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Post by Alex Kameren on Sept 28, 2010 17:47:02 GMT -5
Just another day on the job, Alex mused to himself, moving through the Alley. It was the middle of September, and he still hadn’t responded to the Ministry’s insistence that he sign those papers. The owls still came frequently, but it was late afternoon now, they pesky things usually stopped after dark. Just a few hours to go.
But right now, Alex didn’t have the time to worry about overflying, pissed owls. He was undercover, several inches shorter and a whole lot grungier and older looking. Tonight he was on his way to infiltrate a group of mangy wanna-be dark wizards who had actually gotten their hands on a serious dark object. Alex sighed and took another left.
Whoever had designed these streets ought to be crucio’d.
It was fully dark, and Alex was caught between himself and Dwayne James. As the metamorphagus changed, there was a low, grating noise of bone on bone as Alex shot up five inches. As seven inches of ragged beard disappeared, a dark shape appeared out of the darkness. Alex swore, swatting in frustration at the owl as it swooped low.
But it wasn’t an owl.
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Post by Eden Fletcher on Oct 9, 2010 13:35:33 GMT -5
It was dark again, and even though she would never admit it under pain of death, Eden Fletcher was scared. Strange, scary dream visions would assault her the second she fell asleep and there was nothing she could do. She had never seen a person die in her visions before and it terrified her. Death was not a pleasant thing and there was nothing she could do about it. So she cursed her gift, using up her store of dreamless sleeping potion, even though it barely worked anymore. Stupid body building up a tolerance. Eden did not want to be a seer anymore. She wanted to be a simple first year, enjoying her lessons. But how could one enjoy learning how to fly a broom when one had a vision of someone falling off a broom? Eden had avoided Tor for the last few days, ignoring his presence throughout the castle, instead focusing on making friends, appearing normal. But even first years knew she was a bit strange, that it wasn't normal to have dark circles under her eyes. Her mates knew she did not sleep, and already she had a few complaints about mumbling in her sleep.
Eden slipped out of the Gryffindor tower, heading up to the owlery to draw. Encased in her favorite, less dirty space she began to draw. Her landscape of Hogwarts turned into a dark shadowy monster as the rhythm of her work lulled her into a trance. Of it's own accord, her hand began to draw a shadow monster.
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Post by Scarlet on Oct 16, 2010 23:55:25 GMT -5
Feast. Rip, tear, take, keep, eat. It was a creature born on excess, and it thrived that way. it needed a host. A strong, dark, powerful host. One who could satisfy this undying hunger. This creature's constant, insatiable need to feast on the power of others. But this hunger could never be satisfied. EEEEeeeiiieeeeecc-cc-c-c... piercing screech of the creature ripped through the air as the creature swooped low at a shining beacon of magic, standing in the center of the alleyway it was hiding in. This creature was mostly blind; it had a special sort of vision, where it could only see clearly thing that had magic in them. And this creature's prey was bursting with light. It turned back, thrashing violently as its claws grazed the body of its prey. Feed. Catch. Take. Feast.
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Post by Alex Kameren on Oct 17, 2010 0:45:56 GMT -5
EEEEeeeiiieeeeecc-cc-c-c...
Some instinct brought out Alex’s wand, he swiped with it at the creature as it dove past. Arcs of orange light shot out as he shouted a spell, sharp-edged for slicing anything they came into contact with. The creature, he couldn’t tell what it was, for it seemed to blend with the darkness, though he could swear he saw gleaming black, oily claws and teeth.
The thing swooped back, claws reaching. The auror barely had time to throw up a Protego spell, so swift was the action. The creature’s limbs flailed, cutting through the shield like smoke, catching in Alex’s cloak, tearing great holes in the fabric and scratching his side as it passed.
He lost his balance, stumbling as the claws lost their grip. He searched the air around him, looking for the creature.
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Post by Scarlet on Oct 17, 2010 1:01:47 GMT -5
Delicious.
The creature felt the warm strength enter its body as the feeble human flailed his spells about wildly. Did he not know, that striking back would only make the creature stronger? That the creature's endless hunger would only be encouraged by his meek attempts at defense? It clicked from the back of its throat, its own form of laughter as it ripped through the wizard's pathetic shield.
The mortal stopped, searching for the creature. The creature remained silent, falling backwards into the shadows so its prey could not see it. Then, it attacked. The creature lunged forward, attempting to pin its prey. This mortal would make a lovely meal.
ooc: up to you whether or not it actually pins you.
