Magical Hogwarts

the owain glyndwr, cardiff, wales | wednesday 19 january 2005

"There is no scarcity of opportunity to make a living at what
you love; there's only scarcity of resolve to make it happen."
- Wayne Dyer

"Here's to @Cormac McLaggen , the greatest pal this side of St. David's," DJ raised his bottle of Peroni to the man he'd named as they sat at a table in the back of the Owain Glyndwr, having a guys' night after another successful photoshoot - only his second, but at least it was a job and something he was enjoying doing. The only real challenge was being patient during all of the prep work leading up to the actual photographs -- style consultations, outfit changes, hair styling, make-up application. It was probably easier and quicker having wizards do it than when Muggle models did photoshoots, but even with wands DJ felt antsy to get out of the makeup chair and just show off for the camera.

"And also one of the hottest dudes this side of St. David's," he added teasingly to Cormac. Long out as bisexual but happily tied down, he could still get away with a little bro flirting with Cormac, who was straight regardless. Currently in a Muggle bar in Cardiff (just down the street from the photography site they'd been at), DJ and Cormac were looking fucking great. He'd removed his makeup but DJ's hair was still done and his clothes, though not the specific ones he'd been wearing during the camera session, were still modern and stylish. Not that he was looking for attention, at least of the flirtatious type -- he had all the woman he needed or wanted in Keela -- but he still liked being looked at and just looking good in general.

It was funny, he reflected, how he'd been hanging out with so many Gryffindors, considering he was not only an ex-Slytherin but also an ex-inmate. His girlfriend Keela of course, and occasional check-ins with Harry Potter, and now Cormac. Their initial run-in had been by chance, although Cormac knew Harry (who didn't?) and even Keela in passing - they'd both played Quidditch though not at the same time, But over the course of conversation, DJ had mentioned looking for a job, one thing had led to another, and the next thing he knew DJ had been signed with Taliesin Talent (the agency Cormac was also signed with) and was scheduled for a first gig. Which, apparently, had turned out great, because they wanted him (and Cormac) back for today's second one. By this time they'd developed a nice little rapport, and since DJ didn't have many people to hang out with in his free time anyway, he valued the friendship very highly.

In that spirit... "But for real, I owe you, man. I'm really starting to feel back on my feet again, for the first time since I came back," he said genuinely. That was also all he could say; the Fidelius Charm had risen up like it had to stop him from divulging certain details, but he'd not intended to go any further with that train of thought. The few people in DJ's life right now knew that his nearly two-year absence had been both a form of penance and a necessary escape, and that he "didn't like" talking about it. "I gotta get you something special for your birthday, or something," he joked as an afterthought.

Cormac grinned at the compliments and smiled at DJ. “Hey, don’t get too carried away. You were my partner on this one, so that makes you at least close to as hot as me.” He teased playfully, raising his light ale to clink with DJ’s drink of choice. He was not used to spending time with other guys, Slytherins especially, but DJ seemed nice enough. He was interesting and handsome, and good at the job. For that reason, Cormac did not mind DJ’s former house, nor any of the drama around him. In fact, he knew little of it, having not been around much for DJ’s trial or the year he was missing. Cormac had been busy with other things since graduating, and close to the beginning of his adult life, he had been rather preoccupied with getting muggleborns papers and trying not to get fired or arrested.

He had thought the Ministry was going to be it for him, but truthfully it wasn’t. He hadn’t expected becoming a broom racer or even a quidditch player. He expected to be a ministry agent, just working at his desk and eventually joining the Wizengmot like his great uncle Tiberius. Still, his current lifestyle was way better than he could have imagined. He loved the freedom of freelance work, the money, and the fame. He loved being recognized in public and seeing his face on billboards. He liked working out and eating healthy as his primary career. It was self-care, but it was also business. He loved that.

“Birthday won’t be for a hot minute.” He teased. “I’m a Leo, not that you could imagine me as anything else.” He teased. He was a very stereotypical Leo. “Still, you don’t owe me anything. I just sent the OWL. You did all the work, and together we make a great team.” He grinned. “I bet some of those pics we took were really hot.” He wasn’t gay or even bi, but there was a homoeroticism to some of his editorial work, including his work with DJ, that could not be denied. Even Cormac knew well enough that they looked good together, and probably looked about as into each other as they needed to.

