Perdition Mods (perdition_mods) wrote in perdition_rpg, @ 2009-05-01 20:57:00 |
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Justin Finch-Fletchley (8), Wayne Hopkins vs Graley Rosier Wayne clutched the scrap of paper in his hand, his sweaty palm smearing the fresh ink, and recited his instructions to himself as he raced through the corridor. It was strange to hear nothing but his own whisper and the thudding of his trainers on the stone—the quiet should have been nice after the chaos raging downstairs but mostly Wayne found it eerie to be running through the halls of Hogwarts alone in the middle of the night. His destination was the Hospital Wing; his instructions were to return as quickly as possible with specific supplies from Madam Pomfrey’s private stores. If the injured couldn’t make it to the hospital wing, they’d have to bring the hospital wing to them. Visualizing their blood-streaked faces, Wayne tried to pick up the pace, but he was slowed by the sharp pain of a stitch in his side. “Second shelf,” he whispered to himself, panting, and pressing his hand into his side. “Small— green—bottles—” Graley had been dispatched to go and search the upper halls and hospital wing to make sure no one was doing anything that would be detrimental to their cause. He had gone, not noticing anyone at first, but eventually as he got further and further away he didn't see anyone. Then he heard the sound of footsteps and he shifted out of the way, sure his bones were creaking as he watched some kid run through a crossing hall in front of him and he moved, wand outstretched to follow them. He heard the soft noises of the kid speaking to himself as he turned the corner. "Stupefy," he said without much preamble. The flash of red in Wayne’s peripheral vision triggered reflexes he didn’t even know he had, and he half-ducked, half-stumbled, managing to miss the spell that flew within inches of his nose. Thrown off his own momentum, he staggered backwards into the wall and faced his attacker, his hands going up in an automatic gesture of surrender. “I’m not—I don’t—” he gasped, not even sure what he planned to say. There were too many thoughts—why was his wand in his pocket—but what good would it do him anyway—it was too late to try to run again, he’d never make it—All he could do was flatten himself against the wall and try to look as non-threatening and insignificant as he felt. Graley wasn't ever one to care for age or anything else as he watched whoever it was flatten himself against the wall and stutter something at him. His lip curling beneath his mask he shook his head as he raised his wand to cast another spell at the boy. "Stupefy," he said once again, this time wand carefully aimed at whoever the boy was. Maybe if it miss, he'd upgrade to the Killing Curse to be sure next time. Only moments before, Justin had just run into the corridor -- the exact same place where he had been Petrified and nearly killed by Slytherin's basilisk in his second year, in fact -- while he was searching for Hannah; God knew how shot her nerves must be in the middle of a large-scale battle of all things, and it was hardly a place for a proper woman anyway. He only had a few seconds between when the first Stunning Spell was cast and the Death Eater had been about to shoot another curse to close the distance between him and whom he recognised as Wayne before throwing himself forward and knocking both of them onto the floor in the best attempt at a rugby tackle he could manage given the circumstances and the fact that the other boy was pressed up against a wall. The red light from the spell just missed hitting them and exploded upon impact against the stone. Without even getting up from the floor or rolling off Wayne yet, Justin whipped out his wand in the Death Eater's direction and shouted, 'Stupefy!' in return, then sprang to his feet and kept his eyes on the target for when he inevitably retaliated. Even then, he held out his hand for Wayne to take if he needed help standing -- they might be in the middle of a fight, but that was no reason to do away with gentlemanly protocol. Wayne blinked, realizing only belatedly that the impact he had felt knocking him to the hard stone was not, in fact, the Stunning Spell, but the former roommate he’d believed dead until recently enough for his reappearance to still be unsettling. Who was now, apparently, shooting spells in the direction of a Death Eater. Wayne’s forehead and elbow were throbbing from smashing into the floor as he fell, and he tasted blood in his mouth, but in his daze he grabbed for Justin’s hand and let himself be hoisted to his feet. “Stupefy!” he echoed automatically, as soon as he had fished his wand from his robes. He felt unsteady on his feet, whether from his fall or the sudden realization that he was facing down a Death Eater, he couldn’t have said. Graley let out an irritated noise as another figure came from the darkness and tackled the first one onto the ground before casting a Stupefy at him. Blocking it, he was about to retaliate before a second Stupefy came at him, missing his shoulder by a hair and he snarled slightly. He was not going to be outwitted by two idiotic students. "Incendio!" he said loudly, casting one at the boy who had tackled the first student, before casting a Blasting Curse at the first boy as he took a few steps back, putting a bit of a distance between them. Justin tried to dodge the Incendio rather than cast a Shield Charm to block it -- he had never been any good at those anyway, and if he had anything on his side, it was his athletic ability like any proper school-boy who wasn't a horrible swot -- but he didn't move quickly enough to get out of its way unharmed. The spell brushed against his sleeve, but it was all that was needed for his left arm to catch on fire and distract him from keeping an eye on Wayne as the flames spread. He tried not to scream -- that was terribly undignified, really -- but he still yelped in pain and shock as he threw himself to the ground again to put it out, only remembering too late to use Aguamenti to extinguish the fire with water. 