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Post by Eden Fletcher on Oct 20, 2010 22:34:52 GMT -5
Shhhh, scratch, drag.Scratch, scratch, draggggggg plop...
Heavy lidded eyes blinked hard before flying open, as Eden drew. Despite being extremely tired, 6 hours of restless sleep between two days, her methodical sketching kept her awake. When ever the small girl was stressed or confused she drew. It seemed that there was no problem too complex that it could not be worked out through a sketch. With every stroke of her quill, fears melted away. Soon Eden wasn't thinking about classes, her almost-friends, or being tired. There was nothing but her, owls and her sketch pad.
Slowly Eden drifted, her mind relax. Her large blue eyes drifted out of focus as her power slowly took control. Each minute she slipped deeper inside of herself, as her hand drew a dark monster, blending into what had once been the dark stone castle walls of Hogwarts.
Then Eden was dozing and soon asleep.
It was dark, but not entirely late. A slight breeze rustled a paper on the ground. A dark, worn shoe crunched what seemed to be that day's Daily Prophet, September 2020 ( the exact date was obscured by a smudge)... The subconscious, dream Eden suddenly became aware that she was seeing images of a strange place. One that was vaguely familiar. It wasn't her in the vision. She also wasn't outside looking in. She was the vision, the person in it. She remembered a conversation with Tor about that. A vision took the form of different "voices" and with practice one could change it.
Suddenly, the image changed...
Eden was no longer the person in the street. She had somehow "pulled out" of the person perspective. From an above position she watched in horror as images flashed in her mind. A sickly dark creature sprung out of nowhere, needle sharp, glistening claws sliced through the air. The creature was wispy and hard to see, as if it were made out of inky black clouds. It pounced on the tall man ink eyes and a sharp chin. Blood seeped out of wounds and the strange creature feasted on spell after spell.
Then Eden was jolted awake, her heart hammering. She saw Professor Kameron being attacked! She was sure it was her beloved potions master being devoured by some dark creature. Eden glanced at her sketch book. Ink pooled on her page, a rough image of the creature was imprinted on her page. She did not remember drawing, or rather finger painting the demon. It had been a vision.
Fear pumped through Eden's veins, pushing back her exhaustion and headache. She had to get help. Leaving, her book bag behind, Eden scooped up her sketch book and ran, all the while mentally screaming for Tor.
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Post by Alex Kameren on Oct 21, 2010 1:00:15 GMT -5
Blood ran freely from long, ragged gashes in his sides, Alex felt the initial wave of dizziness pass as he stood in the dark alley. He swayed slightly, but stayed on his feet. He wasn’t going to let a few scratches get him down! He crouched a little, moving in the dark of the alley. Light would only bring the creature, he would need darkness to find it. Where was its weakness? Sudden movement caught the auror’s eyes, but too late, his back slammed against the dingy brick walls as the creature pinned him. For a moment he felt a deep, primal fear. This creature was a predator, it existed only to feed, it was never satisfied. He stared into the frantic red eyes… he floated out of time, simply feeling the fear and the knowledge of his own death… No! With a great effort of will Alex tore his eyes away from the creature’s. With clouded judgement he pointed his fist somewhere in the general direction of the middle of the creature’s body. Where was his wand? He didn’t know. He certainly wasn’t an expert on wandless magic, in fact for more than simple spells he still sucked. But he did the spell anyway. “Sectum Sempra!” [Yeah. tear chunks out of him, break his arm, bite him and 'suck' the magic out of him, I don't care. Have fun. Am I crazy?]
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Post by Scarlet on Nov 1, 2010 20:19:32 GMT -5
Ah, the joys of playing with one's food.
The creature breathed in as it pinned the pitiful auror to the ground. He smelled of magic. Reeked of it. Magic and fear. The creature let his claws dig into its prey where it had him pinned, growling in satisfaction. This sad young thing was nothing to the creature. His pitiful attempts at defense were only encouraging. This was playtime for the creature.
It locked eyes with its prey as it had him pinned. Red on green it could see the magic coursing through those green orbs: ancient magic, that has been flowing through the bodies of his kind for years. The creature had gotten lucky to find a meal so saturated in magic. It squealed, going to bite but only taking a small strip of flesh from him as it recoiled against the man's kick. It shrieked at him, but stopped when it got a taste of his blood. The blood was where most of his magic was coming from. The blood was delicious, insatiable. It would never have enough of a feast like this.
