Vane's Interviews

[Vane Devyne]

As people have, for some reason, become wary of letting Dahlia interview them, she has passed the torch on to me. Enjoy the following interviews, with links so you don't need to work as hard.

• Druscilla Grace
  
• Michael Blackwood-Hardt
  
• Grey Sebastien
  
• Paris Célestin
  
• Damien laSalle
  
  
  

[Vane Devyne]

Druscilla Grace

The Ravenclaw-Next-Door spills about love, loss, and moving on at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

At first glance, she is the quintessential girl-next-door. Druscilla Grace has her hair pulled back into a messy ponytail, given only half a thought on the way out the door, and her jeans and early-winter coat are casual and carefree. She sits in a booth in a small restaurant just outside Diagon Alley sipping butterbeer as though she hasn’t been the subject of intense scrutiny and speculation for the past six years; she smiles often and laughs easily.

Those who’ve only seen this quiet-but-sassy witch might wonder how she has drawn the attention of so many infamous Hogwarts males, from then-Death Eater Michael Hardt to Slytherin rogue Chase Firebrand and shy Silver Blackwood, but a brief conversation shows the sparks behind the glasses. She has all the wit of her Ravenclaw past at her disposal, and uses it to cope with the years of loss she has experienced in her romantic endeavors.

Most infamous of all, Dru caught Chase’s attention nearly half a decade ago, and their tempestuous relationship was the talk of the Daily Prophet and half the population of Hogwarts forever after. During one of their many breakups, Chase became betrothed to Pureblood beauty Carolynn Singh, but rumors of Chase and Dru’s continued relationship surfaced only a short time after.

Whatever the truth to those rumors, Dru has finally moved on.

“It’s nice to feel happy,” she says over a bowl of chips, but as for whether she’s moved on to someone new, Dru is intentionally vague. “He’s a nice guy and he lets me look around his library,” she says of her new beau. Or is he?

“He is a nice guy, but nothing will come of it, end of story.” Who is this mystery man, and why is Dru so closed-mouthed about him? Whispered confessions reveal that Dru’s newest romantic interest is none other than millionaire Pureblood Eros d’Avonderre.

Michael, who has remained a close friend of both over the years, notoriously disapproved of Dru’s relationship with Chase, but seems supportive of Eros, who has, in turn, supported him throughout his partnership to Dare Blackwood-Hardt. “Eros is much better than Chase,” he says with an uncharacteristic grin.

“He’s just unbearably happy I’m done with Chase,” Dru counters.

Hard life lessons hold her back from pursuing this nice guy, however. An anonymous source reveals that Eros is quietly betrothed to Hogwarts professor Shianni Veridian. The relationship seems to be business-based, as the two have only met face-to-face once, but the fact remains that the d’Avonderre amethyst has rested on Shianni’s finger since her arrival in Europe some months ago.

“I’m so tired of being stuck alone… or with students, and you simply must understand, it is so very good to see [Eros],” Dru says, smiling playfully.

The two were spotted together recently at a Wizarding amusement park, sharing belated holiday gifts and private conversation. There was whispering and laughing enough to make one wonder if Dru is keeping as much distance as she claims.

And what of Eros? Neither he nor his family were available for comment as of press time, but not a word has been spoken of connections to Shianni or the Veridian family. Perhaps this rumor is only that.

While Dru gives the impression that Eros is no more than a book buddy, the sparks between them are impossible to miss. What really happens in his private library no one knows, but our source says they may be trading naughty books.

It brings up many questions, not least of which, whether Dru and Eros are truly platonic, or whether they are hiding a relationship to avoid media attention. In his twenty-some years, Eros has managed to avoid all but the edges of scandal, the worst being an open friendship with Michael, but balancing a questionable betrothal with a halfblood lover would be more than a bit damaging.

Still, Dru is confident that things will work out for the best, whatever the current situation. “They almost make me jealous,“ she says of friends who are pairing off and settling down. She goes on with a wry smile. “Then I realize just how sappy they can be and it kind of makes me cringe a little.”

Rather than learning to be dependent on others, dependent on having a partner as a measure of herself, Dru has learned quite the opposite. She is ready to stand on her own feet, to take life in stride, whatever it brings her. “It had to happen sooner or later,” she says, with a teasing glint in her blue-ringed green eyes.