'Fortunately enough, I won't be needing that hand to amuse myself with once we win,' he said, trying to laugh and convince himself to look braver than he actually felt -- if his family knew he was fighting in a war right now, he knew they would want him to do his duty for his country and stand his ground, not run away like a coward. 'Now, why don't you and your lot piss off?' With a flick of his wand, he cast Incarcerous and tried to ignore how painfully his burnt arm -- thankfully not his wand-arm -- was throbbing until the adrenaline kicked in. Shield Charms were actually something of a speciality for Wayne—compared to his offensive skills, at any rate—and with a quickly blurted “Protego!” he’d managed to deflect the Blasting Curse. It instead ricocheted into the ceiling just over his head, sending down a shower of debris. He covered his head and ducked to avoid the worst of it, but as a large chunk of stone struck the same elbow he’d fallen on before, he yelped in pain and figured that between Justin and himself he’d probably be dead before the Death Eater even got a chance to finish the job. He looked up through the clearing dust around him to see a wet Justin poncing around and yelling things and brandishing his wand like an idiot. “Expelliarmus!” Wayne shouted in the Death Eater’s direction, then grabbed for Justin’s sleeve with his free hand—grimacing with pain as he used his injured arm. “Justin, come on!” Graley didn't appreciate the spell being sent his way as he cast a shield to deflect it, some of the falling debris hitting him as well, and he made another irritated noise in the back of his throat. "Insolent little brat!" he hissed underneath his breath as he pointed the wand at the boy who had spoken to him and focused on him before flinging a Blasting Curse, followed by a Deprimo at the boy's stomach. Justin hadn't exactly appreciated Wayne grabbing onto his sleeve and pulling him away -- he was a gentleman, not a lady who needed to be rescued and hurried away from battle -- and he jerked his arm back as he planted his feet onto the ground again, determined to be ready for whatever the Death Eater threw at him this time. 'Oh, for God's sake, Wayne, we're here to fight and we can't just let him --' He was cut short as he was thrown back by the Blasting Curse and into the wall on the other side of the hallway with a loud and sickening crack. Justin had no time for his new injuries to register before he rolled to the side on instinct and barely missed being hit by the second spell, but he found himself gasping in pain before he could help himself as he landed on what must have been several broken ribs from the impact just before. This isn't worse than anything you've faced before with Snatchers, he thought to himself as he scrambled to his feet and shot Stupefy and Incendio at the Death Eater before turning to the other boy. 'Wayne, get out of here! I'll try to hold him off, but go find Hannah and make sure she's all right.' It would have been one thing to run away together. It would be something else entirely to leave Justin there to fight alone, even if Wayne had all the fighting skills of a third-year and had just been handed a perfect excuse to get the hell out of Dodge. But just like when he’d had to decide whether or not to stay in the Great Hall, he found himself inexplicably glued to the spot and battling a rising feeling of nausea. Ignoring Justin, he pointed his wand at the Death Eater and shouted, “Confundo!” What good that would do, he wasn’t sure, but it had been the first spell to come to mind. He kept his wand up as the kids began to move, running away, and he wasn't in the mood to let them go. He moved to block the passage, beginning to cast a spell, and in doing so opened himself up, the Incendio catching the edge of his sleeve and his first reaction was to hit it with his arm, putting out a bit of it before he realized everything and cast an Aguamenti on his sleeve, putting the flame out and getting rid of the sting of the burn for just a second. He didn't have a lot of time to think before the Confundo hit him and his head felt hazy for a few seconds before he shook it, stumbling, blinking and wondering where the hell he was. It didn't last long, fading a few seconds later. He didn't even bother with the passageway anymore as he looked over at the two boys, casting a Conjunctivitus Curse at one of them, before moving to cast a Flagrante Curse on the wall behind the boys. This time Wayne’s Shield Charm was too slow, and as the curse struck him, he yelled in pain as his eyes burned and swelled nearly shut. A feeling of panic rose in his chest, and he felt disoriented, unsteady on his feet. But— “St- Stupefy!” he yelled again, pointing his wand in the general direction of his attacker and thinking it would be just his luck if he managed to stun his friend instead. Justin had been rather pleased that his Incendio had hit, even if it had not done as much damage as he had been hoping it would -- his aim had always been decent given his fondness for shooting, but his spells were rarely especially powerful even when he tried, which he accepted -- and when Wayne's Confundus Charm had also landed, he couldn't have helped but grin and offer a cheery congratulations of, 'Good show, Wayne!' to his companion. That joy was short-lived, however, once Wayne was blinded by the Conjunctivitis Curse and the wall behind them erupted into flames. The smile from Justin's face faded as his stomach dropped -- he should have seen that coming and blocked the spell, tackled him out of the way, or even taken it for him if necessary -- and he had to throw himself out of the Stunning Spell's way at close quarters (thank you, fencing lessons). He had no idea how to deal with the curse -- where was Ernie when he needed him? -- except to hope it would lift on its own, and as much as he did not want to retreat like a coward, he knew he had no choice but to try and get Wayne out for now, lest they be blasted into a flaming wall this time. 