Rufus Scrimgeour is Sturgis' brother-in-law (scrimshaw) wrote in find_horcruxes, @ 2009-12-09 05:47:00 |
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Entry tags: | gawain robards, rufus scrimgeour |
RP Log: Gawain Robards, Rufus Scrimgeour & NPC!Cygnus Black
Who: Gawain Robards, Rufus Scrimgeour & NPC!Cygnus Black
What: A search and arrest goes bad. Very bad.
When: 8 December 1979
Where: Cygnus' Black's home
Rating: PG-13
Status: Completed log
Just because it was no longer full moon, it didn't mean the world had suddenly rid itself of loonies -- and, despite the mounting criticism against their department and the increasing dissatisfaction of a frightened public, no one knew this better than the Aurors (and Hit Wizards) at the DMLE. It took a special breed of person to want to endure both the abuse of Dark Wizards and a highly critical populace, and even though there had been days (and nights, and weeks, and months) where Gawain Robards had felt like he wanted to give it all up, book a sailboat to the Azores and be done with it... he hadn't. He'd put in overtime, he'd thrown himself against Death Eater attacks, he'd cancelled personal plans and engagements in order to devote himself to his work -- and he couldn't claim he regretted it either.
And so, despite wanting to hit his head against a cement wall rather than follow through on this most recent assignment, Tuesday morning found him outside the door of one Mr Cygnus Black. At his side was a man who rivaled -- if not routinely outpaced -- his own work ethic, and while there were aspects of the fellow Auror that might rub him the wrong way in any other circumstance, there were few granted the level of respect Gawain held for Rufus Scrimgeour, and fewer still that he would want at his back in a fight.
That and -- tell no one -- the man was good company over a pint.
Gawain waited, giving the other Auror the chance to rap on the door and announce their presence officially. Wand in one hand, the other slipped into the chest pocket of his robes in order to locate the required search warrant. Dark objects. They were looking for dark objects in Cygnus Black's home. "We're going to be here past Christmas..." he muttered.
Of all the tasks the Aurors had to carry out in their day to day duties, executing search warrants was one of the worst and best things Rufus got to do. It was great when you knew you'd caught some fool cold with Dark and dangerous objects in their possession and you could nail them to the wall. It was the worst because of the sheer disruption they caused, sometimes to perfectly innocent people caught up in the mess of their spouse or parent or child. But it had to be done and he'd never been one to shirk any duty, no matter how dirty or dangerous.
And at least he had a fellow Auror at his side that he trusted and knew he could rely on. Not that he specifically distrusted anyone he worked with but Gawain Robards might sometimes behave like he had a stick up his arse but if Rufus was picking someone to dive into the trenches with him, Gawain would be right up there at the top of the list. And that wasn't something he said lightly. Besides, Gawain's rather pithy and dryly sarcastic sense of humour was worth the man's shortcomings.
Rufus' hand tightened around his wand as he knocked firmly on the door with the other. "Presents all round for the DMLE," he said in a dry undertone before straightening from his slight slouch as the door was opened. He looked down almost automatically... these old families never answered their own doors. Merlin forbid they actually have to talk to ordinary people.
"Auror Rufus Scrimgeour," he said in a firm, no-nonsense voice then gave a jerk of his head towards Gawain. "Auror Gawain Robards. We're here to execute a search warrant on these premises."
He stepped forward into the entrance foyer, using his demeanour and size as a battering ram to force the house elf to yield ground. He'd done it before and it was surprisingly effective on both elves and people. The house elf fluttered and fussed around his legs, seemingly torn between protecting its house and family and obeying the law.
"Fetch your master." It was a straight out demand and it seemed to make the house elf relieved to have something to do. It bobbed its head and disappeared. "Brace yourself," he murmured as he straightened his shoulders and fixed his best grim 'I'm an Auror and you will obey the law' expression on his face.