The creature attacked now with more ferocity. Blood, blood, delicious blood. DELICIOUS. Bleed. Bleed BLEED BLEED MAKE HIM BLEED! It shrieked, hitting the man against the stone wall with a swish of its tail. It went at him again, tearing across his chest with its spiked head. It took a bite out of his arm, pinning him once more so he couldn't move before the blood would puddle onto the cobblestones. This wizard was special, with his magic-filled blood. The creature would make him last for as long of a feast he could get from him.
“Sectum Sempra!”
The prey raised a hand towards the beast, releasing a delicious amount of energy onto the body of the creature. It began attacking with renewed vigor from the man's energy ray, swiping at him with its claws.
ooc: I'm thinking normally, the creature sucks magic out of its prey in a different way, but since Alex is a Kameren and their blood is simply packed with old and powerful spells, it just wants to feast on his blood. Fun, huh?
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Post by Curse Kameren on Nov 2, 2010 0:55:18 GMT -5
Curse Kameren was one of the teachers assigned to night watch that night, to round up any children out of their beds late at night. Tonight had been a quiet night, with the only child he had had to bring back to bed being Max. Twice. Now he roamed the hallways quietly, the fingers on his left hand glowing with a dull throb every few seconds to light his way.
The castle was almost eerily quiet, without even a whisper from the ancient stones of the school or the forest outside. The ex-auror yawned, running his glowing hand through his dark hair as he stalked past the Hogwarts Owlery, where he could hear the nocturnal creatures fluttering out for their nightly hunt.
Suddenly, a small figure fleeted down the steps of the Owlery tower. A young student sped through the doorway, in their hurry running straight into the Potions Master's legs. "Hey, come on now," He said, taking the child by the shoulders and pushing them away from him so he could get a look at them, "Back to your bed, I don't want to take points from your hou--"
Eden.
He looked the young girl up and down; he could tell she was startled by something, and he guessed it was something she saw. "What's wrong, Miss Fletcher?" He asked, his soft baritone voice turning serious as he met the young girl's eyes.
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Post by Alex Kameren on Nov 2, 2010 1:47:13 GMT -5
Sharp teeth sliced into his arm, tearing a strip of flesh from him. Alex pounded at the creature, his adrenaline pumping, his heart racing. Alex had never felt pain like this, it was like his very essence was being drained with every drop of his blood lost-- no, not drained, yanked from him. Alex tried to worm free but the heavy tail smacked him back against the wall, the spiked head tore across his chest and he screamed from the pain, pinned by the massive jaws. It was then that he had tried to use the spell, but it had backfired, only feeding the creature more.
Alex let his fists drop, his feet stilled. He wasn’t going to fight it off, how could he? Better to wait to die. He felt numb, the darkness darkening and growing muzzy. Why resist? It felt so good to rest, to lay quiet. His eyelids drooped, but he still saw the creature as it tore another hole in his skin with its claws. Alex couldn’t bring himself to care as the blood spread around him.
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Post by Eden Fletcher on Nov 2, 2010 17:04:42 GMT -5
Silence. With each soft thud of her tiny feet, Eden mentally screamed for her mentor. Time seemed to have frozen, she felt like she was running through waist deep pudding. No matter how fast she pushed herself the stairs seemed to continuously drop.
Nothing seemed to be working. She should have felt the calm presence of Tor by now, hear his reassuring tones in her mind telling her to calm down, reminding her to not shout so loudly. Instead she heard nothing. A new surge of fear washed over her as Eden realized she was alone. It was a terrible feeling and she nearly stumbled from the pressure, but she made it to the hallway.
Half skidding, half sliding in her sock, Eden propelled herself through the open doorway and into a somewhat squishy, mostly boney but certainly solid object. The sudden blockade sent Eden falling backwards, arms flaying. The only thing that kept the child from falling was strong arms clutching at her thin shoulders.
Eden flinched at the contact, struggling to escape from what she first assumed was the monster's claws. She hadn't heard a word the Professor said. A blank unfocused, unblinking stare met his, empty eyes filled with pure fear.
Images assaulted Eden, pulling her backwards until she no longer saw the walls of Hogswarts but was once more in a strange part of town.
The monster rushed the bleeding Curse, but was momentarily blocked by a well aimed kick. Screeching the creature went into a frenzy, sweeping the man against the wall with one swipe of its spiked tail. Sharp teeth sank into an arm, and blood pooled. The man laid there, half leaning against the wall as the creature feasted.
"What's wrong, Miss Fletcher?"[/i]
The familiar voice called to Eden, bringing her back to the present. With a start her head snapped up and she began gasping for breath, as if her body finally realized she had run down the stairs, far faster than her body could handle. Her weak heart worked at triple time to pump the required oxygen to her small body.
