Fantasy +lumos; becoming the light+ (Closed)

[KAYDEN]

Cyrus

“Ah, you know red heads aren’t my type. If they were Bill Weasley and I would have run off together years ago.” Cyrus smirked down at Loire, his hands smoothing over her white locks as his eyes searched hers for a long while. How could he ever walk away from this? It was hard enough the first time but now? Now that he wasn’t ignoring and fighting all the love he had for her? Case closed. If Loire wanted to get rid of him she would likely have to kill him at this point.

—

The second task with Harry was rough, Cyrus was thankful to Moody for having the thought to get Neville to look into gillyweed for Harry. It was actually downright scary how the guy had orchestrated the while interaction. Without it Cyrus would have been lost on how to help. Sure there was the bubblehead charm but it was hard for a young wizard to use a new spell in that short of time. Especially well enough to keep himself from drowning. After that task Cyrus continued his usual sneaking around the castle and keeping an eye on all things Potter. Loire helped him out quite a bit and Cyrus had to admit it was nice to have a partner in crime when it came to all of this.

“I only leash her behind closed doors.” Cyrus said it quickly, waggling his eyebrows at Hunter from where he lounged on one of the ottomans, his back against the cushion while he stared up at the ceiling. “We could kidnap him and take him to another country, Hunter you must have some interesting lodgings from your travels. We can lock him up there until he comes to his fucking senses. Date the woman whatever but realize how you went about things was fuuuuuucked up.” Cyrus groaned and finally sat up. He was over all of this drama and fighting. He had enough to worry about with Harry and Loires stupid fiancé that he didn’t want to keep up this bit with Larkyn anymore. It was all so fucking exhausting.

A few moments later Delaney and Seb finally joined the rest of the lot and they made their way down to the Quidditch pitch. It was crazy to see how things had been altered, the once large and open field was now crowded with looming hedges that towered over the gathering crowd. The champions had already gathered, Harry was down on the starting line with Albus and had given him a tentative wave as their group found their place in the stands. “Poor kid doesn’t have a chance does he.” Cyrus said it with a chuckle, looking over the four competitors on the field. Harry was only a few inches taller than Fleur and in comparison to the other two males he seemed quite small. Though he supposed a hedge maze wasn’t exactly the biggest test of strength was it. “Here.” Cyrus took the Gryffindor blanket that he had carried out here and folded it across the bench for as many of them could fit. “Moody said this task could take the kids hours, we might as well get comfortable.”

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Loire Gaunt.

Outvoted yet again. It was clear Loire needed more murderous friends, but she had somehow found herself attached to this lot of goody-two-shoes. That, and she was far too lazy to actually go out and find her own friend group. Cyrus was (is?) Larkyn's best friend, and while Dru was a childhood friend she was also Larkyn's fiancé.

Okay, maybe she could see why Larkyn was so mad at her. Still didn't mean she was going to apologize first. "I like how murder is a no, but kidnapping is a yes." The book in her hand snapped shut as soon as Delaney and Seb joined them, her small form jumping to her feet and following after Cyrus to the Quidditch pitch. Per usual she was expressionless, though as her bright blues looked about the stands her lips pursed while she looked for any sign of Larkyn joining them. While the tournament was sure to go to either Cedric or Harry she couldn't find herself excited for it in the least. This was something that they should be watching together.

Loire was clinging to a small bit of hope that he'd dump the whore and come back to his family. Not the Gaunts, but her, Cyrus, and Dru. If he wanted to introduce Sapphira, fine, but do it the right fucking way after she apologizes to Delaney. Unfortunately he didn't even look twice at them, leaving her to take a seat next to Cyrus and internally pout. "Harry's a resourceful lad, I'm sure he'll somehow figure out a way to come out first."

Her attention went down to the hedge maze and she instantly felt something sinister. It was just a brief, ominous sensation, but her senses had never failed her yet. It sent a shiver down her spine, and instantly made her grateful for the blanket over her lap. "I was thoroughly convinced that if anything Gryffindor touched me I'd combust into flames." Loire smoothed the blanket out over her lap. "The colors are still less than desirable. Don't worry, I'll be sure to pack up some Slytherin gear before you leave."

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Sapphira

Coming from an elite family, Sapphira learned from an early age to always put her best foot forward, to never let anyone see that they hurt you. Swallowing her pain and anxieties came naturally to the fiery haired woman. Only, as Larkyn snorted she felt that wall crack. She was already so tender about the Delaney fight, she didn't need any distance between her and Larkyn. She felt hopeful that he'd somehow agree with her, but as he moved behind her and put his warm hands on her slim shoulders she felt that hope dwindle.

The beautiful smile always on her face faded. He... wanted her to do what? Work in a shop? Because, what, she was pretty? Hadn't she proved to him that she was more than just a well dressed socialite? Emerald eyes looked up at him through the mirror and she felt her heart shatter. Being raised to believe that women were fully capable of doing anything they set their minds to, and to never judge a book by its cover, it hurt her to her core that he thought like this. "A woman like me, yeah?"

All she wanted to do was run to Delaney and talk over the unease she was feeling, but the girls weren't on good terms. All she had was Larkyn, she had to make sure things were good with him. "We'll put a bookmark in that topic for now. Let's go, yeah? I gave Cedric his pep talk a little while ago, but I still want good seats." A manicured hand slipped up to hold onto his, giving it a gentle squeeze as she moved to end the topic. The fake, pretty smile took hold of her lips once more.

There were other sections she could join in the ministry, she supposed. A desk job, or something. Anything to make Larkyn happy. He was missing his friends and sister and she had to be his biggest cheerleader.

Without waiting for his go ahead she dropped his hand and headed for the Quidditch pitch, her hands tucked carefully in the pockets of her Hufflepuff yellow jacket. Sapph would have been happy for anyone who won, but she was cheering the loudest for Cedric. Well, besides Cho. They were able to find a good pair of front row seats, ones close to the champions. It also happened to be two stands down from his twin and Delaney. The damned wall cracked a little bit more. "We could go over there, you know? Plenty of seats."

 

[Sir Damien]

Weasley.

It was times like this that made the curse Hunter was under seem unreal. His family was precious to him without a doubt, ever fiercely loyal to the Weasley clan, but Dru... Dru was a treasure, someone he never wanted-- no, someone he couldn't to lose. A bright, radiant light that made him forget about all the shit waiting for him back out there in the real world. Her moving in gave him a glimpse of a dream that he never knew that he quite had: Dru. Dru was his dream, it was only a positive that she came with a niffler with a hankering for fine gems. Even this odd group of kindred misfits felt like home, it was far too easy to relax around them.

Too bad the fucking burning was keeping him firmly grounded him to the reality of his situation. How could he live a decent life with her while he always had this curse waiting for him in the shadows? Too bad that wasn't going to stop him from asking her to move in with her. But what was the other option? Her going home to that monster of a father of hers? No way, not going to happen. He'd face every single death eater before he'd let her go back to that life.

"Is... is a leash really a thing?" Hunter blinked widely a few times at Cyrus's comment, looking over to Dru with a bewildered expression while he kept itching. He was pretty sure if he had ever brought a leash out in the bedroom she'd use it to, literally, strangle him. The man hunted dragons but even he wasn't that adventurous.

