Sturgis I see you! Don’t you dare run away!
/sees Mina/ Hey Beanie! /waves/
Hey! How are you? Have you seen Frank? I haven’t seen him and all..
Well, same as before. /grins/ Longbottom eh? Nope, sorry little one. I haven’t seen him since.. I don’t know. Have you.. checked his dorm? Or the library? Maybe he’s holing up somewhere.. Studying. You seem worried though.. Is there.. /raises his eyebrow/
An elegant mansion soon loomed in front of Sturgis, and despite the sinking feeling and the sick crescendo of his heartbeats, he continued on. Like a moth to a fire, he was drawn to its windows that threw out sickly yellow lights from within. He maintained a safe distance from Alecto, far enough to quickly sink back into the shadows but close enough to keep her in his sight. It proved to be an effective plan, for Alecto suddenly seemed conscious of his presence. Stealthily, he shrunk back into the shadows when she turned to his direction, her big dark eyes scanning her surroundings for any intruder. For a second, Sturgis was scared that his nervous heartbeats might give him away, but he held his breath and as soon as she thought it was safe to go on again, he gave a quiet sigh of relief.
Again, he repeated his gameplan in his head, “Hide in a dark corner and wait. Wait and see what Alecto’s been keeping from me. And fly back before I get myself expelled..”
“Or worse, killed.”
It was a cold night, but it was his final thought that made him shudder. When he discovered Alecto’s nightly flight, he couldn’t bring himself to think that whatever she’s doing is safe nor sound. Because if it doesn’t, then why would she keep it from her? Why would she go out of school in the middle of the night if this is something sane or impervious?
But he didn’t do anything to stop Alecto as she opened the door and disappeared in the mansion. He couldn’t, and even if he wanted to, he wouldn’t. He just watched her be swallowed in the same sick yellow light and as she closed the door, his heart gave a sudden lurch, as if telling me that it will be the end of something.
Willing himself to move, he paced the entire length of the mansion, looking for the perfect hideout and the perfect spot where he could see what is going on inside. He didn’t know, that was the last thing he would want to see.
Carefully, he peered inside, witnessing a start of a nightmare. Cages upon cages were positioned against the wall, bearing inside faces of what seemed to be frightened humans slinked back into the shadows. Facing them were people looking at them hungrily. Yes, hungry to prove their power. And soon it dawned to him, those people were more than prisoners.
They are muggles.
He exerted effort to tear his eyes away from their faces and scanned the room for Alecto. Soon he saw her, she was facing one prisoner with a hard look of determination and disgust in her dark eyes. Her wand was out, and an older person was hovering near her, seeming to approve her stance. He didn’t know if it was hesitation or fright that swam in her eyes when the hooded person whispered something in her ears. He watched as she took a deep breath before raising her wand to curse the poor muggle.
Even the thick glass window did not protect him from the sound of the muggle’s scream. Or maybe it was all in his head. It was an ugly scream. Bloodcurdling. Painful. He wanted to turn away but the vision infront of him proved to be much much stronger than his will to keep his sanity at bay. Nor the vomit that suddenly shot up to his throat.
Alecto did not stop despite the obvious cry of despair from the muggle, and instead it made her take step closer and utter another curse to end the muggle’s life. But he knew it wasn’t due to mercy. It was to prove her power over some helpless, non-magic human. After that, he only knew of one thing.
Run.
Alecto’s chest rose and fell, adrenaline still pumping through her system. Her ears still rung with the agonized screams, and a small smile touched the corners of her lips at her instructor’s praise. She lowered her wand, her breath beginning to steady. The sound of her own heartbeat was so loud in her ears that she hardly winced at the squeal of metal against the floor as another cage was wheeled to her station. As her next victim was dragged into the center, a young boy hugging his arms against his chest, Alecto raised her wand. It was hard not to pity the doe-eyed youth, his loose fitting t-shirt only accentuating how small and child-like his frame was . She swallowed a lump in her throat, trying not to notice the look of absolute fear directed at her. She looked down at her hand, watching it tremor slightly. She lowered her wand. As soon as her hand sunk, a bony hand dug into her shoulder. “Again” She sighed, biting back her pity, her wand hand raising. And something told her the night could only go downhill from there.
He wanted to run. Run for his life and never look back, even considering the cowardly act of not going back to school. After what he had witnessed, it seemed impossible now to even look in Alecto’s eyes without seeing the death of the poor muggle replay over and over. He felt fear crush his heart to the point that he couldn’t breath. How could you cold-heartedly kill that innocent muggle Alecto?! Who are you and why are you doing this?! His body was immobilized but his mind was screaming in fury, not directed towards Alecto but the mysteriously hooded figure lurking around her and urging her to kill those innocent people. Sturgis wanted to burst into the room and, even though he does not believe in violence, he practically have them taste their own medicine and inflict hurt on each and every single one of them.