Eden blanched at seeing the Professor. She had been certian that it had been him she had seen bleeding. She stared at him trying to see if he was hurt, but she saw no wounds. An image of the man lying on the ground flashed in her mind. It looked like him but wasn't him. Relation. maybe?
"Attack, somewhere like Diagon Alley but not. It's happening right now we must do something! He looked like you. I thought it was you but you're here and not hurt and Tor isn't answering and the blood monster is draining the man, tonight. Now!" Eden said her voice high and panicky. She was scared. They had to do something quick or the man would die. She just hoped her professor would believe her. Tor would have backed her up.
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Post by Curse Kameren on Nov 9, 2010 1:03:20 GMT -5
Curse's emerald eyes didn't move from Eden, the first year paling as if she'd seen a ghost. His brow furrowed, the professor looking perplexed by the youngster's panic. She was out of breath from running, and it appeared her commotion had chased the owls out of their roost. "Eden," his emerald eyes locked on to those of the young seer, his features severe, "what did you see?"
"Attack, somewhere like Diagon Alley but not. It's happening right now we must do something! He looked like you. I thought it was you but you're here and not hurt and Tor isn't answering and the blood monster is draining the man, tonight. Now!"
The ex-auror nodded solemnly, his calm demeanor contrasting Eden's fear. "We need to act quickly then." Curse closed his eyes, his hands glowing a bright silvery-white as he prepared a spell. "Expecto Patronum," He said, and a shining silver owl joined the others in the flock, then turning off towards the opposite direction. Further off they could see the beam of light split into two, another heading separately, towards London. The owl had two messages to deliver.
"D'you mind," Curse asked politely as he picked the small girl up off her feet; she was even smaller than Max was, and Curse's lank gait could get them to an apparating point much faster. "Have you ever side-apparated before? If you haven't, it's sort of a funny feeling like when your ears pop, but your whole body feels that way," The professor kept his emerald gaze straight ahead, masking his fear and worry for the situation. He was an auror; he would stay strong in the face of the unknown, and set an example for those around him. Curse Kameren himself did not fear death, but if Eden's description was correct, his one true fear may be realized.
"Now Eden, you need to tell me everything," Curse looked down at the young girl. He spoke to her plainly, with the same tone of respect and honor he would give to an adult of her situation. Though she was young, Eden had the gift of seeing things no one else could see. "I need every detail: where exactly the man was, and if you don't know that, any distinguishing details about the place. And anything about the man. Beyond just that he looked like me..."
...please, don't let it be him.
.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
The two came to a stop outside the gates of Hogwarts, and Curse looked down at the young girl once more. "I'm going to apparate now. Hold your breath, that tends to make it feel a little better." The professor closed his his eyes and turned on his heel.
BANG.
The two were now standing in a wide, black-tiled hallway with grey walls. It was an office space, with desks and doors leading to separate offices further off. There were very few who had access to apparate here. Further down the hall was an old lift with a sign over it reading 'out of order', and above that, in gold caligraphy: Ministry of Magic - Department of Magical Law Enforcement-.
"Alex!" Curse called out, his voice echoing down the hard hallways. He looked around him, letting Eden down gently as he turned to move down the hallways. "Alex, are you here? What time is it?" The professor looked down at his watch. Only eleven-thirty. "He would still be here at this time. Alex! A--"
The ex-auror stopped as he opened his brother's office door to a blinding silvery light, and the glistening form of Curse's owl patronus fluttered out, landing lightly on his shoulder. He looked up at it, perplexed, as he leaned into Auror Kameren's Ministry office.
"...Tynan?"
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Post by Eoin Tynan on Nov 10, 2010 14:38:02 GMT -5
The blonde Head Auror looked up, no surprise on his face to see Curse, only grim acknowledgement. He was standing at Alex's desk, a sheaf of papers in his hands.
"Evening Kameren," he said, beckoning him into the room. "I'd been sending Alex owls all day, trying to get him to sign some forms. Apparently he left early. My last owl I sent only ten minutes ago. It returned from the direction of Knockturn Alley, shaking and agitated, feathers all going different directions." Eoin nodded in the direction of a terrified looking barn owl sitting on the bookshelf.
"I came in here to see if I could find anything about his whereabouts, and found these." His normally pleasant ice-blue eyes were darkened as he handed them to the other man.
"Reports of a dark wizards group," he folded his arms. "It may be coincidence, but maybe Alex thought he could investigate by himself. What do you think?"
