walk straight through hell with a smile

freyarosier​:

She sighed.  She wasn’t sure how Will had managed to invite himself as she stopped by to drop something off for her sister, but he was grabbing her arm to side-along before she fully comprehended what she had agreed to.

Hopefully the house was empty, and she could just drop the envelop off with a house elf before being on her way, because there wasn’t a single person there who would be happy to see that she had brought Will along with her.  And truthfully, she didn’t blame him.  He was quite the asshole, but she found it amusing, often times endearing, so she kept him around.

“Don’t touch anything,” she swatted at his hand, laughing.  “That vase is worth like a million galleons.  Come on, I don’t see an elf, so I’m just going to drop this off in the study where I know she’ll see it.”

@bellatrixblackx​

-

It was always an annoyance to find herself at the family home, but today was a rare occasion where the house was quiet and she could sit in the parlor with her feet on a chair while she read and no one fussed at her about manners or propriety. The elves were busy preparing dinner and she believed her mother to be among them making sure things were perfect. Bellatrix assumed that meant they had guests coming but that usually also meant Druella would be fluttering at her head insisting she make herself presentable. 

When she heard the door open, she barely glanced up. Whatever her mother thought was presentable, she knew she was still within reason of expectation. Druella often sighed and pleaded for Bellatrix to accept some color into her wardrobe but the black slip dress and heels was plenty formal enough for a dinner and she didn’t plan on changing unless the muggle queen herself came in and even then chances would be slim. At Freya’s laugh, she did look up fully, her book closing with a snap as she got to her feet, leaving it on her chair. 

Walking to the doorway, she watched as Freya slapped - oh for fuck’s sake. Whatever reasoning she had for bringing William along, Bellatrix hoped it was very good. She leaned against the doorway and said, “She’s busy preparing for guests,” Looking William up and down with an unimpressed expression she added, “I pray for your sake it isn’t you.”

@will-mvlciber​

As much as Freya could be a pain in his ass, he hadn’t found her as irritating as normal after their bonding activity.  Bored out of his mind once again, he decided to accompany her to do her errands.  Errands may have been mindless, but having a bit of company would be better than being bored on his own.  “It isn’t worth a million galleons, don’t be dramatic”, William rolled his eyes, stretching out his fingers after they were swatted.  “And I wasn’t touching it.  What exactly are you dropping off, again?”  Why she couldn’t have simply sent it by owl was beyond him.

Smirking as soon as he registered Bellatrix in the doorway, his demeanor visibly changed and he straightened up, running a hand through his hair.  Taking a brief moment to wonder which guests would be arriving, he pushed the thought away so he could continue leering.  “Bellatrix, you’re looking lovely as ever.”

Status: Open Location: London Street, Vaguely near St. Mungos  @darkestdawnstarters​

Before Daisy had even left the hospital she’d made up her mind to walk the distance home. Sure, she could use many measures that’d make the journey quicker, but after the eventful day, she felt she could use the time to decompress from it all. However, she hadn’t intended the sun to be well into the setting by the time of her exit. Daisy had offered to stay late and help with the unexpected busyness, after all, she could always use some extra hours of training, but she’d not expected the amount of time she’d stayed over her shift.

Her body ached, though that had become a common thing in her life, as she’s become slightly more physical than she’d been in a while. Daisy glanced at her surroundings, briefly accessing them before deciding to stop and stretch. It seemed there was hardly anyone out and so stopping to stretch before continuing her walk felt like a harmless choice. She closed her eyes, taking in a breath before slowly rolling her shoulders to start the small stretching routine. Daisy had extended her arms slightly to help as she twisted her body, but just as she was halfway through she sensed something. Her eyes flicked open just in time to see a figure and a small exclamation of surprise slipped from her lips.

*

William was on his way home from the Auror office, feeling a lot better than he had in weeks.  Sure, he’d been unable to extract certain information he’d been looking for, but he had managed to deal with one of the code fives for good, and that knowledge was enough to put him in a good mood.  It may not have been sanctioned code five hunting, but blowing off a little steam had been just what he had needed.  Their leadership seemed nowhere to be found as of late, which, quite frankly, was fine by him.

