Who: Audrey and Murphy When: The Rift Plot Where: Baxter Bakery What: Dementor Attacks! Rating/Warnings: Some language? Dementors, too. Nothing else triggery. Status: Complete!
Murphy didn’t exactly buy that whatever was going on had anything to do with some movie props getting loose. Nor was he willing to buy that the weird green things that had started to turn up were freak tornados. For one, since when had anyone ever heard of a green tornado.
The whole thing gave him the creeps, if he was completely honest about it. The dreams, the people boasting of powers on that Network. It was all just weird. Though he had to admit the dreams were real, and that some things could carry over, the idea of something on this scale doing that just didn’t seem possible.
Murphy shivered a little as a sudden cold wind caught him, and he pulled the jacket from his dreams - a black and worn, with a red, spiky shoulder pad on his left shoulder - close to him. It was chilly for July in California, but given the giant hole in the sky over Anaheim it seemed like the least interesting weather phenomena to happen.
He walked up to the door of Baxter’s and frowned a little to himself when he caught sight of the CLOSED sign. “Great,” he muttered to himself. He’d been looking forward to picking up a sandwich before heading home after work, but it didn’t look like that was going to happen. He turned from the coffee shop, losing himself to his thoughts.
For some reason, his mind turned toward his mother. Of the last drunken words she’d ever slurred at him - “You killed your father. He’s dead because of you.” He could hear the words clearly in his mind, as if she was standing in front of him. He saw her how he’d found her, drowned in her own vomit. He thought of his father, murdered years before, and how it was his fault he had ended up in there.
Murphy was shivering now. Why was it so cold? It felt like there was an icy fist closing in on his heart. He quickly ducked into the back alley behind Baxter’s so that no one would see him freaking out. He leaned his back against the wall, and then slid down, hyperventilating.
So, there was another event. Another crazy happenstance, something insane that tore up Orange County, spewing monsters all over. And the people who decided these things were saying it was some sort of movie prop mayhem? Audrey didn't believe it for a second. She was ready to open Baxter Bakery and make it the safe house she usually did when the crazy hit.
But there was something wrong. One of those crazy, green splits was open over Baxter Bakery when Audrey came in to work--she'd already told the early morning baking crew that if strange things ever happened they should put the 'closed' sign up and head home. So when Audrey arrived and checked things out, she could sense instantly there was something supernatural in the alley. Something that she had to… at least see. That’s when she saw a young man curled against the alley wall, puffing out clouds of white. But it wasn't that cold, was it?
That's when she heard the breaths. Audrey felt the air around her growing cold, and a chill swept over her. She put two and two together and turned to face the thing. There was only one of them, slowly floating down the street toward them; a ragged, black cloak in the shape of a head and shoulders, sucking in a rattling breath. This was her worst nightmare. That was a dementor. Going straight for the kid.
Audrey told her body to move, forced her legs, grabbed the kid, and gave him a tug up, toward her. “You’ve got to come with me,” she was starting to freak out, starting to panic.
Murphy hadn’t even been aware that there had been someone else in the alley until he was being yanked to his feet, though his legs felt like jelly and he fell to his knees again. Teeth chattering, he shook his head - at first to signal that no, he wouldn’t go with this strange woman, and then again to clear the fog from his head.
This wasn’t normal. It was like every bad moment was running through his head again, and it was so cold. He’d never felt despair like this; not at his father’s funeral, and not at his mother’s either. There was something going on. Given that he’d just woken up a few days ago beaten to a bloody pulp - thanks to Neal’s potion, all his bruises but the one around his neck had completely faded, and even that one was a faded yellow - he was going to guess it was something supernatural. He forced himself to his feet, even if he wasn’t entirely sure they’d support his weight.
“I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what’s going on,” Murphy said, cursing at himself for the quiver in his voice.
“You’re not gonna be able to see them,” Audrey said, her voice coming out in a rush. “Muggles can’t see them, but they can kiss you and steal your soul,” She was scanning the alley, trying to see if there was more than one of the things. And what was the charm? Damnit, Harry was supposed to work with her on this. Patronus? Something like that.
