#hogsmeade attack

He rolled over and tried to scramble to his feet, facing the cloaked figure that was coming after him. There was no way it could be someone he was close to, else they wouldn’t be approaching him like this, so Chryson took a deep breath and opened fire, unleashing all the spells he could think of. He continued to back away, not wanting to take his eyes off his opponent. Finally, the cloaked figure fell, unmoving to the pavement, and Chryson whirled around, colliding with a shorter uncloaked blonde figure. His arms wrapped around her automatically, stopping the both of them from falling. It took a moment to register the face, but once he did, his jaw practically dropped in shock. He cast a weak shield charm, hoping to protect them both for a moment, then uttered her name. “Briony?”

Taurus: Taurus had donned the black cape and mask, leaving behind his tartan coat but not his jacket, how would he return to Hogwarts if he was dressed so menially. No, he had to at least keep some kind of decorum to his appearance, keep the sophistication he was known for. His coat however was left at the Three Broomsticks so he could easily say 'I merely forgot it there' if he was questioned. Instantly he felt uncomfortable in the cloak, however it was not because he was ashamed of what he was to do - cause havoc - but because it itched, god they always itched, did they not understand how to pick a delicate fabric, he'll if they picked something that was at least a semi silk it would even appear better as they bound through villages. Once the mask was on though he smiled beneath it, feeling the metal against the corners of his lips. He knew who he wanted to seek out. Marlene. The bane of his existence the lioness lived up to that of her animal counterpart. She fought, often rivalling that of the male. He knew in nature it was the female that sought food, killing it and bringing it home to the pride, he imagined Marlene would do the same to him. Luckily, a snake was more dangerous than a lion. Avery pulled the door of the three broomsticks bathroom open, he was one of the last to start the attack, merely walking past his adult comrades. She was not there. She'd have been smarter than the rest if she had been, able to escape. "Idiots," Avery muttered at the adults, some of which he was sure were only doing this because they were afraid not too. He stormed out, large feet stomping heavily on the wooden floor, girls screaming as he yanked at their hair while wandering by, the girls falling to there knees before he reached the door. "Tie them up, morons," he commanded, a few resentful that a child was commanding them. He did not care, he merely pulled open the door and stepped out into the cold cobbled street, some of the stones shattered from blasts of spells. Slowly a brow raised, head turned from side to side as if checking the road before crossing the street. Where was she?

Marlene: It had happened far too quickly. One moment, Marlene had been at The Three Broomsticks with a few mates from her Quidditch team, drinking gallons of Butterbeer while singing as if the lot of them were hobbits from Middle Earth, and the next, all merriment had been replaced with screams and shouts of spells. The Gryffindor had allowed no time for herself to sit in shock of the situation—she had been trained better than that—and had instead jumped immediately up onto the table, her wand grasped tightly in her hand as she began to usher people out of the pub. Chaos seemed to fill the streets of Hogsmeade as she pulled the nearest group of Hogwarts students into a dark alleyway, mumbling a series of concealment charms before warning them not to bother moving, even if they thought it was safe. Anxious, she crept in the growing darkness back towards Three Broomsticks, her eyes searching the area for those clad in masks and her body hunched over as if she were ready to either run or fight at any minute. How they had managed to pull this off, the witch did not know, but she was sure that many would not leave the ambush unscathed—though she would do the best she could to protect the defenseless. Immediately, her thoughts lingered upon the face of one Kendall Ryan, who surely did not know enough defense spells to ward off the attackers, and she thought to herself that perhaps she should make her way over to the shopping district of the village once she had finished clearing out the crowded pub. Taking a sharp breath, she hunched her way towards her former destination, peering around corners and shooting hexes at any Death Eater that got too close, clearing her path. Before long, she was nearing the entrance of the Three Broomsticks, wand at the ready as she spotted a Death Eater standing at the entrance, her eyes widening as she let out a rather loud shout. "Incendio!" A stream of fire burst from her wand and hit the base of the Death Eater's coat, and she was quick to inch closer, aiming for the door.