“To new beginnings.” He offered, wiggling his ale midair. “We should hang out more often. I know a gym in London that’s really great. Got some good equipment, sparring, machines, et cetera. I know a few trainers there, too. Was thinking of getting a part-time gig training some poor chubby blokes there.” He admitted. “I love people who want to get better, you know? Someone who hasn’t take good care of themselves in the past wanting to turn it around. I want to help someone get absolutely ripped, lean, and strong. Especially if they started far from that.”

DJ snorted a little bit at Cormac's comment about being a Leo. He understood why - the birthday crack he'd made - but DJ wasn't a big following of zodiac signs and things like that. Astronomy, yes, he'd enjoyed in school; astrology, and particularly divination, were not his cup of tea. Or bottle of beer in this case. Certainly he did some very stereotypically Scorpio things himself, but he also did some non-typical Scorpio things. Nobody was just one thing or another, the agreement of the sentiment being exactly why Cormac and DJ could hang out so casually and easily together, including the teasing and flirting. It actually filled one of the few small holes in DJ's needs map, to have a hot guy flirting with him. The fact that the two of them were both unavailable and that was all it would come to was an added bonus -- as also was how campy Cormac could get during the shoot process. Even for "fitness modelling," a certain degree of sexual tension helped sell products, he supposed.

And Cormac wanted to hang out more? Absolutely. "You had me at 'gym.' I need a workout partner, man. Keela's and my ideas of a workout are not the same," he laughed. Then he took another swig of his Peroni and listened to Cormac's ambitions. It sounded really great, actually. Wanting to make a big change in someone else's life, a tangible visible difference? It was a great aspiration. And something that Cormac would probably succeed at quite easily, to be honest. He seemed to be naturally good at a lot of things. Once upon a time DJ had felt the same way about himself.

Come to think of it, DJ had lost nearly all of his ambition. Certainly he wanted to be working, to be doing something, which was why he'd been so mopey until Cormac had sent the recommendation to his agent and gotten him into this line of work. But he wasn't sure what he wanted to do with his life anymore, or what he could do with it even. "Looks good, fair hand at Potions, and can turn into a bird" was not an easily marketable set of skills. The expectation with this modeling job was that he would continue to work out especially on particular parts of his body so that he would appeal to a certain brand / aesthetic, and that was okay for the time being, but he almost certainly wouldn't be able to keep that up indefinitely. Cormac was lucky - he absolutely had the genes for it. Whether platonically or otherwise, DJ did find Cormac incredibly attractive and anticipated he could be a model for most of his life.

"That sounds awesome," DJ encouraged Cormac. "I don't think I'd be as good at that, though. Never did well with helping other people get in shape - always wanted to be the best one." He shook his head at his ridiculous notions of what used to be important. "Ah, the hubris of our youth." He took another swig and sighed. "Yeah I'm not really sure what other line or work I might get into. It's been weird. And a little hard, to be fair," he added, discreetly referring to his vague pariah status as a former resident of Azkaban. Even after all this time.

Cormac smiled widely as DJ picked up on his desire to spend time together at the gym. He thought it would be fun to work out with DJ, though he had a feeling that his idea of a workout would be closer to Keela’s idea than DJ’s, all things considered. He went hard at the gym, and that was a lot of how he managed to keep up his physique. “Well, I bet you could give me a run for money if you work hard, so let’s make a date. We’ll work out at my gym, and I’ll introduce you to some of my friends. I know a few people that I spar with who could make your boxing improve.” Not that DJ’s boxing was necessarily bad, as far as Cormac was aware, but the people at his gym were particularly good at fighting. He thought DJ could use a bit of a shape-up in the personal defense area.

“I know it can be hard to find a line of business, I mean, I worked at the ministry for about a year before I realized that I couldn’t do it. I had a short career as a quidditch player until I got injuried, and now I just.. Do this. I like it better, though. Maybe you’ll like it, too? You’re cute enough to get some good jobs.” He teased, playfully flirty. “But what else might you want to get into?” He wondered. “I always thought the Ministry was gonna be end-game, you know? My uncle is on the Wizengamot, my parents both work in the ministry too. It runs in the family, but–ugh, I was a bit jaded after where I worked.” He didn’t explain, for fear of incriminating himself or worse, making DJ think that he actually did his job in the Muggleborn Registration Commission well. He hated to think people might think of him as a pureblood supremacist at all.