She gave the young man’s arm another tug. “Run!” She said. The woman was pregnant, and wasn’t going to take no for an answer.
There was something about the term ‘muggles’ that sounded oddly familiar. Something that almost would have made him want to laugh at the woman if he wasn’t filled with so much despair. But he couldn’t quite place the term and this really wasn’t the time to try to do it anyway.
At the second tug, despite the fact that he was determined to remain exactly where he was until the woman gave him an actual explanation, his legs started moving and he was following after her.
Audrey kept one hand on the bottom of her pregnant belly, and used the other to tug the young man along. If she was correct--which she was pretty sure she was--he couldn’t see them. The Dementor(s) would come down the alley, steal his soul, and move on without another thought.
Together, they rounded the corner of the back of the bakery, and Audrey threw open the back door to lug him inside. It was much warmer inside than out, and once they were both safely on the other side of the door, she slammed it closed and locked it.
“That should… that should keep them out for a bit.” Audrey said, more to herself than to him. She was racking her brain trying to figure out what on Earth to do next. What was that damn charm? “Chocolate! Hang on.” There were leftover brownies from yesterday--double chocolate chunk, with dark chocolate pieces throughout--and she grabbed a couple for them to eat.
“Here. Sit. Eat.” She said, and pushed the young man into a chair. “Eat this.”
Murphy felt a little better for being inside. The immediate despair had left him at least, leaving him instead shivering and jumpy, but at least he wasn’t reliving all the awful experiences in his life over and over again. Once he was seated, he crossed his arms across his chest in an attempt to hide the tremor from her.
“Keep what out? There wasn’t anything out there!” Murphy said, glancing toward the door. Murphy took the brownie and sniffed it, though he set it back down. He really wasn’t hungry. If anything, he felt a little sick to his stomach. “What the hell is going on?”
Audrey turned back to him, frowning and chewing on her own brownie. “You have to eat it. It’s chocolate. It’ll help.” Then she moved around the room, glancing through windows and cursing silently. The pregnant woman was a tank moving about the bakery, but somehow seemed light on her feet and graceful. Then she disappeared into the office for a moment.
It was quiet and dim in the bakery. The chill was seeping in under the door, but hadn’t filled the room yet.
Audrey came out of the office a moment later holding her wand in one hand and the remains of her brownie in the other. She climbed into a chair near his and leaned in to look into his face. “...there was a dementor out there. An evil, dark, horrible, magical creature that will seriously eat your soul if you let it. It feeds on happiness, and will suck all yours out until there’s nothing left but despair.” She blinked at him. “Why aren’t you eating your brownie?”
It’s chocolate, it’ll help? Murphy took at the woman in front of him, and decided that maybe it would help her, but Murphy didn’t really do the whole comfort food thing.
“I didn’t see any dementors,” Murphy said. He hadn’t seen much of anything, except for this woman. Honestly, part of him had been half convinced that she was the reason for whatever was going on, but now that they were inside it seemed less likely. She seemed a little too matronly to destroy what little happiness that Murphy had inside of him.
She was still going on about the brownie though. “Fine. If it’ll shut you up I’ll eat the damn brownie.” He took a bite of the brownie, and immediately felt the warmth spread back into his limbs. He gave it a bit of a surprised look, before he quickly shovelled the rest of the dessert into his mouth.
“No, you wouldn’t be able to see them. Muggles--people without magic--can’t see them. But you can sense them,” Audrey took another big bite from her brownie and talked with her mouth full. “That cold feeling? Like all the happiness was gone? And all the bad memories coming back to you?” She swallowed, then lifted the thing for another bite.
“It’s because of Dementors. They’re magical creatures from my Dream World.” Audrey had some experiences with Dementors. They surrounded Hogwarts during her time there, and then after… during the war… there was bad stuff there. A lot of it. And it all felt so real even though she knew it was just dreams. Only dreams.
She drew her wand out and stood, facing the door. “There’s a charm. Fuck, I can’t remember it exactly…” A frown creased her brow. “Patronus. Patronus!” She pointed the wand at the door but it did nothing.
Murphy was pleased to note that the tremor in his hands had abated. He stood and walked over to Audrey. He didn’t really get all this magic business - his dreams didn’t really hold with magical wands and what sounded like latin. At least, he hoped his dreams didn’t deal with magic. Murphy had never cared much for fantasy.
