21, October 2025, 1000

Galahad had been walking for about an hour when he felt he was far enough away to stop and start to get situated for life in the wind. It was Tuesday, which meant that he probably had until Friday before Orion came home to discover him gone. He planned to be out of France long before then. He wasn't sure what he was going to do. He needed time to think, time to breathe. The chateau was in Saint-Paul-de-Vence and he had set off straight for the French Riviera. He wanted to lose himself in the muggle world for a while before traveling by magical means. He hoped that by waiting to travel magically, he would be harder to track.

He lamented how foolish he'd been in the way he left. He did not regret his instructions to the house elf. He did, however, regret the way in which he left Orion's study. The feeling of anger and betrayal had surged within him as he stormed out. By leaving the letters on display, Orion would know that he knew. It wouldn't be clear how much he knew but Orion would know based on Galahad's experience that he could ascertain what the letters and broken wands meant. He loved Orion, and knew Orion loved him. Would Orion be capable of harming him to protect his secret? He knew his mind was in overdrive and he couldn't trust his thoughts but that question kept entering his mind.

On the outskirts of town, Galahad found a SocGen where he exchanged 200 of his Pounds for Euros. He knew if he got too much he could convert it back later on. Galahad's plan was simple in theory but could be difficult in execution: he was going to change to get a cheap mobile phone for navigation and weather, some clothes to fit the climate he was going for, and finally, a non-magical route from France to Dublin. He needed to go to the one person he knew would give him honest advice: his father. He knew this was a situation he could only resolve on his own, but he was hopeful his father could point him in the right direction because, at the moment, Galahad felt he was lost. The only thing he knew was that he wasn't going to go the authorities. He could not do that unless he was absolutely certain there wasn't an innocent (well, non-criminal) reason. The rational part of his mind knew that this could only end by speaking to his fiancee, but he needed help getting there.

At a petrol station on the outskirts of town had a cheap mobile he was able to buy to check the muggle news and, more importantly, the weather. If he was going to be living rough for a while, he needed make sure he was able to stay warm. He checked the weather for his first destination, Dublin. It was starting to get cold in Ireland so he knew he need to spend some money on clothes. If he'd been of his right mind, he would've packed some warmer clothes as it was rapidly approaching November, but, as he had to keep reminding himself, he was not of his right mind.

Galahad took the phone he'd just bought and used it to locate the nearest thrift store. He wasn't looking for style or flash, he wanted the most tatty, unnoticeable person around. As he was still on the outer edges of the Riviera, he was able to find a reasonably close thrift store in the next town. It took about an hour's walk, but he'd gotten to it by midday. Inside, he found a pair of hiking boots, a scarf, touque, and an old, grey winter coat. It was perfect for what he needed. He put everything in his satchel with the exception of the coat, which he put on. He was instantly more comfortable and he found the comfort made him think clearer for a few moments. He realized he was sore for walking so long and very thirsty, it must've been the adrenaline.

A five minute walk led to a quaint little tea shop. He ordered hot tea and a scone and sat down at a table to enjoy it. He needed to get his mind in order and consider his situation. He had found letters that were, to him, highly suggestive of what his soon-to-be husband did in his downtime. And then there were the broken wands. What else could they have been? Why else would you take them and keep them? Aurors and Hitwizards always walked close to the line, it was part of the job, you had to do it to get results and take really bad people out of the world. Had Orion at some point crossed over? Had he started into the abyss for too long? Had it stared back? And if he had crossed, what would he do about it? Could he still live with him? He loved Orion very much but this was something unfathomable to him.

He knew those thoughts needed to be resolved, but later. He had his own short term situation to figure out first. Due to the many magical means of transportation available to him on a daily basis, he did not have an EU Passport or ID. That ruled out the conventional muggle means of train or plane. He needed a way in that didn't require papers and was discrete. He thought about getting a ride on a cargo ship and not having to deal with customs at all. The downside of course was that if he were caught they would try to arrest him and there would be a simple matter of either escaping or breaking the International Statute of Secrecy to get away from them.

Ultimately, he came up with what he thought was a novel way out of his predicament. Instead of gambling with border security, he decided his best bet was security through obscurity. He got himself a train ticket from the Riviera to the Pyrenees. Beauxbatons was hidden away in the Pyrenees and obviously, a hub of magic. So whereas one guy apparating from close to his residence is easily traced, apparating from a hub of wizarding activity was a needle in a haystack. During the train ride, he was able to get a much needed nap. When he woke up, he was still freaking out in a major way, but the break had at least stopped the ongoing panic attack he'd been going through since the moment he discovered the letters and wands.

