Projection

[Dark Lady Avada Kedavra]

This was the only way the Dark Lady could gain access to the castle, and even then the enchantments on the castle prevented her from as much access as she would have appreciated. The Golden Hall was dark when her ghostly figure materialised at the double doors at the end of the vast hall. The glow worms were sleeping and the empty tables smelt of magical disinfectant. The braziers around the edges of the room were cold and dark despite the crispness of this mid autumn night. It was in the very early hours before dawn when the world was at its coldest and the thousand or so students at the school were sound asleep.

Avada did not know why she tortured herself like this. She moved along the gap between the two centre tables toward the middle of the room. Stopping when she reached it she turned her semi visible head this way and that while she tried to picture what the castle looked like back in the times of the Giants who dwelt there. The Hall was indeed cavernous; it was difficult to comprehend the scale of the giants with such small furniture across it. She wondered what the gods of old would have thought if they could today see their most sacred of spaces inhabited by the thunders babbling of adolescent mouths.

Her eyes turned to the floor and she knelt down on her hands and knees, unable in her projection to feel the cold hard floor beneath her apparition she tried to push her hand through the floor to no avail. She just knew something was down there and without the scroll from Finnias she now had no directions to the purpose of finding a way into it. She cursed as she stood, wanting to kick something in frustration that would never know she was even there. Projecting ones image was sometimes tedious.

She turned as she heard a sound at the far end of the hall. Someone was coming.

[Audrey James]

There was a small swish sound as Audrey dropped the robes that were now clearly too small onto the ground. Her eleven year old self had been tiny, and though the grown Audrey was by no means a large woman, a first years robes definitely did not become her. Luckily, she had been wearing a loose shirt and black tights under the robes, for just such an occasion. It was a pain to be constantly switching from eleven to twenty-six, for her body had changed dramatically in fifteen years, but she’d learnt after the first few awkward switches that it paid to be prepared.

Her wand was already in her hand, although she knew it would be of no use. The figure in front of her was pure projection, and as much as she could not touch the lady, the lady could not harm her. Audrey fought back a click of her tongue as the figure turned towards her. She had thought she was quiet, but then remembered the fantastic acoustics in this room and knew the small sound she had made would have travelled instantly to the ears of the lady beyond.

“Avada Kedavra” she said, not as a spell, but using the lady’s name “I had heard rumour you were here tonight, but I honestly didn’t think you’d risk coming here without the information you needed. I guess I gave you more credit than you deserve”

Audrey took a few slow steps forward. She didn’t want to aggravate the witch but she also wasn’t afraid. Although this was the first time Avada had laid eyes on Audrey, it was not the first time the two of them had come face to face and Audrey had a particular personal hatred for the woman.

[Dark Lady Avada Kedavra]

Lady Avada would have been concerned if it had been Elwyn Emerindyl who had entered the hall. She might have vanished very quickly, but the damage would have been done. He’d have seen her enough to know that she could project her shadow within the walls of the Manor and would therefore know a way for it to occur again. Lady Avada would have been slightly annoyed if it was any of the other Professors for they would probably then tell Elwyn and the result would be the same.

As it was though, Avada was intimately aware of all of the staff in the current employ of the school, and this girl did not look to be one of them. The piqued Lady Avada’s curiosity. She turned peridot eyes upon the girl and narrowed them slightly. The effect would be lessened only slightly by the fact that this woman would be able to see through Avada’s appearance. All the same though, it would be effective enough, especially if this woman knew who she was.

“A little old to be preying on the young teenage schoolboys aren’t you?” she said by way of greeting. She didn’t know this woman, but the confident way with which she moved towards the dark lady’s projection displayed that she was aware enough of the Dark Lady to at least appear emboldened by this meeting.

Lady Avada would make her regret that mistake.

[Audrey James]

Audrey shifted her grip on her wand ever so slightly, making it easier to flick it into action should the need arise. She took another few steps forward, studying the other woman carefully. Those toxic green eyes were the stuff of legends and though this was not the first time their glare had been turned on Audrey, she stifled a shiver as their focus fell on her. It had been a while, or... would be a while until the two met in Audrey’s real time and she had forgotten the malice and hint of madness that lay behind those cold green orbs.

She ignored the snappy quip Kedavra threw forward, the very idea of being interested in any student at this school was ludicrous. Every student here was simultaneously too old and too young for her. Besides, she was a happily married small child. The time paradox gave her a headache at the best of times, so she refocused her attention on the situation at hand.

“Lord Emerindyl would be so interested to know you’re here” she smiled slightly, knowing the Dark Lady had no way of knowing Audrey could never approach the Headmaster with this information, not as herself or as a first year. Thankfully, she had an excellent poker face.

“I know what you’re here looking for Avada, and you’re not going to find it without this” Audrey held up the scroll that she and Jack had taken from the dead boy a week previous. She knew Finneas Mark had been acting on the orders of Avada and the parchment she held in her hands had been en route to the Guild of Avada. She knew Avada could not hurt her whilst appearing as a projection, but as a precaution she had made a copy of the scroll and was ready with her wand to burn this one should the need arise.

[Dark Lady Avada Kedavra]

“ACCIO SCROLL!” Avada roared at the sight of it. She saw the scroll meekly wobble in the woman’s grip and knew she was much too far away for the spell to actually work. She fought the urge to move towards the girl and attempt to snatch the scroll though she wanted to dearly she knew that it would achieve nothing. Perplexed, a rarity in her lifetime, Lady Avada could only stand and regret her mistake at trying to summon the scroll.