It didn’t take him long to spot a familiar figure walking home, and he smirked to himself.  Daisy Hookum, he remembered her from their school days.  She’d never been a main target of his, but he was hardly one to pass up the opportunity for a little fun.  It did, however, throw him off that she decided to stop and stretch in the middle of the street, and he decided that he’d take advantage of her stopping to duck through an empty alley way and block her path.

William smiled as Daisy’s eyes flew open just in time for him to slide into her view.  He knew who she was, and further, he knew that she knew exactly who he was, but he was playing a game.

“What is a pretty girl like you doing out alone at this hour?”

Status: Closed | @will-mvlciber​ Location: Pub, Wizarding London

Rita was well aware of what was expected of her at her job. Both from her editor and even the government at large. Not that she had an issue with it, of course. She knew that it was up to The Daily Prophet to make the new government look like a beacon of peace. The end of the war and back to a new normal. For Rita, it was a time of peace. Her code status granted her a bit of protection and freedom. No one really wanted a code two dead, let alone one that was not directly involved with the Death Eaters. 

 It was not a surprise that she focused on writing about some of the members of the new government. Everyone from foreign diplomats to the new aurors. But, when her editor demanded a profile on one of the younger aurors, Rita couldn’t help but to be a little…wary. Of course, she had heard talks of all the Death Eaters throughout Hogwarts. Even those older than her like the Carrow twins and Bellatrix Black. However, William Mulciber was just a year older than her and it was hard to not hear the rumors about him. No remorse in his bones and a cruelty that came almost naturally to him. 

Rita heard about what he did to Mary Macdonald. Who hadn’t? 

And while she tried not to think about her blood status too frequently, she couldn’t help but to wonder if someone like William would even want to talk to her. If he even knew her blood status, that is. 

Of course, she had been worried about nothing. William replied to her owl almost immediately. Within the same day, which was surprising considering how many owls she had to send to get some people to talk to her. In fact, he seemed almost excited about the prospect of being written about. Something she knew other Death Eaters would not be. 

The pub she had picked was mid-tier, nothing too nice, but certainly not a dive pub. She had pulled her hair back into a ponytail, watching her parchment as she muttered to herself and her pen quickly wrote down what she said. Her vodka soda’s condensation started to drip onto her dress and she quickly mouthed a spell to wipe it away. She needed to look completely put together. Though she doubted a man would judge her as much as someone like Alecto Carrow would. 

When she saw him approach, she stood up with a smile, reaching her hand out to him. “Rita Skeeter,” she said, introducing herself. “Pleasure to meet you, William.”

*

When William received an owl in regards to a profile on him for the Prophet, he wasn’t surprised in the slightest.  Of course they would want to do a story about him, and quite honestly, he was surprised that he hadn’t been asked for such a thing earlier.  It wasn’t difficult to pander to his already inflated ego and sense of self, and he’d written back immediately to let the writer know that he was willing to do whatever they needed for the piece.

He’d read pieces written by Rita Skeeter before, and even would have admitted that she knew her way around the written word.  What he hadn’t expected was for her to be so beautiful - the bookish ones never were - and he couldn’t help the smarmy grin that his lips pulled up into as she stood up and introduced herself.  “The pleasure is all mine, Miss Skeeter”, he took hold of her hand and give it a gentle shake.  Nothing too hard, he wouldn’t have wanted to hurt her delicate hand.

William may have been surprised at her choice of location, but figured that she’d wanted something out of the way, so that they could converse in private without being overheard.  She was getting an exclusive, after all.  When she looked down to her parchment, he let his eyes roam over her body, taking her in.  He could enjoy himself in more ways than one.

After giving Rita the once over, he ordered a drink for himself, even though he didn’t ever consume alcohol, just to keep up appearances, and then turned his attention back to her with the same smarmy smile.  “So, I’d love a little more information about this profile before we get into the questions.”

status: closed @will-mvlciber

location: an alley in london 

-

It was a nice night for London, all things considered. The smog wasn’t so bad and the sky was clear though she couldn’t see the stars when she looked up. The moon and the dim street lamps did plenty to light her way as she took the long route home, opting to walk rather than apparate on a whim. 

