MASQUERADE PART EIGHT - ORDER TRAP & DEATH EATER ARREST Who: Everyone who bought a ticket! Where: Artemis Theatre, Diagon Alley When: 9:00 pm October 31 - 1:00 am November 1, 1979 What: A Masquerade Ball for the Foundation for the Promotion of Wizarding Society and Culture, hosted by the Malfoys
Order set-up 1 AM at Cregduff Agnes apparated into Cregduff a little before 1am and took a deep breath. She'd need several of these to get through the night, she thought, for though she wasn't afraid - she wasn't exactly the best actress either. She'd need to remember that looking afraid was decidedly more important than swearing like a sailor at the death eaters. She also tried not to think about them deciding to killing-curse them before the aurors had a chance to get there. Mentally deciding to place herself on the side of the trio facing the death eaters (after all, of the three, she had the least family depending on her if things went awry), she stepped into the circle, feeling a tremor roll down her spine. This place was magical. She could feel it.
Meaghan was only a few seconds behind Agnes, suddenly somber and still after feigning being drunk off her head all evening. Smoothing the skirt of her costume unnecessarily, she sighed and stepped to Agnes' side, hand reaching out unconciously to grip the tiny woman's in her own. She needed some reassurance that things would be okay. She needed to know that she was going to make it home to kiss Kirley tonight. Caradoc had prepared her for the counter-curse, had prepared her to drive the stone into her skin and to draw blood. The burden of responsibility, of knowing that if things went horribly awry, it was up to her to save them, weighed heavily on her shoulders. Her eyes sought Agnes' but she had no words to exchange.
Lily, her body now clean of all cosmetic charms, followed the other girls. She took deep breaths. James had insisted that she wear a portkey that would bring her right back into his arms, and she could feel its sewn inside her trousers. She knew that if she died it would do nothing more than carry her body to him, but she didn't believe that things could escalate that far and that fast. She swallowed and made her way closer to the altar.
Caradoc had done all he could think of to prepare the girls, Dedalus and the site for an optimal performance. He, himself, was willing to put his life at risk to ensure the safety of his compatriots.
The altar was laid with the necessary instruments of various shape, size and degree as a great cauldron bubbled over with blue, viscous fluid. He squinted as first Agnes and then Meaghan Apparated into view. Stepping out from behind a standing stone with a length of rope in his hand, he gave them both a tight smile of welcome.
The sight of Caradoc's tight but determined face gave her the bit of reassurance she needed to continue. They were not going to fail--they had world much too hard for that to be an option. Reaching across the distance between them, she spread her fingers invitingly, asking both for his hand and for the necessary granite for the counter-curse. Her heart began to race a little faster in her chest; she needed Lily to get here as soon as possible--she would feel better when all the players were in place.
And Caradoc slid the granite sliver into her hand, bowing his head slightly as he did. Around the locale, there seemed to be a veil of solemnity and he was loathe to part it with speech. Silence was easier. They all knew their parts.
Agnes followed in Meaghan's wake - a little less certain about this grand scheme than she seemed to be. Oh, she was sure that Caradoc had planned things out to a T, but as far as she was concerned, fucking with dark magic was always a bad idea. Always. Her hand stretched out, looking small and insignificant in the low light.
Lily moved into place, eying the bubbling cauldron as she did. She was ready to do this. She was ready to die if it meant some of the most dangerous criminals in England were locked away in Azkaban. She didn't want to think what that would mean to James. She needed to focus. "So, I'm ready," she said, breaking the silence.
"Let's do it. We don't have much time." With lips pressed tight, Caradoc pointed first to Agnes. "I'll bind your hands and feet, then we will place you in front of the cauldron, within the inner circle." He paused. "Well within sight of any Auror that will pop in on the field below."
"Make sure I'm the one facin' the death eaters," Agnes insisted, heart pounding. This was a lot more terrifying in practise, but that wasn't going to stop her - that was for sure. "I got less to lose than these two." Clutching the granite, she purposefully took a seat on the ground, legs and arms outstretched so they could be bound. She really, really did not like that - but it had to be done, and she comforted herself with the knowledge that at least good would come of this. It had to.
Meaghan rolled the granite shard over and over in her hand, feeling the sharp edges as she tested them against different parts of her palm, trying to see which would cut the easiest. It was grim business, but it was better than concentrating on the fact that she was waiting to be tied up and left at the mercy of sociopathic murderers. Her eyes followed Caradoc as he readied the cords to bind them, her heart aching in her chest. They had to win, surely. What fairness would there be in the universe if they were lost so soon after finding each other?
When he walked passed, Meaghan reached out and captured his hand, giving his fingers a meaningful squeeze--she loved him, they would survive this, they would win, she loved him. It was all she would allow herself to do, for Dedalus' sake. Still handclasped, she sought out the eyes of each of her companions, giving each a smile and a nod to show that she was convinced they were going to be victorious. Her gaze met Agnes' last, and lingered there, her expression now full of gratitude for the sacrifice that the tiny woman was willing to make on her and Lily's behalf.
"Don't say that, Agnes," Lily murmured, reaching over and squeezing her friend's shoulder. "We're all going to be fine." She looked up at Caradoc. "You can put me in dead center, I don't care." She wasn't here to be scared or cautious, she was here to try and win this war. James wouldn't be happy with her volunteering to be right in the middle of it all, but she was going to do it anyway. She offered her arms and legs out to be bound.
