An escape for the cautious
@Emery Albrecht
04th of September 2026, afternoon
Headmasters office
764
EnglishHe had been at the school for less than a week, and already he was growing tired of keeping his head down. ‘Be respectful and do not under any circumstance cause a ruckus’ was what he had been told. He hadn’t set out with the intent to disappoint his father, at least not so quickly. He knew that his admittance to Durmstrang was a gift he couldn’t afford to squander. The quips he threw around himself like confetti couldn’t be helped. It was as much a part of him as anything else. He had figured he could get away with all of it if he just stuck to saying them in english. That had somewhat worked, with his southern accent working in his favor. But what was the point if no one understood it? The laughter was just as important as the comments themselves. So he had switched to the dreaded language. But as it turned out his muggle references were seldom understood, and someone appreciating them was even more rare.
He was on the verge of throwing in the towel already. Because without the smart mouth comments all he was left with in his usual repertoire was being disrespectful, and shoving heads down the toilet. That couldn’t be seen as respectful behavior even if the fool judging his behavior was both blind and deaf. So on friday afternoon he found himself outside of the headmaster’s office. Surely his entire file had been considered when he was admitted. His dad hadn’t wanted to take the consequences it could have for his political career if it became known he had a half-blood for a son. Harvey also being a werewolf only rubbed salt in the wound. So the family had sought a favor from Astrid Blackwood to sponsor Harveys acceptance. As far as the boy understood it was a practice usually reserved for kids from muggle families. He didn’t quite know how or why the tradition was fitted to his situation, but he did not really care. His academic record, disappointing as it was, had surely followed him in its entirety. And yet, he found himself clinging to the idea forming in his head. Maybe the school didn’t know he was a werewolf. Maybe they would want nothing to do with him! If he was just a tiny bit lucky, they would send him home. Then it wouldn’t be his fault. He could loudly say that he did his best, and that it was no fault of his. Maybe he could even go home to the states? He had spent barely a month at his new home before he was shipped off to Scotland for summer camp, but it was long enough for him to cultivate a dislike for the climate of the entire continent.
The idea, impossible as it was, had bounced around in his head until he convinced himself it couldn’t hurt to bring it up. So he found himself in front of the office door that afternoon. He raised his hand to knock as he suppressed the urge to just barge in. Three quick taps on the door and he waited. Not quite knowing how he wanted to present himself he had settled for wearing the uniform. It was clearly bought second hand, and had long since passed its glory days. The colors were faded and the fabric worn, but it fit well enough. The red wasn’t quite his color, but if nothing else it was at least warm. Since it was technically after school hours he also sported a black cap, placed front to back over his golden locks. He now took it off to drag a hand through his hair, before putting it on again and opening the door slightly. He hadn’t waited nearly as long as he should for a response to his knocking, but patience had never been a quality he admired enough to cultivate.
He only opened the door enough to poke his head in. «Sir, do you…» He had spoken before he had made the conscious choice to do so, resulting in the words coming out in English. He stopped himself, considering for a moment before he spoke up again. «Do you have an instance?» His accent when speaking Russian was almost more prominent than when he spoke his mother tongue. The stubborn southern drawl refused to give way. He definitely mixed up a word or two as well, not that he himself noticed. Despite having sought out the office of his own free will, he looked very much like he did not want to be there.
PC: Maximilianus Kenneally Vidler——————————————————————————iNPC: Harvey Dunn
«You will be amazed at how effortlessly I fall short of your lowest expectations»
An escape for the cautious
The disapproval of cowards is praise to the brave.
German English Russian French Spanish Japanese Swahili Samoan
44
@Harvey Dunn
Durmstrang
09/04/2026
The students had swarmed the grounds of Durmstrang. Emery was unaccustomed to the rush of it all, despite having been headmaster for three years now. He had found himself, adminstrating to multiple situations, despite it only being the fourth day. He also was dealing with the strangeness of the fact that his nephew from his brother's side was in his first year here, this year while Armand, his niece was at Hogwarts. He could not believe how fast the time had passed.
On his table were forms for supplies, a detention record, along with the beginnings of a plan to make this school far more open to half-bloods. Emery had been an ambassador to other beings after all, and once an activist, always an activist was definitely applicable to the headmaster.
The current situation Albrecht had to take care of however was the last minute touches on the event he and the headmistress of Uagadou had planned for the last few months. Though the students would have fun, Albrecht had to make sure that despite the name of this event, no actual irreparable harm would come of the students and that required advanced detail planning.
It was the afternoon and to lift his spirits, Albrecht decided to have some afternoon tea with clotted cream sandwhiches and jam. As he wrote with his quill, he noticed a knock resound at his door. He thought to himself, "Ah the first student to enter my doors."