“I’m so jealous of you, you know?” He teased, but he was serious to a degree. “It must be nice having a steady girlfriend. I can’t ever keep one.” He admitted. “Girls come and go, but they never stay, you know?” He batted his eyelashes playfully. “You wouldn’t leave me if we dated, would you?” He teased. This was not serious, but he knew DJ had inclination and wanted very much to be DJ’s type. In fact, the idea of a guy-into-guys who didn’t want to hit on him made him much angrier than the idea of someone hitting on him when he wasn’t interested. He wanted to be admired; it was a character flaw.

DJ chuckled at Cormac's views about the Ministry of Magic. "I mean... you know where I stand on that topic. Roughly at least," he added. From Slytherin golden child to Azkaban inmate to student pariah, to tragic survivor, to lost boy, to even more tragic orphan. He didn't necessarily hate the Ministry but he certainly didn't have a lot of faith in it, understandably so. "But definitely you have to have the right mindset to work there. I imagine a lot of people get burnt out trying to work for the common good. It was a pretty stressful scene the last few times I was there."

Fortunately the topic of discussion drifted away from the Ministry before long. The introduction of the subject still surprised DJ though. Cormac McLaggen is jealous of me? he started to think, until he realised why. The girlfriend thing. In all honesty Keela was so much more than a "girlfriend" to DJ, or at least that's how he felt, but he also was certain it was far too soon to suggest anything even more serious. Even though he hoped that would be the case, someday.

On the other hand, Cormac was... in all honesty, Cormac was exactly what DJ would have been, if he'd been straight, Gryffindor, and not had a perfect triad of tragedy shock his life. He was a rabbit, hopping around looking for what and who he really liked. He wasn't flighty, not at all -- like all but a few Gryffindors he had known, Cormac had a true loyal heart and a positive attitude and a desire to make the world better around him. It just had to be on his own terms and in his own way. And not every girl could handle that... nor could every guy. DJ even guffawed at his last question. "Alas, two things keep us apart -- I'm already taken and you wouldn't put out for me," DJ jibed with one last swig of his Peroni.

Setting down the bottle and signaling the bartender he was ready for his bill, he swiveled back to Cormac. "It's pros and cons, man," he said, laughing inwardly at himself as he talked to this buddy five years his senior like he was passing on years of life advice to someone much younger. "I found the girl I could literally spend my whole life with if she'd stop arguing with me," he grinned, "and even though that ties me down, I'm happy about it. You, though, you get to keep putting yourself out there and having eligible-bachelor-type fun. I wouldn't complain about that if I were you." He looked around the bar very obviously as if to say, 'Hey, look at all the girls you could shoot your shot with.'

The barhop came back with the receipt, and DJ reached into his pocket for cash - he didn't use cards or cheques. He fished out a few notes and a few coins, and put them on the counter - and then a split second later replaced the Knut he'd accidentally put down with a 2 pence piece. The size of the two coins was very close (less than a millimetre) but the embossing would have still raised questions that, while he could certainly deflect by calling it 'foreign currency' or 'joke currency', might still warrant an official warning about the Statute of Secrecy, and he didn't feel like getting into that pile of shite at the moment. The barkeep didn't seem to notice, fortunately, and just took the corrected money amount with a thankful nod at DJ's "the rest is a tip".

"And on that note," he muttered to Cormac, waiting for him to finish his own drink. "I know you're not real comfortable in Muggle bars but there just about aren't any taverns for wizards anymore here in Wales, so we'd have had to go back all the way... to... London." His brain was slowing down as some dusty gears in his skull started turning in a completely different direction, and he stared off into the distance blankly for a moment.

“Who says I wouldn’t put out if you wined and dined me just right?” He teased playfully, batting his lashes. He chuckled. “Alas, yeah,and your girlfriend would bite my head off if I tried anything, I’m sure.” He laughed. He shot the other a grin, sipping his drink, and letting DJ pay for them. “I suppose there’s some good things about being a bachelor, but you know me. I’m a romantic.” He laughed a little, but brushed it off. “Anyway, you’re right. It’s slim pickings around here, isn’t it? Is this near where you live? I’m in London, myself, so I haven’t really noticed. It might be nice if someone made a nice tavern here for the magical folk, though, don’t you think? Isn’t your family in the hospitality realm?” He wondered.

Cormac knew a bit about DJ’s family, given they were Purebloods, but he didn’t know enough to be fully confident. He shrugged a little and finished his drink, nodding at DJ. “Thanks.” he smiled. “I’ll get the next round, after we hit up that gym in London, yeah?” He smiled. “You’re welcome to come hang out on my side of town any time. I have a futon in the living room you can crash on if you don’t want to take the trip home after, too.” He smiled.