'Expulso!' he shouted, aiming at a spot of ceiling above the Death Eater's head, followed by a Blasting Curse at the man himself. Then he put his free arm around Wayne's waist and pulled him closer as he started to back away while keeping his eyes and wand trained on their opponent, biting down on his lip as the pressure reminded him of his burned arm and broken ribs. 'Don't worry, it's just me. I have to get you somewhere safe, at least until you can see again.' The Stunning Spell went to the side and he ignored it, but the Expluso hit the wall above his head and so he raised his arms over his head, shielding himself as rubble poured down over him, not doing too much damage, but it did hurt a little bit as he stood up after a second, wand out as he moved to get the most of it, eyes looking around for the two of them as he watched the kids back away. "Crucio!" he said aiming it at them, before he broke off mid way to cough as the dust settled around him and the spell fell short. Coughing again, he took a step forward and shot a silent Impedimenta at the one who was helping the other kid up, followed by Incarcerous at their feet. It was on instinct that Justin turned around so that if the Cruciatus Curse had hit, Wayne would have been pulled out of its way -- he wouldn't dare use one of his own friends as human shield the way he was sure a ghastly Slytherin (or Harrovian) would, even if it was at his own expense -- but as he waved his wand in an attempt to cast a Shield Charm to block it, the spell shattered across the floor between them and the Death Eater anyway. The knot in his stomach that had made him feel sick just before he thought the Crucio would hit undid itself and he allowed himself to laugh at the Death Eater's failure after his own Expulso seemed to have done the trick. 'Bravo on being bested by a Mud-blood there, old sport! If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're getting --' He shoved Wayne to the side to deflect the next curse when he saw the Death Eater take a step forward and wave his wand again -- except there was no incantation. It took a split-second for Justin to realise that it was a non-verbal spell, and he frantically stumbled backwards to avoid God-knew-what, feeling the heat of the jinx shoot past his face. The next second, the Incarcerous bound his ankles together, and though he twisted and turned to regain his balance, he crashed onto the floor face-first -- his nose broke on impact and the elbow of his wand-arm smashed against the stone. It was only adrenaline and his determination to stay properly stoic and not die that allowed him to ignore the pain so he could quickly roll over, sit up, and cast Diffindo to cut the ropes -- his Severing Charms were always sloppy, and as expected, he accidentally sliced open his own leg as well. All Wayne knew was he was being shoved first one way, and then another, and then he was crashing to the floor with thick ropes winding around his feet. “Justin!” he cried out, clawing at the ropes blindly. He didn’t dare try a Severing Charm, as the only way he could be more useless than he was now was if he ended up crippled as well as practically blind. He should have run when Justin gave him the chance—Justin would be doing better without him—and his injured eyes stung with welling tears of frustration. Then the sound of Justin’s voice helped him regain some sense of direction and, still bound, he held his wand ready to cast a Shield Charm at the first sign of a reply, desperate to help somehow. Once he was free from his own bindings, Justin jumped to his feet, still feeling dazed and sore from his fall, and pointed his wand at Wayne as he wiped the blood flowing from his nose with the back of his free hand. 'Sorry, Wayne, but this may hurt a little,' he muttered as he threw a quick Diffindo at the ropes around his friend's legs before turning to the Death Eater and shooting a Blasting Curse at his mask. 'Why don't you fight face-to-face like a proper Englishman instead of hiding behind that mask?' More taunting was almost certainly a terrible idea, but if they couldn't turn the tide of the fight in their favour -- and even Justin's hope and optimism was starting to fail him -- then he could at least choose to go down in defeat with spirit and dignity that would make his family and long line of ancestors proud. Graley wasn't one to be angered by school-boy taunts, especially since he knew he had the upper-hand if he really wanted to end this instead of the playful fighting he had been participating in right now. He watched as the Blasting Curse came his way and he shifted dodging out of the way rather than wasting energy on moving, but he didn't move quick enough as the curse caught his shoulder and sent him back again, hitting the opposite wall. He groaned, looking up as he raised his wand again instant, taking a few steps forward and raising his wand at the boys. "Crucio!" he yelled again this time his voice strong as he pointed it at the boy who had been speaking and attempting to get a rise out of him This time, Justin was ready for the spell -- he even rushed forward a little in his enthusiasm to meet it head-on as he arced his wand and shouted, 'Protego!', finally throwing up a proper Shield Charm this time. Unfortunately, his spirit didn't make him any better at the defensive magic he had never been that skilled with in the first place, and the red light of the Cruciatus Curse shattered the shield and hit him squarely on his chest. He'd had the spell cast on him before while fighting off Snatchers, but no amount of experience, convictions about character-building, and inappropriate humour after the fact could prepare him for the agonising pain that coursed through his body, and he screamed, cried, convulsed, and clawed at himself on the ground in a futile effort to make the sensations of his skin blistering, muscles burning, and bones shattering and ripping him apart from the inside go away. He had no idea how much time had passed when it was over, but he couldn't move without everything hurting. There was a part of his mind that made him think about how much he just wanted to be at home, curled up on the floor of the nursery with his toy rabbit and his mother watching over him instead of being tortured by someone who wanted him dead because of his blood; but a stronger part of his mind scolded him for wanting to surrender -- he was becoming French, and that was a fate worse than death or being middle-class. Thinking England expects every man to do his duty in his head -- and amusing himself with the thought of his lying on his back and thinking of England -- he tried to stand up as best as he could without shaking too badly, stealing a glance at Wayne to see if he was all right. 