When she first walked past the alley, she only spared it the usual glance just to make sure no one was lurking. She thought maybe there was a bag set beside the dumpster-rather lazy of whoever had done it-and kept walking, but a few steps by and Bellatrix blinked, shook her head, and backed up to look back down the alley, letting her eyes adjust and confirm what she had seen. 

William was sitting beside the dumpster, trussed up and set against the wall. For a moment, Bellatrix stood there, weighing her options of how straight a face she would be able to maintain when he eventually was found and released to conceal that she had been the one to find him first and had left him. Odds weren’t good, this was too hilarious. She turned into the alley and approached him at a leisurely pace, only beginning to feel some bit of worry when she noticed he was unconscious. 

Bellatrix squatted in front of him a moment, examining the blood on his head and taking a moment to locate the wound amidst his hair. Taking her wand and leveling it at his head she did a few healing spells that would take care of most of it, she’d paid attention when she’d needed her own concussion sorted after Mikhail found her under some bricks. She would still need to check him for signs of the concussion to be sure it worked, and for that she needed him awake. 

“William,” She patted his cheek, settling to kneel in front of him to have a better vantage point, “Wake up.” When the gentle work wasn’t doing it, she slapped him harder, satisfied when he produced a groan, “Now, aren’t you supposed to be inside the dumpster, not on the ground?”

William startled awake when someone patted his cheek, and he tried to reach out and swing at them, but his arms were tied to his sides.  “Fuck”, he swore loudly, wriggling around as the full realization of the position he was in hit him with full force.  Scowling as he then realized that it was Bellatrix who had found him like this, because of course it was, he sighed.  “You’re hilarious.  Now untie me.”

Who would have thought that a simple interaction with a plain looking Muggle would have caused him so much grief.  It didn’t quite seem fair that he couldn’t find Mary even though he was devoting almost all of his waking time to finding her, yet she seemed to run into him whenever it was most inconvenient for him.

His heart sank when he realized that his wand was sitting, broken into pieces in his lap.  “That stupid fucking bitch”, he growled.  How was he supposed to manage anything without his wand?  The things they had done together were staggering, how was he supposed to get a new wand and have it perform exactly like this one had?  It wasn’t as though it could be fixed and still work as well as an unbroken one.

Status: Closed for @will-mvlciber​ Location: The Department of Magical Law Enforcement, The Ministry of Magic.

Bellatrix was nowhere to be found in the office and Antonin didn’t blame her. He wanted to strangle her however. She’d obviously redelegated herself conveniently off of the case in his hands and put Antonin on instead. He looked from his name to the name beside his then glanced up into the face of William Mulciber. He didn’t care that the little shit was an auror, that it was technically his case, he certainly wasn’t going to roll over and play along.

“Let’s get this over with, shall we? Just bloody keep your mouth shut. We go in, make the arrest, come out clean, okay?” 

*

Even if he never would admit it to himself, William’s desire to mess with Antonin Dolohov came from a place of wanting his acceptance.  It was seemingly never going to happen, though, so terrorizing him every chance that he got was William’s go to.  Thrilled when he realized that he was going to be working with Dolohov, even though he always would have preferred to work with Bellatrix, he couldn’t help but smirk at the terse directions snapped at him. “Whatever you say, boss.  Don’t tell me you’ve lost your touch?”  The goad wasn’t exactly called for, but really, when had Dolohov lost his sense of humour?  And really, how could he be expected not to have a little fun with someone who was under arrest?

Gesturing mockingly, William said, “After you.”

freyarosier​:

She glanced at her fire, hesitating for only a second before lifting the shield.  It wouldn’t spread too quickly, and she just needed a second.  Perhaps a softer touch would get them something.  She didn’t mind if it didn’t, this wasn’t her job anymore – she had already run into Lily Potter, she was sure that the lot of the Code 5s would get themselves caught before too long.  It didn’t have to be today.