"One place," Caradoc replied quickly as he set to work tying Meaghan and Lily in a most convincing fashion, "is just as well as the other." He took a step back to observe the grisly tableau before them, angling Meaghan's shoulder and then Agnes's ankle.
Moving in toward them again, he kissed each woman lightly on their forehead and bent low. "Yell as loudly as you want, as the spell doesn't necessarily call for victims to be silent or willing." He paused. "I'll be just behind the northernmost standing stone. I'm within reach - if it gets too much, call out and I'll end it."
"You are all heroes," he said gruffly, rising as he took one more look around him. All the pieces were in play - now, he could only wait. The Death Eaters would key in momentarily, with the Aurors swift on their heels. A final meaningful look to his hostages and he faded into the shades of night to watch and wait.
******
Death Eaters transported The minutes had been ticking away on the clock as the masquerade-goers prepared for the de-masking, which had been set to occur at the stroke of one in the morning. Corbina, personally, could not wait for the night to be over. She'd had a decent time, yes, all things considered. She'd danced, she'd snacked, she'd chatted both with friends and strangers. But the night had gone on long enough, the hem of her dress had been stepped on by multiple clod-like dancers, and Corbina was quite ready to return home and to her books.
Unfortunately, the night did not end as Corbina had hoped that it would.
As the clock struck one, Corbina felt a familiar tugging sensation, and moments later found herself displaced, no longer standing in the theatre surrounded by costumed dancers and masked staff, but instead in a saucer-shaped enclosure of trees and stone, an altar displayed in the center appearing to be set up into some dark ritual, three tightly bound women displayed in what she recognised from her readings in the manner of a classic celtic blood-magic sacrifice. ...Was the redheaded one Lily Potter? Corbina's wand was in hand in a moment as she looked around her, others in masks in costumes she recognised appearing around her. This had to have been some sort of mistake. Keeping her wits about her, Corbina attempted to Apparate from the scene and back to the theatre, only to find it impossible. This was decidedly not good. Regaining from panicking (as Corbina Lestrange did not panic), she moved towards the costumed man she knew to be Marius, keeping her wand out and hoping that someone else had a better idea as to what was going on.
Aeneas had only just let go of his wife's hand when the clock struck and he suddenly felt himself a tug that was unmistakeably magical. No sooner had he arrived than he pulled his wand from his robes and rose to find the same set-up that Corbina had, seconds earlier, observed. Three women were bound on the altar, and though Aeneas didn't know what was going on, he knew instinctively that he needed to be out of there. Focusing on his home, he Disap-
No, he didn't Disapparate. He couldn't, as there must have been anti-Apparation charms on the area. What in Salazar's name was going on here? Looking around, he identified Lucius, Rodolphus' son and sister, and possibly a few others who all seemed to have been pulled to this place too, but it was a bit too dark to tell. "Hey," he shouted to the others, realising that he probably shouldn't be using anyone's name. "You," he said, pointing, "come with me to see what's going on over here." He started walking toward the altar, wand stretched out in front of him.
Samuel Greengrass still had the glass of champagne in his hand when he felt the familiar tugging sensation of a portkey. As his feet felt firm under him again, he glanced around instantly taking in the costumed figures he knew to be Marius and Corbina Lestrange and Aeneas Nott. The champagne had splashed in his hand as he landed, and as he noted the fire, the people in the fire, and he thought to himself he shouldn't be here. It was as he tried to Apparate away, and realised that he could not, he noted Nott's words, and discarding the glass onto the rocky ground he reached for his own wand and followed Nott's instructions, moving towards the people who would hopefully explain just what the hell was going on.
Hephaestus too was standing -- albeit somewhat unsteadily, having lurched into appearance and finding that his sense of balance was pathetically off in this unfamiliar darkness -- wand instantly in hand. It briefly occurred to him that this unexpected change in scenery could be someone's idea of a very, very bad joke... but that notion was dashed as soon as he caught sight of the women, the altar, the women on the altar... Aeneas' shout caused him to blink, a grim frown instantly replacing the somewhat disconcerted stare he'd been directing at the altar as he made a quick survey of who else had been deposited here without so much as a by-your-bloody-leave. Like everyone else, he attempted a disapparation. It was futile; with a frustrated growl, he lifted his wand, casting some illumination as he stepped over to join Nott and the others.
Graley had been looking at the clock, mentally counting down the time until he was able to leave and he stood up as it got nearer, seeing that some people seemed getting ready to leave as well and it was finally here. Finally. He had sat through the ball and now he could get home and get properly smashed and try not to do anything overly stupid at this time. He rubbed his mouth, feeling the prickle under his skin before the clock struck and he was gone, just as he felt a pull behind his bellybutton and he was lurched into some place unknown, his wand out and pointing as he spotted some people around him, and he could see bodies, but frankly he didn’t care for those at the moment as he attempted to dissapparate, but he couldn’t, and he tried, again, only with the same reaction.
