InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "I am sad for I have no arms."

daphne greengrass is [bulletproof];; (daphne__g) wrote in wished,
@ 2010-01-16 18:44:00

Entry tags:

!1998: 01, !incomplete, daphne greengrass, ernie macmillan

WHO: Daphne Greengrass & Ernie Macmillan.
WHAT: Scene!lottery; One of Aragog's children ventures onto the grounds, hungry and angry.
WHEN: Some time after dinner, before curfew.
WHERE: The grounds, on a path... near the lake.
RATING: R - language and graphic imagery.

While most students were shuffling back to their common rooms for the evening, Daphne preferred to walk around the grounds. It was her way of escaping from the buzz of the common room during the evening. Especially since that seemed like prime gossip time, and Daphne truly didn't want to pull out her hair over the younger years gossiping about whatever it was that was going on at the school. Tugging her green coat tighter around her body, she took the path down to the lake. While she asked a few of her classmates if they wanted to join her, she was silently thankful that all of them had something to do after dinner so she could just be alone. Watching the sun slowly dip over the horizon, blue eyes glanced over the still lake. Shuddering slightly as a particularly cold gust of wind toss her brown hair behind her.

The mere thought of the beast that used to live in those murky waters sent her heart rate racing. Shaking her head, she nuzzled into her green coat a little tighter. She was mid-sigh before she heard a noise in the quiet of the twilight that made her stop. Falling silent, ears tuned to sounds around her. In the distance she could hear owls, and the flutter of wings from bats about to ascend into the night. She even heard the sounds of melting snow dripping into puddles, but it was another sound - a sound that didn't belong - that caught her attention. Facing the lake, she was about to shrug it off to her imagination until she heard it again.

Holding her breath, she couldn't place what was making that noise, but it sounded like a series of feet trampling through the snow, and some clicking noises. It sounded like it was getting closer. Lifting her head, she slowly turned around, fingers gripping her wand in her pocket. Eyes widened immediately as just fifty feet away from her was a large spider was heading her way. Daphne wanted to scream, but her voice failed her, as she immediately bolted for the pathway. She could sense the spider was hot on her trail, and she swallowed slightly and attempted to clear her mind and focus on escaping this freak of nature.

Pulling her wand out of her pocket, she turned around about to throw a hex it's way. Only to miss as the giant spider leaped into the air and pounced Daphne. It gave a loud hiss, as one of it's legs pinned her wand arm down and tore through her coat. Finally her voice returned, and as the spider opened it's pinchers, Daphne let out a loud, ear piercing, attention grabbing SCREAM of terror. Legs flailed as she kicked the main body of the arachnid, which only provoked it more.

Merlin, why did this stuff ONLY happen to her?!

(Post a new comment)

ernestpuff
2010-01-17 04:19 am UTC (link)

Ernie was doing rounds of the grounds to make sure that no one was outside at least when curfew rolled around. He had just informed a small group of second-years on the Quidditch Pitch that it was almost curfew, and was heading over to the lake to make sure there were no students out there when he heard a shriek of terror, coming from his destination. Pulling out his wand, he ran in the direction of the voice, entirely uncertain what he would find.

Approaching the incident, he saw a huge shadow - with eight legs - huddled over a much smaller figure. Slowing slightly for half a second, he sent up a very bright set of red sparks which then hovered in the air, telling anyone who saw them that he needed help. Then the pause ended and Ernie moved forward, bellowing "IMPEDIMENTA!"

It didn't have the desired effect, but the spider did slow somewhat, and lift its head, distracted from its flailing female prey.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

daphne__g
2010-01-17 04:45 am UTC (link)

Thank Merlin someone heard her, at the flash of red lights, head tilted back to see.... Ernie Macmillan. Just FABULOUS! The last person she wanted showing up was a Hufflepuff like Macmillan. In her mind the bloody head boy was more into policies and rules than doing everything within his power to solve a problem. He certainly made a mess of the itching powder incident. Nothing came out of his bloody prying, and attempts to solve the puzzle. Daphne could have done more than him, but she was promising a painful consequence to those that sent those packages!

Then he finally shot a spell, the bloody Impediment Jinx?!

"SODDING HELL! BLAST THE THING!"

The spell did its work, as the spider did slow... slightly. Wand arm managed to wiggle out from under it's grasp, ripping her coat in the process, and leaving a long cut along her arm. "CONFRINGO!" She managed to shout, just as the spider grasped her coat. As the spider was sent flying back a few feet, it managed to rip Daphne's coat off of her completely.

Scrambling to her feet, blue eyes darted to glance at Ernie, giving him a harsh glare. The spider began to regain its composure, shaking off the effects of both spells and ripping her coat to shreds. Groaning, Daphne watched the vile creature rip apart her coat, it almost seemed hungry.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

ernestpuff
2010-01-17 05:42 am UTC (link)

If Ernie was fazed by Daphne's yelling, he didn't show it. He was trying to help her, and not get her crushed in the process. If she preferred to be ungrateful, well, that could be dealt with later, when there wasn't a gigantic spider to fight.