'I survived the Heir of Slytherin's monster and your purist efforts to round up Muggle-borns and kill or imprison them,' he said, his bearing haughty and proud in a manner that reflected his aristocratic background and made him look more like a Malfoy or Black than the overgrown school-boy his friends and the DA were familiar with. 'And I'm still here.' That wasn't going to scare the Death Eater at all, but it made Justin feel braver and more accepting about being killed in battle if that was his fate in the end -- and with that, he fired Deprimo at the ground beneath the Death Eater and shot the most vicious Severing Charm he could throw at him, given his injuries. At the sound of the word “Crucio,” Wayne had reacted with a Shield Charm of his own, but Justin’s screams let him know it had missed its mark. His eyes burned, his left arm and shoulder throbbed, and he could feel the fresh sting of a deep gash in his leg thanks to Justin’s sloppy severing, but having experienced the Cruciatus Curse for the first time just one week before, he knew his pain was nothing compared to what Justin was experiencing, and his insides twisted just to hear it. This entire year—his entire life—Wayne had done his best to blend into the background. Don’t make a scene, don’t start a fight, don’t do anything to make yourself a target. But the problem was, all year his friends had been doing exactly the opposite, and suffering for it, and it had become harder and harder to tell himself he wasn’t involved. Now it seemed to have all been building to this moment—a Death Eater in front of him and Justin beside him (goading him on again! Christ!)—and he had to choose if he was going to fight, really fight, or just fade away. He staggered to his feet and—whether it was the curse starting to wear off or willpower alone, he wasn’t sure—he managed to force his eyes open, if only barely enough to make out vague shapes. He saw Justin barely standing before him, and knew better than to try to offer him an arm to lean on; instead he stood just beside him, ready to catch him if he fell, and leveled his wand at their opponent. Justin was just finishing up another taunting speech, but in his terror, all Wayne could think to yell was “OI!” before shooting a Jelly-Legs Jinx in the direction of the dark blur that was the Death Eater. The Deprimo had hit his feet and had created a hole, the rock hitting his legs and upper-waist and knocking him back, causing him to lose control of the spell as he hit the wall on the other side. He pushed away from the wall after a second or two, before the other boys yell caught his attention and he turned his head, looking over at him as he saw the spell and he reacted, casting a Shield Charm, but he had missed the first boy's spell is shield dropped by the time the second spell hit him, his legs seeming to lose all control as he dropped to the ground and he let out an annoyed yell. His wand was still up as he turned it towards Justin, the one that had been taunting him and there was no hesitation as he focused it carefully. "Avada Kedavra!" he yelled aiming carefully and making sure the spell was complete before casting a shield charm as a precaution as he worked on getting his feet and legs back in working order. Justin had been pleasantly surprised to see Wayne get back up and join him to fight like a real man -- perhaps now they would finally be able to take down this beastly rotten twit of a Death Eater, with his damned unsporting Unforgivable Curses and silent spells, together and give him what he deserved. He was concerned about how well his friend could see again, but saw no need to dampen the mood by bringing it to anyone's attention. 'Isn't this spiffing, Wayne old chap?' he said brightly, as if they were having a polite conversation over tea rather than in the middle of a battle to the death. 'You and me, fighting side-by-side like Achilles and Patroclus in Homer's --' The bolt of green light from the Killing Curse caught Justin's eye and he jumped back to dodge it, narrowly avoiding instant death and widening the distance between him and Wayne again. Good Lord, that would have been rather unfortunate if it had hit, given his father's lack of a spare to Justin's place as the family's heir -- all those centuries of nobility, public service, and a blood-line going back to the Normans (however inbred) would have been gone in a flash of carelessness. The greater consequences of his dying had not dawned on him until that close call, and he didn't open his mouth to taunt the Death Eater again. Graley was not pleased with the thought of his spell missing and he turned away from focusing on his still not-quite-right legs, to aim the wand at the more heavily incapacitated boy, holding his wand steady this time. "Avada Kedavra!" he yelled again, promising himself right then and there that by the time this was over, both of them would be dead. Justin's stomach wound itself into heavy knots again -- he hadn't known what the Death Eater had been about to fire at Wayne, but he had known that he could see the man's wand aimed at his friend, and that the other boy was most likely still half-blind and therefore wouldn't be able to dodge the spell coming his way. Without thinking, he had flung his own wand to the side and rushed forward, shouting, 'Wayne, no! Get down!' as he had grabbed him by the shoulders and shoved him towards the floor, still standing upright in mid-run himself. In the split-second of realisation between the incantation and the moment the green light from the spell struck him from behind, his last thought was about how he would never have his name written on the memorial wall at Eton for dying in battle like many of his ancestors had had done for them in their honour for falling in countless wars before him. And Justin was dead before he hit the floor. As his friend shoved him to the ground Wayne had been on the verge of shouting Justin’s name in exasperation—he was really trying to fight now, dammit!