Evangeline was making her way through the crowd back to where her mother was sitting with the other older ladies. She didn't exactly fancy being among the masses during the demasking, and Eva had barely managed to small greeting to ask Sophia if she had an enjoyable night when she felt a peculiar tug behind her navel and she was sucked into a void. She reappeared... somewhere. Eva glanced around and noticed that there were other people with her. "What is this?" the confusion in her voice was barely concealed. Her eyes scanned the area around them, then looked at the altar where three women were bound.
Lucius hadn't been looking forward to the demasking. Everyone knew who he was after all, and finding out that he had been dancing with mudblood scum wasn't high up on his list of priorities. The whole night had been a lot more tiresome than he had previously anticipated, and he was looking forward to going home, having a cup of hot chocolate and climbing into bed with Narcissa (who had been far more gracious than he had all night).
He was in the very centre of the dance floor with his wife, ready to start off the first dance post-demasking, when everything changed. A tug and a moment of confusion later, and he was -- where? Immediately on the alert, he shrugged off his armour as quickly as possible (no mean feat) so he could gain access to his wand. Holding it in front of him, his worry was not dimmed much by spotting some he recognised around him. Why didn't they disapparate? And then he found out, as he spun fruitlessly on the spot. Lucius's brow furrowed as he took in the scene in front of him, then nodded to the figure he recognised as Aeneas, reacting to his call and inching slowly towards the altar, holding his wand higher in anticipation.
Three women lay on the ground, Aeneas observed, bound and gagged. What was this? Clearly not something the Dark Lord had arranged or Aeneas would have heard about it, and the confusing nature of this entire situation immediately infuriated him. He took a few steps closer and realised that they surely weren't purebloods - he didn't recognise any of them. Looking around, he noticed that a few people had listened to his order and were following him up to the altar. "Anyone know who these women are?" he growled.
There was no answer. What Aeneas hadn't heard while he was talking was the sound of a pop!, then another, then a few more.
*********
The Aurors Arrive Considering the lives at stake, it really was inappropriate to compare this to waiting for Christmas Eve to bloody end already so that the big day they were all waiting for could finally begin. Inappropriate -- or, perhaps, inappropriately apt, as all the symptoms of excitedly apprehensive expectation were there, even if the only person who could see it was Alice. Getting back into the swing of the night-shift hadn't been as difficult as Frank expected (with enough caffeine, anyone's sleeping patterns could be re-programmed), and as he passed Ministry employees trailing out of the building as their Friday work-day came to an end, plenty of the snippets of conversation he overheard were related to the masquerade; he exchanged tense half-smiles with his wife as they, alone, took the lift down to the DMLE, expression drawn back to that typically weary expression of his by the time they stepped out and went to their respective desks.
The hours trickled by. Paper was shuffled. His journal was given a perfunctory glance between tasks. At midnight, he got up, threw a couple of blasting spells at a practice dummy in the training room, and then briefly exchanged words with another employee who'd come in after curfew duty to finish up some paperwork before heading home. By quarter to, Frank was back at his desk, a steady mantra repeating itself in his mind -- they'd rehearsed, they were prepared, they were fucking ready for this, and, Christ, please let this go down without a hitch -- one that vanished entirely when the tip he'd been waiting for arrived.
"Alice," he said quietly, making a show of showing it to her as he rose to his feet. He barked instructions to the other Aurors there -- "Someone's tipped us off about some Dark ritual. Cregduff Megaliths, now.." -- before disappearing, materializing seconds later at the site the Order had worked so hard on preparing for tonight's set-up.
At first glance, everything seemed to be going according to plan, and as Alice hurriedly sent in the call for more reinforcements before moving toward the altar and the girls, he threw up a shield charm, following it with a shout to cease and desist whatever was going on here as he strode toward the rabble.
The call had startled Kate a bit. But it was one of the downsides of being an Auror she supposed, that you sometimes got random calls late at night, and as she left the Masquerade and moved to where the call had been listed as, she really hoped she wasn't walking into another Hogwart's Battle. She was always afraid of that now when she answered an alert. And as delightful as her costume was, it would not make for easy fighting if she ended up in a full scale battle. Her feet firmly on the ground she looked around her to get her bearings.
As she looked around she saw a group of masked people, obviously individuals from the masquerade, and a fire, and three other individuals - she wasn't going to wait to see what was happening, or why because it simply didn't look right. Her Auror senses kicked in, and she had her wand in her hand immediately. She wasn't going to adopt a wait and see approach, nor was she going to give them any warning she was here. She refused to end up in St. Mungo's like last time. Just because there did not appear to be as many people here, Kate would take no chances. She pointed her wand at the masked individual nearest her and sent a silent Expelliarmus his (or her) direction. It was a simple spell and one Kate could perform in her sleep. And if he (or she) were disarmed, then she'd be able to deal with the individual more effectively.
From her position outside of the masquerade (after her run in with Rodolphus Lestrange), Jo had received the call and was eager to put the troubling interaction behind her and go to work. Despite the rather inappropriate nature of her costume - organza silk was cold - she threw her mask upon the ground and slid out of her shoes.
The tableau before them looked grim, indeed. She could glimpse a fire, some shadowy figures gathered around it, and three bound figures in the stone circle. Ready to charge, she took one glance around her and paused a moment. Was that Kate to her right? She cleared her throat and sent a silent Stunning spell after the jet of light of the other figure.