Except Alecto. She’s the victim here. Yet he couldn’t deny the sight of her satisfied smile after the muggle slumped lifelessly on the floor. She enjoyed it. She sought their approval and she bathes in it. She wanted to do it. She wanted to kill.
No,she.. I will save her. I need to save her.
With all his strength, he pulled himself back together to peer through the window. Sturgis caught a glimpse of the previously frightened and now dead muggle being wheeled out of Alecto’s sight and another one was wheeled in to replace the deceased.
And it was a child.
What happened next was a blur. He didn’t know whether his attempt to break the window came first or the ropes that came out of nowhere to bind him, helpless and now exposed. Someone was shouting, and it sounded like him but he, he couldn’t remember anything, any noise that came out of his mouth. Maybe he was dreaming, and this moment is the right one to shake him out of this terrible nightmare.
The sickly yellow light flooded his eyesight as soon as he and his captor went inside the mansion. It rendered him blind for quite sometime, but his mind zoomed back to the frightened child in front of Alecto, not knowing that he is already looking through Death’s eyes. He wondered if he made it, if the child was spared and it was because of the commotion he created. Silently, he uttered a prayer and along with it, he whispered his apologies to his parents for death seemed to be licking its black lips at his direction now.
“An intruder..” A hissing voice shook him out of his resigned stupor, “How.. convenient. Shall we put him in a cage or shall we stick with the ropes?” In the corner of his eye, Sturgis could see that it was the same hooded person who urged Alecto to do the killing. His cold and humorless laugh resonated through the marble halls of the mansion and bounced in the insides of Sturgis’ mind.
“State your name and blood status intruder. Better be honest now, for we don’t tolerate liars.”
Sturgis closed his eyes for a moment, trying to still wake himself up if this is really a terrible nightmare. But everything felt real. The ropes that is bonding him, tighter by every second, the rancid breathe of his captor in his neck, and the wand that’s now digging deep in his throat. Maybe this wasn’t a good idea after all, he thought bitterly. But if he’s going to die tonight, he won’t give them the satisfaction by pleading for mercy. Opening his eyes, he caught a glimpse of Alecto, looking at him with terror evident in her eyes.
“Sturgis Podmore. 7th year Hufflepuff student. Half-blood.”
As she flew higher, the air growing colder, and she could see her breath steam from her mouth. She shivered slightly, wrapping her warm robes tighter around her small frame. This was the easy part. And she found it easy to let her mind wander from the task at hand. She chose to think of nice things, happy things instead of the hours of pure hell she would endure in the coming hours. Flying near the clouds, out of sight from on onlookers from the ground, she tried a few tricks. She couldn’t contain a giggle as she flew around in complex loops, screeching with a mix of terror and delight as she spun upside down, clinging to her broom as she had done many times before in the backyard of her home. If she had not been so caught up in her fun, perhaps she would have noticed her silent pursuer. But her mind had long since wandered. And she dreamily flew among the clouds, enjoying her last hour of peace.He tasted blood in his mouth, and that it was just then he realized that he was biting his lips too hard to keep him from crying out to Alecto when she did those death defying hoops in the air. Sturgis was not going to let his cover be blown to smithereens because he couldn’t trust his girlfriend to be skillful enough to survive the ride. But despite the glee that was evident in the manner of her flight, he couldn’t help but feel the fear creeping near the hem of his sanity.
Alecto gave a sudden drop, signaling the end of her travel, and he soon followed suit. Still he had no idea what he would sure witness moments from now. Be it good or bad, one thing he’s sure of is he will need Alecto to explain herself, “You better explain this to me Alecto..” he thought as soon as his feet touched the grassy ground.
The crunch of the ground meeting Alecto’s steps served as his only hopes of tracking her in the dark. He walked, afraid to lose her into something he couldn’t see, scared that if he missed a step, she’ll disappear and his mission would mean nothing. He wanted to just put an end to his ignorance of whatever Alecto’s been doing behind his back because its the only thing that makes their unconventional relationship seem off the track. Yes, they have been struggling with a few things since their return from their supposed eloping but, apart from that, when all eyes are turned away, when all sneers and mockery are muffled by the protective walls of his bedroom, their relationship is almost perfect.
Yes. Almost. Solve this one Sturgis, and they will have nothing more against you and Alecto, he said through gritted teeth.
Alecto navigated through the almost pitch black, heavily wooded area down a man-made gravel pathway, silent except for the steady crunch of the rocks beneath her feet. She paused for a moment, thinking she heard someone behind her. But she was satisfied to hear nothing but silence. She continued on, broom in hand, toward the lights of the large mansion up ahead. It seemed out of place in the middle of the woods. But that is what made it so perfect for it’s purpose. Seclusion was key. She quickened her steps, praying she wasn’t late, shuddering as she remembered the punishment she had received the last time she was late for training. She took one last look into the black night as she reached the doorway, opening one of the tall elegant doorways and slipping inside.
