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Hogwarts Grounds
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Forbidden Forest
Larkin scanned the grounds of the forest, weaving in and out of the trees. She stayed close to where the group was, knowing that whoever threw a snake into their path had to be close by.
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The wind rippling around Larkin left Christen looking like the bog monster.
Her hair was snarly and sticking up in every direction and her Slytherin tie was wrapped around her neck and her makeup was smudged.
"Curse her."
Larkin gasped, coming to an immediate halt. She'd passed right over someone! She didn't get a good look, but whoever it was certainly would have noticed her.Her heart raced and her palms became sweaty. Just breathe.
She took off again, going higher, and headed back to wear she saw the person.
There. It was a girl. A Slytherin girl, it looked like.
Larkin scowled, pulling out her wand. The trees hid her for now, but the girl must know she was there. She searched her mind for spells. She had to end this.
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Larkin had spotted her.
Christen looked down. She was wearing the most unhelpful high-heeled sneakers in existence.
As she removed them, she moaned. But she needed to be able to run. Wait. Of course. She had her broom. She smiled.
She rose into the air, 50 paces away from the Larkin girl.
"Henry is right, we all need to get out of here, as soon as Larkin--" Will stopped as he saw movement in the distance, close to where he saw Larkin. "Hey, Larkin found her, over there!"
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Her face turned from white to red as fast as a stop light. She held her wand so tight she feared it would snap in two.
She waved her wand, creating a massive brick wall directly in front of the Slytherin girl speeding away from Larkin.
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Christen saw Delany's movement and followed her eyes to her front. WHAM!
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Christen hit the wall with such force that the trees shook slightly.
Christen crumpled and fell to the footing the wall.
Delany marched over to her cousin's stirring form.
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"Hey," Christen said feebly. "Watch it, twerp!" She tried to get up.
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"Listen up." She said firmly.
Delany lost it. She started kicking Christen with all her strength.
"Stay away from my friends, pal!"
Larkin landed beside Them, wand out and eyes ablaze with anger. She pushed Delany aside. "Oh, stop it! You don't even know what's going on but you think you can just drop down here and fix everything."She pointed her wand to Christen. "Don't move." Not that she thought she could. The girl was beaten to a pulp. "I would've had her..." She mumbled to herself.
With her other hand she threw the broom over to Delany. "Thanks for letting me borrow it."
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"Let me handle her. I know her best."
She stared down at Christen, her pretty eyes red and swollen, a nasty greenish purple bruise blooming on her forehead.
"Do not touch my friends." She said solemnly, brushing her hair out of her eyes.
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However, something woke her. Something made her fight Henry's arms.
The annoyance was back. Cursed again.
Oh no...
Ruby started fighting Henry with all her might, even though she didn't want to. She finally escaped and was dropped to the ground. Some small branches crunched as Ruby fell on them.
It wasn't the curse, it had to be something else. She didn't feel peaceful and just wanted to give in. She felt pain, as if she was bruised all over. She tried to life her hand but she couldn't. She laid there, her head on one side looking at her skin which was getting red marks all over it.
Ruby couldn't move. At all. She couldn't even talk.
What was going on? This was not the Imperius Curse.
"Let's just get her to the castle. Preferably alive and, uh, relatively well?" She looked at Delany uneasily. Larkin pocketed her wand. "Keep your wand trained on her, in case something happens. I'm going to try and move her onto her own broom. We can fly her there."
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"Thornwall!" Henry bent down to touch Ruby on the shoulder. "Thornwall!" She wasn't responding. He cursed. "Ruby. What's going on?"
It was the strangest thing. Ruby--he thought she was unconscious--had started fighting him. And it wasn't just a weak swat of the hand. She was way too strong for someone with a serious injury.
Red marks started appearing on her skin. What was that?
Something was very wrong. He scooped her up in his arms again. They had to get her out of there, and fast.
"Yellow, Will! Send sparks up! Maybe someone will see and come help us."
Or... Gently, he set Ruby down once again and pulled out his wand. He'd never tried this before--it was an advanced spell for a fifth year. Still, that had never stopped him before.
"Expecto Patronum," he whispered. His cobra appeared, and a beautiful sight it presented in their time of need. He stated his plea for help. In a flash, his patronus was gone.
It should have gone straight to the Great Hall, if he'd done it correctly. Yes, most everyone would receive the message, but that was their surest way of gaining help.
He scooped up Ruby again. "Let's go." They'd just have to hope that Delany and Larkin were alright.
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"Ruby!" Ruby fell to the ground, laying still, red spots blooming on her body, her cheek, arms, ankles. "We have to hurry. Do you think she might have been infected with something poisonous before she came here?" Delany glanced at Christen to see if she was doing anything, but her wand was 3 feet away from her face, not touched. How strange.
((Yes let's go there))
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So many memories of her laughing, of her little brother hugging her leg at the Hogwarts Express Station, not wanting her to go.
Then his face cold and lifeless on the living room floor, in front of his book about dragons.