Once the curiosity cleared from his face he could instantly see Dru eyeing his itching... again. His hand fell from his wrist and he shoved both his hands into the pockets of his jeans. With a quick, reassuring smile he hoped it would put her at ease. The last thing he wanted was for her to want to look at his arm again. The only thing worse than lying to her was having her know that he was something she hated with a passion.

On their way out he was quick to offer her his arm-- the good one. "You look lovely, though I think you're confused, babe. You do know there's only a Hufflepuff, and a Gryffindor in the tournament, right?" A quiet chuckle rumbled his chest and they were off. Once to the pitch they sat next to Loire and Cyrus, Delany and Sebastian by them. He didn't even notice the lack of Larkyn; he let that man cross his head as little as possible.

"Want to move in with me?" The question was completely out of the blue, his chin tilting down slightly to gaze down at her. "It's not a manor by any means and it's a few towns away, but if we can survive together in that small ass room then a two bedroom flat should do us nicely." There was no way he was going to mention that he had rented an apartment for them last week. If she shot him down, well, he supposed he'd have a new flat by himself. He wanted an area that her father didn't haunt, and while his influence would always be there they could treat it like a fresh start. There was even a small, hopeful smile on his face as he took her hand in his, his thumb caressing hers sweetly.

 

[Colt Voltage]

S. Longbottom

Seb knew that this situation with Sapphira was breaking her apart inside. What happened hurt her terribly. Delaney was more than entitled to being angry at them! At least Seb apologized. There was a deep shame to what he did and there would always be a guilt, but they were moving on and building a future based on them. That's all that mattered to him anymore. Hell, Sebastian wanted to tell Gran that they were finally together, though that was always a muddled subject. It was a discussion they needed to have.

Honesty was always the best policy, that was his new life motto.

So hearing that Delaney was willing to move in with him was a relief. And with that, they were off to meet up with their fellow mentors heckling them on the other side of the door. The group of six made their way to the pitches and found some good seats amongst the crowd, Seb and Delaney tucked in at the end of them. He simply held his hand and looked about the tall hedges that the students would navigate their way through. His gaze drifted to the champions, naturally knowing to rooting for Cedric since he was part of Delaney's house. He'd root for anyone but the Fleur sister, though he was a tad biased in that regard.

Then his attention went to the crowd to find Larkyn and Sapphira. A twinge of pain shot through his heart; this was something the three of them would've watched together. They attended every event together, the fractured group was breaking his damned heart. He knew it had to be shattering Delaney from the inside out.

Seb gave a small, encouraging squeeze to her hand before letting his blue eyes drift over to Moody. The man had been putting Seb on edge lately and he advised both Delaney and Neville to keep their distance. There was certain things that didn't add up with his behavior. A week ago he went to put something away in his trunk and he damn near lost his mind. At this point he was doing his bidding just to figure out what in Merlin's name he was up to.

As he went over his deductions in his head the tournament began, the champions each entering the maze and the crowd roaring as they cheered. "Oh, let's make a bet. I have two galleon's on Potter."

 

[EclipseRosee]

Larkyn Gaunt


The tone in Sapphiras voice wasn’t lost on Larkyn as she spoke. It almost sounded as if she was offended by what he had to say, a response that not only confused Larkyn but made his lip curl into a dissatisfied snarl. He just wanted her to be comfortable, to live a life that she would enjoy and succeed in. These things she brought up were… they weren’t in her skill set. At least not as far as he was aware. “Right. Later.” Larkyn hummed the words before turning and moving towards the door to pull on his shoes after Sapphira dropped his hand.

By the time the two of them made it out to the modified Quidditch pitch, things were already in full swing. The stands were full of cheering students and family that had come to watch the final task. Larkyn looked over the field and took in the view of the enormous hedge maze that laid before them and felt his brow tick upwards. “Now how in the hell do they expect us to handle this if something bad happens? That thing has to be a hundred feet tall.” Sure they had magic and brooms but even finding the children in that mess would take time surely. The two of them found some seats as Larkyn continued to look around, actively attempting to ignore the view of his family and friends just a few rows behind them. “No thank you.”

Larkyn said it calmly but his body stiffened at the thought, they had gone this long still hating him and it wasn’t as if he was going to apologize anytime soon. Not when the longer he thought about it the more he realized how hypocritical their expectation of an apology was! That red haired brute had beaten the living daylights out of Larkyn and now his ex-fiancé was cuddled into his side like some lost dog? And Loire and Cyrus seemed all too happy to have dropped Larkyn to go on double dates with their new favorite couple. Larkyn might have been pushing them away but it wasn’t as if they fought to keep him either. “This is closer to Cedric anyways right? Better view.” He gave Sapphira a strained smile before wrapping his thin arm around her shoulders.

 

[ZombieBaee]

Druella “Dru” Malfoy

“I wouldn’t ask unless you really want to know the answer to that question.” Dru smirked as she looked between Cyrus and Hunter, she really didn’t want to know about what happened behind the closed doors of Loire and Cyrus’ room. “Actually scratch that, let’s just pretend you didn’t ask at all. I like that plan. However if you want to ask him for suggestions away from my innocent ears, that’s your prerogative.” Her eyes flicked across Hunter’s face as she spoke, her smirk turning even more wicked before she shook the thoughts from her mind and turned her attention back to more family friendly things.

They walked towards the event together, Drus arm looped through Hunters as they made their way through the various corridors. “If you think I would ever be caught dead in RED and YELLOW. Do you see my skin tone? I would look absolutely horrid. I’m a winter, through and through. Plus, ew.” She sneered playfully at the end, jabbing him softly in the side with her elbow. “The only Gryffindor exceptions in my life are apparently Weasleys. Oh and Cyrus, though let’s be honest he was really always one of us. Even if only by association.” Honestly the house system was based on so many moving pieces but students always ended up simplifying it into stereotypes. Gryffindors were cocky jocks, Hufflepuffs were sappy weirdos, Ravenclaw was full of elitist nerd and Slytherin was full of conniving jerks. Supposedly. As an adult she was able to look back and realize more than that, also realize that the hat took into account familial history sometimes too seriously. For instance with Larkyn, he was definitely a Ravenclaw but how do you deny an actual relative of Salazar a place in Slytherin house. As she thought on it she found herself gazing up at Hunter, he was a Gryffindor for sure but he would have had a place with Slytherin as well. He was cunning and determined. But there was no way a Weasley would ever be in another house but Gryffindor.

They found their seats out amongst the crowd of people and instantly Dru was already over it. “We’re just going to be staring at bushes for hours.” She said it more as a fact than a complaint or anything else. She genuinely had thought there would be more to it than that, but no. Their view would be literal plants. “Whatever.” Dru sighed and got comfortable against the wooden bench, crossing one leg over the other as she leaned into Hunter side heavily and let out a slow sigh. It had only been silent for a moment before Hunter suddenly blurted out the moving in question besides her and caused Dru to sit up straight as an arrow.

Dru blinked once, twice, then she lost count of how many times she just blinked at him as she stared with wide deep brown eyes. It took a few moments to comprehend exactly what he was saying, a few moments for her mind to not only understand but to visualize it. The two of them, every day, in an actual place they could make a home. Not just a room that they were too big for even without the pack rat of a niffler she owned. A real place that would be theirs and only theirs. Without rules and watchful eyes. Dru looked down at their hands when Hunters moved against hers, watching as a few droplets of water splashed against their skin. Without thinking she looked up, thinking it must have started raining, but the motion made her realize it wasn’t rain… she was crying. A few traitorous tears had found their way out of her eyes and caused Dru to actually chuckle. “A mess. I’m a fucking mess. Are you sure you want to actually deal with this every day? Someone that doesn’t realize what happy tears even are.” She laughed again and used her free hand to wipe away the salty liquid trailing down her cheeks. “I would love to move in with you Hunter.”