Taurus: He recognised the voice before he heard the spell. Marlene. There was no denying it when his head jerked in her direction, vision compromised beneath the mask he could see her messy hair and the light of the spell coming towards him. Still it did not register in his mind, the spell she had utter had become unknown for a few milliseconds before his cloak was one fire. The heat of the fire starts to singe the clothing beneath, Avery's eyes going wide beneath his mask the rage towards her outweighed the worry that his pants would be damaged and he shouted back "Obscuro!" he shouted, to compromise her vision enough for him to remove the coat slowly burning up. Not to be out done he whispers "incendio," watching as the flames start to separate the two, hoping that the sounds of the flickering flames would mask his steps. If she didn't know where he was she couldn't cast a spell.

Marlene: "Shit," she whispered violently, feeling a blindfold spread itself tightly against her eyes, obscuring her view of the situation at hand. Quickly, she moved to rip it away, her hands tugging at the magical fabric forcefully for a good minute or two before she managed to detach it from her eyes. However, once Marlene's vision was restored, all she could see was a line of flames between her and the Death Eater she had attacked—one who, judging off the voice alone, was likely to be Taurus Avery. Letting out a muffled groan of frustration, she allowed herself a moment to search for the bloke, before growing more and more exasperated. "Aguamenti," she muttered, aiming her wand at the flames in front of her, watching the water slowly but surely put out the fire, the smoke still floating about in the air, clouding her ability to find the Slytherin.

Taurus: Avery smirked beneath his mask as the girl became frustrated, watching her annoyance. He did not doubt she knew it was him, especially once she put out the flames and was able to see the tartan suit he was wearing. It would be impossible to forget him looking so elegant and regal, he knew it and surely she did too. Still the part of him that needed the appearance refused to take the mask off, as if it protected him from detection. "Avis," he spoke with a smug tone, birds producing from his wand. He'd seen the spell done a thousand times and no bird was the same, his own released a collection of black crows with gleaming fur and eyes that shone even brighter, as if diamonds were encrusted in their eyes. "Oppugno," he said letting his arm whip to point directly at Marlene. Crows rushing towards her heart, exactly where the wand was pointed.

Marlene: Her eyes widened in a mixture of fear and realization as she finally found him amongst the smoke, only to see what was nearly a murder of crows surrounding the Death Eater, each as dark and threatening as the man wearing the mask. Another swear danced on the tip of Marlene's tongue as she dived to the side, letting out a loud, "Expulso!" and waiting a few of the flock explode into flames, only to have the rest continue their way towards her, pecking at the exposed skin of her neck and collarbone. Biting her lip, the Gryffindor refused to cry out, knowing that it would only satisfy Avery's twisted intentions. After a minute or two of the ruthless pecking and biting at her flesh, the witch set those on fire as well, before pushing herself off of the graveled ground. Eying Avery with vicious intent, she stood up, raising her wand at the masked wizard with an almost crazed gleam in her eyes. Her neck was bleeding, but she could hardly notice, her pain tolerance at an incredibly high level as her anger took over every cell within her body. "You better start bloody running," Marlene seethed, her eyes narrowing into small slits as she took a step towards her classmate. "Diffindo," she whispered, watching as his shirt was sliced open, leaving his skin exposed to the cold air, before muttering a freezing charm in his direction, hoping that it would be enough to trigger frost bite.