Slowly she walked past will and sat next to Fabian’s head.  She brought a gentle hand down to stroke his hair.  “Tell him something,” she said softly.  “I’ve worked with him a long time now, and he won’t stop until you do.  It’s not worth dying over, yeah? There are so many more important things still for you to fight for. Give him something and I’ll untie you when he’s not looking.” Her voice was quiet enough that she didn’t think Will would hear it, but she didn’t mind if he did . They had worked together long enough that he knew how she operated.  “Give you a chance to get out of here and live another day.  You can warn your friends that they’re getting closer, protect them like I know you want to.”  She took her wand and pressed it to his throat, clearing his airway a bit, helping him breath.  “You don’t have to tell us much, just give him something small and we’ll go.  And hopefully you can escape.  I hope you make it.”  She chanced a glance at her fire, sending a gust of air toward the smoke, clearing it away from them.  

@fprewettx​

-

Fabian tried to jerk his head away from her, though he didn’t get very far he could at least make his feelings known. He was breathing hard after the kick to his ribs and it hurt even more as he strained against the ropes. No amount of soft speaking and touches would change the position he was in and it certainly wouldn’t gain his trust. 

He shot her an incredulous look. He could run to warn his friends and lead them right to their hiding spot, more like. Maybe he had been stupid enough to fall for her ‘trapped in a fire’ act but he wasn’t eager to fall for another trick.  Like hell he’d be giving up Mary or any of the others. They could torture him until his lungs stopped functioning under whatever curse this was. The war had given Fabian plenty of pain, grief, and dread, but it had also given him spite and if that was what he needed to get through another bought of torture, he’d sink his teeth into it and continue to waste their time. 

“I’ll tell you something,” He told Mulciber, voice raspy, he waited until the other man was close enough to hear his words, as speaking hurt and he didn’t want to waste it if this did end up killing him, “Fuck. Off.”

@will-mvlciber​

TW: Violence

William nodded seriously as Fabian told him where he could go.  Neither he or Freya were able to extract the information, but they’d both tried.  Anything further would simply be a waste of time.  So be it, then.  He’d expected to leave this encounter feeling worse off than he started with, but in truth it had been nice to flex some of the muscles he really hadn’t been able to use in a long while.  Feeling lightened, he aimed another kick at Prewett’s ribs, and then nodded to Freya.   “Clearly it’s a lost cause, let’s go.”  Maybe he’d even throw her a bone, that would be a nice end to a good day.

As an afterthought, he learned forwards and stepped on Fabian’s cheek, applying more and more pressure until he finally let up.  No matter, he’d find MacDonald one way or another.

freyarosier:

As much as she’d have liked to have joined in, Will seemed perfectly capable of handling this on his own.  She watched, intrigued, as he tried a spell that she had never heard of before.  “You’ll have to teach me that one some other time,” she called lightly, from her spot by the fire.  She had put a shield over the top of it, containing it for now, until they were ready to let it spread.

Still, she was fairly certain this wouldn’t work.  While her days doing work such as this were largely and tragically behind her, she remembered well enough her encounters with the Order.  Never with Fabian Prewett, but with enough like him.  But if it let her friend blow off a little steam who was she to stop him.   “Are you wanting to kill him or to bring him in alive?  Just, you know, out of curiosity.”  She had always liked when Will got like this.  Even back in their school days, those times in the woods when he was creative.  That was where he really shone.  Now he was far to likely to resort to a simple and boring crucio.  She didn’t much care about MacDonald, not in the way Will seemed to.  It had her wondering if she was somehow involved in his bad mood, but she wouldn’t ask now, as he seemed to be turning a corner.  “Let me know when you’re ready for me to send the rest of the building up.  Keeping in mind we’ll have to walk out.”

@fprewettx

-

He wasn’t sure what he had been expected but it wasn’t that. His head smacked into the ground as the sensation of drowning swarmed him, blurring his vision and tightening his throat. Fabian couldn’t even clutch at his throat as was his first instinct with his arms tight to his sides. He only had a moment to get a choking gasp out before it was happening again, all attempts to breathe just seemed to bring in more water and he felt cold all over despite the fire he was sure was still nearby. 

When at last it stopped the second time, Fabian tried to catch his breath, coughing violently as in place of the water his lungs were greeted with the smoky air. Beside him, they were talking but he couldn’t focus quite on what they were saying, closing his eyes for a moment to try and regain himself. 