It was 9 PM and starting to get properly cold by the time he was off the train and made it deep into the forest at the base of the mountain range. While he got safely away from the muggles, he had been practicing his tracking skills. He tracked what he was fairly sure was a unicorn foal for about five klicks before he decided he was far enough in. Focusing all his energy on his destination, a wooded area just outside of Dublin, he turned on the spot.

He took a deep breath and let the air reenter his lungs. He checked the phone, the time had update to 10:15 PM. It was too late to drop in on his parents. He would have to go see his father first thing in the morning. He took a deep breath and cleared his mind. He knew if he could just make it through the night, he would see his father in the morning and get back on track. In the meantime, he walked for fifteen minutes until he was out of the wood. He walked another ten minute until he was at a rooming house he would sometimes send people living rough to when he visited in happier times. Tonight, though, he was the one living rough. He got a room for one night and went up to his room. He barely managed to set his satchel on the end table before passing out in bed.

Interaction: @N/A
Mention: @Orion Lécuyer

22, October 2025, 0930
Dublin

Galahad had initially woken at 530. His mind was a bit clearer than yesterday, but there was still that constant feeling of trepidation, as if he were constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop. He had rolled over a couple of times but when he awoke for the final time that morning, it was still 645. So he had gotten up and started to meditate, trying to let his mind process all the information he learned yesterday. If he could get himself thinking just a little better, he knew he would be in a much better headspace and could start working towards actually being able to have a conversation with Orion about what he'd found.

Although he'd wanted to see his father the second he'd set foot in Ireland, he didn't want to show up in the middle of the night or early morning. At around 9 he decided it was late enough that both of his parents were up and would be done with breakfast. The walk from his accommodation for the night to his parents was about half an hour. When he finally got up to his parents' drive his building feeling of ease at the thought of seeing his parents started to give rise to a feeling nebulous dread. As soon as he got to the street, he saw the back doors to an ambulance close and the car set off down the road. It wasn't in a hurry, and was in front of his parents' house. He covered the distance to the front door at a full sprint and began knocking on the door. After a moment, his mother answered the door. She was crying. "Oh, Galahad," she managed to let out, "I haven't even called your sisters yet, how did you know?"

Galahad took a deep breath as he processed his mother's question. Deep in his heart, he knew the answer before she said anything, but his mind rebelled at the very thought. This just could not be happening. Life had surely hit him quite hard enough yesterday. It had shaken his very core. There's no way that the very next day, his father would be so cruelly taken from him just before he could give the help Galahad so desperately needed. But it was true. He had known something terrible happened the moment he'd seen the ambulance pull away. "It's dad, isn't it?" He barely got out before he started to teeter. He had to grab onto his mother to keep from falling.

Moira caught her son and guided him into the front room, lightly supporting him as until he was able to sit down on the couch. She then walked around the coffee table and sat down across from him. She took a tissue from the table and used it to dab at her tears before blowing her nose into it. It sounded like muffled trumpet. They both sat in silence for a few moments; Galahad, simply trying to process what had evidently just happened, and his mother, trying to regain her composure long enough to tell him what happened. Five minutes later, Galahad was number with shock when his mom was finally able to speak. Her voice was very weak, like each syllable took all her strength. "It happened... so fast... Your father dropped his phone... just over there," she said as she pointed to the area between the couch and coffee table. "He bent over to pick it up and... he just never got back up..." he could tell this was almost all he would get out of her right now, "The paramedics said it was a massive coronary so... at least..." she couldn't even finish the thought. The fact he hadn't suffered was absolutely no consolation to either of them right now.

25, October

The week had passed quickly yet slowly at the same time. There was so much to do to help his mother settle his father's affairs, notify people and make the arrangements for his father's funeral. After sitting on the couch for what felt like an eternity after his mother told him what happened, he finally managed to pick himself up off the mat and called his siblings, telling them of their father's passing. They'd agreed to divide the labor three ways. Billy was in charge of notifying their friends and extended family, Amelia settled what few outstanding financial affairs her father had, and, because it was the one thing his life as a wizard hadn't made harder, he was in charge of the funeral.

The only thing Galahad had wanted for the last four days was to go to Orion, just run to him and throw himself in those big, strong arms. He knew Orion could wrap him in those arms and make everything better. Or, at least, he could have, but Galahad had run away. One on level, he knew he'd done the right thing because what else can you do when you find an unexpected stash that you believe might connected to his secret life as a hitwizard? He also cursed himself for not having the common sense (and courtesy) to at least give his fiancee a chance to explain himself. He knew, somewhere in his mind, that there was an explanation of some sort. He wasn't sure if it was a good reason but he knew there had to be something. There's no way he could've been so wrong and judged Orion's character so poorly. Still, what he would have given to be able to fall into those muscley arms and forget about his worries.