Her face winced. She wanted to die. She preferred death than this again.
"Jackson," Henry growled. "Shut up. We don't have time for this." He fastened his pace, muscles straining to keep hold of Ruby. He only stopped once, to look over his shoulder."Where's Bell? Did she catch the culprit?" He kept going, wanting an answer, but focusing on his goal--getting out of the forest and to the Hospital Wing.
Yellow cast a spell to make Ruby float alongside him. "Thanks." But those levitation spells didn't last long.
He stopped dead in his tracks. "Wait. Jackson, are carrying a broom?"
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Larkin growled at the abrupt departure of Delany.
Whatever. Fine. She could do this on her own. Maybe with a levitation spell?
She focused on Christen. "Wingardium Leviosa." A difficult spell to use an actual person, but it seemed to work well for short distances. Christen landed with a thump on her broom. She didn't even stir.
Larkin rushed over; she made her sit up right and then climbed upon the broom herself.
"All right then. Here we go." And she took off.
Finally, her would-be-killer was caught.
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Henry's instinct was to snatch the broom from her and take off with Ruby. But with her being so unstable and unpredictable(he had a sneaking suspicion she had been Imperiused) it might be better to walk."Never mind." They were almost there, anyway.
((We can move to the Hospital Wing, I think. Alison's a bit overwhelmed, lol))
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((That's cool guys, sorry, I am a bit overwhelmed, I haven't roleplayed before so I'm not used to it.))
Henry stood alone on the outskirts of the forest. One hand clenched his wand; the other brushed a crumpled letter stashed in his jacket's pocket.His scowl was fierce as he surveyed the forest. A howling wind made the trees rustle around him and he pulled his coat tighter. What was it about him that made people invite him to forbidden places at forbidden times? And the invitation hadn't even come from Ruby.
Really, how many people had that girl told? He wondered if she had any concept of secrecy.
It's her secret to tell, he had to remind himself. What did he care if she blabbed to some insignificant friend of hers? He just hoped he hadn't made a mistake in coming here.
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She stood in the edge of the forest, going in decisively to meet the others. She had done a good thing, going to the Hospital Wing after her meeting with Reese. She could walk perfectly now, her posture was vertical once again and her grace and elegance returned to their glory.
Ruby knew it wouldn't last long from the itching pain on her arm. But she did not care; for the first time in weeks she felt strong again.
She scanned the forest as if it was her backyard. She'd been there so many times that she didn't need to draw her wand out; she escaped traps or meeting unwanted creatures and found herself in a small clearing where the others stood.
"Haven't seen you in a while." said Ruby, not smiling. She observed them. Henry looked his usual self, maybe a little more irritated than usual; Dimitri had his usual look of worry hanging on his face but it softened when he saw Ruby.
Maybe it was her walking straight again.
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"She should be here any minute. Sorry for not inviting you personally but my recent recovery is just that...recent." Ruby's tone of self sarcasm made the air feel heavy.
Wind blew through them, making all kinds of weird and frightening sounds stir in the Forest.
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((wait for ally?))
Henry experienced a short moment of relief at seeing Ruby looking so well--but Reese's abrupt appearance and introduction irritated him."Henry. Thorn. But you already know that, don't you?" He pulled out the crumpled piece of paper. "Now, while I can't criticize your letter writing skills--" he smiled sardonically. "I must ask you something. Why are you getting involved in this? Did you pester her for information?" His fists clenched as his glare darted from Reese to Ruby.
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"Thorn, don't be bitter, we have no time for that. Reese got in this shortly after you did. I needed a friend who actually showed he cared at the time..."
Ruby said that without thinking; it was unusual but it did happen sometimes. Henry had proven to be someone important to her, however, when she first collaborated with him she didn't know he could be trusted. Also, she wanted him to know that him and Reese were equals in this.
He fell silent. His body was still, except for a muscle that twitched near his jaw."I see." He fastened his gaze on Reese. Impudent girl. "Well then. Since you're so trustworthy, please enlighten me as to why I'm breaking 20 something rules with you lot."
He stood almost shoulder to shoulder with Dimitri. Surely he could back him up.
"Excuse me for showing some concern about this situation," he growled. Did they think this was a game to him? He turned to Reese. "You're right. Morth's a dirty criminal. So while I'm sorry for not worrying about something as petty as not hurting your feelings--I think we have bigger problems." His voice contained a bite that surprised even him. "How do I know I can trust you?"Just because she was friendly to Thornwall all of a sudden didn't cut it. He was surprised at Ruby. He and Hayden had earned her trust by helping her. This girl had likely done nothing more than talk to Ruby, inserting her nose into business it didn't belong.
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"Unlike you both, Morth's unaware of Reese. She was the one who stayed put, helping me behind the scenes. Dimitri, of course the less people know the better but sometimes things can't be helped.
Henry, I know you must think of me as careless and floopy but this is not the case. You were the first one that knew about Morth, so I do trust you a lot. I can't do this without you so please loosen up. Let's just focus on what we have to do."