A home. A real home. A place that wasn’t cold and made her feel constantly on edge. Sure it wasn’t a manor but even at their large home, Dru was confined to her room out of fear. This could be a place she made feel like the warmth like the had felt at the Burrow. The thought made tears well up again. “Dammit.”

 

[ZombieBaee]

Delaney Wilson

“Potter?!” Delaney yelped, genuinely shocked at the words that came from Sebastian’s mouth. The bet was most definitely on. “If you want to lose your money that is fine by me Longbottom. I’ll take your bet, on CED.” The woman rolled her eyes as she sat between Hunter and Sebastian, her eyes watching the champions as they all made their way into the giant hedges that had taken her weeks to figure out how to enchant. They were giant, that was issue number one, issue number two and the harder one to master was that if any of the students met danger and wished to pull out of the game, they needed only cast a red light and the maze itself would remove them from harms way. Though it was a terrifying sight to behold if she was being quite honest. “He’s just a boy.” Delaney said it with a smile but she still felt a bit uncomfortable with this whole tournament, they were all just children. Children that she had now seen hurt many a time because of these bloody challenges. Whatever, one more and it was gone for a few years. Maybe by then she would be able to stomach it more. “If Cedric doesn’t win, it’ll be Viktor. As much as I hate to say it.” Her eyes moved to where the Durmstrang students all sat, hooting and hollering in a way that nearly sounded like bass drums. In her mission to watch them, she had spotted Sapphira and Larkyn as well.

“They look-“ Delaney shifted in her seat slightly as she yanked her eyes away from the back of her once best friends head. Sad. “Cozy.” She wasn’t sure why she lied to herself, it hurt to watch Sapphira hurt but what else was she supposed to do at this point? Delaney couldn’t force herself to trust, she could try and try and forget the way she felt but it didn’t work. Plus she had WARNED Sapphira for YEARS to stay away from Larkyn, that he would spell bad news for her and look at them now! They looked unhappy and strained, their relationship was breaking them away from everyone else in their lives because of how badly it had started, how unhealthy it seemed from an outside point of view. Delaney couldn’t do anything unless she decided to physically kidnap the woman and lock her away until she came to her senses and Seb had put a stop to that plan.

“Anyways.” Delaney leaned forward to glance past Seb and down towards the others, “Cyrus you seem like a gambling man, don’t and Loire want in on this? What about you guys Dru?”

 

[KAYDEN]

Cyrus

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Cyrus winked at Hunter and blew him a quick kiss before moving to catch up with Loire. “You know you’re so obsessed with the killing that you totally missed Hunter just try and steal me from you! You didn’t even care. He wanted to use a leash and everything.” He fake pouted at her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders from behind as they clumsily walked to the final task. Honestly Cyrus was excited for this all to be over, one more simple thing and he could stop being so scared that Harry was going to drop dead any second. Whatever had gone on to get him chosen for this stupid tournament clearly hadn’t been as malicious as they had all thought. If so Cyrus had to imagine that something worse than the dragon getting loose would have happened by now… right?

“There’s still time, would you like me to cast a fire for you? Protect your image and such.” Cyrus smirked as they sat, his attention turning to Dru as she spoke. “You guys just WISH you had someone in your house as cool as me. I mean come on, our house had me, Hunter, Charlie. Let’s not forget the BEST house leader. Minerva is a real bad ass. Plus I mean, sure your common room was cool or whatever but that’s about all you had going for you.” He nudged Loire with a shoulder before leaving his fingers through hers.

“Eh, I got two on the girl. Whatever her name is.” Cyrus shrugged, the boys were all going to take this too aggressively and he had to imagine the Beauxbaton girl would be a bit more cautious. “I mean it’s a maze right? Seems Beauxbaton-y.” He glanced over at Loire, an idea brewing in his head as he watched her for a moment. “Actually, I bet she’s out first. And I’ll put two galleons on it… AND if I’m right, Loire has to stay with me for the summer. If I’m wrong, I’ll figure out staying around this dump.”

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Loire Gaunt.

For years Loire dreamed of a life with Cyrus, one filled with laughter, love, joy, adventure. Now that they were together things felt amazing, better than she could have ever imagined. She went to bed with him, woke up to him, they had a life together in his small mentor room. Yet it all felt so... bittersweet not having her brother with them. At times there was a tremendous guilt for being so happy because she could literally feel her brothers misery, and all she wished for was to drag him back to them. That wasn't an option though, and she hated bringing down the mood because of her self-loathing.

"Oh arson is acceptable now? Duly noted." The tiniest, cockiest smirk played on her normally stoic face and her big blues glanced up at Cyrus. “While your bias towards cat animagi is justified because we are indeed the best, Slytherin has Snape. They had Dru, me." Larkyn, but she bit her tongue to refrain bringing him up. Again. "We're utterly amazing. And, again, our common room. Case closed." The small woman leaned against Cyrus, mainly to steal his warmth. It may have been June but she was always freezing.

"Bill, Hunter, and now Charlie Weasley? Perhaps I should make sure those dastardly Weasley's don't steal you. Where's that leash?" A quiet yawned passed her lips and her eyes began to close, fully intending on napping during most of the least interesting part of the tournament. "Beauxbaton. Two galleons. Mm-hmm." Already half asleep. Then she processed the last part of his statement and she instantly sat up, her heart threatening to pound out of its chest and onto the blanket. They hadn't discussed where he'd be staying, all he promised was he wouldn't leave her. Loire would normally stay with her parents, but obviously that wasn't an ideal scenario.

"Well in that case, my money is on Potter. If he wins I'll stay with you, and if he loses I'll find us a place around this dump. " There. Either way she'd be going with him. Loire would have to go home and grab a few things from her room but, after that, she didn't plan on ever going back.

Her small hand moved to lace together with his as the task began. It went on, and on. And on. Nothing changed, all they were looking at was an obnoxiously tall hedge that could use a good trim. Who knew the last task would be so... boring? Uneventful? Most people mingled amongst themselves, Loire was still in a state of blissful shock. When her eyes finally decided to move off of the tall greenery they scanned the crowd, her eyes landing on Nikolay with his Durmstrang crew. He was shooting them a glare that would certainly kill if it could, distain written all over his features.

Loire shot him the middle finger with her hand not in Cyrus's, smirking proudly for a second as he finally looked away from them. "How much longer is this thing? Can I nap?"

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Sapphira

Did Larkyn even know Sapphira? At times it didn't seem like it. They had gotten to know each other, became fast friends earlier on in the year. She knew he was protective of women, but she also just lumped it up to being part of his job. He wasn't always like this... was he? Loire and Dru were among the strongest females she had met in her lifetime-- they were the only women close to him! He had to be okay with strong women. So... Larkyn thought she was weak? The thought made her nauseous and wouldn't leave no matter how much she tried to forget it.

The strained smile on his face cracked her heart. Larkyn was in this pit of depression with her and, yet, she had never felt so further away from someone. She was trying to help him mend the situation with his family yet he just kept pushing, and pushing. Where was that genuine smile he gave her just a few months ago?