“Funny story, really. My bestie used to live crashed on my sofa, but I think I’m finally rid of him. He’s moved in with his girlfriend now.” He laughed. “His gain is your gain, though. Sofa’s free for company again.” He grinned. “I can’t promise I won’t tire you out at the gym, though. If you think Keela goes hard, I probably go just as hard as her. She’s a quidditch player, right? I used to be. Briefly.”

"Yeah... yeah," DJ said, noting that Cormac had the same vague thought that he had just had. His family had been in hospitality, running inns and taverns and bars for generations back. Some for Muggles, and some for wizards. Since the Broom & Room had been obliterated by the Dark Widow almost two and a half years past, however, there hadn't been any real dedicated wizard waystations or taverns in Wales. As Cormac pointed out, London was the big site in the United Kingdom for that, but Welshmen had their pride -- not just DJ.

"Dude." His eyes were wide open and he only marginally registered Cormac's offer to hang out at his place after their next workout/meetup. "Dude. Holy shit. A Welsh wizarding tavern."

The more he thought about the idea, the more it appealed to him. He'd been having trouble finding someone else to work for, but if he entrepreneur'd his own business, especially catering to a group that didn't necessarily realise it was missing a place of its own, he'd probably have great trade. It could be an evening thing so as not to interfere with whatever photography work their agent still got him hired for. Sure, there'd be collateral problems with serving alcohol and dealing with potentially drunk customers, but on the other hand he was more serious business than careless fun over the last few years, and he had a reputation due his prison time, and he knew his fair share of Dark magic (even spells that weren't illegal even if they were frowned upon).

"I should open a magic tavern in Wales," he whispered excitedly to Cormac, making sure none of the Muggles overheard them.

As he said it, however, he realised something unfortunate. Right now in his Gringotts account he had 257ʛ 1ᶘ 27ஃ. He had a little less of that Muggle equivalent in his account at NatWest, a bit over £1200. Just to rent and start a tavern probably cost... he wasn't an economist by any means. Had to be at least seven thousand Galleons, though, probably. Never in a million years would he have thought he'd want to go into the family business. Back in his silly Hogwarts days he'd thought it would either be boring or annoying to have to wait on a bunch of people going in and out like a revolving door. But now it seemed like a perfect solution, barring the financial issue.

"I mean," he added slowly, considerably less excited and more defeated. "I'll have to save up for the next, like, thirty years. But it's a plan, at least."

Cormac listened to DJ as the other began thinking about the possibility of opening a tavern. He had not considered it himself, and had never really thought too hard about what investments he might make with his mounting wealth. Money, for Cormac, had never really been an issue that he considered. It had always been plentiful, available, and easy to find. When he first graduated Hogwarts he immediately began working at a respectable ministry job that paid comfortably, even though it was not quite what he was used to. Even so, his parents offered him a stipend, and his uncle Tiberius had opened a trust fund for Cormac many years before he turned seventeen (as he was the only nephew to a man with no children). Cormac had been able to purchase–not rent–his London flat, and still have his family’s summer homes to visit as he wished.

After the ministry, though, Cormac was able to live on his fund for nearly two years before attaining another paying job, which paid even more handsomely. Broom racing, playing quidditch professionally–these were high paying entertainer careers. Now, as a full time model, he basically got paid just to do what he enjoyed doing–keeping fit and eating well–with minimal frustration. The point was, Cormac had never been in DJ’s financial shoes, even though DJ was far from as poorly off as some others.

“Save up for thirty years?” He raised a brow. “That seems… excessive. Why not get a loan? Better yet, an investor?” He offered, not quite thinking that he could be the investor just yet. “You’re cute enough. Bet you could find a nice old rich lady who would sponsor you?” He teased. Cogs started to turn for Cormac, just a bit late. “In fact, you know, I’ve been thinking I ought to try investing in something. What do you think? Would it be a hit?” He wondered. He was not often in Wales.

“Were you thinking more of a bar and tavern? Or a bed and breakfast type place? Both?” He shrugged.

A loan -- that was a great idea.
An investor -- that was... potentially also good, but it would depend on who the investor was. DJ wouldn't want to work with someone who might want to take the business in a different direction than he envisioned, if he was going to seriously consider this. If said investor had a controlling interest in the company, that was their right, but the ideal candidate would be someone who shared his interest and intent.

The idea was growing more and more appealing as he thought about it. All the reasons he'd already thought of for why starting a Welsh wizarding tavern still rung true. And then Cormac mentioned wanting to invest in something, and for a moment DJ could only gape slack-jawed at his handsome friend. That would be perfect.