The evening shift was Zach's friend, post break-up and pre-new-love-of-his-life. He'd ask Rufus for the transfer only a week ago after Darlene had broke his heart (again), mostly because he wished an excuse to not have to go out and find a new love just yet. Not that Zach Presswood would ever put that into words that eloquent of course. Truth was, with the climate as it was, he found that that relationships seemed to be a hell of a lot easier if it was just him and a random woman here and there, rather than anything particular. He was shuffling paperwork and wondering which of the many off-licenses around his house might be open when he got the call to go. And go he did. He left the paperwork, grabbed his wand, and within minutes was standing staring at the strange group of masqueraded people and fire, and blood ritual?
It had been a while since he'd studied that sort of thing, but it was sure as hell what it look liked. "Fuck," he muttered realising that the two costumed women to his left and right were Proudfoot and Savage. He raised his wand towards one of the masked figures - they weren't Death Eater masks, but were they Death Eaters?
Gawain had been enjoying the party, which he found surprising. He enjoyed a social gathering as much as the next but his comfort level always seemed to decrease when dancing and decorum were factored into the evening.
Of course none of that mattered now because there were other more important matters at hand. A selection of Aurors had been alerted about strange behaviour in Cregduff and Gawain was out the door just behind his colleagues, Apparating almost as soon as his platform shoes hit the cold pavement.
It took him only a few moments to realize that the situation was more strange than they had been led to believe and Gawain quickly pulled his wand out and held it at the ready. He wasn't exactly sure what they were dealing with but he stood quiet and holding, waiting for Rufus's instructions.
Rufus's apologies as he left Amelia were fervent, but he hardly had a choice in emergency situations. It occurred to him that this was the perfect night for people to get up to no good - what with half the auror department out at the masquerade. A rush of relief went through him that Alice and Frank had kept watch tonight, and part of him - the part that wasn't frantically pulling off the accessories of his ridiculous costume - made a point of noting this for future reference (and recommendations). When he was down to his trousers and shirt and wand, he quickly apparated away, no concern for the puddle of clothing he left on Narcissa Malfoy's veranda.
Upon apparition he noted the aurors already present and strode forward. Were there girls. Tied up. In front of a cauldron? What in the name of Merlin's bloomers?
Several of the figures were closing the gap between the hostages and the group, and Rufus knew he didn't have time to do anything sneaky.
"Department of Magical Law Enforcement!" He bellowed, wand out and pointed right at one of the figures. "You are ordered to cease all activity."
******
Kate x Graley He moved to apparate a second time before suddenly his wand was gone as he let out a rather loud noise of annoyance as he shifted, beginning to move back, looking for any flashes of light so he could duck before he could get his wand and get the hell out of there as soon as he could not wanting to get caught in whatever was going on at the moment. He was confused, find trying to figure out what had just happened and how he was going to get out of it without getting his nose dirty.
Kate moved forward again as soon as she heard Rufus' announcement. Would the man listen and cease activity? Did she want to risk finding out if he would? She realised that his wand was flying in a nice arch towards her, and she caught it quickly and raised her wand again.
"Stop!" She exclaimed quickly. "Don't make any sudden movements." If he did began to move, she would stun him instantly, but if she could simply bind him and take him in without a huge fight, she'd prefer it.
Graley turned swiftly at the voice, trying to see who it was, wanting to get away as he walked back slowly. She had said no sudden movements, and his movements were slow, one foot behind another, hands half raised as he continued to move, keeping his eyes focused on the direction the voice had come from.
"Sir, stop where you are!" She exclaimed her voice authoritative and boding no room for argument. And if it looked as if he was going to continue to move, she would stun him and make certain he couldn't move.
"Sorry?" he replied almost as if he hadn't hurt her as he took another step back, slowly. "I am doing what you told me to, I am not making any sudden movements," he said a bit cheekily as he continued to move back.
Kate was not amused. In fact it was possible that she was the furthest thing from amused that she could possibly be. She was not interested in playing games with someone that was in all likelihood a Death Eater, and she raised her wand. He had been warned after all. She cast an incarcerous at the man. She would see how he liked moving with ropes around his legs.
Graley felt the ropes around his ankles and to be honest, he had been expecting them, although a lot sooner than before as he dropped to the ground, sitting down with a sigh of annoyance. "I am quite sure there has been a misunderstanding," he said feeling a little bit angry at the moment that this was happening. "I am not quite sure how I came to be here and if you're going to kill me, could you please do it soon?" he asked. "I would much rather not see other people killed," he said almost sounding worried.
Kate stared at him as she came forward to check on the ropes. Although it seemed as if he was not going to be moving further, she bound his wrists as well and said. "I believe any plans to see someone killed are at an end," she said. "By my authority from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, you are under arrest, sir."
Samuel x NPC Auror Narrative At the sound of a spell whizzing past his ear, Samuel turned around, his wand focused on the newcomers rather than the individuals that were obviously tied and bound. If he had no idea what was going on before, he certainly was beginning to get a better idea. He recognised the face of at least one of the Aurors approaching him from the battle at Hogwarts and he realised that they were possibly in very deep trouble. The shield charm that he cast was an automatic response and he wished suddenly for his Death Eater mask rather than this one, full of frippery that his wife had selected, and utterly impossible when it came to peripheral vision.