“Is that how magic works in your dream world? You just have to say a word and point a stick?” He frowned. “I thought there was usually more.”
“You have to be born with magic,” Audrey explained. She frowned a little, looking down at her wand. What was the damn charm? “I went to school for seven of my formative years to learn how to use magic. It’s a little more than just waving a wand and having the right incantation… you have to mean it.” She said, and lifted the wand again.
“Patronum!” She said, though, that wasn’t right, either. Her eyes closed and she thought deep, trying to remember from those Dreams. Harry had told her, hadn’t he? And Percy could make one, too. Percy could do pretty much anything. She thought about her son, about Ben, and felt warmth spreading within her. “Expecto Patronum!” She said. A silver cloud burst from the tip of her wand, though it was shapeless and cloudy.
“Oh good, a wisp of fog. We’re saved,” said Murphy dryly, though he had to admit, at least to himself, that the cloud looked magical. “Maybe you should try meaning it more.”
Audrey frowned, looked at the wand, then scowled at the kid in her bakery. “Just eat your chocolate.”
A moment later she was holding the wand out again. Breathing. Slow. Deep. She closed her eyes. Focus on the happy memory. Focus on the good. She remembered just a few days ago having lunch with Merlin and Ben, seeing her family all together, talking about the new baby.
“Expecto Patronum!” Audrey cried out. This time the silver mist that came out of the end of her wand took shape. It started as a misty cloud like before, and then grew legs, feet, hooves. Little, flappy ears, a curly tail… and a snout. It was a teacup pig, about the size of a medium dog breed. The pig gave a little shake, then burst straight through the door to chase off the Dementor just on the other side.
Murphy leaned back in his chair and took another bite of his brownie. He supposed there were worse things he could be doing than sitting around a bakery watching some woman yell Latin at a stick while he snacked on a brownie. It was a short list, but at least there was a list, and number one on that list involved being on the other side of the bakery door with whatever freakish soul-sucking creature was out there.
He nearly choked when the glowing pig burst out of the wand though. For a pig, it was nearly beautiful. Murphy hadn’t noticed the chill - at least, not compared to what it had been before they’d escaped inside the bakery - but he noticed it leaving seconds after the pig charged through the door. “They’re scared of pigs?” he asked, quirking an eyebrow.
Audrey felt a little drained from the Patronus charm, so she stumbled backward and fell onto a stool. That wasn’t easy stuff. No wonder everyone was so surprised when Harry could cast one. And at only thirteen years old? Jesus. She turned to look over at the young man in her bakery and nodded.
“Well, no, not pigs. It’s called a Patronus charm. And it’s a protector--it can frighten away or defeat those things out there. Dementors. You can’t see them, but… well, you remember the Ring Wraiths from the Lord of the Rings films? That’s sort of what they look like.”
Murphy’s lips twitched downward when the woman collapsed into a stool. Without a word, he got up, poured a glass of water, grabbed another one of those brownies that had helped so much, and brought them over to her. “In that case, I think I’m happier not seeing them,” he said, returning to his seat.
Audrey accepted the water and chocolate with a small “thank you,” and then didn't waste time in digging in. “I almost wish I couldn't, too. Well, looks like it's not safe to stay here. Where there's one or two, there might be more. We should get out of here.” She wanted to check in with Izzy at BB2, but she didn't trust herself to apparate them. Her car would have to do. She ran a hand over her pregnant belly, then turned to him. “Are you good to drive?”
Murphy nodded. He was planning on putting as much distance between him and the Dementors as possible. In fact, he’d only stuck around after the woman had vanquished them to make sure she was okay. Go figure that his concern would then leave him playing chauffeur. Vaguely annoyed, even if there was a part of him who realized he could and probably should take off and leave her to cart her own pregnant ass around, he let out a sigh. “Yeah, I can drive if you have a car.” Murphy didn't, though he was saving for one.
“I've got a car.” Audrey hosted herself to her feet, then pulled keys from her pocket and tossed them to him. She had to be at the ready in case more dementors showed up.