Unfortunately, what he wanted to do and what he could do had an ocean between them. He had been greeting friends and family for a half hour in the front lobby of Saint Mary of the Angels, his family's home parish. His suit was older and looked okay but was also a little tight on him, life in the castle had been good for him and he'd definitely eaten too much and exercised too little. He had just finished shaking the hands of his father's bandmates when Father O'Connor walked up to him and explained that he needed the family's approval of the order of service. As he had been placed in charge of everything relating to the funeral, it fell to Galahad to approve, which was fine, but what he was truly dreading was giving his father's eulogy. He just didn't know what to say and had no idea how he'd be able to find it within himself to do what needed to be done.

A few hours later...

It had been the hardest thing he'd ever done, but Galahad managed to give, what he felt, was a fitting tribute to his father. His father was the kindest, most decent, and loving man Galahad had ever met. It's a cliche but he really was the type of guy that would give you the shirt off the back. As he'd gotten older, he'd thrown himself into his music as a means of reaching and comforting people who were in need of it. He just wished he could've had some of that comfort now. It seemed like a lifetime ago that Galahad had arrive home and seen the ambulance pull off.

Now that the funeral was over and everyone had gone home, Galahad was wrestling with a different question, but one that he hoped would give him some idea of what he needed to do. His father was the kind of man who didn't avoid his problems, he tried to face them head on. Galahad always tried to embody this trait in himself and, for the most part, he'd always managed to abide by it... until now. As he sat there trying to think of what he should do he knew the answer, he just felt less like the (former) Head of Gryffindor, and more of the cowardly lion from the Wizard of Oz. His courage had deserted him at the worst possible time. He knew he had to come home and face Orion.

He just wasn't ready to do that yet. He needed to come to terms with a lot of things first. The death of his father was the biggest by far. Galahad may have been able to power through a eulogy for him, but that didn't mean he was over it. He had a feeling that he would never fully come to terms but, all he could do right now is the same thing he did when he was an auror and he saw dark shit. It was time to take it, put it in a box, and not think about it for a while. That's what he wanted to do but he knew it wasn't healthy.

Galahad had resolved within himself that he would have to confront Orion, but before he could do that he had to get his mind back in order. It wasn't time to go home, not yet. And so, after giving a final big hug to his mother and telling her how much he loved her, Galahad set off into the night. He was returning to the wood he operated into. The weight he felt was a little light with each step he took. He knew he wasn't okay, not even close. But what he did have was a plan and, as a focused all his energy and turned on the spot, he knew he would make it home.

Interaction: @N/A
Mention: @Orion Lécuyer

5. November

As he materialized in the middle of the snowy forest, Galahad instantly pulled his cloaks tighter around him. The cold was oppressive, the wind howled, and the snow was so thick he could barely see ahead of him. When he'd left his mother's house, he'd thought he had a plan, but he realized a couple of days ago that he really hadn't. He knew he eventually needed to be brave enough to confront Orion over what he had found, but he had no idea how to find his bravery, which had conspicuously fled from him when he'd found Orion's little shop of horrors.

He'd gone to Madrid, Paris, then Berlin, before heading to Vienna, and then finally Rome. His wanderings were aimless and he didn't understand what he was looking for, he was just hoping he would know it when he saw it. He didn't have a clue whatsoever until he happened upon the Roman Colosseum. It was, sadly, not open to the public as it was being restored, but as he gazed upon the men and women restoring it he had an epiphany. He had no purpose. Before, he had his job as an Auror and then a Head of House as a driving force. His life revolved around this and it was what drove him. Even when he'd retired from Hogwarts, he still had Orion and his focus became building a life with him. Now, with his life turned upside down, he had none of that.

He was now rudderless. He needed something to throw himself into, because he knew that one he started to do that he would have a chance to process everything that had happened to him. It just had to happen, or at least start, in the background of his brain because the whole process felt so daunting to him. He thought about everything he'd done at Hogwarts. Yes, he managed the Gryffindor House there, but he also improved his own knowledge. He felt that if you didn't stimulate your brain with learning and activity then it started to degrade. He'd devoted himself to Astronomy and Care of Magical Creatures while there, and decided it was time to put that knowledge into action.

And so he'd apparated here, to the frigid, harsh forests of northern Norway. He decided that he could use his skills in tracking and astronomy to find something to occupy his brain while he got on with the processing of everything he had been through in the previous fortnight.

Mention: @Orion Lécuyer