Taurus: Avery felt it inside him, that feeling of accomplishment and power as he watched her, even as she fought back she was weak. It bubbled inside him, hot and cold at the same time, echoing through his veins. He wanted her to scream. He needed her to scream but even as he watched the syrup like blood cover the beaks of crows she did not, even as the blood fell to the cobble stone ground, clearly going cold as it became sluggish in it's flow. She was tough, he had not doubted it but he would not give up. Unfortunately, he had been distracted, when the last of the birds burst into flames he was brought out of it. But as she threatened him he merely smirked, sure she could tell what was beneath the mask, she'd seen the smug look so many times before. It was cut short as the spell cut through his jacket, and what was beneath. "Trying to get me naked, McKibbon," he said, his words quickly diverting into conjuring the fiendfyre curse. As the beast was summoned or rather a fire shaped like a cougar, even the flames were dark like fur. It gave Avery time enough to remove his ruined coat and shirt, tie falling as well. But the spell was as uncontrollable as the boy he longed for and rather than attack Marlene seemed to coil it's feline body around an empty store. It's own desire's hoping to be met rather than it's castors.

Marlene: "It's McKinnon, you murderous little cunt," Marlene shouted, frustrated with his insistence upon calling her by the phony last name. As the fiendfyre left the tip of his wand, the witch let out a gasp, her eyes growing wide as she watched the cougar-shaped flames hurtle towards her, then past her in order to burn a nearby shop to the ground. "Are you bloody insane?" she cried out, wondering if the Slytherin even knew the extent of fiendfyre's damage, or its incapability to be tamed. "Flipendo!" The spell violently hurtled itself towards Taurus Avery, its caster shaking in uncontrollable anger as she wished right then that she had the capability and freedom to murder the wizard on the spot.

Taurus: Avery was not phased by Marlene's insult. A more accurate a statement had never been spoken as he considered it. He merely adjusted his shoulders much like the cougar. Collarbones poking out as he did so, pale skin turning a warmer pink from the heat of the fire. Her shouts merely made him bored but she on the other hand she clearly taken his reckless nature towards the curse badly. Her curse hit him, throwing his body violently to the ground, he even heard a loud crack as his exposed back slammed down against some crumbled stone. "Enough of this!" He shouted, still laying on the ground, face now exposed as he realised the mask had blown off during her attack though he couldn't recall it doing so. "Crucio!" He shouted, arm strong and pointed to her as the spell was cast, going limp so he could stand, making sure he held the curse.

Marlene: The witch glared at Avery's now exposed face, wanting nothing more than to scar its beauty and leave it damaged beyond repair—Merlin knew how much the Death Eater was fond of his handsome looks. Eyes narrowing, she prepared to disarm him, the spell dancing on the tip of her tongue when all of a sudden her entire body was corrupted with unbearable pain. Marlene crumpled, her body contorting in impossible positions as she bit hard on her bottom lip, determined not to scream. Tears began to stream down her face as her vision became obscured by agony, shouts and cries wrestling within the confines of her throat, begging for release. However, after a minute or two of holding out, the Gryffindor finally felt her mouth force itself open as a blood curdling screech was released into the air, echoing throughout the whole of Hogsmeade village as blood continued to drop from her neck, her limbs shaking with the pain being inflicted upon them.

Taurus: Avery brushed off his already burnt pants. There was a few thousand galleons down the drain, what was wrong with her? Low class and low values you meant she had to to destroy what she couldn't afford. He would have to dress as quickly as possible. But her scream brought him out of his own thoughts, completely forgetting for a moment his want was pointed at the blonde. He merely smiled, she was probably too distracted to see it or even hear his footsteps on the ground, clicking as he moved. As he reached her body he crouched down, long legs extended to his sides, one arm up, wand now mere centre metres from her neck. "You look so pretty like this," Avery said, distracted, hand taking hold of her jawline, long fingers reaching her ear lobe, thumb eventually reaching up to feel the cold wet tears that streamed down her face. His own eyes moved from the blood on her neck to the tears on her lips that howled rather than roared. Then finally her eyes. A flash, so fast he barely knew it was there came and he saw his mother's vacant eyes. The spell broke, unable to hold when he would never do so to the person he thought he saw. Quickly he reached for her neck, refusing to lose this due to a weakness in his mind, a plague that refused to leave his mind while she was still alive. His thumb pressed against the muscle next to her neck, forcing it inwards.