Gawain followed into the foyer in Rufus' wake, silently grateful for the space the other man demanded from the house elf, and took up a spot at his side. After casting an eye in the direction the creature had disappeared towards, he allowed himself to take in the view of the hall immediately surrounding them. Christ, he could almost smell the magic clogging the place -- though maybe that was just the effect old money had on a building. It was solid, impressive, the wood dark and the decor understated but elegant despite its vaguely foreboding quality. It was certainly not the sort of place Gawain himself made many social calls to.
Perhaps because of those long, old corridors and those crisp, wooden floorboards, he heard the sound of footsteps from quite a distance. They weren't hurried, but it would be a stretch to say the man was moving at a stroll. These were authoritative strides, long ones, made at a pace that firmly communicated that the man taking them was not exactly pleased to be disturbed.
And, by the look on Cygnus Black's face was he entered into the foyer, he most definitely wasn't. With a setting of his square jaw and a look that spared no love for the two Aurors standing between him and the front door, he demanded: "What in Merlin's name is the meaning of this?"
Gawain stepped forward. The scroll in his hand was lifted. "Cygnus Black, we have a warrant here from the Ministry of Magic, granting us permission to conduct a thorough search of your property, including all floors of the house as well as the back g--"
"You're out of your mind."
"-arden and all sheds or cellars therein. At this point we are formally requesting you dismantle all domestic wards and assorted magic that may impede the execution of said search -- failure to do so will be noted, and we will be forced to remove the wards ourselves."
When Gawain had stepped forward, Rufus had slid into a position fractionally behind and just to his side that both provided protection and added to the impression of implacable determination. He disliked houses like this - places that were deliberately built and decorated in a manner that was meant to convey the superiority of the inhabitants and the inferiority of any visitors. He much preferred family homes like his own - big old sprawling farmhouse that wasn't impeccably neat but certainly welcomed any visitors who happened to come to the door and invited them to enjoy the pleasures of hearth and home. Rufus considered it the main difference between the Scottish and the English and conveniently ignored the manor houses in Scotland that were very similar to this place.
As he watched, Cygnus Black took the scroll from Gawain as though it was a piece of excrement and unrolled it. He read through it quickly and Rufus caught the ripple of emotion that flowed ever so quickly across his face. Panic... no, not panic. it wasn't as desperate as that. It was the look he'd seen on many a perpetrator's face when they'd been caught red-handed and knew it but didn't want the Aurors to know. Rufus felt a surge of triumph which he kept carefully hidden. They had something here, possibly something big.
"This is ridiculous." Black gave them a dismissive look and then flicked his fingers. "You will leave now. I shall speak to the Wizengamot tomorrow."
Rufus shook his head and stepped forward. "I'm sorry, Mr Black." He wasn't really. This twat thought he was above the law and Rufus was going to enjoy making him see that he absolutely, positively wasn't. "The warrant is quite specific and quite legitimate. Please dismantle your wards now, sir."
And... silence.
Cygnus' lip twitched. Though it looked very much like he plenty to say -- and none of it particularly well intentioned -- the man simply watched Rufus steadily and allowed his only response to be a stubborn setting of his jaw. The only noise in the ensuing moments was the slight, brittle sound of the parchment in his hand crinkling in his grip.
Then he re-rolled it, offered it back to Gawain (though his attention kept fixed on Rufus) and lifted his chin. "I have nothing to hide."
Not exactly reassuring, the dark haired Auror thought as he took the scroll back and swiftly tucked it back into his robes. Peeling his otherwise even gaze off of the man of the house, Gawain glanced toward Rufus and nodded. "I'll begin in the parlour," he informed his colleague lowly, giving his wand a flick in readiness as he strode toward the wide doorframe that fed into the large room beyond.
Rufus nodded but kept his gaze firmly fixed on Cygnus. He wasn't expecting trouble but he wasn't dismissing the idea either. The man had been surprisingly compliant which either meant he really didn't have anything to hide and Rufus needed to get his instincts checked because he knew what he'd seen or... or he was up to something or he knew that whatever he had was somewhere they'd never find it. In which case, Rufus wasn't going to leave this house until he found something, even if he had to pull it apart board by board, brick by brick, stone by stone.