— but then there was a flash of green and the thump of Justin’s body hitting the stone and instead Wayne screamed “Justin!” in horror. He could barely make out Justin’s shape on the ground before him but he knew even without looking that Justin would be unnaturally still. His stomach heaved and for a second he felt even more disoriented than ever as his surroundings seemed to go out of focus—but some part of him was still aware that he was only seconds away from ending up like Justin himself, and he forced himself to tear his eyes from the body on the floor, stumbled to his feet, and raised his wand in a trembling hand. “Stupefy!” he shouted, desperately wishing he knew something stronger, something worse. He didn’t want to die. Wayne had never been a religious person, but he found himself silently begging something—someone—anything—please, please, not to let him die. Graley saw the flash hit Justin and he smirked - the idiotic annoying boy was dead and he was pleased with himself. He watched the body, hearing the other boy's scream before he turned, only to see a flash of red light coming at him. He hadn't expected such a quick response as he worked to get a shield up, but he didn't get it up in time as the stunner hit him, his body slumping to the side. Wayne stood frozen in the sudden silence of the hallway. His spell had hit. He wasn’t going to die—at least not that very moment. His legs suddenly gave out and he fell to his knees, shaking all over from fear and adrenaline and exhaustion and silent sobs. He reached for Justin’s body, grasping his shirt and giving it a hard tug, even though he knew there would be no response. Trying not to think about the creep factor of touching a corpse, he slid his hand up to Justin’s neck and felt for a pulse. A moment was all it took to convince him there was none to find, and he yanked his hand back fast and choked back a sob. Justin was dead, and from a curse meant for Wayne. He couldn’t think about that. If he thought about that he wouldn’t be able to think about anything else, and right now he had to think about getting out of here before the Death Eater woke up, or any others came along. Wayne had never Stunned anyone before; he doubted it would last. He buried his face in his hands a moment and tried to breathe in deeply and figure out what to do next. He wanted someone to come along and help him, tell him what to do, but the corridor was as silent as a tomb. After a long moment, he stood—wobbling a little, and becoming newly aware of all the places he hurt—but he moved as quickly as he could to hook his arms under Justin’s and start to heave the body toward the closest door, which lead to an unused classroom. It was only twenty steps away, but it felt like miles, as Wayne bit his lip to keep from crying out in pain, and tried to avoid the grotesque sight of Justin’s body being dragged along the stone, a smear of blood tracing their steps. Once inside, having released his hold on the body as gently as he could, he removed the school robes he’d thrown on over his pyjamas when they’d been called to the Great Hall, and laid them over Justin. Somehow this felt more right than just leaving him in the hallway. This task done, Wayne was suddenly desperate to get as far away from the unconscious Death Eater and the entire awful scene as possible. He hadn’t managed what he’d set out to do, but it was no use, he’d never make it all the way to the hospital wing in this condition. He’d have to go back to the Great Hall empty-handed, bearing nothing but the news of Justin’s death. Bianca Spinks, Sasha Roper vs Rodolphus Lestrange There was still a good amount of hesitation lingering in Bianca. She still wasn't quite certain what she was doing there or why she hadn't stepped through that entrance to leave with all of the others. She had a few reasons for staying to fight, of course, but it was hard not to be afraid when death was literally staring her in the face and it was hard not to doubt those reasons with fear attempting to overpower her. There was still a small voice that begged her to turn and run as far away as she could. It was too late for regrets, though. She had made her decision and, despite her overwhelming doubts and the strong urge to bolt, there was no changing her mind. Bianca had sought out Sasha the second she'd returned to join the larger group and was sticking to her side now. There was no way she was letting any harm befall the other Gryffindor if she could help it. She knew she was an average student at best, but she hoped her time in Dark Arts classes would help her somewhat and she sent a silent thank you in Seamus's direction for the lessons in defence spells. She had a feeling it was his help that would carry her through the night. It didn't even seem real. All of it, it all had to be fake. This couldn't be happening! Could it? It was hard for someone like Sasha to really wrap her head around something like this. She didn't like thinking about fighting or having to duel to save her life or watching people get hurt and die around her. Even if she had decided immediately that she was going to stay and not flee like many of the others, it would have been plausible if she had decided to go, if only because she wouldn't have to witness whatever was about to unfold in front of them. The idea of staying was made easier when Bianca found her, and somehow Sasha was reassured by the other