"I suppose they have ways to get the kids out, maybe? And, you're right. Closer to Cedric. So we can be the first to congratulate him when he wins this thing!" Sapph gave him a bright smile, her thin fingers smoothing over a crease in his auror cloak. They'd get through this, she just had to stay positive. She settled into him as his arm wrapped around her shoulder with a content sigh.

While most everyone talked amongst themselves Larkyn and Sapphira were mostly quiet. Jobs were off limit topics right now, his family, and honestly she was just feeling anxious about everything. As soon as Cedric won this thing she would breath a sigh of relief, or even just seeing him out of this terrifying maze, she just wanted everyone safe!

So when Amos Diggory approached them it offered her a reprieve from the stress. Sapph recognized him from Cedric's family photo so she couldn't help but flash the man a cheery smile. "Larkyn lad, good to see you again. I heard you're doing great as an auror, can't say I'm surprised there though. I hoped that you and Dru would be in attendance together. Where is the lovely young lady? I'm trying to convince her to join my department-- we just had another spot open and thought I'd offer it to her. And-- oh, who's this? Pardon me-- Amos Diggory, dear. What's your name?"

Instantly the joy washed away, each word feeling like a punch to the gut. Sapphira scooted away once from Larkyn's grasp, not feeling like opening this can of worms with Amos of all people, and did her best to force a much weaker smile. "I'm Sapphira Stanton, Cedric's--" "Oh, yes yes! Cedric's mentor, he's mentioned you. You know he says you are quite the athlete and you've been giving him tips. I heard the auror department is always in need of quality applicants, you should apply!"

 

[Sir Damien]

Weasley.

"C'mon now, I look good on your arm and I bleed red and yellow." The tall Weasley spoke with a cocky tone to his voice, a wide smirk on his face as he pulled her closer on their walk. A Gryffindor shirt, a leash, his grocery list was getting longer by the minute. A piece of him was sad that they never got to knew each other back in school. While there was no chance in hell that either of them would place in each others house's (A Gryffindor Malfoy? Hilarious.), they still both played Quidditch. She was a bad ass for being a a girl on the Slytherin team, he remembered admiring her all the way back then.

Maybe he should've punched Larkyn back then and swept Dru off of her feet... she'd of probably punched him.

Truthfully he wasn't quite sure what kind of reaction to expect. Her laughing at him was always a slim possibility, but he knew her better than that by now. She wanted a new life, a life with him, he just didn't know if this was the right way to go about it. As he watched her blinking for far too many times Hunter felt like he should quickly withdraw his offer, act like he was joking or something. Was she imaging how wrong it could turn out? Oh, he was a dumbass for asking her. Dru was a woman of class and the Weasley's were anything but classy!

Then the tears hit his hand and the smile instantly fell from his face. "W-What's wrong? I offended you. I knew it. I-I-I- Is it too late to blame Cyrus? I'll fucking punch him too, I swear!" Hunter was freaking out, back peddling in attempts to fix the damage he had done. Only, she chuckled. It was his turn to blink widely a few times as he listened to her, half expecting her to curse him out. Only, she wasn't. She was... happy? Were happy tears normal among women? News to him, but Dru was also the only woman he had ever dated.

A relieved sigh slipped past his lips, his free hand wiping an imaginary drop of sweat from his brow. "Babe, I chase dragons for a living. You're like, the least messy thing in my life. Of course I want you every single day." Quietly Hunter chuckled, the free hand slipping to the side of her delicate face to cup it gently. His callused thumb wiped a few tears away, the hand holding hers giving it a reassuring squeeze. The ginger headed man leaned in and pressed his lips to her forehead once, twice, thrice. "Good, because I already got the place. I had Ginny shop with me to make sure it was suitable for a female." He'd of ask Loire but, he didn't trust her opinion on most things. Reasonably so.

"We'll go later, yeah? To look at our new home. Now, how about we look at some exciting hedges? Maybe they'll dance for us. Or maybe we'll just be staring at tall greenery for hours on end." It was almost like he summoned trouble with those words; the relentless itching burned like wildfire on his right forearm. The hand fell from her face and he instantly rubbed it against the leg of his pants. "Seasonal allergies, am I right?" With a forced, nervous chuckle his attention went back to the hedges. Death Eaters, the last of the tournament... there was no doubt in his mind that they were related.

His good senses were telling him to get Dru out, to get everyone out, to get those kids out of the fucking maze. He'd have to out himself, get thrown into fucking Azkaban, and even worse lose Dru. He... couldn't risk it. "Three galleons on Potter. Always bet red and gold."

 

[Colt Voltage]

S. Longbottom

"Oh I'm a monster for betting on Potter, but you'll wager on Durmstrang? Out of loyalties to our dear cat librarian I feel like that's an utter betrayal." And from the sounds of it he wasn't the only one with money on Potter! He always knew that Loire was a Ravenclaw in disguised... Not so much Weasley. "Cyrus, you wound me. We're an anti- Durmstrang and Beauxbaton group. Keep up with the alliance." Sebastian's dark gaze drifted back to Delaney as she looked over Sapphira and Larkyn, the smile on his face faltering ever so slight.

His long, warm arm slipped from holding her hand to wrapping around her shoulder and pulling her closer. "Good things come to those who wait." Quietly he whispered to her, trying his best to encourage her even in these trying times. "I pined after you since we were teens and I never lost hope. Sapph will come around, just give her time."

That was the last moment normal moment they would be receiving for quite a while.

Harry appeared out of nowhere in front of the hedge and everyone stood to cheer. Only, he wasn't alone. In his hand was the trophy, and in his other? The limp body of Cedric Diggory.

The crowd gasped, there were screams, the band stopped playing and panic began to spread like wildfire. Steel gray eyes darted over the crowd as he raised his voice in attempt to get the students to settle down, only, his eyes landed on Professor Moody as he moved rather quickly to the exit. The man moved with purpose, like he had anticipated something like this. "I'll be back." With a quick squeeze to Delaney's hand he let her go, his feet carrying him after Moody.

"Seb!" "Not now Neville. Go find Delaney and keep close to her, yeah?" A student was dead. A student. Neville wasn't the best of wizards, he wouldn't be able to fend off a killer. Him and Delaney would be near the others and right now there were strength in numbers.

So why was he running off by himself after Moody like a dumbass?

 

[ZombieBaee]

Druella “Dru” Malfoy

“You’re a moron.” Dru laughed, leaning towards him as he wiped the tears from her cheeks. She was well aware of the stares they got, well aware of the people still whispering about their relationship months after its inception. That was their problem, Dru was happy. She was so bloody happy that she honestly felt like she was in a dream. There was a world of bullshit waiting for her when she inevitably ended up around her family again but she didn’t even care. It was hard to think that there would be anything out there that could potentially crush this feeling she had. “Wait what?” Dru stammered, pulling back and looking at him with wide eyes as she processed what he said. He and Ginny had… The stupid tears threatened to spill again as her lips spread into a wide grin. “Thank Merlin that Ginny helped, I cannot imagine what you would have picked on your own. I can’t wait to see it Hunter.” Her fingers grazed gently over his leg, her eyes on his for a long silent moment before she spoke again. “I really hate how soft you made me. I would live in a fucking shack with you and I wouldn’t even care. That’s insane right? Me. Shack. I should strangle you Weasley for making me all girly and giddy.” Dru moved to plant a quick kiss on his cheek but before she could more more than a few centimeters, Hunter was adjusting to rub at his fucking arm again!