Gawain had just stepped out of the room when Cygnus moved, taking the opportunity of the two Aurors separating. He yanked his wand out and waved it towards Rufus with a hoarse and triumphant yell. Rufus swore and threw himself to the side, feeling a searing sensation crease across his hip as he did so.
"Gawain!" he shouted in warning then he pointed his wand in the general direction Cygnus had been and shouted, "Stupefy!"
Before he'd even heard his name called Gawain was turning, wand raised, his own stunning spell hurtling towards the now quite animated figure of Cygnus. The man seemed poised to defend himself, and what's more had the added advantage of the home territory -- the elder Black dodged behind the curve of the staircase, robes billowing behind him as he shot once last scarlet blast of spellfire at Rufus.
But Gawain's spell, speeding from one room to the next, seemed to hit an invisible wall as it struck the doorway. Its blue light flattened, sizzled, and was swiftly replaced by a white hot burst of vivid light that rebounded on him in a furious rush. Gawain had just enough time to curse himself for not dismantling the bloody wards in time -- which was obviously what the spell racing towards him was -- and began to throw up a hasty protection spell a mere instant too late before his vision erupted into nothing but bright light.
Rufus let his momentum roll him across the floor, hearing another spell splat into the floor where he had been. A string of foul imprecations ran through his mind, mostly directed at Cygnus but also at Gawain and himself for not securing the man before they started. In a burst of black humour, it occurred to him that he really had seen that look on Cygnus' face and he didn't have to worry about his instincts. They were working just fine. It also occurred to him that it didn't matter what they had or hadn't done right now, they had to stay alive, subdue Cygnus and find out what he was so desperate to protect.
He scrambled to his feet, hissing as darts of pain shot through him from his hip and his leg nearly buckled underneath him. He snarled silently and forced himself to stand firm. He glanced over to where Gawain was and grimaced. The other man was down but Rufus couldn't spare the time right now to check him out. He had to get to Cygnus. He limped over to the door Cygnus had gone through and flattened himself against the wall beside it. He didn't have time for subtlety or finesse so he pressed the tip of his wand against the door jamb and funnelled as much magic as he could to rip through the wards.
There was a flash of light that made him curse but he didn't hesitate in casting a Stunner followed by the Incarcerous and and Impedimenta into the room. He then pushed off the wall to charge into the room only to be hit with a spell that sent him flying backwards. He hit the floor with a stunning thud and slid backwards a few feet. He groaned and tried to gather himself before Cygnus came out of the room.
Fortunately Cygnus didn't seem to be moving at top speed himself. There was a grunt of pain from the other room as he struggled to regain his footing after Rufus' volley of spells. The jinx had slowed him, enough that he seemed to be moving through sheer force of will alone -- by the time he was once more visible in the doorframe the man had a sheen of sweat at his forehead and his jaw was clenched in rage.
His arm swung up in the beginning of another incantation, movements forced and laboured, dulled enough by the stunner to buy the Auror a much needed moment.
Rufus got up to one knee and saw Cygnus in the doorway clearly about to cast another spell. He still didn't know what had happened to Gawain and he knew he needed to end this fast. He didn't bother trying to get to his feet and instead flung another Incarcerous in Cygnus' direction. The spell went wide and hit the wall next to Cygnus' head, startling and infuriating the man.
Cygnus glared at the two Aurors and his lip curled in a hateful expression. He steadied for the bare moment he needed, pointed his wand towards Rufus and barked, "Avada Kedavra."
As the first hint of green sparked at the end of Cygnus' wand another bolt of bright light struck his arm. The deadly curse flew wide as its caster was knocked off balance, skewing its trajectory just enough so that it found its mark in the wall mere inches above Rufus' head.