"Uh," he said intelligently, but gathered his wits quickly and went on, "well, you see how busy it is in here tonight and it's only Wednesday. Welshmen love to drink, whether they're magical or not. I was having single-malt whiskeys before I was fourteen." He shrugged. "I definitely do not have the patience to make a lot of beds, or to be up early and make breakfast for total strangers," he admitted with a cheeky grin. "I think the tavern business model would be more than sufficient and draw in a lot of customers. And," he added, "to be totally honest, Cymry [native term for the Welsh] get real shirty when it comes to having their own identity and their own places. So dedicating a wizards' pub here in Wales might put us... not on par for competing with the Leaky Cauldron, but certainly popular and profitable here in this region."

Remembering that their tabs were paid and they were talking about magic in a crowded bar, DJ motioned Cormac that they should go ahead and leave. As they were walking out the door, DJ gave him a long look and said, "You serious about investing? Because I can't think of a single reason to say no to you, specifically."

Cormac was British, mostly. Hailing from Northern Ireland, there was a hint of Irish pride in him, but Northern Ireland was specifically more British, and Cormac was inclined to think he didn’t have much culture in common with the Welsh, at least not in the things they didn’t openly share with the English. His father’s family was upper middle class at best, with most of his family’s wealth and status coming from his mother’s side–he had always favored his mother’s family for that reason.

 His great uncle Tiberius was his most prestigious family member, but, having no children of his own, his mother was like his daughter, making Cormac something of a grandson to him. He didn’t know much about the Welsh overall, but liked DJ and liked the idea of working with him. If DJ thought that the business would succeed,he was willing to try a bit.

While Cormac had access to basically all the money he could want, they should probably go in together for a loan specific to the business. If he did well, they could pay that off quickly. If not, the credit score boost from paying it back on time would still be beneficial. If they got completely out of their depth, though, his uncle could bail them out. There wasn’t much of a downside.

“I mean, why not?” He asked. “You could use some purpose, not that you need to quit your modeling gigs, and I can make sure we get approved for something with Gringotts. My family has money, but I have some capital myself to get us started…. It would be better to start the business off with some kind of limited liability… or something like that. Protect our assets from the business and all that.”

“We can talk more in a few days. Let you mull over the idea and decide if you really wanna go that way or if you’re just drunk on that good job we had earlier, and how much you fancy me.” He teased.

“Are you ready to pop out?” He asked. “We can still talk for a bit. Maybe I’ll have you over for supper this week sometime?” He offered.

Shrugging his jacket on, DJ smiled somewhat excitedly as Cormac listed all the benefits of them going into business together, as well as some sound (and honestly quite needed) financial advice. "Yeah, I'll contribute some of the capital too, I've had some great interest accruing for the last few years," he mentioned drily. "And limited liability, I have no idea what that means but it sounds like we'd avoid any full liabilities, so I think that's good." While this business idea had almost come out of nowhere, DJ still thought it was a fantastic idea; he'd just need to get a crash course in running one. It wasn't like he had tons of demands on his time at the moment, though; gigs like today's when they came up, and a lot of spending time with Keela but only when she wasn't busy with Quidditch practise or matches or press conferences.

The great thing about Cormac was that he was so comfortable to have a crush on, so DJ didn't get embarrassed or blush at all when Cormac teased him about his boy-boy attraction. "I can hold my drinks just fine, thank you very much," he stuck his tongue out at Cormac and waggled his eyebrows flirtatiously. "But, I see your point. Some time to make sure I'm not trying to drown myself with an idea I'm not capable of swimming through?" He nodded more thoughtfully as they pushed open the doors and exited the pub, and then lost in thought almost missed the last thing that Cormac said.

"Are you," he started to develop a wide shit-eating grin, "inviting me over for a date, Cormac? How forward of you." He laughed. "Yeah I'd actually better pop out right now, I want to hang out with Keela a while before she goes to bed. But I'll absolutely take you up on supper. Owl me?" He clasped hands with Cormac and gave his friend a tight bro-hug, debated squeezing his butt but decided they'd fake-flirted enough, and then pulled back to head towards a discreet-enough spot where he could Apparate to Saltash. "See you around, handsome," he winked before putting his hands in his pockets and heading down the sidewalk, mind whirring with concepts and ideas and worries and questions about what he might be getting himself into -- and still excited at the prospect of it.

~ exeunt ambo ~