With the arrival of Scrimgeour, Zach knew that this was serious and he instantly cast a stupefy at the figure nearest him. The masked figure looked as if he'd been dressed up for a party, and that was when Zach remembered that ridiculous masquerade ball had been tonight. With sudden fierceness, he followed the stunning spell with an expelliarmus. If the man were up to no good, and it seemed to Zach that he could hardly be up to any good when there was a very strong possibility that there was a blood ritual going on, he didn't particularly want him to have his spell.
The shield charm blocked the first spell, but not the second. Thankfully when the original shield shattered, Samuel had ducked, and moved quickly away from the Auror approaching him. Truly wishing that he did not have on the ridiculous mask, but afraid to strip it off, he fired a dicing hex in the general direction of the approaching Department of Magical Law Enforcement, suddenly very glad he'd moved and been able to keep his wand.
This time it was a string of expletives that exited Zach's mouth as the hex came past him, just catching the side of his arm and barely cutting his robes and his skin. It could have been much worse, and he was annoyed with the audacity of this person - whomever he might be - to try to slice up his arm. "Expelliarmus," he repeated firmly, casting the spell at this same individual. "stupefy and incarcerous!" Disarm, stun, and tie up - it seemed like a good combination to Zach.
Samuel had been expecting another set of spells, but it was the final one that he was unable to duck. He felt the magical ropes binding him up in such a way that he couldn't reach for his wand to cut through them. He cursed his inability to do wandless magic, but just as quickly moved on in his mind to what could he do to get free? However important it might be to put a priority on certain types of wandless magic in the future, that would not assist with the current problem.
"Gotcha," Zach murmured as the ropes bound the masked figure tightly. "Expelliarmus," he quickly added, catching the man's wand as it arched high into the air and came down towards him. "Let's make certain you aren't going anywhere," and he levitated the man's body away from the center where the fighting was most intense and towards the sideline where hopefully neither of them were likely to be hit by stray curses. It'd be time to find out if he were a Death Eater afterward, but for the moment, Zach Presswood felt like here was a job well done.
Fenrir + Cadmus x Frank Fenrir chuckled to himself as he moved through the party. Two dances and two moments of high entertainment as he'd dropped enough hints to let the women identify him. It was dangerous but life was bloody boring without any danger in it. He was keeping a subtle eye out for Lucius since he was expecting the man to be making a beeline for him as soon as Narcissa whined to him about 'nasty, icky Fenrir' being at her precious masquerade and making her dance with him. He snickered as he remembered her reaction. It was worth getting yelled at and thrown out just for that.
He was just looking around to see if there was anyone coming towards him with intent when he suddenly felt himself being portkeyed away. He snarled as that strange fishhook in the navel feeling overwhelmed him then staggered when he finally came to a halt. He shook his head as he tried to orientate himself, ripping his hat and mask off as he did. He hated portkeys. He hated not being in control of his own travel. He hated they way they felt.
"What the fuck?" he growled as he fumbled after his wand and tried to work out where the hell he was.
As a body-count was not tonight's objective, timing was key, for it would not be long before the kidnapped guests would realize that this was probably a set-up and act accordingly. The last thing Frank wanted was to give them the chance to come to their sense and begin to throw actual Dark magic around, and so, as more and more Aurors appeared, he selected a target -- Fenrir, who appeared to be clumsily reaching for his wand.
"Lower it," he yelled, and neatly aimed a disarming spell at him.
Fenrir snarled when his wand went flying but made no attempt to try and find it. He could accio it later and he'd never really needed his wand anyway. He'd always preferred a more 'hands on' method of fighting. He'd seen the direction the spell had come from and saw a figure standing over there. There... that was his target.
"Cover me," he snarled to the nearest Death Eater in tones that didn't invite argument. He had enough fear-induced influence within the Death Eaters to prompt some sort of obedience but he'd probably also face some snotty remarks later. He didn't care, just as long as the Death Eater kept him covered long enough to close in. He charged towards the man who had disarmed him, fully intending to rip him apart.
Even if the nearby Death Eater turned his wand on Frank in order to fulfill Fenrir's command, he would probably find his first volley of spells deflected by the protective shield Frank'd raised upon arrival. A magical, invisible shield, however, would be of little use against a non-magical, physical attack; as Fenrir launched himself toward him, Frank cast a Stupefy and an Incarcerous in rapid succession before throwing himself out of the other's path.
Fenrir saw the spells heading towards him and tried to dodge. He mostly avoided the Stupefy, the spell just grazing one shoulder, but the force of that sent him straight into the path of the second spell. In a moment the magical ropes had wrapped themselves around him, binding him tight. The sudden stop to his momentum sent him tumbling to the ground and he writhed furiously as he tried to escape his bonds. "Nooooooo!" he howled with sudden rage as he continued to strugle, fully willing to damage himself in order to escape.
Bound and helpless as he was, Fenrir's rage was a frightening thing to witness, and as Frank approached him, a battery of spells burned on his tongue, ready to be hurled out at the lightest of provocations. He circled the writhing man at a tense pace, retrieving the wand he'd robbed Fenrir of with a silent accio and grasping it with white-knuckled fingers as he stared at the other's struggles.
Loathing flickered briefly across his expression; then, pocketing the wand, he leveled his own at Fenrir and stunned him.