And if Gawain had been a religious man, he would've vowed then and there to build churches for each and every bloody saint there was. From the corner where he'd cast the spell he barely had time to register if the other Auror was all right or not -- understandable, given he barely had time to register if he himself was all right. The effects of the explosion of magic in the room opposite still lingered, in the form of pinpricks of light in his vision, a vague deafness in his skull, and what he was damned sure was blood in his mouth. Whatever the dark magic had been, it made him feel as though he were breathing glass, and yet still he propelled himself forward, aiming another stunner at the off-kilter Cygnus.
Rufus' breath had caught in his throat when he'd heard those words come out of Cygnus' mouth and he had enough experience to know that he wasn't going to make it. He was too close, the spell had too little distance to cover and even if he could get a shield up, it wouldn't matter. Shields didn't stop the Killing Curse. He didn't close his eyes though. If he was going to die, it was going to be looking his killer in the eyes.
But he didn't die. A bright light hit Cygnus' arm, sending the Killing Curse wide and over Rufus' head. He spared himself a moment to take a breath and shudder. A luxury under the circumstances. It would hit him later, he knew that from experience, and he foresaw a night of getting filthy stinking drunk in his future. He also owed Gawain a drink or three. It was a relief to know the other man was alive.
He got to his feet and followed Gawain's stunner with one of his own and then for good measure he added another Impedimenta. Cygnus ducked at the last moment and all three spells sailed past him... and right into an intricate display of ancient weaponry - knives, swords and axes - sending them flying right towards Cygnus.
Whether anyone would believe him after the fact or not, Gawain would know himself that in that one last instant before Cygnus Black died, he had attempted to cast a shielding spell to stop it from happening. Unfortunately his concentration had been torn in two by another spike of agony from the ward's aftershocks, and once more his vision was blurred by a flare of pain. The world became bright and indistinct, and by the time his head had cleared once again -- barely a second later -- there was a grim sight ready to greet him.
Blood was pooling beneath Cygnus' body. The jewelled hilt of the blade lodged in his throat caught the light, spinning a bright pinwheel gleam in the direction of the Aurors nearby. Gawain, despite his rapidly faltering consciousness, still had his wand raised, as if the man on the carpet might yet rise and deliver another curse. From the amount of blood though, from the haphazard points of entry the metal had made in the man's body, it didn't look as though this would be the case.
Gawain opened his mouth to speak, managing to issue the laboured request of "Mediwizards", before he himself swayed, and fell against the doorjamb.
Rufus had stretched his hand out towards Cygnus when the blades flew. He didn't know whether he'd been trying to warn the man or somehow will the blades to turn aside. It was useless either way. Cygnus might have survived one or two of those wounds but not all of them, not this.
"I don't think mediwizards are going to help him," he said as he shook his head. He could feel the aches and pains start to settle in and his leg started to shake from the growing pain in his hip. "You and I, however..."
He limped towards the room Cygnus had sought refuge in. He'd seen enough to know it was a study and probably had a connected Floo. He edged gingerly past Cygnus, sparing the dead man a glance and knowing they'd just opened one very large, very shitty can of worms. Not that it was really their fault. Cygnus had started it. And he didn't care if that justification was just a tad juvenile, it was also true.
He paused in the doorway and pointed a finger at Gawain. "Don't die or otherwise let bits of yourself drop off. I am not explaining either one to that girlfriend of yours."
Gawain grit his teeth against the next tremor of pain shuddered to through him. Rufus was right -- Cygnus was gone. The blood wasn't rushing from him, it wasn't being pumped by a heart doing its job. It slid from him, still and red, and soaked into the carpet.
"Understood," he managed in reply, drawing on a deep inhale of breath to even get that much out. Gawain held it for several long moments, enough time to play at getting his bearings, sorting out the whirlwind of events in his mind, and suppress the vague nausea he felt, before finally exhaling. The upcoming shitstorm would be dealt with in time, he decided; preferably when he woke up from a damn long nap.
And as if electing to take it that very second, Gawain sunk down to the ground, leaned against the wall, and wondered if perhaps it wouldn't have been less of a headache to have just been blown to smithereens in the parlour.