Turning his head a bit to look at Mulciber again, pretending to consider the bargain of his freedom for selling Mary out to this lunatic long enough to gather what little saliva he had left in his mouth. He spit it in Mulciber’s face, resting his head back against the floor, “Rot,” Fabian answered resolutely. 

@will-mvlciber

TW: Violence, TW: Asphyxiation 

William winked at Freya, “I don’t think we should kill him yet.”  That may have been incredibly satisfying after their last skirmish, but it felt needless at this point, even he could see that.  Being spat on was not entirely unsurprising, but not how he had planned on spending his day.  He felt the wave of anger flare up again as he wiped his face with his hand, but kept it in control.  He felt a lot bolder and more secure with the backup, with having Freya there with him, and knew that there wasn’t a lot that Prewett could do to turn the situation in his favour.  Perhaps he’d learn.  Standing, he placed a carefully aimed kick towards Fabian’s stomach, flicking his wand to cast the curse once more.  “Again, then.”

Surely between the winding kick and the curse, Prewett would be losing so much oxygen to his brain that he’d give them something.  Lifting the curse and stepping back a little further, he turned his attention back to Freya.  “I suppose if he’s not going to give us anything, we can just leave him here to burn.  Uselessness only gets you so far, yeah?”  It might not have been the most imaginative death, but at least it would be effective.  That’s what he got for being so careless with his life - they probably would have spared him if he’d been willing to give them a little information.  “Do you want to attempt an Imperius, or are you getting impatient with your fire?”

Turning his question back to Fabian, he supposed he could try one last time, “We’ll give you one last chance.  Where is Mary MacDonald?”

freyarosier​:

Her lips twitched as Will spoke of rewards.  She was sure that what he truly wanted was to get in Bella’s good graces.  He could have that bit of glory if he wanted, she supposed.  “He is,” she confirmed, standing back a bit.  If Will needed to get a bit of whatever it was that had him wound so tightly far be it from her to stop him.  “That’s true enough.  It was a quite flattering photograph they used of him too.  No missing that face.”

It took a lot for her not to roll her eyes as he brought up the MacDonald girl again.  “Perhaps he does know,” she mused, tapping a finger to her chin.  “He may.  And if he doesn’t want to talk the Imperius Curse should make it easy enough to follow him.  If that’s what you’re after.”  If he really wanted to catch MacDonald that was likely his best bet.  The Gryffindor types were too noble for their own good.  She doubted a dose of pain would loosen his lips, but it would be fun to try.  “Go for it, if you’d like.  I’ll go make sure the entrance is blocked just in case someone inconvenient saw our smoke.”

@fprewettx​

-

Fabian kept his focus on Mulciber, though he did shoot a bit of a bewildered glance as the blonde woman commented on his wanted poster, eyebrows furrowed close together at her choice in topic. She seemed content to take a step back and leave Fabian to just one pair of sadistic hands, however. He didn’t trust it, most Death Eaters he knew were eager to get their hands bloody. 

He didn’t know whether he should be impressed or worried that at least one of them had a brain in their thick skull. He’d been dealt so many throws of the cruciatus curse he at least knew what to expect. The imperius was another monster in its own right and though he knew he wouldn’t give up Mary under torture, he didn’t like the odds of him trying to resist that kind of curse. 

“Go on,” He told Mulciber, honestly a little annoyed this was all happening right now, “Try your hardest.”

@will-mvlciber

TW: Torture, TW: Asphyxiation 

William nodded lightly.  That was definitely a consideration, and perhaps he’d let Freya do the honours later, but he had other plans in mind for now.  He could rise to the challenge set by the other man, and though he felt the lava like anger swirling, he was determined not to walk away empty handed this time.  He’d been inspired by Freya and her patience.  Surely they both expected him to use the Cruciatus curse, but quite honestly, he’d been growing bored of it.  It wouldn’t be difficult to catch Fabian by surprise.

Flicking his wand as he muttered the curse under his breath, he’d decided to try out something new.  It was the first time he’d truly practiced it, but he decided that the curse not precisely done might even be more effective in eliciting the information he was looking for.  The curse was meant to give the illusion of drowning, and William held his wand still for a moment before letting up, giving Fabian a moment to catch his breath before he flicked his wand, casting the spell again.