girl's presence. Bianca was someone who was always there in the morning, always around, sometimes wandering through the Gryffindor common room. She was a friendly (at least in Sasha's eyes) and calming presence that made Sasha feel better, despite the fact that she wasn't able to track the status and well-being of her other friends when they weren't all together. "I'm glad we're together!" she chirped, trying to sound cheerful. Rodolphus was, to be perfectly honest, a bit less than impressed at having to fight children. It wasn't that he thought them incapable, per se -- after all, he'd been only sixteen when he entered the Dark Lord's service, as had several other highly capable death eaters -- so much as he had no real interest in killing innocents unless it was absolutely necessary. He didn't think this qualified as necessary, and as he'd had no direct order from his lord and master to do otherwise, he'd been putting most of his efforts into binding up whichever children he came across and tucking them out of the way, where they'd both stay out of trouble and not prove a nuisance to his brethren. And now who did he come across but two girls who didn't even look of age yet. As if his night wasn't going tediously enough. With a wave of his wand, almost in resigned irritation, Rodolphus cast a silent incarcerous at the pair, assuming this would be over and done with in the span of forty five seconds. Sasha's cheerful words did little to allay Bianca's growing apprehension and she opened her mouth to request that the other Gryffindor be quiet as she swept her eyes over their surroundings for something to do. The idea of simply jumping into battle with wand blazing didn't exactly appeal to her. After all, there was still that small part of her that wondered what the hell she thought she was doing, but she was beginning to think that standing idly by somewhat defeated the purpose in staying. Her mouth still poised to speak to Sasha, Bianca turned to look behind them, thinking she might find something to do behind them, when she saw the Death Eater lurking there. Her mind barely registered the movement of his wand before she instinctively shifted her weight to one side of her body and then solidly shoved Sasha out of the spell's path. A moment later she realised how ridiculous it was to use brute force instead of using the Shield Charm she'd just expressed mental gratitude for and she was lucky he'd only used a binding spell. The ropes wrapped around her middle and because they caught her before she had the chance to brace herself she lost her balance, falling awkwardly on her shoulder. Sasha was always glad to be together with someone, though, despite how cheerful she always sounded when she claimed so, she really did appreciate being with someone, especially in situations like this. Her own independence floundered when it came to actually having to stick up for herself and prove that all this Hogwarts education had actually taught her something. Especially now, when she was getting a first hand taste of what exactly this whole war was about. There weren't just stories now...there was something to really see and hear...and something that was...lurking...behind them! "What?" she gasped, her brain working on a five second delay behind Bianca's. Being shoved was not exactly something she was used to or enjoyed, but if she was being shoved then something was surely happening. Her hands came out and saved her face from being rather roughly smacked into the wall from the force Bianca apparently had been secretly hiding all these years. "Hey! Expelliarmus!" she called, twirling around and thrusting her wand roughly in the air just long enough for the spell to leave it. Then she quickly reached down and started tugging hurriedly on every part of Bianca that she could reach, mumbling something under her breath. Rodolphus frowned at the resistance, minimal though it was, and actually paused to watch the expelliarmus bounce and destroy his shield while one girl scrambled to untie the other. He sighed, audibly, and thudded forward a few more steps, towering over the two he was supposed to be fighting. How was he meant to get any satisfaction out of this battle? They weren't even fighting, just defending themselves. What was Voldemort thinking? Such doubts did not dare linger in a mind of such a loyal follower, and Rodolphus vanquished the thought, instead pointing his wand with an imperio at Sasha. He could kill them, he supposed, but seemed a waste of talent and blood that needn't be spilt... particularly if they could be used. "No!" The idea of this Death Eater having any sort of control over Sasha horrified Bianca and there was no time to warn the other Gryffindor to at least throw up a Shield Charm. With her arms still lashed to her side by the ropes that the other girl was busy tugging at, there was little Bianca could do but watch as he attempted to Imperius Sasha. Franticly, she started attempting to lift up her arms and thus the ropes over her head. She cringed at the pain that tore through the shoulder she'd fallen on, but she was dead set on getting the ropes of her as quickly as possible. The ropes budged slightly, but Bianca had no time to waste. He was standing right over her and she was far from interested in seeing what he had in mind for her next. So, without really considering where the Death Eater would actually fall if he didn't manage to stop her, she moved to sweep one of her legs across his ankles to knock him over. Sasha's fingers weren't as nimble as she thought they were; she had been hoping that it would only take a few moments to get her friend untied and standing back up on two feet. A foolish thought, perhaps, and maybe even one that hindered her actual ability to untie things, for her fingers were shaking and clumsy with the effort of moving so quickly. She had a bad habit of turning away from things and focusing on other things, forgetting that there was still something else to be dealt with. Usually it wasn't anything as dangerous and alarming as a Death Eater