In the end, it seems that this rogue Ravenclaw can’t seem to stay out of the spotlight, but she’s taking it all (no pun intended) with good grace.

[Vane Devyne]

Michael Blackwood-Hardt

As Michael Blackwood-Hardt recovers from a lifetime of pain and half a year of weight problems, he fights to save the man he loves.

Michael Blackwood-Hardt is in good spirits as he sits, butterbeer in hand, to talk. He speaks excitedly of the twins, his sons Alistair and Lestat, and the milestones they’ve reached, of the color of their eyes, and everything else he can think of. He has embraced fatherhood wholeheartedly, and for the moment, it seems his life is a paradise.

Then Dare is mentioned, and he sighs heavily, sitting back and taking a moment to collect his thoughts. “It’s… crazy,” he admits. “I mean, we always have bad winters, always. One of us will be sick, and he got kidnapped that one time…”

Kidnapped?

It seems that the incident, which occurred in October of 2010, was swept under the rug by the Ministry‘s Auror Department, who wished to protect the kidnapper’s identity as a minor. Now in Azkaban, Ivy Somers still vows vengeance for misdeeds that Michael committed in his dark past, a past which cannot seem to stop haunting him.

“There was the fight with my father,” Michael goes on, as well as Dare’s addiction to potions, which remains a concern a full two years later. Michael’s desperation for a solution is palpable. “Dare kind of had a bit of a breakdown, he might have to try Muggle medicine or something, or attempt taking calming potions, which I really don’t like the thought of.

“He’ll have Kane and Abi watching him and I hope it will be okay,” he says, worry etched across his face as he spreaks. “There has to be something to help him, you know? I can’t stand seeing him like this whenever he gets stressed out.”

Dare’s breakdowns are well-known to residents of Hogwarts and readers of the Daily Prophet. He has been heard shouting in corridors, has arrived at classes with bloodshot eyes, distracted from his lessons, one of which was heavily criticized by the parents of some of his Pureblood students.

And yet, Michael says, “Dare is not actually a halfblood. [Dare’s] dad’s been lying to him his whole life.”

It seems that Dare’s mother was a Pureblood squib, raised as a Muggle by her adoptive family, a fact which was only recently revealed to him and to his brother, Silver.

This dramatic news isn’t all, however. At their entrance to Hogwarts, the brothers were both sorted into 6th Year, though Silver should have been placed in 5th. Or so the two thought.

Raised with a full year between them, the two discovered that the Sorting Hat knew more than they did; Dare and Silver are twins, and neither had the slightest clue.

Their father, Adair Blackwood, could not be reached for comment, but his twin, Evan Blackwood, told us that he was well aware of the situation. The family is, unfortunately, not close, and we learned little else.

“We are planning on doing something for New Year’s,” says Michael, turning the conversation to more pleasant things.

It seems natural, somehow, to see him so relaxed and optimistic. He is nearly unrecognizable from the quiet, serious man he was only a matter of months ago, uncomfortably aware of his weight and hiding it poorly.

More so, however, is the difference from the Michael who first enrolled at Hogwarts some six years ago. He was a Death Eater then, estranged from his family, an angry teen with a bruised heart and little left to lose.

Those who know Michael have seen countless changes over the years and throughout his relationship with Dare. The boy whose glare sent fear into countless 1st Years has grown into a man who can smile, who can joke about the seriousness of life. At last, it seems, Michael has healed.

And yet, is his timing poor, or a blessing in disguise? Many believe that Michael can never atone for his sins, no matter the number of people who have forgiven him, but perhaps he has been sentenced to a lifetime of repentance with his partner, Dare.

Is the happiness they have found together worth the heartache? Michael most certainly believes so.

“We’ve been through so much together. I know it isn’t the end of it all, more will happen, but we will make it through just like we always have.”

Michael has a strong support system, with the support of longtime friends Eros d’Avonderre and Druscilla Grace, and his mother, Justine. The woman, a pale wisp of a witch with strawberry blonde hair, has stood at his side since his partnership ceremony in 2009, after the death of his father. Earlier disownment rescinded, he stands to inherit the Hardt home and properties upon her death, and possibly the Blackwood properties as well.

Only time will tell whether fortune has smiled on Michael, or whether the fates are only playing tricks. For now, however, he is bound and determined to make the best of a difficult situation.