After he let the spell up for a second time, he sneered, “That’s hardly my best, but it’s a start.  I’m assuming you’re still too proud to talk, but I suppose I’ll give you a chance.  Maybe we’ll even let you go if you tell us where to find MacDonald.”  They truly had nowhere to be - the only problem they could run into was the fire that Freya had started, but he trusted her to keep on top of it.

freyarosier:

Will must really be angry.  As much as she had hoped he’d stay back, she hadn’t expected him to actually listen.  She crouched down behind the wood beam, in a proper position to spring up, but down low enough that he wouldn’t be able to see that she actually wasn’t trapped.  She waited there patiently, knowing that he would come.  

“No,” she said breathlessly, her voice rasping from the smoke exposure.  She needed him to come a bit closer.  “I s-saw all the smoke, and I wanted to make sure no one was inside, but –” as soon as he was close enough she cut herself off, and in a fluid motion she reached for his arm, pulling down hard while he was off-kilter.  She used her whole body weight to simultaneously pull him down and lift herself off the ground.  Before he could react she pointed her wand in his direction, sending thick ropes around his arms at the elbows, ensuring he couldn’t curse her before she could get his wand.  “Expelliarmus,” she muttered, not bothering with a nonverbal spell, catching his wand as it flew in her direction.

“You see how efficient things can be if you don’t stop in like a brute?”  She called in Will’s direction, tossing Fabian’s wand into the middle of the warehouse before waving her own, sending the smoke out the window.  “You didn’t explain what exactly it was you were wanting to do with him.”

@fprewettx

-

Shock tore through him at the sudden shift in situations, almost enough to numb him to the sensation of falling face first into the warehouse floor, unable to stop himself with his hands to lessen it. Fabian listened in stunned silence as his wand was taken from him, tossed out of reach carelessly in front of him as he turned his head to try and see who the woman was talking to. 

His surprise took a sharp turn to exasperation and anger as the smoke cleared up and he saw Mulciber lurking in the doorway, looking equally as furious. “For fucks sake,” He said aloud, not entirely meaning to. 

@will-mvlciber​

Continuing to watch as Freya made quick work of disarming her opponent, William felt his hand twitch towards his wand.  Soon enough.  He didn’t really appreciate being chastised like a child, and made a mental note to discuss with Freya later things to not say in front of a captive.  Pushing himself away from the door as some of the smoke was cleared out of the building, he kept his eyes, bright and burning, on Fabian even though he was speaking to Freya.  “He’s a wanted man, is he not?  Think of how rewarded we’d be if we were the ones to turn him in.”  

Crouching down, another thought came to him - why not accomplish two things at once?  “While we have him here, we could see if he’ll give up MacDonald.  The two of us have some unfinished business.”  Eyes still focused on Fabian, William tilted his head.  “But I think he’ll need some convincing to talk.”

freyarosier​:

She stood in the corner, listening carefully as Fabian moved through the warehouse.  She couldn’t see him, but she could hear him well enough.  There were two clear options here, and she knew which Will would choose – but that, often enough, was a good indication that she should choose the other.  Silently she gestured for him to move away from her and wait a second.

The room was smoky, but she was well-versed in situations like this.  It would be easy to clear the room once they had him.  Jabbing her wand at a piece of wood that looked like it was about to fall anyway, she severed the last remaining joist and let it crash to the ground.  As soon as it hit loudly she let out a piercing scream, giving Will a warning look to stay out of the way as she hovered close to the ground.  “Is someone –” she coughed, her voice having a nice rasp to it.  She was breathing the smoke too.  “is someone out there?  I t-think I’m stuck.”  It wasn’t hard to manipulate men.  They liked to be strong, to protect.  Most did anyway, and she was sure that Fabian fell squarely into that category.  Give them the opportunity to save the damsel in distress and they were eating out of the palm of your hand.  Adjusting the hood to make sure it was covering her blonde hair she called out again.  “Please!”  Her wand was in her hand, tucked far enough up her sleeve that he wouldn’t notice it at first.  The second she saw him saw him she was prepared to act.