Rufus x Eva + Aeneas Aeneas turned at the sound of Scrimgeour's proclamation as the realisation dawned on him exactly what was going on. It was a trap! Aeneas cursed under his breath as he started toward the man who yelled, noticing that he had his wand outstreched at a woman, his own cousin Evangeline Macnair, if he wasn't mistaken. He'd spent years under the radar, hiding in plain sight and not once being suspected of his service to the Dark Lord, so he would not be taken this night. "Expelliarmus!" he roared, wand out. Another step and - Salazar, this was Rufus Scrimgeour. What a treat.
A shield spell exploded around Rufus in shards of brilliant red, and he angrily threw himself sideways, behind a thick clot of overbrush - from which he shot out two spells: first at the masked male figure (petrificus totalus!), and second at the woman (depulso!) - who was dangerously close to the girls. They didn't look well, and though he thought he recognised the dark haired one from somewhere, he didn't exactly have time to take down their vitals.
Aeneas was ready - he reflected the spell (protego), but this man was fast. He'd expected as much from someone who was Head of the Auror Department, but Aeneas was confident he would not have much of a problem with him. He dodged to his right, toward Eva, whom he knew had some sort of spell cast at. It was never nearly as much fun when there were others around who couldn't take care of themselves as well - he had to make sure that she wasn't killed (Walden would never forgive him, which he would survive, clearly, but he would much rather not let a cousin be killed) and that meant he couldn't concentrate as much on hurting the enemy. He positioned himself in front of her and pointed his wand at Rufus' casting arm. "Diffindo!"
Though the situation itself was sobering enough, Rufus finally had reason to appreciate his own temperance - for it was a narrow dodge that saved him from having a good chunk of his arm sliced off; the masked man's movement to protect his friend was admirable but damning - and though Rufus had no reason to suspect otherwise, it well near proved that they were cohorts of some kind. Protego horribilus, he cast upon himself before shooting out another silent spell at the pair standing before the altar. Incarcerous!
Eva barely had the chance to utter a muffled "What?" when the duel between Aeneas, at least she thought it sounded like Aeneas, and the Auror began. Her cousin was blocking her from the other man's range and while she was grateful for his attempts at protecting here, Evangeline was not the sort to take to the sidelines. They were being attacked for Merlin's sake, and that gave her enough grounds to retaliate. Before she could cast a counter-jinx, ropes wound around her left ankle, making her trip on the hem of her dress. Cursing, she deftly cut them free and directed her wand at the tall, ginger man still advancing. "Furnunculus," Eva yelled before managing to cast a shield charm in front of her.
Aeneas wasn't quite as lucky as Eva had been, as the spell hit him squarely in his right shoulder, his counter-jinx being repelled by Rufus' shield. Aeneas was glad the Auror's ego was larger than his skill and aimed to hit both of them, because had it hit him squarely in the chest he would have been completely tied up. As it was, his left arm, his casting arm, was still free and he was able to manage a quick spell (Deprimo!, since he wasn't stupid enough to try an Unforgivable as much as he may have wanted to) as he hit the ground. The girl managed a shield charm, and Aeneas was impressed by her quick thinking, hoping that her shield would cover him enough to have time to get out of the bind.
Bloody hell; if Rufus thought the girl was going to come quietly - and bound - he was sadly mistaken; as ... something blew through his shield - another spell came flying at him - a rather poisonous shade of green. Though deep down he recognised it wasn't the avada kedavra, instinct and desperation moved hips, thighs, tightened lungs and propelled him out of the way -
- and right into the line of a potent blasting curse.
He was thrown over and in a long, horrible moment of silence thought that maybe he'd died. He couldn't hear anything where before there had been screams and shouting; he could feel nothing but cold beneath him; and then - oh God - then he knew he was alive, because the most agonising sensation he'd ever had the misfortune to endure was ripping unabashedly through his thigh. A moan was all he had time to indulge in, and he squeezed his fingers shut. There was a wand there. Good. Wand and ground and he was shoving himself upright, ignoring the heat that spilled out over his hips. Only seconds had gone by but it felt like ages, and he really, really wished that there were more bloody aurors here so he had someone to help him out right now.
But there was no time to wish - and if Rufus was decent at anything, it was swift, immediate action. He cast the briefest, most rudimentary of binding spells upon his leg - assuming it would hold his thigh together long enough for him to catch these bastards. He wasn't going to let them go. Not now when they were so close - when there were so many. "Stupefy!" he growled out at the girl; he might have been half-crippled, but his arms were quick and his eyesight sharp; confringo to the ground; petrificus totalus at the still bound man.
Duelling at Hogwarts had always involved some sort of strategy; deflecting the strengths and exploiting the weaknesses of the opponent. Eva was a capable dueller in normal circumstances, but to be caught in the fray between Aeneas and that Auror had shaken her somewhat. How could someone gauge the other's strengths and weaknesses at a time like this? In the end, Eva thought, it all boiled down to intuition. So she kept on flinging curse after curse at the Auror's direction, even until she saw Aeneas fall to the ground, immobilised. She was alone. Did she have the opportunity to run over to her cousin and Apparate out? Could she even Apparate out? She was becoming more and more frenzied, and Eva just managed to cast another Blasting Curse in the man's direction when she was hit by something. Then everything went dark.