“That’s it!” Dru pulled away suddenly, throwing her hands in the air before reaching out and wrapping her fingers around his forearm. “Let me look at it, it’s not seasonal allergies and clearly whatever you got at the infirmary isn’t helping. Did you get a burn or something when you were working? Maybe it’s caused some irritation that we need to get rid of?” She unbuttoned the closure at his wrist and moved to push up his sleeve… only she stopped when music erupted around her and a clap of magic sounded out.

Drus eyes quickly went to the field to see who had arrived back first, well as far as a winner. The Delacour girl had to be pulled from the hedges ages ago and Krum had been removed recently but had been knocked out within the maze. That meant this had to be either Harry or Cedric. As her eyes moved to the field they drew across Amos as he spoke to Larkyn and Sapphira, Dru made a quick mental note to make sure she said hello after he was done watching his son.

Scratch that.

Chaos erupted within moments, Cedric was on the field in Harry’s arms … unmoving. But not like Krum had been, it felt different somehow. Everyone had gone silent for a moment before Harry’s screams reached their ears. He’s back. They killed him. He’s back. Voldemort. A sharp chill ran through her body causing her to freeze where she sat for a moment. Around her students were crying and holding one another, arguments arose about what was actually going on and staff tried their hardest to keep things calm. Amos was running down to the field and crashing onto his son’s lifeless body and only then was it that Dru could finally look away.

Sebastian was the first to move, heading off quickly somewhere after nearly shoving Neville in their direction. Drus eyes went to Larkyn first, then Loire… he’s back. It was a sentence repeating over and over in her head. Suddenly all she could see was all that horror, all those times that violence had been brought into her home, all of the death and terror. She thought of her aunt, if Voldemort was back then it was only a matter of time before she was back around. Her father had already been caught putting back on his death eater mask so it was clear he wouldn’t be staying out of it this time. Oh… oh god. Dru felt like she was going to hyperventilate, throw up or maybe both.

Without a word Dru reached for Hunter and grasped his hand roughly before yanking him along with her as she made her way down the stands and away from the field. Dru didn’t know where she was going but she needed to be away from here and quickly. More quickly than her feet could actually carry her. “Did I hear the boy correctly?” She gasped as they walked, near ran, towards the storage sheds for Qudditch equipment. Once she got there Dru threw open the door and pulled Hunter inside with her before finally letting him go and pressing her back firmly against the wall. Grounding was good. Finding something solid was good. Being away from others was good.

“He said he’s back. That Voldemort killed that poor kid. That-“ Drus mouth went dry and her throat closed on the words that tried to form in his mouth. The next movements were muscle memory, fight or flight clicking in as she swiftly pulled her wand from her pocket with shaking hands and held it towards Hunter. As they moved his unbuttoned sleeve had loosened and rolled a bit. Now revealing an all too familiar tattoo on his forearm. It felt like her body was made of ice as she looked at it, her brain not fully able to comprehend what she was looking at. Not him. Not her Hunter. Not him. “Tell me I’m having a nightmare. Slap me and wake me up. Tell me I’m hallucinating or something Hunter because I KNOW I cannot be seeing this. I know you-“ Her words choked up again as hysteria rattled through her causing her voice to raise in volume and begin to shake. The hand with her wand was nearly vibrating with fear and devastation.

 

[ZombieBaee]

Delaney Wilson

“Oh please, I can separate school from jerkwad alumni! Otherwise we would all suck for being from the same school as half those nut ball death eaters from the war.” Delaney chuckled but stopped short when she realized what she had said, her eyes going wide as she turned to Dru with her hands held up. “Oh my, Dru, Loire I am so sorry. I was just kidding. I didn’t mean- I mean I’m sure they’re not all-“ She stopped before she made things worse or lied. It was no secret about the both of the girls father and various other family members. And while they were both great in their respective ways, Delaney couldn’t make herself say that she thought not ALL death eaters were bad. They had done terrible and disgusting things. Some of them may have been mislead yes but it didn’t fully absolve them of their wrongs. They were disgraceful individuals.

In an effort to change the subject Delaney turned her attention back to Seb only to find him staring two rows down from them. Delaney shifted uncomfortably, her eyes turning to watch the hedges once more. Seb snaked an arm around her shoulder and she felt her body relax slightly, her head falling against her shoulder as she listened to him. “You’re right. It just really sucks. This was supposed to be our year. I wanted to convince her to stay and leave that awful family of hers and find something here. I’ve even been talking to Dumbledore and he said he would find something for Sapphira to do if she wished to stay… I just hadn’t told her that yet.”

They went silent then, all of them simply watching as the task went on. It felt like hours before they were finally at the end. The sky seemingly cracking as a blue flash appeared followed by the familiar Hogwarts jerseys worn by their two contestants. Delaney stood up quickly with everyone around her and began cheering as the band started up. Only a moment later her hands froze mid clap. Something was wrong… Harry was screaming and Cedric was completely unmoving where he laid in Harry’s arms. “Oh no.” Her hand moved to cover her mouth as she gasped, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. Seb moved before Delaney could even find the air to breathe. “Wait Seb!” She called after him with a shaking voice, moving a few feet before Neville was pushed in her direction. “Dammit Sebastian!”

Delaney wrapped her hands around the young man’s shoulders and pulled him towards her. “Neville, let’s get everyone out of here okay? Stay with me.” She gave him the best smile she could muster before letting him go only to lace her arm around his. She needed his support right now as much as he needed a safe space. Dru and Hunter were off running and as much as Delaney wanted to scold them for not putting the students first… she couldn’t blame the woman. Harry was screaming about you know who and given Drus history? It wasn’t fair to have expected her to stay.

Delaney and Neville made their way through the mass of panicked people and started turning them in the direction of the castle. She didn’t care who, students, visitors, family here to watch. Anyone. Everyone but their inner circle, other staff… and Mr.Diggory. Once it seemed like people were getting the hint and making their way out of the Qudditch pitch, Delaney turned her attention back to the scene in the middle of the open field. “Neville go find your friends. I know you’re all close with those boys but- you kids shouldn’t be here.” Delaney smoothed over the boys hair, giving him a squeeze before shooing him towards the lingering group of red haired students and Hermoine Granger.

“Sapphira.” Delaney breathed as she moved to where the woman still stood, at this point Amos Diggory was slumped over his son’s body and Harry had been pulled away by staff presumably for questioning. “Sapphira… I’m so sorry. I-“ Her voice caught in her throat as she reached for her friends hand but let hers drop before it connected. “I’m just so sorry, I know you two had gotten very close. I know you really cared about Cedric.”

 

[KAYDEN]

Cyrus

Cyrus was little shaking with anticipation about Loire actually accepting his terms of the bet. It didn’t make any logical sense that he was still so nervous about their future, about their relationship… but he was because she was just so god damn better than him. She could do so much better than him. But Loire had proven time and time again that she loved him and only him. They were going to be okay, after this school year was over they would find a place either way. Cyrus would tell her everything, he would have her meet his found family… Harry and Sirius, Remus. He wouldn’t have to hide anything from her at all. Not that he really even was anymore, just this way she could be as involved as she wanted to be. He couldn’t fucking wait.