This was confirmed when Daphne pulled herself out of the spider's reach, even as she shot him a glare. That would allow a little bit more flexibility.

As the spider - how did you end up with a spider that large anyway? - shredded Daphne's coat, Ernie quickly fired off spells. "CONJUNCTIVITUS! INCENDIO!" A moment's pause, and then, "LOCOMOTOR MORTIS!" He watched as the first spell hit one eye, and the spider writhed in pain. The second spell hit too, but was not nearly so successful, and the third spell - well, the Leg-Locker Curse had been a long-shot for success, but if it had worked it would have been ideal.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

daphne__g
2010-01-17 06:01 am UTC (link)

It was a long shot, but it seemed to work. The spider was hobbling a few steps as all eight legs locked up together. Finding a moment to sigh, Daphne glanced at Ernie. He seemed to have his head on straight, and didn't LOCK up with fright. Her arm was starting to throb from the blood rushing to the cut. That was going to leave a nasty bruise later on.

Daphne was about to speak to Ernie, until she watched with horror as the spider crouched down, and then soared into the air in a giant leap.

So, the leg locking spell didn't work, only made it jump around now. Eyes widened as she saw the spider descending upon them both, it's legs shaking off the spell and becoming mobile. Without much thought, Daphne's mind went completely blank, and only one word came to mind. Wand lifted, as she shouted, "IMPERIO!" The tips of her fingers felt warm as the wand blasted out the end of her wand and hit the spider in the abdomen. Her tongue tingled with the lingering effects of the unforgivable curse.

Daphne didn't have to direct the spider, as she watched it crash to the ground completely in her control. The girl was too stunned, and shocked to react properly. What she had done hardly sank in, as the spider stood there completely motionless, just looking at the two of them expectantly. Without so much as a word from Daphne, the spider began to chew off one of its legs.

Daphne's jaw dropped as the giant spider did this willingly. It was when he started working on his second leg did the haze lift from her mind and the revelation of what she has just done began to settle in. A horrified look came over her as she looked towards Ernie. She didn't know what was going on. Did she really just use the imperious curse?!

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

ernestpuff
2010-01-17 06:36 am UTC (link)

The momentary - and rather surprising - success of the Leg-Locking Curse provided a moment of breath, before the spider leapt once more. Ernie mentally yelled at himself for not having his wand ready, as he raised it, and opened his mouth to yell out a spell.

Before the words had left his mouth, he heard Daphne cast her spell, and the spider simply stopped, crashing to the ground. Imperio - an Unforgivable. Effective, admittedly, as the spider was now chewing off its own leg, but still an Unforgivable. He was certain that there wasn't protocol in the rule book that dealt with the use of Unforgivables on animals in the case of self-defence. And the action had saved them, and judging by the shocked look on Daphne's face, she hadn't been expecting it either.

When Daphne turned to look at him, Ernie spoke, subdued and shocked out of the pompousness he usually maintained. "Even without the protection provided for purebloods currently, they wouldn't send you to Azkaban - the law's decrees are for use on humans, and that was self-defence too. But I do have to tell the Headmistress." He felt it only appropriate to add, "I'm sorry." He was. It had quite probably saved their lives.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

daphne__g
2010-01-17 09:24 pm UTC (link)

All that Daphne could hear was a buzz within her mind. Ernie's voice was distant, and muffled as she watched the spider work off the last of it's legs and finally twitch and shudder before flopping over dead. She stood there staring at the dead spider, wand hand slowly lowering. Her fingers were burning, whether it was from how tightly she was gripping or the curse that was just produced from that wand. Her tongue burned, but she couldn't tell if that was all in her head.

The buzzing was slowly dying down to a loud roar, which stopped the moment that Ernie mentioned having to tell the headmistress. Eyes flashed towards him, as she gasped for air, realizing that she has been holding her breath.

She was going to cry, she could feel her eyes stinging and threatening to shed tears. Swallowing, she shook her head, and began to take steps back up the path. "I...--" Eyes were wide with fear both from the threat of the headmistress finding out, and from the fact that she was just killed something with a curse that respectable people didn't use.

"I..." She tried to form words once more, before shaking her head and turning on her heels to head back up to the castle. This was too overwhelming for her, she needed to clear her mind.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

ernestpuff
2010-01-18 12:59 am UTC (link)

Ernie hadn't meant to shock or frighten Daphne, and the expression on her face and sudden gasp told him that she hadn't heard most of what he had said, too awed by the curse. But he was going to have to tell - he had to, it was the rules, and, well, the appearance of a huge dead spider did need to be explained.

And Ernie definitely hadn't intended to send Daphne running. Quite the opposite. But even as he began to head after her, and call "Daphne!", he didn't really expect her to respond. He stopped, and considered. It was a pair of fifth-years who were scheduled to do rounds of the grounds tonight, so he would accompany them, in case there were more of those things. Then he would do his own scheduled rounds, even if it was late, and then he would speak to McGonagall. It would be late, but he couldn't shirk on any of his responsibilities.

Wordlessly, he ended the spell for the red sparks, and turned towards the castle, moving slowly.

(Reply to this) (Parent)