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Post by Eden Fletcher on Nov 10, 2010 17:42:32 GMT -5
After her initial outburst Eden began to feel calmer. An adult actually believed her. She didn't have to explain anything, he knew and trusted her. It was a big relief and a bit of Eden's anxiety slid away. Her breathing slowed as she reflected upon what she had seen. If she couldn't have Tor by along side her she was very glad it was Professor Kameren. She watched, a slightly dazed expression parting her lips, as Professor Kameren performed wandless magic. Blue eyes followed the silvery lights flapping away as the mist owls traveled down the hall. They were pretty and she wanted to learn how to do that but it wasn't the time to ask.
"D'you mind," Curse asked politely
Eden shook her head as she lifted her arms up. She'd been carried loads of times by her family and while she would not admit it to anyone, it was a comforting way to travel. Eden circled her thin arms around the taller man, still gripping on to her sketchbook, her fingers hooking into the leather bindings that made a crisscross pattern across the cover. Eden wrapped her legs around Kameren for support, resting her head on his shoulder. She felt safe, and her fear melted.
Eden hadn't been conscious the last time she side-along-apparated but she wasn't worried. Nothing could hurt her now.
"Now Eden, you need to tell me everything," "I need every detail: where exactly the man was, and if you don't know that, any distinguishing details about the place. And anything about the man. Beyond just that he looked like me..."
And she did. As they scurried down the halls of Hogwarts, Eden rattled off everything she remembered. The more she spoke the more detached she became. There was no more emotion in her voice. No fear, no sadness. Just empty. She spoke of the newspaper she had seen on the ground. The shops they had pass, partial signs visible from her angle. She remembered the direction of the wind and the dirtiness of the streets. As she spoke her visions danced in front of her eyes. She paused when the vision of the man's face formed in her mind. She began to describe him, noticing subtle differences between her beloved professor and this man. By his tense body, she knew that he loved him, whoever he was.
Then they were outside and Eden was brought back fully to the present, her visions floating away. She shivered in the cold but they were not outside long. Obediently she sucked in a big breath as they spun. She barely held it in as a tugging sensation grasped at her bellybutton. It felt weird, but familiar, almost like a vision but different.
Strangely, Eden liked it. The tight feeling of being pressed in was actually comforting in a weird way. She felt like nothing could harm her in that in between space. If it was any other moment the eleven year old would have begged to do it again so she could analyze it more. Instead she stared around the room, her blue eyes taking in the damaged elevator shaft and the empty state of the Auror's office. It was not what she expected.
Eden disentangled herself from Curse, her feet a little wobbly. She followed behind him, her thin frame hidden by his. Eden had been staring at a wall filled with wanted posters when a man began to speak with a man.
Clutching her sketchbook to her chest, like a teddybear, she walked around curse to stare at the blond man. She had never seen him before but he looked important.
"Nothing is ever a coincidence. You just do not have all the missing pieces." She said sagely, the effect ruined by her tousled hair, bare feet, inked stained fingers, and pale pink night gown.
"This is what he found." She said flipping open her book and showing the man the drawings of the magic sucker. The pages were a mess, rather crude, with ink pooled in the middle of the page, but the pictures were frightening in their lack of ability. The next page depicted a Alex Kameren lying on the ground with the creature above him.
"I have seen this. It is happening now." She said quietly, hoping the man wasn't like most adults, silly and blind.
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Post by Eoin Tynan on Nov 10, 2010 17:57:26 GMT -5
As a petite, tremulous voice emerged from behind Curse, Eoin stared at the girl who stepped out, clutching a sketchbook to her chest. He hadn't even noticed she was there, so silent was her attempts to hide behind Curse. They were all distracted; there was an air of not-rightness in the air, it trembled like the plucked strings of a harp, causing them all to resonate to its dire tones.
She then opened her sketchbook and showed him pictures, ones that, though crudely drawn with a hurried hand, made his spine stiffen in grim realization. Something was haunting them, hunting them. His chest twinged in answer to the tension growing, and the papers on the desk shifted slightly in response. Hoping no one had seen the odd movement, Eoin knelt down before the girl, gently taking the book from her and flipping through the pages. He paused at the one with a man on the ground, a dark thing poised over him.
Ice-blue eyes focused on the girl's smudged face. "It's happening right now?" Others would claim she was suffering from nightmares and needed to be reassured and sent to bed. But Eoin knew abilities of all kinds, and as Head Auror, he needed to be open-minded.
"Can you tell us where, love? Did you see these in a dream, or in an object?" He handed the book back to her, his expression kind but urgent.
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