The task went on with Loire basically snoozing on his shoulder. Cyrus watched the hedges intently the entire time for any sign of trouble. When the first red flare went up he had nearly jumped out of his skin, assuming it had been Potter but it was the Delacour girl. Then when the maze basically spit out the limp body of Viktor it was like Cyrus went through all seven stages of grief. This was the last step of this nonsense and whoever put Harry in this tournament in the first place hasn’t been successful yet in whatever their motive was…

Then it was over. Harry was back but Cyrus felt his body go cold almost instantly. Everyone was cheering but something was wrong, he could just feel it. Then someone screamed and the crowd went silent… Cedric was dead. No not dead… murdered. “Loire.” Cyrus held the woman up as he quickly stood, not wanting her to fall over as he removed her pillow. “I have to go down there okay? Watch for anyone acting strange and let me know. Don’t chase them alone.” Then he looked back to the field but Potter was already gone. Fuck! Seb was running off after someone and Cyrus turned his attention to that… Moody. Moody who was now dragging Harry along with him.

It clicked. But it didn’t make sense. Moody was a well respected auror, he fought in the first war for the right side, he nearly gave his life… why do anything bad to HARRY? But the man had helped Harry with every task in some way, he was around him all the damn time and he was new this year. “Change of plans, we’re following Sebs plan.” Cyrus grabbed Loires hand and began weaving through the bodies that Delaney was trying to route back to the castle. Working against the crowd only made them that much slower and by the time they reached the edge of the field all three of the men were no where to be seen.

 

[EclipseRosee]

Larkyn Gaunt

“Ah, hello Amos. It’s been a while.” Larkyn straightened where he sat and moved a hand to shake the older gentleman’s outstretched one. He knew the man through various events at the Ministry, he had always liked Dru it seemed, most people she worked with did he assumed. “Thank you for that, it really is appreciated.” He gave a strained smile, trying not to flinch at the mention of Dru and their relationship. Apparently there were some people left on the planet that hadn’t seen Rita Skeeters article on the broken up “it couple”… part of him was thankful for that while the other part really wished that Amos had indeed read the damn thing to avoid this moment. “Well
Sir, Druella and I have separated, amicable though. It was best for the both of us.” He ignored that incredulous look he got from the man who very obviously didn’t agree with the words that had come from Larkyns mouth. Whatever… he didn’t need the approval of a man who was basically a stranger.

The tone of the conversation changed once the topic moved to Sapphira. Thankfully it seemed that Cedric had been writing home often with high praise for the fiery woman on his side. It made a proud smile grace his lips, his icy blue eyes glancing over at her as Amos continued. “Sapphira is my girlfriend, she’s done a lot of great things for Cedric. He’s a good kid Amos.” He flinched slightly at the mention of the auror subject again, fighting the want to roll his eyes. Not this again.

The rest of the task went on, Amos had sat nearby but thankfully not right next to them. Larkyn had been mostly silent and just listened as Sapphira was constantly chanting good luck messages to all of the students but mostly Cedric. “Well, it’s down to one of the Hogwarts boys and I can’t imagine Potter winning over Cedric. It will probably be over any minute now.” Larkyn looked over to Sapphira and smiled before placing a quick kiss on her forehead. “We will have to celebrate little miss mentor. Oh ! Maybe that’s a good career opportunity, tutoring or something like that.”

Sound erupted around them and caused Larkyn to look back to the field. The flash of black and yellow made him smile wide, “See I told you he would win!” Only he didn’t. If anything Cedric lost more than anyone else that day. Larkyn didn’t think he moved quickly to grab Sapphira by the shoulders and turn her around, “Don’t look down there okay? Just trust me.” Even if she had already saw what had happened, it wouldn’t help to stare, it would only burn it further into her memory, only make it last that much longer than it already would.

“I need to go talk to Dumbledore, see what happened and ask some questions. Depending on what went down, I might have to get a report to the ministry.” Larkyn pulled back from her just as Delaney walked up, “Can you stay here with Delaney while I go check what’s going on?”

 

[Sir Damien]

Weasley.

Just like Icarus, Hunter had flown too close to the sun.

Hiding this mark had becoming increasingly difficult, and he had hoped that with the proposition of them moving in together she'd be distracted. The mark just burned worse as the night progressed; he hadn't a clue what it meant, he just knew that it was hurting like a son of a bitch. Already hiding the mark was a bitch, the insistent ace bandages he wrapped around himself daily paired with his ridiculous 'allergy' story... now she was actually worried about him. It killed him, but he couldn't let her see. He knew the reaction he'd get.

With the roaring from the crowd he hoped that it'd distract her. Only the roaring died down quickly and were quickly replaced by Harry yelling words that Hunter never dreamed of hearing.

He's back. Voldemort. Bile rose to the back of Hunter Weasley's throat and he thought to disappear, if only to save face with Dru. To save face with himself. This was something he always feared, why he had kept his distance from his family for fucking years. He was an idiot for coming back, for going back to his family, for falling in love with the most beautiful, brilliant woman he had ever known. She deserved so much better than him, and he knew that, and yet he still got her involved in all of this.

An apology would never be enough.

Still in a state of shock he couldn't peel his eyes off of Cedric's dead body, nor could he pull against Dru as she yanked him along to follow her. He attempted to look for his siblings, to make sure they were okay before they were gone, but why bother? It wasn't like he'd be able to talk to them after this. In order to keep them safe he'd need to disappear again, somewhere where the Death Eaters and his family couldn't find him.

For once Hunter was at a loss of words even as they bursted into the equipment shack. there was a solemn expression etched on his face, one that was bleak, miserable, and scared. Dru was the best thing to have ever happened to him. He couldn't lose her, he just couldn't. Maybe if he just explained to her how he was marked? She loved him, right? She'd understand.

"Dru, I need to---" Hunter turned to confess to Dru everything, only, he was face to face with the woman he loved wielding her wand...against him. His sleeve had lifted during the chaos and of all days he chose today not to wear his wrap. A lump formed in his throat, his fists clenching once, twice, even a third time at his sides. Did the truth even matter to her? All she saw was the damned mark that was forcibly carved into his skin. His jaw clenched a couple times as he fought back the tears.

"You're not stupid Dru. You know what this is." Hunters free hand rolled up the plaid sleeve of his to reveal the entirety of the serpent mark. His eyes went cold, if only to brace himself for the unbearable pain he was about to face. A pain that the torture he went through to obtain this curse couldn't even touch... the pain of hurting Dru, and becoming what she hated most. "It's not like it matters how I got this, right? He's back, and I'm one of them. Whether I like it or not." Maybe she'd kill him right then and there and put him out of his fucking misery.

 

[Colt Voltage]

S. Longbottom

The man, cousin, and boyfriend in Seb told him to stay with Delaney and Neville, to protect them in these trying times. His gut was screaming at him to follow Moody, that he would answer all the questions he had. Step by step the man ran faster, and faster, his heart drumming loudly in his chest. Moody was moving faster than he had yet to see him with Potter in tote. Shouldn't the boy be receiving medical attention and not being dragged to Mad Eye's office?