Ruby speech was not interrupted. Reese's head rose a bit, Dimitri seemed to be starting to understand the situation and Henry's eyes fixed on her. He must have been thinking that he should focus then and he could talk to Ruby later about the rest.
Henry searched his memory. "No. What are you getting at?"
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((Sorry, I didn't remember. Just ignore that last post. I'll delete it later))Henry worked his jaw back and forth. "Yes," he said reluctantly. "He said he made the poison. Which doesn't match up. He acted like he knew nothing about it when we met him on the paths."
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It must have been Nicolas who made the potion. Ruby knew he was talented in everything, but potions were his passion. However Nicolas didn't know about her poisoning.
"He bought it." said Ruby, her voice clear, icy. "That's why Nicolas did not know I was poisoned. That's why he must have freaked out when he knew.
My father went to Nic's shops, we know that for sure." said Ruby, looking at Henry remembering the information they had found in the Meadow.
"It said he'd bought forbidden spells and potions."
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"I don't know what he wants. If he wanted me dead, why not do it three years ago with the rest of my family?" she said, muttering to herself, trying to find the pieces to an invisible puzzle.
She waited for the other to comment; suddenly she didn't feel like getting back at Morth.
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"There's no way Morth would go against my father. He is not caring Reese. He isn't some bad guy who's got a heart. He's smart, cunning and cold.
He'd never go on war with my father, he's not that obsessed with me."
Ruby's pacing became faster. Suddenly, she felt cold, her skin crawled.
"Even if he wants to, he'll ask the hell lot in return."
Henry sighed. "I know you're not going to like this, but I have a suggestion." He waited until all eyes were on him. "Turn him in."
He crossed his arms, taking a defensive stance. "I think we have enough proof; it's all of is against him! And frankly, I'm tired of dealing with the scumbag," he spat.
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"Even if they do, they pretend they don't. Come on guys, and here I thought you were smart. Nicolas' family is so influential that even if I did turn him in, nothing would really happen. He's got his shops covered up and he never does anything illegal in Hogwarts.
I say we talk to him, get a deal and be rid of him for good. That's the only plan I think will work."
Ruby sat on the roots of a huge tree, starting to feel tired. There was no way Nicolas knew about the potion's malfunction. He'd do anything to fix it up, thought Ruby, because mistakes like that to him were unacceptable.
"No, Ruby, I don't think you understand. I have a great deal of respect for our professors here." His voice was cold, clipped as his eyes bore into hers. "They may not know now that Morth's a two-faced liar, but with everything we've gathered against him? They wouldn't ignore us. We can bring. him. down." He crossed his arms, not budging. He had to make her see reason.
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"Fine. And what exactly have we gathered against him? We have no proof of anything. The book we got from his shop is the only thing but it's now empty since it's been months. All the other things are accusations we can't prove."
Ruby looked at Henry intensely. He was trying to convince her; he should know that Ruby was the first one who tried to bring Morth to justice and it blew back in her face. He should know she was hoping that they could, but she saw a little chance of success.
"C'mon, Thornwall, see some sense. We don't have to convict him straightaway. We just need to get the professors on our side. Which they will be," Henry asserted.
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"Alright. First we need to solve my backfiring with his potion. We have to corner him and ask him how the hell we can cure me."
See looked at Reese and Dimitri who hadn't talked much. Dimitri looked worried and his face was extremely serious.
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Ruby shook her head. "I don't think he will tell you anything alone, but we could give it a try. I don't think he'd hurt you, wouldn't risk his image."
Nicolas wasn't a moral guy, he wasn't sentimental either. What he wanted was things to go back the way they were and for that he needed Ruby alive.
However, he didn't like her new friends so there was no point in Dimitri talking to him. Ruby looked at him but she kept quiet. She couldn't let her protective side ruin things, or complicate them.
((You guys can wrap this up, if you want. I'm sorry, I just haven't had time to rp))
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"Be careful. It's enough that you have to share the room with him, don't challenge him or anything, just keep your eyes open." she said, smiling softly and brushing his shoulder with her hand.
She looked at Reese and she nodded, still smiling, happy that finally they would take action.
"Let's go back everyone. We don't want ourselves expelled, so we might as well get some sleep." Ruby looked at Henry.
"Let's walk back together." It wasn't a question.
She waved bye at the other two and noticed that Reese glowed in the dark. It was as if a new air of confidence blew through her.
Ruby just hoped that the patron's healing potion would last for another day or two as she walked through tangling roots, Henry walking next to her, both in silence.
((So, I ended it :P We can continue this when you guys have time to RP, I don't mind ^_^ Lately I am not online that much either.))
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"Is she doing ok?" she asked Yellow, who had been speaking with her moments before she passed out. I mean, what hurt her? Why is she soaked in blood?" she asked fiercely.
Delany placed her small hand on Ruby's forehead, stroking it and whispering words of comfort.
"It's ok, everything's gonna be alright. Hang in there."
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Christen reapplied her disalusament charm before following the party back to the castle.