, I knew it!" he had known, but not wanted to know. As if he needed any more "family." Still, he took more than a little satisfaction in knowing more than his smug mentor. "Its a curse all right, but cast hundreds of years before you or I were born. The final nail in the coffin... Brother." he stared across the table at the face mirroring his.

[Max Kameren]

"I cast!?" Alex suddenly broke his silence, and the tone mad Curse groan inwardly. Oftentimes in the last few months his trainee’s angst would come off to his mentor like whining. Every sneer was a coin flip: was something actually wrong, or was auror training not meeting Alex Kameren’s arbitrary standards? "This isn't my fault."

Curse arched a skeptical brow. “Please, enlighten me then.”

"You look just like him, I knew it!" Oh, here they went then. Their resemblance was uncanny particularly in the eyes, and the surname was too unique to be a coincidence. Just after Curse had received his assignment he’d brought his curiosity to the Ministry’s files, finding what he suspected: the same father. Cedric Kameren; Curse had always had the last name, but never knew the first. When he found Azkaban records including a portrait it had only confirmed it. Alex was right, the old man did look uncannily like him.

"Its a curse all right, but cast hundreds of years before you or I were born. The final nail in the coffin... Brother."

“Alright, enough of that.” The theatricality of pureblood wizards never ceased to irritate him. Curse waved off the dramatics. “I know all about that: Alecsander Malice Kameren, son of Cedric Kameren, whose New Years excursion to the ‘States turned out to be incredibly convenient for me.” He rolled his eyes. “Locked in Azkaban for life, now. Sounds like I missed out on a great parent.”

Something else Alex mentioned was what piqued his interest, however: “Hundreds of years before we were born? A family curse, then?” Curse glanced down at his fingers then back up at his ‘brother’ questioningly. “Not particularly well-planned then, were they? Or not particularly nuanced at least.” Curse flipped open his notebook and took out a quill, preparing it to take notes. “Continue, then. What is it?”

[Alecsander]

“Alright, enough of that.” The theatricality of pureblood wizards never ceased to irritate him. Curse waved off the dramatics. “I know all about that: Alecsander Malice Kameren, son of Cedric Kameren, whose New Years excursion to the ‘States turned out to be incredibly convenient for me.” He rolled his eyes. “Locked in Azkaban for life, now. Sounds like I missed out on a great parent.”

Alex's eyes blazed at Curse's casual mention of Cedric, then became a flat green. Much as he didn't get along with his so-called brother, his anger and distaste for the man who had fathered him ran deeper. He was here to prove he could be better than that man. Do something good in the world. "He was useless."

“Hundreds of years before we were born? A family curse, then?” Curse glanced down at his fingers then back up at his ‘brother’ questioningly. “Not particularly well-planned then, were they? Or not particularly nuanced at least.” Curse flipped open his notebook and took out a quill, preparing it to take notes. “Continue, then. What is it?”

"Just because dear dad," he twisted the word with venom, he'd long ceased viewing Cedric as a parent, "had the ill-luck to concieve both of us doesn't mean we're family." he leveled his best bland look at Curse. His best 'junior auror doing just as he's supposed to' look.

"Now that you know I didn't cast any illicit curses, can I go? I have a lot of work to catch up on."

[Max Kameren]

“Locked in Azkaban for life, now. Sounds like I missed out on a great parent.” Curse Kameren didn't need a brother. He didn't need a father either. He'd barely had a mother and here he was, twenty-three and already in charge of two Junior Aurors. As offended as Alex appeared at the very mention of their blood relationship it was largely irrelevant to Curse; he was self-sufficient, he didn't need a family. If anything it would only slow him down. He had the Cummings family back in the Muggle World, his few friends, and his career. That was all he needed. 

"He was useless."

"I agree." Curse nodded, flipping open his notebook and preparing a quill. “I'm curious about this, though. Hundreds of years before we were born? A family curse, then? Not particularly well-planned then, were they? Or not particularly nuanced at least.” He sighed in exasperation as Alex tensed, apparently lost in his own thoughts. “Continue, then. What is it?”

"Just because dear dad," he twisted the word with venom, he'd long ceased viewing Cedric as a parent, "had the ill-luck to concieve both of us doesn't mean we're family."

"That isn't what I asked you." Suddenly Curse was understanding the other aurors' complaints about their thick-headed Juniors more vividly. Curse wasn't sure if he needed a muggle megaphone to shriek his question in the younger wizard's ear, or a hammer and chisel to create a more direct route into his thick skull. Evidently words weren't working; his brow furrowed as he met Alex's blank stare, sighing in exasperation. "If you need to work out your issues with our idiot father there's a counselor in Human Resources, but I'm your mentor and I asked you a question."