Lucius x NPC auror The popping sounds signalling the arrival of others caused Lucius to spin around, his attention diverted from the curious spectacle on the altar to the possibility of a fight. Was that Rufus Scrimgeour? A fight it was then, and Lucius quickly sent a wordless Stupefy to the figure closest to him. He cursed under his breath as his spell was blocked, ducking to the side and firing off a number of blasting curses. His following shield charm blocked the retaliation, although what he believed to be an Incarcerous whizzed by dangerously close to his face.
He wasn't going to put up with this. He didn't know why he was here but how dare they take him away from his party?? The sooner he got back to the masquerade and Narcissa, the better. Rising again quickly and sending another blasting curse towards the figure, he tried again to disapparate. Nothing.
It was then that he found himself sprawling in the dirt. His wand was no longer in his hand and he realised that the split second he spent hopelessly spinning on the spot had been just enough time for the auror to hit him with both a tripping jinx and a disarming spell. Spotting his wand on the floor some feet in front of hi, Lucius lunged for it, but a swift "Accio wand!" sent it flying into the hand of his opponent. Again he lunged forward, hoping to send the auror flying, but he found himself thrown backwards as a jet of light hit his chest. Ropes bound him tightly as he landed on the floor in an inelegant heap and he struggled against them before giving up.
The auror - one he didn't recognise - loomed over him, and he smiled pathetically. "I'm terribly sorry about all of this," he attempted. "My wife and I are hosting a masquerade ball tonight, I should really be getting back to her."
"Nice try, Malfoy," came the gruff reply. "You're under arrest by the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, for suspected Dark activity."
Buggar. Now he was in trouble.
Corbina + Marius x Gawain + Williamson Rufus had announced their arrival and as he did so, Gawain stepped closer to the huddled group of masked figures. The scene set out before them was bizarre. There was some sort of ritual going on, which was the supposed reason for the DMLE to be there. The masked figures, clearly members of the party that he'd just been attending, seemed to be entirely separate. There was a feeling of chaos in the air and Gawain was not about to let things take a turn for the worse.
He immediately put up his defenses and singled out a pair of party goers near the edge of the pack. He didn't immediately jump to spell casting but he held his wand so they could both see it.
"Wands away, no sudden movements. What's going on here?"
It had been a set up. They had set them up. Corbina moved closer to Marius's side -- making sure to stay clear of his wand arm in case he had plans of immediate retaliation (and also so that she would have a hiding place should things get ugly). She ignored the man's order to put their wands away, though. (If he called her on it, she could argue that she'd just been so scared and what if he'd meant to hurt her??) She'd done nothing wrong, and she didn't understand why she should have to disarm herself because of it. And if they did start firing off spells, she wouldn't be left defenceless.
Concluding that she could perhaps use her age and gender to her advantage, Corbina stared back at the Aurors and did what she was quite talented at -- she made herself cry. (Not that she would ever actually cry, of course. She was a Lestrange. Lestranges didn't cry when it wasn't on purpose.) "We don't know what's going on," Corbina called back, quite liking the way her voice cracked just then. "I don't know where we are."
Nicholas had positioned himself a few feet away from Gawain to provide a wider cover in case something went wrong. As the older Auror commissioned directions to the suspects, he remained silent and alert with his wand by his side. Instinct was at play here; the responding voice of the woman was sufficiently nuanced with confusion, but he did not detect fear in it. Whether they were dealing with victims or instigators, it remained to be seen.
"If you need help, it will be provided to you. But place your wands on the ground before you and step back," he called out, stepping forward to clear his line of vision. "State your names."
Corbina glanced up to Marius, curious to see if his expression gave any hint of his thoughts or plans on what to make of this. As per usual, the ol' Lestrange stoic face of emotionless seemed to be in effect, and so Corbina figured that she would try this her own way, and then if things went wrong? Marius would be there to right the situation.
"I don't know who you are; you might try to hurt us. How do we know you didn't bring us here?" she cried back, speaking quickly, trying to amp up the sound of fear and distress in her voice as she stepped away from Marius. She still held her wand at her side, trying to make a show of wanting to put it down, but her self-defense instincts preventing her to do so. "I- I'm Corbina. Who are you? Why are we here? I just want to go back to the party."
Corbina Lestrange? He shared a brief, pointed look with Gawain before leveling his gaze at the woman and the young man who was accompanying her. Their faces were aptly covered by their ornate masks, making it hard to identify them. Fucking masks, he thought, having divested his own the moment he had arrived here. "We are Aurors," he stated sternly. “We have no intention of harming you and we will help you. Put your wand away and step towards us."
The woman’s reluctance to part with her wand was irritating and her partner had remained silent in the face of questioning. He waited a few moments and then he spoke out again. "If you both do not part with your wands, I will have to disarm you. I will not make a request again."
"Once again, the professionalism of your Ministry leaves something to be desired, messieurs," Marius said, neglecting to offer his name to the Aurors. The situation didn't look good for any of them, and it didn't help matters that these Aurors were keeping their wands pointed at them. "You demand we identify ourselves, when you have not offered your own names to us. How do we know you are Aurors?"