Marlene: Numb to nearly everything except the stabbing pain roaring within her body, Marlene could barley register Avery moving towards her, instead focussing on fighting against the curse he held upon her—or attempting to, given the near impossibility of such a task. Cries continued to escape from her lips, though none of them matched up to the first scream that had forced its way out, and tears sprung from a mixture of utter agony and anger that she had been overpowered. Feeling his fingers take hold of her skin, she let out another shout, his words entering her ear and echoing with her head, intensifying every sensation all the more. She wanted to throw up, wanted to lash out, yet she was stuck quivering in uncontrollable anguish as he continued to hold the unforgivable, causing Marlene's usual roars to transform into disgusting whimpers as she fought against it. And then finally, it broke, and her body continued to shake with its effects, yet the pain had sufficiently lessened. However, before she could react, she felt a penetrating sensation in the wound on her neck, causing another loud cry to escape her in rejection of the agony it brought upon her already inflamed nerves. Tears welled within her bloodshot eyes as she began to struggle against his grip, attempting to pull away, before she opted for a different strategy. Letting out a vicious, animalistic roar, she pushed hard against the Death Eater, flipping it so that she was on top of him, the pain still ever present in every action she took, with his thumb still pressed inside of her skin. Bringing her hand upwards, she moved to punch him flat on the jaw, before continuing with her other hand, pounding her fists so violently against the man beneath her that she nearly forgot she had a wand, feeling the skin of her knuckles become bloody with a mixture of both of their bodily fluids. Grunts escaped her lips before she yanked her wand from where it had been discarded upon the ground, pressing it hard against the veins in his neck, debating on just killing him right then and there.

Taurus: Taurus was not expecting her to be able to fight the pain he was surely inflicting on her wound, his past curse didn't just go away, pain didn't just go away but he hadn't considered just how strong she was. He shouldn't have been shocked when she tackled him to the ground, easy since he was balancing on the ends of his toes. What he did not expect was her fists to begin to pound against his well structured face. He felt the pain of her knuckles hitting bone, the sound of his own teeth crunching against each other as he tried to keep his mouth closed so as to not damage them, eventually he opened it though to let out a distinct laugh. It came once he could feel warm liquid running from his nose and onto his lips. It tasted like running your tongue along soft rust. He was still laughing as she held the wand to his neck, sure she would not kill him or cause him harm beyond what her morals dictated was right. "Come on, McKibbon, make my blood boil," he chuckled, hand having lost grip of her neck but not his wand he brought it up to her own, the holly stabbing into her wound. "Because you know that if you don't, I will," Taurus' voice boomed without intention, such authority merely coming from sincerity.

Marlene: Long, haggard breaths pushed their way past Marlene McKinnon's bleeding lips as she looked down at the boy beneath her, her eyes in such narrow slits that she was beginning to resemble a snake. Letting out a growl at his threat, she pressed her wand further into the skin of Avery's neck, bringing her face closer to his. A loud yell escaped her once more as he stabbed her with his wand, and she felt her free hand come down intuitively upon his chest, moving up to grab his throat and squeeze tightly enough to make breathing more difficult. "Don't fucking test me, Avery," she snarled, feeling her blood drip down her body and onto his, her stomach curling at the thought. Licking her lips, her mind flashed to an image of Alastor Moody, who was most likely the only reason Taurus wasn't dead already—that, and her moral obligations, though those seemed to be fading by the second. Blinking, she grimaced in discomfort before bringing her wand upwards, quickly directing it at his. "Expelliarmus," she whispered darkly, feeling the wand jolt from her neck and clatter upon the ground, before getting up, moving to walk away before turning around and sinking a swift kick into Avery's stomach. Her body was growing fatigued with pain, yet her adrenaline powered her through—though she did not know how much longer she would be able to last, given the state she was in.