"Now that you know I didn't cast any illicit curses, can I go? I have a lot of work to catch up on."

Thmp. Curse hit his head on his desk in mock exasperation, glaring up at Alex with wide emerald eyes. "No you can't go, what did I just say?! Jesus Christ..." The auror sighed, pinching the bridge of his crooked nose as he evened his volume. "Again, I'm your mentor. If we don't want a repeat of yesterday, I need to know what these curses are so I can avoid them in lesson plans for you and Emmi in the future. I don't know about you, but I'd prefer less mutually broken noses over the next couple years if I can help it." 

"We don't have to have slumber parties and spend Thanksgiving together, I just need to know important things like this - " He gestured to his bruised face " - to look out for. I don't want to be a Kameren, but I do have to be a Kameren, you know?" He shrugged, holding out a hand to shake expectantly. "Deal?"

[Alecsander]

Thmp. Curse hit his head on his desk in mock exasperation, glaring up at Alex with wide emerald eyes.

Alex rolled his eyes. Who was always bitching about who being overdramatic? Geez.

"No you can't go, what did I just say?! Jesus Christ..." The auror sighed, pinching the bridge of his crooked nose as he evened his volume. "Again, I'm your mentor. If we don't want a repeat of yesterday, I need to know what these curses are so I can avoid them in lesson plans for you and Emmi in the future. I don't know about you, but I'd prefer less mutually broken noses over the next couple years if I can help it."

"How about to start with, you shouldn't exist?" Alex fired back, clenching his fists. He didnt subscribe to all that idiotic blood purity and superiority shite, but his ancestors--hell, his own father had. You didnt need to go back generations to see it. "Your mother was a muggle. Breaking a blood curse like that... It must bring a curse of its own." the consequences of a broken blood curse were unknown, but Alex laid more than even odds they weren't good consequences.

"We don't have to have slumber parties and spend Thanksgiving together, I just need to know important things like this - " He gestured to his bruised face " - to look out for. I don't want to be a Kameren, but I do have to be a Kameren, you know?" He shrugged, holding out a hand to shake expectantly. "Deal?"

"What the fuck is Thanksgiving?" it was said more as a statement, Alex wasnt sure he was interested enough to know. He eyed the hand warily, finally reaching out to shake it. "Don't get cozy, I'm not going to suddenly be your best friend." he muttered, eyes edging close to mutinious. Curse had said close to the same thing, but he felt the need to emphasize it.

[Max Kameren]

Junior Aurors were generally difficult to get a point through, but Alex Kameren was particularly maddening. The kid was like a bolder, hard and unmoving. This discussion over Cedric was really the most animated reaction he’d gotten out of him yet. "Again, I'm your mentor. If we don't want a repeat of yesterday, I need to know what these curses are so I can avoid them in lesson plans for you and Emmi in the future. I don't know about you, but I'd prefer less mutually broken noses over the next couple years if I can help it."

"How about to start with, you shouldn't exist?"

“Great, I’ll get right on that.”

"Your mother was a muggle. Breaking a blood curse like that... It must bring a curse of its own."

Curse didn’t love the sound of his petulant Junior Auror talking about his late mother, that was for sure. Suddenly things were far too personal. Best to cut to the chase. "We don't have to have slumber parties and spend Thanksgiving together, I just need to know important things like this - " He gestured to his bruised face " - to look out for. I don't want to be a Kameren, but I do have to be a Kameren, you know? Deal?"

"What the fuck is Thanksgiving?"

“You’ll see. I’ll force you and Emmi to come this year.” That wasn’t a tease, it was a promise. Alex Kameren would attend Curse’s Thanksgiving this year if it meant he had to drop the turkey on his Juniors’ Ministry desk.

"Don't get cozy, I'm not going to suddenly be your best friend."

“That’s good, because I’m not your friend. I’m your boss.” Curse cocked his head with a half-smile, firmly shaking the Junior’s hand and opening his office door with a glance. “Speaking of: back to work. I was anticipating punishing you, so I’m afraid I’ve already volunteered you to help clean the drunk tanks in the Constables’ offices while I take Emmi to have the dueling practice she missed yesterday because of our mess.” Curse grinned with a duplicitous innocence, shrugging as he stood from his desk. “You don’t mind, do you brother?”