"Nicholas Williamson," he replied in a dead pan tone. His usual impatience was further spiked by the man's response and the undertone of disdain it contained. Meeting the man's gaze squarely, he stepped forward to reveal himself, although he stopped short at a good distance from the duo to take full measure of their demeanor and standing. "If you keep up with the news, you may know me. Your name. Now."
"Good evening then, Mr. Williamson, can we go home now?" Corbina asked, contemplating throwing in a teenage hissyfittish stomp of a spoiled little girl who wasn't getting her way. She ultimately decided against it: she wanted the Aurors to feel sorry for her, not to want to hurt her. Returning her wand to the pocket of her dress (there, it was away, but she did not want to part with it completely) Corbina reached up to remove her mask from the ball, using the time that her hand blocked her face from the aurors to almost silently whisper to Marius "you stay here as backup; I'll see what they do."
Wand away now and hands away from where she could quickly regrab it from her pocket, Corbina approached the aurors slowly, not wanting to make any "sudden moves" or whatever they would call it. "Please sir, I don't know what's going on, I just want to go home, and I can't apparate out."
At that point Gawain was fairly sure he'd have preferred a quick exchange of curses to the current situation, mostly because he didn't know how he was supposed to handle Corbina Lestrange. He'd suspected the other figure to be a relation and when Marius spoke Gawain identified him without issue.
But why was Corbina even there? Yes, her family was suspected of supporting and possibly participating in Death Eater activities, but why was Rodolphus Lestrange's sister amongst the crowd? What in Merlin's name was going on? The desperation in her voice was charming, but having recognized her as Corbina Lestrange, he understood she may not be as helpless as she appeared to be. "Miss Lestrange," he said, looking past her shoulder towards the man and then back at her face again. It was hard to truly gauge what her expressions were, but he was past trying to decipher her intentions. They were both rumored to be Death Eaters and their presence at the ritual was hardly going in their favour. "For your own safety, I will have to ask you and your companion to come with us." A slightest nod of the head was sent Gawain's way to alert him: the two might resist.
Gawain returned the nod and turned his attention back to the Lestranges. Nothing with that family was ever by the books and so Gawain was very cautious as he approached them. He stole a moment to glance around at the crowd of party goers, looking to make sure that the eldest Lestrange wasn't standing off in some corner or another.
"I apologize if you find our procedures not to your liking, Mr. Lestrange. I assure you that we'll make every effort to accommodate you." Gawain wasn't usually the type for sarcasm or biased behaviour but he couldn't help but immediately judge Marius. After the little stunt with the werewolves Gawain was quite certain that anything that the boy was involved in was not good.
With Corbina now so close to the Aurors, Marius did not want to take a chance and risk her safety by attacking them now. He would have tried to stop her, but any sudden movements might have prompted the Aurors to try and disarm them. "Very well," he said, slipping his wand away and cooperating with Gawain and Williamson. After all, they haven't done anything wrong, and they would be walking out of the Ministry of Magic again in no less three days. That's how it always goes.
Corbina could tell by the Aurors' tones that they fell into the category of those who automatically suspected her family simply because the Lestranges were better than them. And because of this, she deduced that perhaps it would be in Marius and her best interest to simply cooperate with what they were being told to do, now that they were certain that the other men were with the Ministry of Magic, particularly when there were others of their ilk (cough cough Aeneas Nott cough cough) putting up quite the fuss.
"If it is for our own safety, than do whatever you think is best," Corbina told them both, walking straight up to the Aurors, but wand still away. "I do not know why my nephew and I are here, and I just want to go home." And if her expectations were correct, the Ministry would likely hold them for the three typical days, and find nothing to prove Marius and herself guilty, and would let her go. They had nothing to worry about.
Hephaestus x Jo The simple act of casting an illumination spell brought Jo's full focus to Hephaestus's from and she strode forward, wand held aloft. Light from the fire combined with the phosphorescent glow of wandlight made her face appear skeletal.
"Lower your wand, immediately," she said in crisp tones, gaining on him with every syllable.
There'd only been enough time to cast a harried glance at the altar before the aurors began crackling into appearance. Left with a niggling sensation of having perhaps recognized one or two of the objects placed amongst the victims, and no answers, when the woman's voice sliced through the noise, Hephaestus started, turning to stare her with an expression of apprehensive anger on his face.
"On whose authority?" he demanded, ignoring her order.
"The Department of Magical Law Enforcement," she replied, letting her voice grow to a shout as she stood within what she considered a point blank range. It would be easier if this didn't end in violence: she wanted it clean. "LOWER YOUR WAND and identify yourself." As far as he was concerned, clean was the best way to go about it; skirmishes had sprung up around them, but Hephaestus, despite his outrage at having been manipulated into this position, knew that the (entirely truthful) claims of innocence he would make would be better supported if he came in quietly. Obviously he felt the urge to take a defensive stance against the wand that scantily dressed enforcer of law and order was now brandishing at him -- but that was a knee-jerk reaction and probably would not get him far.
So there was nothing to do but to obey the woman's order. The hand gripping the wand was slowly lowered as the other, just as slowly, rose to slide off his mask. "Hephaestus Burke," he bit out.
And Jo, with a swift summoning charm, held his wand in her hand, smirking. She was sure this would stick.
"Hephaestus Burke, you're under arrest for suspicion of Dark magic."