He chuckled to himself when the student opened the door instead of letting Emery do so, which would be what most would think is polite. Rudeness does not matter, only intentions after all.
"Come in! Come in! What is your name? This must be your first year, I do not recognize your face. Would you like anything to eat, drink?."
Emery recognized the southern drawl of this student and he wondered why this child had not gone to Ilvermony as most would have. There was bound to be a curious back story here.
An escape for the cautious
@Emery Albrecht
04th of September, 2026 afternoon
1515
Headmaster’s office
EnglishHe was not homesick, of course he wasn’t. That would be foolish. He was twelve for crying out loud, almost a teenager. Teenagers didn’t miss home because they had more important and cooler things to do. So did he. Probably. But here he was after all, determined to make this adult see that the only sensible choice was to send him home, preferably with no direct fault of his own. He had been told to behave, and behave he had. More or less. If Durmstrang decided entirely of its own accord that Harvey Dunn was simply too much of a liability to keep around, that could hardly be held against him. It was practically foolproof.
The warm welcome was not part of the plan. It was received with his shoulders curling inward a fraction at the invitation. Then he seemed to catch himself in the act and straightened again. He gave a curt nod as he stepped into the room and closed the door meticulously behind him. «Yes, well I…» He began while he glanced over the room before he stopped in the middle of the room, his words fizzling out. He was so set on his errand today that he didn’t immediately notice the man had answered him in English. Well, that would certainly make things easier. «Thank God, I can’t deal with that language…» He muttered under his breath, not quite succeeding in keeping the comment to himself. So far it even seemed the peacock spoke the language well, compared to most students here.
The room was rather strange, divided between old and new, messy and organized. How anyone could function in a space set up like that was beyond him. His eyes wandered across the room and everything littering it before settling on the bookshelf. He narrowed his eyes at the tombs for a moment. One could read a lot about a person from the texts they kept close at hand, even if the person in question was a dreary adult. It was also considerably easier to study someone's bookshelf than the someone standing in the room. Not that he cared of course.
After a moment or two he turned on his heel and kicked his feet into motion toward the headmaster and the rather imposing desk. He halted a couple of meters away, as if an invisible line had been drawn across the floor that he could not bring himself to cross. He glanced at the papers, the food, before he finally looked at the man himself. «No, I would rather not» It was easier to start with the offer of refreshments. He wasn’t particularly hungry anyway. Harvey hooked his thumbs into his pockets, needing something to occupy his hands. He had come here for a reason. Standing around and inspecting books or not speaking wasn’t going to get him back across the Atlantic. He drew a breath, suddenly finding himself wishing he had spent a little more time deciding exactly how this conversation was supposed to go before knocking. «I’m Harvey Dunn» His tone was quiet, as if weighing every word before they made it out.
A pause followed it, Harvey needing a moment to will himself to keep talking. «American» He finally got out. «Obviously» He closed his eyes. This was just excellent, very impressive. Turns out not being snarky did not leave him much. At this rate the man would probably send him home just to avoid having to talk to him again. The thought was oddly comforting. A smirk grew on his face as he rocked back on his heels. He could do this. Talking to adults was hardly difficult. Usually the biggest challenge was figuring out exactly how long it would take before they got annoyed with him. This one seemed irritatingly cheerful, but everyone had a limit. If he just stayed within it, there wouldn’t be a problem.
«First year, which apparently makes me a third year? Just got here» He had yet to figure out exactly how the whole foundation year worked. So far he had only picked up on that the first years were already familiar with the school. He glanced around the room once more before cocking his head slightly. «You probably know that too… Unless random American kids wander into your school often enough that you've stopped keeping track that is» The familiar smartness settled over him like a warm blanket at the end of a long day. His shoulders loosened slightly, recognizing the familiar ground. He could do this, hide anything behind a joke if he just made it quickly enough.
Sadly he had not come here to discuss his nationality, nor was he really supposed to quip. The grin he had been working up froze, and his hands dug deeper into his pockets. The plan had seemed considerably better outside the office. All Harvey had to do was make sure the headmaster knew. That was it, nothing more. If the information had somehow failed to reach him, everything after that would happen as if automatic.. An adult responsible for an entire school full of children would hear werewolf, realize what had been placed under the schools roof, and make the obvious decision. Then he could go. No fighting, no broken rules. No getting expelled because he had screwed up again. He could tell his father with complete honesty that he had done exactly what he was supposed to. He had behaved. Durmstrang simply hadn't wanted him.