@fprewettx​

-

He’d been prepared to just scare off the kids and put out the fire. Fabian was certain he could have crafted some sort of doorway in another part of the place. As part of the already crumbling building came down, however, he cursed and then the scream sent a shudder through his body and he cursed more, picking his way through the smoke and tucking his wand away so he wouldn’t give himself away. Just a helpful bystander who had happened by. 

Fabian found the girl closer to the entrance, glancing at the wood that had fallen and then at her to try and find injury, “Are you okay?” He asked, eyes beginning to stream a bit from the smoke, “You need to get out of here before it gets worse,” Fabian reached out a helping hand, offering to lead her out the way she had come, hoping the fire hadn’t blocked it. 

@will-mvlciber​

Despite the continued admiration he was feeling for Freya, even though he always knew how intelligent she was, William couldn’t help but roll his eyes at her dramatics.  Knowing her, she was enjoying this all a little too much.  Her warning look to stay out of things had his anger flaring, but she soon became obscured by the smoke and he decided that he could listen for the time being.  He could only hear what was happening, and was doing his best not to cough and make noise as his eyes and nose watered.

He rolled his eyes even harder when Prewett fell for the act, though that wasn’t shocking.  The opposition certainly had a knack for being morally superior, it was pathetic.  For once, he decided to follow Freya’s lead, she obviously had some sort of master plan, and William swallowed down the urge to pounce.  Instead, he arranged himself so that he was silently standing in front of the exit, blocking Prewett’s only chance at making it out in one piece.

It was Anushka’s turn to raise her eyebrows, swinging around a bit to look at Will. There was something in his smile that reminded her to be cautious, but truly if he was a friend of Antonin’s what harm could he really be? “Oh that’s wonderful, has he been doing well here?” She loved to hear other people’s perspective on her brother, they always said the silliest things no matter who she asked. 

They were getting close to the apartment and Anushka began digging around her purse for her wand to use the spell she’d been taught to unlock the door. Anushka positioned herself so even if Will tried to see what she was doing around all her shopping bags, her back would be in the way, height advantage or not. She whispered their password and pressed her palm against the door and then the tip of her wand, satisfied when she heard something click and then the sounds of two large dogs barreling down the hall to get to them. “Oh they’re coming to say hello, please be careful.”

*

That was an interesting question if he’d ever heard one.  “He’s been great.”  It may have been one of William’s goals in life to mess around with Dolohov as much as he could, but really, how bad could he have been while he was on the winning side of a war?  Curiosity took over as he couldn’t help but wonder why Anushka had been left in the dark, but he knew better than to ask just yet.

Letting out a surprised gasp as the dogs scrambled towards them, William winced.  Dogs never seemed to like him much, which was fine with him because he’d never cared for dogs.  The stupid mutts growled and bared their teeth at him, and he sighed.  So much for anticipating an invitation in.  Setting the bags down just outside of the doorstep, he did his best to arrange his face in a smile, despite the annoyance he was feeling on the inside.  “Well Miss Anushka, I’m happy to have been your escort safely home.  Anytime you need someone to carry your shopping bags, you just let me know.”

freyarosier​:

Will was always unhinged, but there was something especially off about him today.  She wasn’t sure what it was, but if she were the sort to bet she might guess it had something to do with the shiny new wand in his hand.   “You good?”  She asked him quietly as they approached a similar warehouse to the one they had burned down last week.  “I know that you said you thought a code 5 was hiding here – did they tell you which?”

Stopping him before he went inside she waved her wand, setting up an anti-apparation perimeter around the building.  It also would stop the two of them from leaving, but from what she’d seen of these code 5s it seemed to be the safest course of action.  “Just – hang back for a second, okay?  Let me check it out first.”  She pulled the hood up over her head to disguise her identity.  Some of them would recognize her more quickly than others.  She flicked her wand at a pile of dried wood near the door, waiting until there was plenty of smoke moving into the warehouse before stepping in further. 

“Hello?”  She called, easily adjusting her voice to sound frightened.  “I was walking by and saw a lot of smoke!  Does anyone need help?”

@fprewettx

When Fabian first heard the noise of people approaching, he didn’t pay it much mind. He’d set up a few wards to mask noise on the inside and keep any too adventurous teens from finding the place and while he stiffened he simply made himself breathe and sit down, determined to just wait it out. 