If only he had a damned broom, he would've been there already. By the time he got to the door it was locked and it caused him to grimace, his right hand reaching to pull his wand out of his pocket. "Alohomora." With a click the lock was opened and Seb was free to burst in. Harry was sitting there holding his bleeding arm and Moody(?) was ranting on how he set up everything for Potter. Telling Hagrid of the dragons, Cedric about the dragon egg under the water, the witless wonder Neville about the gillyweed. It made him want to vomit.

"It seems like witless runs in the family, doesn't it boy? You've known something was wrong with me all along and you said nothing. Shame, I thought Ravenclaws were smarter than that." Seb felt his cheeks flush with anger. His hand clenched around his wand and he pointed it straight at the ranting man. "You proved yourself rather useful though, boy. You're a pureblood, aren't you? Voldemort might have a use for you yet." Seb growled and he shook his head. "Shut up. Who are you? I just knew that you were stealing the polyjuice potion, I just had no proof."

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Loire Gaunt.

There was always one word that could wake Lorie from the deadest of sleeps. Voldemort. It caused goosebumps to shoot across every bit of her pale skin. The gasps, screams, and sobs did nothing to her, but his name forced her to stir from her sleep. The next thing she knew was Cyrus helping her up and all the pieces quickly fell into place. Her brows furrowed when he insisted on going down to go get Potter but she didn't say anything. She knew something was going to happen but this? This was cataclysmic. She hugged her jacket to her a bit tighter and nodded as he told her to watch out, though she made no promises on not chasing them alone. That was kind of her thing.

"I- okay?" Suddenly she was being pulled along with him, bobbing in and out of the crowd. Truth be told she was in a daze; her father always, always expected Loire to follow in his footsteps, to don a mask, to bare a mark. She thought it was all ridiculous up until now. "Be mad at me later, yeah?" It was clear they lost the men and they really had only one way left to track them, outside of getting the Weasley twins and their map. Loire quickly shifted into the small black puff ball and began sprinting after the scent of Harry's blood.

Up and up they went, Loire moving so fast that Cyrus had to run just to keep up with her or risk losing her. Loire shifted just as she reached the door and burst through, her wand already drawn into her left hand. "Harry, are you okay?" Loire moved to the boy as Seb had his wand on Moody, the small woman kneeling down to him to assess his situation. "Ha! Go ahead and show her your mark, Harry. The Gaunt girl will get hers soon. Voldemort won't rest until she joins his army. The Malfoy girl too. I heard a rumor that you Gaunt twins can even speak Parseltongue. You're meant to be a Death Eater, girl."

Loire's blood ran cold and she simply kept her attention on Potter, her bright blue eyes focusing on the bloodied cut on his arm. Her heart sank. It was the mark her father bore, the mark everyone in her family bore save for the twins. "Shut up." Loire growled, her hand clenching around the wand as she quickly moved to her feet, pointing her wand at the man.

The polyjuice potion was wearing off and his body was shifting back to normal, but that didn't stop Loire. All she could see was red, and Larkyn and Cyrus weren't there to stop her. "I'll kill you, I'll kill all of you just to shut you all up!" Seb moved to hold Loire back but she struggled against him, fully intending on killing the man mid transformation.

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Sapphira

It was moments like these where things between them seemed okay, they were able to ignore the outside world and just sit there cheering for Cedric. Larkyn was always supportive, a bit too much at times when he suggests her working in a shop, but she loved his support. That was the thing that pulled them together so quickly, they both needed support and love that they weren't getting in their normal day to day lives. It was just unfortunate that they had to cut out all their loved ones to get here...

"Tutoring is better than the shop suggestion." Sapphira quietly teased Larkyn as he pressed the quick kiss to her forehead, her soft hand giving his a playful squeeze. "I want to treat everyone to drinks when Cedric wins. He was requesting butterbeer after he won."

Unfortunately Cedric would never get his butterbeer. Not now, not ever.

As the two boys appeared on the field Sapphira jumped to her feet and cheered with excitement. Black and yellow, that was Cedric! Only, he wasn't moving. He... wasn't doing anything? He looked gray, and the smile on her face quickly melted off of her face. Sapphira had never even had a relative die, had never had an animal, nor she had never been to a funeral; she never witnessed death before. Tears flooded her eyes and blurred her vision, her lip quivering as she just stared down in shock.

Even with Larkyn pulling her away the image was seared into her brain. "H-He's...he's..." Sapphira couldn't even get the words out. Cedric couldn't be dead, he just couldn't be. He was supposed to win. They were supposed to go out and celebrate. Gently she gripped onto his auror jacket as her silent tears stained the dark material.

Of course she understood that he had to leave, but she didn't want him to. The only saving grace was Delaney was there. Sapph gave a weak nod as she wiped away the tears staining her face. "Be safe please." Lord knows she couldn't lose him too. Losing him had never been a possibility in her mind, not until now. She could still hear Amos sobbing over Cedric's body but, for the life of her she couldn't look his way. Sapph would lose it.

"Delaney?" Dark long lashes blinked away a few tears as she turned to her friend and she immediately lost it. Her thin arms threw themselves around Delaney's shoulders and pulled her into a tight hug, her body shaking as she sobbed and buried her face into her friend's Sunkissed brunette hair. "I-I'm so sorry!" About the fight, about Seb, about Cedric. She was sorry about everything. Sapph had just lost someone she considered family, she was terrified that something would happen to everyone she cared about next. Larkyn, Delaney, she couldn't lose either of them.

"H-How are you?" Sapphira pulled from the tight embrace, hiccupping from how hard she was crying. "Do we need to get the other students out? I want to go down and help Amos, I just..." She just couldn't physically do that.

 

[ZombieBaee]

Druella “Dru” Malfoy

There was no more logic in her brain, there was no more reasoning and no more evaluation. Dru was inexplicably broken and destroyed. The hurt and frustration on Hunters face only made her back into the wall further, if that was even possible. “How could you?” It was raw and devastatingly somber as she spoke, tears streaming down her face that had gone bright red with emotion. Dru couldn’t even explain what she was feeling, it was like every emotion save for joy and happiness was shooting around inside her like fucking pinball. He was asking her if it mattered like she was the one who was wrong for acting this way, like this wasn’t unbearable for her as well. “I can’t imagine it’s anything to convincing if you hid it from me all this time. You’re only saying something now because you have to!”

Drus wand dropped a few inches as her body began to shake. Hunter was a Death Eater. Hunter was one of them. Hunter… was any of this real to him? The thought chilled her body instantly making her arm fall further as despair took over. He was one of them… was this all fake? Was this all somehow a ploy to get her to fall in line? Merlin she couldn’t even think straight. The Hunter she knew could never have done that to her. Her Hunter who took her to see the creatures of the forest, her Hunter who fought for her, her Hunter who kissed her so sweetly and with so much love that there was no way it couldn’t have been real. But that somehow made it worse. That somehow made this all so much more heartbreaking.

Drus heart was sand. Broken so many times over and over again that at this point there was nothing left but rubble.

Her body slumped against the wall and she finally sank to her knees, the wand that she had been holding clattered to the floor with a deafening sound in the silent shed. Holding her wand to him had been ridiculous, even if she was terrified right now, even if he did anything … Dru could never hurt him. She would never hurt him. “You should go.” Her words were barely audible above the sound of her heart pounding in her chest. “I won’t tell anyone about this, I don’t know what I’ll tell them but… you can’t be here. You shouldn’t be here. Not being what you are.” This felt like it just might kill her. “Because as much as I want to listen to your story I just cannot understand why you hid it from me until now! Unless you had nefarious reasons!”