who was losing her attention, of course, but it was still a habit she had. She hardly had a second to register that Bianca was telling her no, and while it wasn't exactly a rare thing to hear the other girl exclaim, she was still momentarily surprised. Both of her arms flew off Bianca, as though she was burning like a fire, and there was a brief shot of pain rolling through her skin as though she really had touched fire. A feeling of freedom was racing through her body, licking at her brain, making her feel as though she could simply sit down, cross her legs, and watch how everything unfolded. With a noise of surprise, Rodolphus realised his leg was being shifted wrong -- was that little vixen trying to knock him over? A growl and he thrust out a hand for Sasha, intending to drag her down with him (there was no point fighting gravity, now) and show Bianca how foolish an idea it was to tip over a death eater, but he missed, and ended up toppling right into the blonde. The slam of two bodies hitting the ground echoed dully in the hallway, punctuated by loud cracking noises that Rodolphus was fairly certain hadn't been his body, though a bare jut of stone had slammed into his knee, making him dizzy for the pain and unable to get off her -- no matter how aware he was of the impropriety of their position. "Idiot," he snarled at her, finally, through gritted teeth, and he went for her throat with one wide palm. The sheer stupidity of that move didn't quite hit Bianca until she was pinned beneath the Death Eater, struggling to catch her breath as pained tears welled in her eyes. Not only had the fall knocked the wind out of her, but the pressure of his much larger frame on top of her made getting any air at all impossible and every attempt at a breath sent a sharp pain through her ribcage. Was this it? Were they going to mark "crushed by falling Death Eater" down as her cause of death? Beyond half-heartedly clawing at his waist with her hands, she did nothing to stop his hand from grasping her throat. It didn't matter anyway. She already couldn't breathe. Was there some sort of battle going on? Sasha was torn between being there and being somewhere else, between caring and not caring. A part of her had been able to sense that something wasn't right, though it was hard to control that concern and let it form into action; it was a strange feeling, indeed. When the invading curse left her, due in large part to Bianca's hand-to-hand combat skills, Sasha blinked rapidly for a few lingering moments and shook her head, uttering a gasp of surprise as the blonde head and small body of her friend disappeared beneath the bulking mass of the Death Eater. "Excuse you!" she exclaimed, struck with an urge to reach out, grab a bit of hair, and pull as hard as she could. The strength her own body had probably wasn't capable of that, however, so she instead found her wand, which she had dropped two or three feet away, and quickly aimed it at the Death Eater. "Stupefy!" It wasn't the strongest thing to ever come out of her wand, but she didn't care; she started shoving at the man a second after she had released it, trying to push him away. Rodolphus let out a sharp bark of pain as the spell tore through his shield and sent him flying a few paces from where he'd been pinning Bianca to the ground; his wand was nearby, he was sure of it -- but he was dizzy, stupid, from the half-fired stupefy and the pain billowing up his leg. These two weren't as persistent as some girls he'd had the misfortune to fight in his life -- but nostalgising about Marlene McKinnon wasn't precisely productive right now. Scrambling for his wand, Rodolphus rolled over and, in case these two whelps were in any doubt as to the severity of his presence, pointed his wand right at Bianca and growled "Crucio." Normally, he wouldn't bother stating a spell out loud, but there was some satisfaction to be had in the emotional responses others had for the spell. "CRUCIO!" Harder now, more intense. Let them understand what they were fighting against. He was not some fat halfblood obsessed with power, but one of the Dark Lord's greatest servants. The second the giant of a Death Eater was off of her, Bianca took great gulps of air, trying to ignore her protesting ribs because being able to breathe again was far more important than pain. She had never been so grateful for air in her entire life and as she lay there on her back, unable to bring herself to move just yet, she shifted her gaze from the ceiling to Sasha, opening her mouth to thank her. Unfortunately, not moving left her vulnerable to Rodolphus's next spell and she barely registered that he'd used the Cruciatus Curse on her before the pain in her ribs seemed to intensify and spread to her entire body. She gave a weak cry and wanted to curl up right there on the dirty floor, but was unable to will her limbs to move because they were far too busy hurting to do much else. When he used it again, she could only sob incoherent words, though in her mind she was begging him to stop. Sasha did not like this Death Eater. Not that she liked any Death Eaters, but this one was especially trying and annoying and horrible and absolutely detestable! It was probably not very likely that he was just going to get up and rush off now that he was no longer crushing Bianca into oblivion, but Sasha couldn't help but wish that he would do just that, or even that he would see the wrong in his ways and repent and ask for forgiveness. Not very likely. When she heard that spine-tingling word, her first thought was that it was aimed at her. He was angry, angry that she didn't let him kill Bianca! He was angry about being pushed at! But then there was nothing, no pain, at least none beyond the odd tingling in her right hand. What was happening was even worse! She wasn't all that familiar with this curse, as she hadn't been in Dark Arts this year and hadn't experienced what some of her fellow Hogwarts students had, but as soon as she heard the noises Bianca was making and watched her writhe in pain, she felt her own