Maybe Russia wouldn't even make sense anymore either. Maybe his mother… He immediately shoved the thought away. This wasn't about that. He simply thought the school deserved all the relevant information. Utmost responsible of him, really. His gaze wandered toward the desk again. There were enough papers scattered across it to suggest the man probably knew plenty already. He had no actual evidence that a single scrap of parchment was about him, but what else did a headmaster do except snoop in the records or something. Harvey hadn't exactly been admitted through ordinary means. Astrid, the mother of Magnus Blackwood, had sponsored him, whatever that actually meant besides being a custom normally reserved for accepting muggle-born students, and his father had spent enough time arranging the whole thing that Harvey doubted anyone had simply scribbled his name onto a list and hoped for the best. Still, people made mistakes. Adults was no exception.
The smirk had faded without Harvey noticing. He pulled one hand from his pocket and adjusted the brim of his cap, only to remember that he had already adjusted it on his way inside and his hand dropped again. Maybe the headmaster knew. That possibility should perhaps have ruined the entire plan. He decided he wouldn’t let it. Instead Harvey found something strangely uncomfortable about it. If the man already knew, then he had known when Harvey poked his head through the door. He had known when he invited him inside, when he offered him something to eat. Somehow apparently he had not cared. Harvey frowned slightly, a furrow appearing between his brown. He was getting ahead of himself and he knew it.
He shifted his weight and glanced once more toward the bookshelf before forcing his attention back where it belonged. «I was at Ilvermorny last year» His mouth twisted into a bit of a grimace. «Briefly» That sounded better than the truth of him being removed. He left it there, giving the headmaster the opportunity to recognize the name or the implication. Harvey studied him while he waited, looking for some indication that the pieces were already being put together. He doubted the man in front of him, flourishing as he appeared, had enough influence to have accepted him without support from a school board or something similar. He hadn’t even picked up the dudes name yet, only brief glimpses of him here and there. But even he knew it would be foolish to say anything out loud about his influence, just in case he was wrong.
Deciding finally that he should urge a bit more just in case, he drew another breath through his nose. «I assume you got records from them when I transferred» His tone was carefully casual, although he had stopped rocking on his heels. «School stuff. Grades. Why I left. All that boring crap adults like writing down about people» He hesitated. It was perhaps not the best way to put it. Adding a ‘Bless their hearts’ crossed his mind. His mouth curved slightly, but he did not voice it. If his school records had made it here, it would only be pouring gasoline on the fire that was already blazing. Somewhere, there were papers about him. He could guess the overall impression it gave of Harvey Dunn: Twelve, half-blood with partially unknown parentage, Thunderbird, the grades that scraped a pass by near mathematical accuracy, disciplinary record… Werewolf. He suddenly found himself both dreading and intensely curious of what it actually said. Taking both hands out of his pockets he placed them at the back of his head. «You do have it… right?»
PC: Maximilianus Kenneally Vidler——————————————————————————iNPC: Harvey Dunn
«You will be amazed at how effortlessly I fall short of your lowest expectations»
An escape for the cautious
The disapproval of cowards is praise to the brave.
German English Russian French Spanish Japanese Swahili Samoan
44
@Harvey Dunn
Durmstrang
09/04/2026
Emery recognized the surprise that seemed to appear on the child's face and body language at the warm welcome. He wondered what the child had come wandering in the office for, a scolding, perhaps. Now that Emery could look on the face more clearly and closely, he recognized him as one of the very few students that had moved from a different school to Durmstrang.
Emery raised an eyebrow at the child's mutterings against the Russian language and gave a genial smirk. "Russian is my third language. English is my second. I understand the frustration." This child was quite amusing it would seem. "Your name is Harvey, correct? I remember your transfer. How do you find your self here? How can I help you?"
Emery winked, perceptive as he always was as a former intelligence officer, "You find this room particularly disorderly, do you not? It is a relic of the former headmistress. She passed away in great tragedy not too many years ago, a tragedy that students here were personally part of. I dare not part with her items, in expectation of a loved one who wishes to take a hold.
Emery's disconcerting stare could bother even an adult of the same age and he placed that stare upon the child. He observed and categorized the words, the behavior, anything that he might perceive as necessary.
"Grades, hmmm? Emery asked, a little disbelieving, a little amused. "Yes, perhaps you children imagine they're boring. You won't find it quite boring if you find yourself stuck in a situation where those classes are the only knowledge keeping you alive, however? As for records, hmmm, yes, such items were owled. Here at Durmstrang, the past is not considered, only the power of what you accomplish now, if that is what you are here to ask me about. If it is about your werewolf blood, everything is taken care of. You will be sent to a discrete location each month, wolfsbane will be provided, and I shall be escorting you personally as I have done with our previous werewolf resident here at this school."