“The you that I know and the you that I love with my entire fucking being knows that you can’t be this. That you wouldn’t do any of the horrible things that they do! But you have HIS mark and I have to imagine this is why you haven’t spoken to your family in years. So they don’t even know.” Dru was sobbing now, slumped on the floor , her body shaking as her words got louder and louder. “You- you asked me to live with you! You found us a home.” Her voice cracked on the word home, it had only been a few hours ago now that he has let her in on that plan. Now here they were. “You made me fall in love with you, you have all of me, you have my entire heart and you are everything I ever dreamed of having… you even made me realize that I didn’t even know what I wanted. Not really.” She finally looked up at him again, a broken expression on her face. “But I don’t know how to get past this. I don’t know if I’m strong enough to ever not feel betrayed. I wish I could tell you that there’s a reason out there that I would understand but -“ Not after what she’s seen from them. The Death Eaters were not only known for their particular cruelty but they were her own personal nightmares, people who tormented her memories and made her scared of her own family. “Hunter just go.”

 

[ZombieBaee]

Delaney Wilson

It was as if everything strained and awkward between them was forgotten in an instant. The moment that Sapphiras arms moved around Delaney, a wall fell. The taller woman wrapped her arms protectively around her friend, pulling her against her tightly as the chaos around them carried on. Losing a student was terrible, it was a loss that Delaney had only witnessed once in her few short years and that was due to illness… not whatever this was. The incident a few years ago with the Basalisk was horrid as well but thankfully all of those students had recovered… and Sapphira was so close with Cedric. This had to feel awful. “Shh, don’t think about that right now okay?” Delaney smoothed over the long red locks and tried her best to calm the shorter female down. “We can talk about all of that later. It’s okay. Don’t worry about that.”

Sapphira pulled away first and asked Delaney if she was okay. It was ridiculous enough to make her stifle a curt laugh. “Am I okay? As well as I can be I suppose. How are you?” Delaneys eyes drifted from Sapphira to the scene behind her, they were covering Cedric’s body and taking him away with his sobbing father in tow. The students that she had scolded to get inside still stood at the side, all glancing around nervously and whispering fiercely between themselves. All of the kids that Delaney knew to be close with Potter. “The students are all mostly gone, the few stragglers are probably waiting to hear what’s happening with Harry. And Amos- they’re gone.”

Delaney let her arms drop from around Sapphira fully and took a step back to cross them over her chest. “The others took care of them Sapph, let’s just get you inside yeah?” She was worried about where Seb had run off too but she couldn’t focus on that right now. Seb was smart, he was good… whatever he was after she trusted in him. She just needed to do her part by handling Sapphira and Neville. “Here, come with me to scold Neville and his friends again.” She offered a gentle smile before taking her friends wrist gently and pulling her along towards the small group of students.

“Come on, no reason waiting out here. Whatever goes on will happen inside now okay? Let’s all get in and warm up and I promise I’ll find you Neville the moment I know what’s going on with Seb and Harry. Okay?”

 

[EclipseRosee]

Larkyn Gaunt

“Polyjuice potion?” Larkyn stammered as he plowed through the open doorway, his wand instantly out in front of him and pointed in the direction of the bumbling man. Moody was a man that he knew well, a strange but good man all things considered. Larkyn had thought the old guy had been acting off these last few months but that wasn’t entirely strange for him, plus Larkyn has been distracted with his own dramatic affairs… however now he could see how strange this all was. Loire and Sebastian were already in the room and Larkyn noticed Cyrus joining him soon after. The man disguised as Moody seemed to be taunting Loire, an act that made Larkyn snarl softly but keep his mouth shut. Seb and Loire seemed to be keeping whoever this imposter was occupied while Larkyn slowly moved around the edge of the room until he was directly behind the chair that Harry had been pushed into.

Then Moody began to change. His skin dropped and swelled in places, he looked disgusting and sickly for a while as he continued to try and talk to Sebastian through his grotesque transformation. Loire lunged but thankfully Sebastian moved to grab her and Larkyn looked to Cyrus, silently telling him to get Harry out of here. In the corner of the room a large chest began to rattle and shake with a scream that caused Larkyn to lose focus but only for a moment and when he looked back he found not Moody, but Barty Crouch Jr.

“Barty?” Larkyn nearly gasped before swishing his wand in a way that sent an enchanted rope flying for the mans wrists and ankles, quickly causing him to drop to the ground in writhing motions. The Ministry thought him dead, he thought the man was dead. Barty had been in his parents inner circle at one point, the Malfoys as well. Then he just disappeared… and now he knew why. Larkyn kneeled down next to the man as he hissed and glared at them all. “He’s coming for all you lot, so many little prizes in one place. The boy who lived and all his friends and protectors. The children who think they don’t need to respect their bloodlines. All of you.”

Larkyn spat on him before reaching to the desk for a candlestick and knocking the idiot unconscious. He refused to spend another moment listening to that garbage. “Seb check that chest if you don’t mind, I think you can let Loire go now.” Larkyn looked back at his sister, his expression told her that he understood her wrath. He truly did. “We would be as bad as them if we killed him here. I’ll take him to prison, he’ll get what he deserves there. Worse than death okay?”

 

[KAYDEN]

Cyrus

“Dammit Loire!” Cyrus hissed as he got pushed back from where Loire had transformed, quickly losing her small form in the crowd of students. He tried his best to move quickly after her but it wasn’t as if he could shove these literal children out of his way, so instead he had to gently run through them all as they stared at him like he was out of his fucking mind. Honestly he probably was.

Once in the castle the only reason Cyrus knew were to turn was the head of white hair running in front of him, Larkyn must has seen what was going on and made a move as well. Good. That meant he would have an auror there on their side depending on whatever in the fuck happened here. Cyrus made it to the room just a few moments after Larkyn and instantly found chaos. Sebastian was holding back Loire as she screamed at the man that Cyrus assumed was Moody… or looked like Moody? “What the fuck?” His voice was barely a whisper as he watched the transformation, his eyes catching a glance from Larkyn at the corner of his vision.

“Harry.” Cyrus grabbed the boy by his arm and gently moved him from the chair as the transformation finished up, not caring to see what was happening and only caring about getting Harry and Loire out of here untouched. Thankfully it seemed whoever had been posing as Professor Moody didn’t plan to attack, whatever they had been tasked with doing was already finished. Cedric was dead. Harry was marked. Cyrus hissed as he looked at the bloody wound on the young man’s flesh, “Let’s go.” As he moved to the door it opened to reveal Dumbledore and a handful of other students and ministry officials. All of them earning a glare from Cyrus as he shoved past out into the hallway. They were shit protectors and shit at listening to people who said there was something wrong. Cyrus had TOLD them there was no way this kid put his own name in the cup but it was brushed off as shenanigans or a lie… now look where they were.

Out in the hallway Cyrus stopped to kneel down and wipe away the blood to reveal the dark mark carved into the boys skin. “Don’t worry about it, it’ll heal. Shouldn’t scar too bad and if it does we can get a healer. Molly is excellent with this shit too kid.” He wanted to ask a million questions about everything that had happened but he could tell just by looking at the boy that now wasn’t the time. “I won’t grill you but just tell me, it was him wasn’t it… he killed Cedric.” Harry simply nodded.