Chapter Three: Deception and Treachery (1971)

[Pontifex Maximus]

Penelope watched as her friends were carried off. She was now somewhat alone. She walked quickly behind a low stone wall, away from the others. She collapsed to her knees and began to sob uncontrollably, her body wracking back and forth. Tears streamed from her face. Glenn might still die, she had seem William killed right before her eyes, as she had seen many of her friends laying dead in the aftermath of the battle. She had even gone further than she ever thought she would go. She had killed two wizards this night, one with an unforgivable curse. She had gone a step further than she had ever thought possible. Not only had she used the curse, but it worked. She wanted the wizard to die. Shortly after she composed herself, dabbing her eyes. Her mascara had run in an obscene way. She stood and soon after disapparated to the Ministry. She would spend some time in the Women's loo before emerging, clothes tattered, looking gaunt, but wearing her usual smile. She met Mathis in their office where she prepared a cup of tea and buckled down to the task at hand.

[Trot]

Mathis looked hagered he had spent the past two hours with Barty Crouch going every detail of the battle he could remember time and time again. Two men he considered friends were in Saint Mungos on deaths door, he had his own struggles during the battle, but there was a part of him that asked why he was the one to survive unscatched when so many had fallen? Mathis was tired he was nearing 24 hours awake and the adrenaline of the battle was wearing off. Still he sipped a cup of coffee and studied the papers of several other surviving auror accounts when he heard someone else entering the office, turning he saw Penelope enter the room. She looked as though she had been crying and he robes were still in disarray.

"Go home and get some rest Penelope," he said rising to meet her and putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You look like you need it and, I can handle this."

[Pontifex Maximus]

She looked up from the worksheets, still clutching her pen. "As long as you're here, I'm here." She replied. She nodded her head and smiled. "I'm fine, Mathis, believe me. I'm as fine as I can be. We survived and we survived without injury. If we don't stay, who will?" She added a lump of sugar to her tea and continued on. It was several hours before they were finished and she finally fell into her own bed at her own home, Daniel had maintained a vigil for her. Now she was by his side again and felt safe for the first time in days.

[Trot]

Mathis stayed for several hours reading the reports and filling out his own. So many to do, and he was so tired. These dark wizards were everything that was wrong with this world. He had seen their like from a young age. People who had mocked his abilities and called him a mud blood. They had said he was not fit for Hogwarts, and now it seemed they wanted control so they could prosecute people like him. Eventually he apparated away appearing in his small apartment and sighed. It was a small room, with his few possessions scattered around haphazardly. And he walked to the couch and laid down. There was no real bed in the apartment he had never seen the need for anything else, but as he laid down his thoughts shifted to his time in Hogwarts. To Dalia and the duel he had fought. Years after Hogwarts and he had accomplished much. He was an Auror of high esteem, he was a powerful wizard in his own right and still he remembered Tristan disarming him and throwing that curse that had nearly killed him spitting on him as he left the room. He remembered Dalia refusing to speak with him the only person he had ever told he had loved, and she had been lost to him. All his romantic pursuits the few he manged in his line of work that was had felt comparatively hollow. Part of hims still wondered what she had made of herself since Hogwarts, but he had never had the nerve to check. It was these thoughts that haunted him as he feel into a relativity restless sleep haunted by dark dreams of youth.

[Pontifex Maximus]

Her lungs ran out air as she was hit. On the ground that was the only thing that she could think about: breathing. That was until she saw the arrows coming back at her.

She did her best to raise her wand: "Arresto Momentum!" (Ch, N, Di: 5). She meant to slow the arrows enough to dodge them. If that was succesful then she would cast an offensive spell "Incarnum Inflamarae!" (Ch, N, Di: 3), hoping a fireball would be more effective than arrows.

The arrows did indeed cease moving, but hovered inconclusively. Queerly. They were soon taken care of because they burst into flame. The Death Eater did his best to avoid the various onslaught but this was difficult given the nature of the spell. Ultimately he could not escape being singed by the fireballs launched in his direction. He was able to recover, however, and send a powerful curse launching in Selma's direction. "Crucio!" the wizard was clearly trying to torture her.

[Pinkerton]

Selma's eyes widened. She had never been the target of an unforgivable curse. She felt the background fading. She could only see the Death Eater and the curse coming at her.

"Protego!" She casted. (Ch, D, Di: 5)

If the defensive spell was successful, she would then counter-attack "Axelo!" (Cu, O, Di: 6)

[Pontifex Maximus]

Selma's eyes widened. She had never been the target of an unforgivable curse. She felt the background fading. She could only see the Death Eater and the curse coming at her.