Taurus: Avery merely shrugged as she suggested he not test her. She was more threatening when she was resisting his spells and casting her own then when she actually spoke. "Don't test me," he responded, words drawn out as he watched her blood fall onto his body, becoming unfocused wanted to reach for it, feel if it was still warm or if his chest was just that way. The distraction was enough to have him lose his wander, hearing it clatter down away from him. "Bitch," he growled but she was off him before he could reach out for her, still on the ground as she kicked his stomach. This time he did moan rather than chuckle. Still he reached out to grab her ankle, pulling it and hoping to trip her up long enough to grab he wand so he could knock her out..

Marlene: A light laugh managed to force its way out of her as she moved to rest her hands on her knees, attempting to catch her breath. Her body was still shaking, but she fought against the anguish wracking through it, focusing only on her duty as both a witch and a member of the Order of the Phoenix, refusing to let herself crumble or fail. "Coward," she chuckled out in reply to his insult, shaking her head before feeling herself suddenly fall to the ground as Avery grabbed her ankle, her eyes widening as her cheek hit the gravel with a thud. Quickly, though not as quickly as she should have, Marlene flipped onto her back, her muscles aching as she rose her wand, a crazed mix between a grin and a grimace plastered across her features. Mumbling an offensive hex under her breath, she jerked her wand to the side, watching as the action sliced through the skin of the Death Eater's chest, satisfaction gleaming within her blue eyes at the sight of blood dripping down from the wound.

Taurus: Avery started to get up, on his knees when he felt the cut but it didn't hurt as much as people imagined cuts would, if it had been slow maybe but it was quick and direct, blood instantly begining to fall. He reached down with one hand, index finger running along the scar, coating it in blood. The action, he hoped distracting enough that she wouldn't notice his other hand reaching for his wand. Once it was in his hand he quickly raised it, pointing at her neck wound. "Defodo," he smirked, the spell commonly used for other purposes had her neck wound start to deepen as if being slowly eaten away. "I'll stop when you beg," he smirked, finally licking the blood of the end of his finger.

Marlene: A loud scream ripped its way through Marlene's throat as she felt the pain in her neck grow, the wound engorging by the second. Blood poured down onto her sweater as she cried out again, her eyes involuntarily welling up with tears from the agony of it all. Glancing up at Avery, she swallowed her yells and felt her eyes narrow at the thought of her begging him for anything, and a small mix between a grimace and a smirk began to twitch on her chapped lips. "Good fucking luck with that," she hissed, before pointing her own wand at her neck, quietly whispering a moderate healing charm that countered his hex, yet did hardly anything to heal the chunk that was already missing.

Taurus: Avery flicked his wand upward, becoming bored with her games. He had sought her out to play with her and she was no longer fun, the way she kept fighting back was irritating at best. So rather than respond to her games, he let it fall again as his wrist went limp, pointing the 14 inch piece of wood at her and muttering "stupefy."

Marlene: And just as she rose her wand to hex the wizard in front of her, his voice rang out and all she saw was blackness as she collapsed, the pain finally winning out when the knock-out spell hit her battered flesh.