The inside was lit with lanterns and the moonlight that streamed into the large and plentiful windows. Alecto’s feet echoed against the marble floor as she hurried to join her brethren already assembled. She opened the double doors into a vast room, obviously once intended to be a ballroom. It seemed ironic to Alecto that a room built for amusement was now used for such grisly work. And she hardly batted an eye as she saw dozens of cages against the walls with frightened, dirty faces peering from within them. She had long since learned never to look to closely at those faces, to never feel pity for them. Because that would only make the events of tonight more difficult.
An elegant mansion soon loomed in front of Sturgis, and despite the sinking feeling and the sick crescendo of his heartbeats, he continued on. Like a moth to a fire, he was drawn to its windows that threw out sickly yellow lights from within. He maintained a safe distance from Alecto, far enough to quickly sink back into the shadows but close enough to keep her in his sight. It proved to be an effective plan, for Alecto suddenly seemed conscious of his presence. Stealthily, he shrunk back into the shadows when she turned to his direction, her big dark eyes scanning her surroundings for any intruder. For a second, Sturgis was scared that his nervous heartbeats might give him away, but he held his breath and as soon as she thought it was safe to go on again, he gave a quiet sigh of relief.
Again, he repeated his gameplan in his head, “Hide in a dark corner and wait. Wait and see what Alecto’s been keeping from me. And fly back before I get myself expelled..”
“Or worse, killed.”
It was a cold night, but it was his final thought that made him shudder. When he discovered Alecto’s nightly flight, he couldn’t bring himself to think that whatever she’s doing is safe nor sound. Because if it doesn’t, then why would she keep it from her? Why would she go out of school in the middle of the night if this is something sane or impervious?
But he didn’t do anything to stop Alecto as she opened the door and disappeared in the mansion. He couldn’t, and even if he wanted to, he wouldn’t. He just watched her be swallowed in the same sick yellow light and as she closed the door, his heart gave a sudden lurch, as if telling me that it will be the end of something.
Willing himself to move, he paced the entire length of the mansion, looking for the perfect hideout and the perfect spot where he could see what is going on inside. He didn’t know, that was the last thing he would want to see.
Carefully, he peered inside, witnessing a start of a nightmare. Cages upon cages were positioned against the wall, bearing inside faces of what seemed to be frightened humans slinked back into the shadows. Facing them were people looking at them hungrily. Yes, hungry to prove their power. And soon it dawned to him, those people were more than prisoners.
They are muggles.
He exerted effort to tear his eyes away from their faces and scanned the room for Alecto. Soon he saw her, she was facing one prisoner with a hard look of determination and disgust in her dark eyes. Her wand was out, and an older person was hovering near her, seeming to approve her stance. He didn’t know if it was hesitation or fright that swam in her eyes when the hooded person whispered something in her ears. He watched as she took a deep breath before raising her wand to curse the poor muggle.
Even the thick glass window did not protect him from the sound of the muggle’s scream. Or maybe it was all in his head. It was an ugly scream. Bloodcurdling. Painful. He wanted to turn away but the vision infront of him proved to be much much stronger than his will to keep his sanity at bay. Nor the vomit that suddenly shot up to his throat.
Alecto did not stop despite the obvious cry of despair from the muggle, and instead it made her take step closer and utter another curse to end the muggle’s life. But he knew it wasn’t due to mercy. It was to prove her power over some helpless, non-magic human. After that, he only knew of one thing.
Run.
Sturgis, Mina, and Rab in the castle ground.
Taken by Alecto, circa 1977.
*grins* Mmm I think I like you jealous *kisses him*
Mm-hmm.. Really? /grins while kissing you/ You want me to be the possessive boyfriend eh?
i wouldn’t mind it one bit. I like being fought for.
/holds your face in my hands/ Then fight for you, I will.
No…of course I don’t. I would never…How can you say that?/grins and pulls you towards me/ Shush. Don’t look too worried. I was just fooling around. You can go and be friendly with other chaps.. but not too friendly.
*grins* Mmm I think I like you jealous *kisses him*
Mm-hmm.. Really? /grins while kissing you/ You want me to be the possessive boyfriend eh?
Hm? Did you say something? *turns* Sturgis! What’s wrong, baby?
Hmm, so you finally took notice. /grins/ Sometimes I think you like seeing me jealous.
No…of course I don’t. I would never…How can you say that?
/grins and pulls you towards me/ Shush. Don’t look too worried. I was just fooling around. You can go and be friendly with other chaps.. but not too friendly.
To be honest, I don’t actually like what I am seeing.
/continues to play blind/
Hm? Did you say something? *turns* Sturgis! What’s wrong, baby?
Hmm, so you finally took notice. /grins/ Sometimes I think you like seeing me jealous.