"Protego!" She casted. (Ch, D, Di: 5)

If the defensive spell was successful, she would then counter-attack "Axelo!" (Cu, O, Di: 6)

She gave the perfect defense given the situation, and her opponent hissed as his spell failed. He responded predictably when Selma cast her own curse, absorbing it in his own defensive charm. He smiled widely, but this was before an...animated statue...? Appeared to bowl him over. Sprawled on the ground,he was suddenly vulnerable to an attack...

[Pinkerton]

Taking advantage of the situation, and being the creative force she was, Selma decided to have some fun.

"Ossio Dispersimus!" (Ch, Di: 6)

If the charm was effective, she would approach the boneless man and grab his wand.

[Pontifex Maximus]

This was a spell he was not prepared to counter. It was most unusual, usually only something you'd encounter while in hospital. The Death Eater watched in dismay as his wand dropped uncontrollably from his own hand as the bones...disappeared. He had been both disarmed and defeated in the same stroke. "Mercy!" he pleaded.

[Pinkerton]

Selma did not answer the Deatheater, instead she casted a spell to immobilize him

"Petrificus Totalus!" (Cu, D, Di: 4)

Having secured her prisoner, the Auror looked to her surroundings, to see if the battle had ended or not.

[Pontifex Maximus]

It had been a complete and somewhat textbook takedown for Selma. She had clearly taken her ministry training seriously. The closest team still standing was Penelope's. Selma's own team had been killed to a man - one of the bad decisions of the ministry to pair wizards together based on experience...

[Pinkerton]

Realizing she was alone. The witch grabbed her prisoner and disapparated back into the Ministry. She would've felt more saddened by her team's demise, but she barely knew them. Not to mention the fact that they had been quite dismissive of Selma, whom they considered a secretary and a semi-squib.

Once there, after the Deatheater was taken into custody, she began to ask around for the wizard/witch who had animated the statue. She wanted to meet whoever had been capable of that.

[Trot]

Realizing she was alone. The witch grabbed her prisoner and disapparated back into the Ministry. She would've felt more saddened by her team's demise, but she barely knew them. Not to mention the fact that they had been quite dismissive of Selma, whom they considered a secretary and a semi-squib.

Once there, after the Deatheater was taken into custody, she began to ask around for the wizard/witch who had animated the statue. She wanted to meet whoever had been capable of that.

She would find Mathis looking positively rundown. He had just spent a few hours debriefing Barty Crouch after the mission and his Robes were still singed and spattered with mud and blood. As he moved through the office he heard a witch asking for him, turning he greets her

"I believe you are looking for me?" He asked curious. He did not know this witch, but judging by the state of her own robes and her knowledge of his spell work at the village she must have been one of the Aurors fighting over there.

[Pinkerton]

She would find Mathis looking positively rundown. He had just spent a few hours debriefing Barty Crouch after the mission and his Robes were still singed and spattered with mud and blood. As he moved through the office he heard a witch asking for him, turning he greets her

"I believe you are looking for me?" He asked curious. He did not know this witch, but judging by the state of her own robes and her knowledge of his spell work at the village she must have been one of the Aurors fighting over there.

Selma recognized him. She had seen him around the Ministry before; He had been involved in an incident in the Diagon Alley a couple of years before.

"Yes. Kunstler, Selma. Your, eh, statue, well, it made my job much easier."

[Trot]

Mathis chuckled dryly, "It did at that, how they got the giants to work with them I have do idea, but it is not a good sign." Shaking his head and extends his hand, "Mathis Hayes." He had heard the name Selma . She had been involved in a nasty incident a few years back, it seemed they had finally green lit her for field duty again.

[Pinkerton]

Kunstler grabbed his hand and shook it awkwardly for less than a second.

"I'd worry more about us having walked straight into a trap, Mr. Hayes."

Selma had given that a lot of thought while returning to the Ministry. How to know who to trust after this? Not that Selma had been a particularly trusting person before, but her paranoia was now a bit justified.

[Trot]

"Merlins beard call me Mathis," he said with a small smile before a dressing her other point. "I fear we are not winning this war." It seemed everyday the dark lords this Lord Voldemort's, he would not be scared of the name like so many of his fellow wizards, ranks seemed to grow while the aurors got stretched further and further. Mathis had seen many friends killed and wounded since this had began.

[Pinkerton]

"Erm. Okay"

Selma did not really feel comfortable enough to call him by his first name. Hayes would have to get used to it.

"I feel we're always one step behind. I don't know for how long we can keep up like this. W-we lost many Aurors today."

[Trot]

"We lost two many, far far to many." Mathis said a there was an angry note in his voice. They had been using the unforgivable curses and aiming to kill. It seemed all the Aurors could do was lock them up, but even then Azkaban didn't seem as secure as it once had. "What team are you deployed with?"

[Pinkerton]

"Figgs, Harris and Taylor-Brown. I don't think any of them made it. It was our first assignment together, they were fresh off Auror training."

Never had a chance, those boys.