Taurus: "Finally," he muttered. Now the ambient sounds were clear. He could hear the screams of others, the flames flickering and the shouts of various spells being cast. Even with the beautiful background sound he was unable to be happy, her body would have to be moved and she was surely heavy, god for someone on the Quidditch team she sure looked fat to him. Did girls think that was attractive? Stepping closer, his steps louder than all the sound behind him, he finally was beside her. Head turning from left to right he looked at her body, face scrunching up. Crouching back down he continued to stare. She had nice lips, like his own but her face was much too fat. She should have taken his advice when it came to her looks. Without really thinking Avery placed down his want and reached out, cupping on of her breasts that easily fit in his hand. No bra? God, what was wrong with the woman. Still he squeezed. Nothing. Even with the apparent cold weather displayed by aspects of her he couldn't find her remotely appealing in a sexual fashion. "Well," he sighed, standing, stalking down to the end of her body and picking up her ankles, dragging her along, blood staining her hair and the cobble stones as he did so. He barely even registered what store he was walking towards until he had kicked it open. A tiny cafe, he'd been too it before. Terrible service if there ever was any. "So heavy," he complained, dropping her ankles and finding a few chairs, setting everything out very thematic, two chairs in the centre, staring at each other, while the rest were all at least two metres away, lingering in the darkness. "Mobilicorpus," he muttered, refusing to take her whole weight on his own he pointed his wand until she was seated in the chair. "Impedimenta," he said to bind Marlene to her chair. He knew it would wear off but by that stage he would be gone and over the whole situation. Leaving her there he walked outside, picked up his ruined clothing, quickly casting a spell to restore it all, it would never be the same though and her wand. "Ew," he muttered, holding it loosely with his thumb and index finger. He dropped it on the table behind Marlene, sure she could reach but he doubted she'd even notice it was there. He redressed quickly, finally taking a seat opposite her, waiting for her to wake up. Legs even crossed casually but wand at the ready.

Marlene: She had begun regaining consciousness before her eyes managed to pry their way open. Marlene was half-awake as she felt her body being dragged across the ground, felt her face getting scratched and her hair catching against the gravel, yet she could not fight back; this must have been what hell felt like, she figured in her daze, thinking that there must be no worse feeling than being powerless. She continued to fade in and out of consciousness for the next few minutes, her body still throbbing with pain and discomfort, until finally, there was blackness again. Minutes later, she felt her eyes finally open, and she found herself bound to a chair with Taurus Avery sitting cross-legged across from her. She was still seeing spots, her body quivering as she struggled against the bounds, whipping her head around to survey the surrounding area. Her wand lay on the table not too far away from her, yet she figured there was no use in grabbing it yet—not until the spell wore off, at least. Turning back to Avery, she shot him a miserable glare, her nostril curling in distaste for the Death Eater. "What? Haven't grown tired of me yet?" she sneered, spitting at the ground by his feet, her neck still bleeding profusely, along with other parts of her body as well.

Taurus: "I grew tired of you fighting back," he smirked, watching as she tried to assert some kind of dominance that to him she did not have at the moment. "So you're going to sit there while I have my fun with you," he announced, standing from his hair in one fluid movement, as if it had been rehearsed. Stepping forward he ran his long fingers through her hair, bending at his hipster to stare into her eyes. The hand holding his wand sat behind his back. "You hair, it's always been so annoying...," he commented with a heavy exhale. "How about we remove it?" he grinned, instantly standing perfectly straight again one hand still against her head, wand pointed at her hair. "Calvorio," he grinned, the spell taking effect moment after he ripped out some from the side of his own accord. Dropping it to the ground with a disgusted face. "I'm sure it'll grow back."

Marlene: Marlene growled, her eyes growing dark with dangerous intent as he walked towards her, her body tensing as she felt his hands against her head. A loud grunt escaped her lips as he yanked out a chunk of her hair, and the Gryffindor felt her entire body tense with rage as the bonds holding her back began to loosen—though she did not show it. Slowly craning her head in his direction, she eyed him dangerously for a moment, vicious intent dancing in the form of shadows upon her features, before she suddenly lurched forward and brought her teeth upon his hand, crunching down hard. Tasting his blood against her tongue, she threw her arm backward and grabbed ahold of her wand, still trapped sitting by his spells as she continued to bite through the flesh, before pointing the wand at the Death Eater. Her every action was filled with animalistic nature, and the lioness within her had seized control of her movements. "Expelliarmus," she sneered, watching as his wand clattered against the ground, before she grabbed ahold of his shirt with her teeth and yanked him down so that his face was not too far from hers, her wand pressed intently between his eyes. "If you learn anything today, Avery, learn this... You can't fucking beat Marlene McKinnon," she seethed, blood dripping down from her lips as she felt the urge to kill him again, her body shaking with rejection of the agony surging through it. "Stupefy!"