[Vane Devyne]

Grey Sebastien

Weeks after his proposal, Grey hasn't heard from Hells. "She needs time to think," he tells us; one wonders if he's merely convincing himself.

"I know of her past, and I knew the risk I was taking. It was all worth it, even just for the chance that she'd say yes."

Hells is notorious for taking extended holidays, and has had enough breakdowns over the years that one would expect to see doubt on Grey's face.

"She hasn't given up on me," he says to suggestions that perhaps this is the end. "I won't give up on her. I'll wait as long as she needs me to wait, and I'll be here whenever she returns."

Grey nearly resigned from his position at Hogwarts in 2009, actually owling in a letter to the Headmistress. She visited him the morning after the masquerade some three years ago.

"She convinced me to stay," Grey says. "'We all learn to walk before we can run, she told me. 'Just close your eyes and take one step forward,'" he adds wistfully, nearly word for word from his proposal.

The Daily Prophet has sent Hells a complimentary issue, and will update readers as soon as there's a reply.

[Vane Devyne]

Paris Célestin

At first glance, Paris is a sweet, shy 3rd Year, quick to smile, and quick to blush. Her pale blonde hair and bright green eyes only emphasize the air of sweetness and innocence around her.

It is soon obvious that she adores her brother, Ravenclaw Alumnus Aimé Célestin, and she can hardly stop talking about him, the one subject which seems to break through her initial reluctance.

Quidditch fans know him as the Paris Puffskeins' new Seeker, a willowy wizard who always has some trick up his sleeve to beat the other team to the Snitch.

But what of his sister? Paris says that she doesn't mind growing up in his shadow.

"He inspires me," she says, her doll-like face smiling radiantly. "He's intelligent and charming, and confident, so many things I want to be."

Paris herself is a Straight-O student, often found with her nose in a textbook or perfecting an assignment. She is bright and cheerful, and though she isn't as athletic as he, she goes to every game which her school schedule will allow.

She's an unofficial second mascot to the team, infinitely curious and surprisingly knowledgeable about the Sport of Warlocks. "Maybe I'll be an announcer when I grow up," she jokes.

More than that, Paris would like to become a professor at Hogwarts. She has a special talent with jinxes and hexes, though she rarely gets to show off her skill outside class.

"I could teach Charms," she muses, "or maybe Defence Against the Dark Arts." For now, however, Paris intends to enjoy being a student.

"My professors love what they do so much, and it's great to be surrounded by such passionate people. It's something I love about Aimé, and something I hope to find in my own life. Somethings it feels like I should hurry, like graduation is only a few years away, but I like to take my time and do things right."

[Vane Devyne]

Damien laSalle

Damien Christopher laSalle is hard to miss. At an impressive 6’4” tall, he’s Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry’s most vertically gifted professor. But there’s more to Damien than a frame like Ravenclaw tower and eyes that change color with his mood. He also happens to have a genius intellect.

Damien and his twin sister, singer Amethyst Cherise, were born to French Aurors killed by Death Eaters when the two were only children. They were raised by their maternal grandmother in Spain until her death a year before their acceptance into Beauxbatons, and after, were passed between distant family members, finally settling in Northern California with scholarships to Thaumaturgy American Institute of Magic.

The siblings began their first band, Phoenix Lament, at age thirteen, but it was at TAIM that Damien came into his own. At the age of sixteen he spoke several languages fluently, and his grasp of Russian dialects helped the American Auror department expose a decades-long corruption of the Talenkan government. He was credited in the rescue of then Head Auror Desari Talesian and her sister, TAIM student Laila Talesian.

Damien soon revealed that he was a natural legilimens, as he calls it, unconsciously picking up thoughts from those around him. He took his N.E.W.T.s early to train as an Auror, becoming a master Legilimens as well as an expert at Occlumency, a skill he says he’s grateful for.

“It was impossible to make friends in school,” he tells us candidly. “When you can’t concentrate over the wash of thoughts, and when you know what everyone thinks of you, what they want from you, it’s difficult to let them close.”

At age seventeen, Damien married his school sweetheart, Laila, who had been trained as an Occlumens from an early age. “It was a blessing in so many ways,” Damien says. “She’s a constant surprise.”

The two currently have three children, triplets Arianna, Brianna, and Chance, as well as a Great Dane named Spirit.

Damien has taught several classes, but is now Animagus professor at Hogwarts. He is registered as a large gray wolf with violet eyes.