That was, until smoke began drifting down the hall. His head snapped up at the familiar smell and the sound of a woman calling through it. Sometimes Fabian would light fires to keep warm on chilly nights but he knew for a fact he hadn’t set one tonight and never in that room, as it blocked the entrance. 

Carefully, Fabian stood, continuing to be as quiet as possible. If he had to use magic to scare off some wannabe arsonists, it was a sacrifice he was willing to make. The ministry was already after him, anyway. Squinting against the smoke, he crept toward the door, confused as he didn’t see the shape of anyone around. 

“Come on, get out of here,” He whispered, taking his wand and using it to clear away some of the smoke so he could actually see. 

“I’m good”, William spat out through gritted teeth.  He’d be a whole lot better if he could actually do his job properly, but surely with Freya’s help, today would be the day.  He watched her work, unwilling to ever admit it, but impressed nonetheless by her foresight.  “Fabian Prewett, supposedly.  We didn’t have much luck last time so I’m not getting my hopes up.”  That was a lie, but there was no reason for her to know that.  Clutching his wand in his hand even he was fully prepared to toss it aside and let himself get physical, he watch Freya disappear into the building.

Part of him was a little annoyed she’d told him to stand back, but he waited patiently anyway.  Smoke started drifting outside of the building, and he rolled his eyes at the resorting to fire so early on, even though it was also a smart move.  Smoke anyone in the building out, but make it so that they couldn’t leave.  Perhaps her talents were wasted in the obliviating department.

Finally at the end of his patience, he followed Freya into the building, doing his best not to cough on the smoke, but more determined than ever to be part of the action.  Raising his eyebrows at her to communicate that there didn’t seem to be anyone there, he at least had the foresight to avoid speaking, as on the off chance that Prewett was there, he would recognize his voice.  Finally, William waved his wand in the air, silently asking for direction.  It wasn’t often that he would let a woman take the lead on something, but she’d surprised him so far.

As much as he tried to keep himself collected, there was always a little pool of rage churning inside of William Mulciber.  However, due to the recent events of getting his ass absolutely handed to him by a 21 year old little girl on the run was enough for the pool to turn into a fiery flow of lava.  He was angry, so much so it was almost incomprehensible, and the only way he knew how to deal with his anger was to take it out on others.  If he couldn’t be happy, then neither could anyone else.  When he got a tip off as to a Prewett sighting, he decided that taking it out on yet another person who had bested him would help.  

It certainly wouldn’t have been as good as doing unspeakably painful things to MacDonald, but for now it would have to do.

After thinking about going on his own, William eventually decided that he would take Freya along.  Prewett had gotten away from him once, but surely he wouldn’t be able to best the two of them.  There was no world in which William would tell Freya what had transpired between him and MacDonald, but she knew him well enough to know that something insidious was bubbling under the surface.  Besides, he might not have trusted anyone fully, but he knew that the two of them made a good team, and she’d be able to keep his rage in check with her own levelheadedness.

Tracking her down and cornering her, he barely had time to spit out what the basic plan was before he was apparating them outside of the building where Prewett was apparently hiding out.  He’d gotten a new wand after MacDonald had snapped his, but it felt foreign and unfamiliar, and every time he cast a spell, his rage deepened.

“Does it get easier to find things? I feel like I am always in a circle, my dogs know the place better than I do,” Anushka led the way cheerfully up the street, taking a turn off the main road to the one route she was familiar with: the way to Antonin’s flat. “Oh, I am just visiting, for my brother. He’s lived here since your war,” Not wanting to make assumptions as it was a big city, but she knew her brother was powerful and confident and maybe this young man happened to be friends with him. 

“Does the name Antonin Dolohov sound right-ah familiar?” 

*

William raised his eyebrows, uncertain if he found her questions to be endearing or if he found her to be a little dense.  She was very pretty, but perhaps he’d like her better if she weren’t talking.  “It gets easier.  You’ll come to find that things are quite small when it comes down to it.”  He wondered, for a brief moment, how many dogs she had, but he thought better than to ask.  Whatever name he expected her to rattle off, Antonin Dolohov certainly wasn’t it, and William found his lips curling upwards.

“It does, I know Antonin well.”