eyes well up in both rage and unbelievable sadness. It was so horrible, and so terribly, terribly distracting that Sasha could only stand there and cry silently for a second as she raised her arm and tried to think of something to do. "P-P-Petrificus Totalus." Her voice sounded weak and broken, and nothing happened. The fact alone that nothing happened turned her sadness into anger, and with a sudden burst of energy she charged toward the Death Eater. "Petrificus Totalus! Petrificus Totalus! Petrificus Totalus!" Only one was probably necessary, but she needed to be sure. Cruciatus interrupted, Rodolphus was forced backwards as the spell slammed into the stone next to him; a swiftly raised shield was almost blasted apart by Sasha's spell, and he practically had to tap-dance to avoid the third, the fourth, and he was almost out of breath by the time she stopped, only managing to avoid being knocked out by luck and determination. Fighting girls was really not how he'd imagined spending his evening, and it was even worse when they were throwing such pitiful spells at him. Perhaps another crucio or two and he'd wander off, if only to assuage his (very small) conscience and find something more worth his time. Near breathless, he pointed his wand now at Sasha, silently casting another crucio; he knew it wasn't nearly as strong as the one he used earlier, but it was hard to mean it when he was fighting two sweet looking children. His lord would be disappointed by his reticence, he was sure of it. Oh, she wanted to hit him, she really wanted to hit him. Never before had she wanted something that was coming out of her wand to hit another person as fiercely as she wanted to knock this Death Eater backwards and scare him enough to run away, or at least enough to gain a few extra seconds for Sasha to grab Bianca and take off. Why did Death Eaters have to be so good at blocking curses? Even though it was a slightly amusing sight to watch him bounce around like that, it wasn't nearly as satisfying as it would have been if his entire body had froze up, stiff and proper like a solider, and fallen over. She felt the crucio spell on her own body without even hearing anything, but it didn't seem to be as strong as the one that poor Bianca had just experienced. It wasn't exactly anything like getting a friendly massage or a hug, sure, but she could tell that she had made him a bit breathless at the very least. Despite feeling a bit like a square roughly trying to be shoved in a circle shaped-hole, Sasha suddenly dashed to the right and had enough adrenaline in her veins to shout "Petrificus Totalus!" for yet another time. Anger tore from Rodolphus's throat as his cruciatus was interrupted again. Damned girl, learn a new spell. But it had been effective in breaking off his attack, and he was forced to regain his footing after dodging, which took longer than he preferred. He supposed he should be angrier about not turning the two into little puddles of blood on the stone, but couldn't quite muster it -- more annoyed at himself for having been ruined by Azkaban, for being careless, for being soft. All Bianca could think about was how in over their heads she and Sasha were. They needed to get out of there and quickly, because this Death Eater was clearly well beyond their skill level. She had no idea what to do though. Her entire body still burned from both doses of the Cruciatus Curse and there was still a sharp pain in her ribcage with every breath she took, but she had a feeling that, if they stayed there any longer, he very well might kill them. With great effort, as the other two fought nearby, she pushed herself up, pressing her lips together tightly so she didn't make any noise when her body protested loudly against the movement. The ropes had since shifted enough that they were considerably looser -- she wryly wondered if it had something to do with being flattened by a Death Eater -- and, after lifting them over her head, she tossed them aside. Once she was on her shaky feet, Bianca turned her attention back to the other two. She couldn't quite figure out what was written on his face, but he was still for once and that was an opportunity to get away. Grasping for Sasha's clothes, she tugged the other girl back by her collar and nearly tumbled over in the process, only just managing to stay on her feet. "Avis!" she shouted, voice rough, and a flock of tiny birds flew from her wand, heading straight for the Death Eater's head. Stumbling back even further, she sent a Leg-Locker Curse at him, hoping he was sufficiently distracted enough for them to get away. With that, she linked her arm through Sasha's and fled. What if Bianca was never able to get up? What if she was just laying there, broken and slowly dying from the immense amount of pain she had just gone through? The idea frightened Sasha enough to keep from giving up, to keep from throwing her wand to the ground and running away screaming. Her fingers felt like they had been bent backwards and there was something strange going on with her neck and the way it felt when she tried to turn her head, but she didn't care; she had survived his Crucio curse and felt like she could survive anything at this point, even if she was all alone. But alone she was not. It took a second for her to figure out that Bianca had managed to get to her feet on her own, and she desperately wanted to grab the girl and hug her and continue crying and declare that they were going to be okay, but she was distracted by a hand tugging at her collar. "What-" she started, unable to finish her question as a flock of birds suddenly appeared and her legs were moving on their own accord somehow, forced into action from a sudden bout of strength Bianca was pulling her with. She only needed to be dragged for a few feet, however, for once they'd made a bit of progress her head started to clear and she was able to remember how to put one foot in front of the other. They were together. Escaping together, arms linked, legs racing in unison. Maybe they really would get away alive. |