“So it was you then, clever little witch, not here to seduce the boys but to murder them, you know that child had his whole life ahead of him and you extinguished it with the ferocity of one of my very own.” She smiled a cruel smile as she moved and sat her glorious figure against the desk nearby, “I can imagine Elwyn took quite a bit of heat for a murder in his school, I wont be surprised if they suspend him for it. I couldn’t have planned a result better myself,”

She knew these words were empty, at least for now, without more deaths Emerindyl was perfectly secure within his position, but at the very least there would be some way she could twist a knife in this girl’s side.

Oh how she would like to twist a knife in this girl’s side.

‘What is your agenda then, there’s no way you can read what is on that scroll anyway, you don’t know what it pertains to, and so it is useful in your hands, why then kill for it?” she didn’t really want an explanation, though she was curious enough to ask in the first place.

[Audrey James]

Audrey’s eyes flickered to the scroll as it rustled in her hand, as though a draughty breeze had blown through the great hall. And indeed, that’s what she would have thought, had she not heard the older woman screech an incantation. Audrey looked back to Avada Kedavra and raised an eyebrow. Was she serious? She shook her head in bemusement and waved her wand, sending the scroll back to the safety of Jack’s pocket. Jack had not accompanied her tonight. They had heard a rumour that Avada was here in the great hall, but Jack had not believed she could be so stupid. He was clearly wrong.

As Avada spat malicious words towards her, Audrey refrained from cringing. She had not agreed with having to kill Finneas Mark and had in fact argued with Jack about it until the very night of the Event. Her mind, however, had changed when she’d seen the boy torturing the young Saphricorn student. Besides, what had Jack always said? A little evil for the greater good. That’s what she had to keep telling herself.

“That child would go on to become one of your greatest supporters of all time Kedavra, and as such I had qualms about ending his life I would do anything to hinder your plans. The fact that he had this oh-so-secret document that you clearly want so badly was just the icing on the cake. Besides, even if I didn’t know what the scroll means, which, by the way I do, I would happily take it merely so that you did not posses it.”

Audrey flicked her hand up to check her watch and then looked back to Avada Kedavra “If I were you Kedavra, I’d get going. Emerindyl’s going to be along soon. I wouldn’t want to get caught here if I were you,” Audrey gave a grimace that came out more like a smirk, knowing how much she would love it if Lord Emerindyl would actually walk in and call her bluff, though she could hear the sound of footsteps.

[Dark Lady Avada Kedavra]

‘Don’t be foolish, you and I both know that Elwyn is not in house tonight, he and his precious sidekick Amberley are at a hearing at the Ministry of Magic for the murder performed here by you, so keep you hollow words and save your rancid breath,” she said to her with no smile, “So that’s it then, you are a vigilante? A simply do-gooder with little more to do in your life than to show up in mine and interfere with it, well I have news for you my dear, I have enough information that that scroll is not necessary, merely helpful,”

“Still, where are your manners, you’ve not introduced yourself,” she glanced at Audrey’s left hand, there was no ring, though its absence left a ring of pale skin in its wake, “And does your husband know you are out after hours?” she looked at the space where the scroll had been before it disappeared, “Or perhaps our dear other half is your accomplice, how sweet,”

“Take it from me my dear, men are not required in this path of darkness you find yourself on, and soon enough he’ll realise you are equally as expendable, take it from the woman who has the largest and longest running following throughout magical history, those who stay with us often turn on us… unless we turn on them first,” she smirked, “You have murdered at least once already, you don’t seem the type, is it your husband pulling the strings then? I might pay attention to how eagerly he fills the underworld,”

"And furthermore be sure you are not next"

[Audrey James]

“Oh dear,” Audrey smirked “You caught me out. I don’t care what everyone says, you are smart.” She knew she would pay for that remark, but she didn’t really care. Avada Kedavra instilled her fear by her reputation. If Audrey allowed herself to show fear, Avada would win, though she was a mere projection.

“Now that’s just silly, Lady Kedavra. I could tell you all about myself, what I’m doing here and how I knew you’d be here. Hell, I could even tell you about my husband, but where would be the fun in that? No, I think it’d much better to keep you wanting more. Feel free to think of me as... Someone who knows what you’re doing and doesn’t want you to succeed. It’s really as simple as that.”

Audrey chose not to divulge any information to Avada, if she dropped even a simple hint, she would figure it out very fast. She didn’t want her husband’s great grandmother. She had to stifle a laugh when she thought about Avada Kedavra like that, like an old grandmother, knitting away in a rocking chair. She was so far from that image it was ridiculous.

“However, you’re right. You don’t know who my husband is, but you should definitely keep your eye on how fast he fills the land of the dead, with your people” Audrey smiled slightly “Anyway, if we’re done here, I’ve got things to do, your plans to thwart, your people to kill, etcetera etcetera”

[Dark Lady Avada Kedavra]

Avada listened to this woman, knowing that her bold exterior had little more to do with the fact that she was obviously vastly aware that Avada was only a projection. Her eyes narrowed as she glared at the woman who would challenge her. Was she foolish? Greater women had tried and failed in their test of mights against her, and this woman would be no different.

Whether she felt it or not, this young blonde woman in front of her was no more formidable than a fly.

“You have made a terrible enemy this evening,” she told her standing straight preparing to end the projection, “And no this, you betray more than you speak, I know that face behind which you hide, there is another woman who wears it – it is a grave mistake you make by wearing it in my presence”

And with that her projection ended with a barely audible pop whch was followed by the visible ripping of Koalingo’s protective enchantment within the space the projection had existed.