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Post by Audrey James on May 18, 2011 18:24:14 GMT 10
Audrey was standing in the draughty second floor corridor, somewhere near the Emerindyl common room. It was far enough out of the way that no stray students would stumble across her, but close enough to the passing traffic that Audrey, as someone who still wasn’t entirely sure of her way around, would not get lost. She was sitting on a wooden bench in a quiet nook, waiting for Jack Russell. She was there as her eleven year old self. Today she had decided to truly play the part and her long blonde hair was separated and hung in two braids down her sides. Her legs swung three inches off the ground as she listened for footsteps.
Everything seemed to be going to plan, but since Jack’s encounter with Lucius Sinister, which she had declined to be part of, they hadn’t consulted their guide. She was unsure of how the plans would changed. They were receiving information from the future and she was unsure as yet what their events their actions had changed. Her stomach fluttered at the very thought of it.
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Post by Jack Russell on May 18, 2011 18:38:30 GMT 10
“I’m not having a lot of luck with Mariana and it is beginning to concern me,” Jack said as he appeared at a window near her side. He too looking for all the world to be an eleven year old novice wizard, though the wand in his hand was lethal enough to be used on anyone it needed to be. He was wearing jeans and a loose fitting shirt as he climbed in a window and dismissed the broomstick he had been riding with a flick of his wand. “I’ve just been to the village, no news yet on the Guild, though I am sure Avada is seething over her latest failure,”
He intertwined his fingers into Audrey’s and led her from the corridor into a vacant space behind an opening he knew few people had heard of. The opening closed behind them and beyond was a couple of dilapidated armchairs and a pile of old furniture a troll wouldn’t even find joy in keeping around the den. He let her go and dropped down into one of the armchairs with a great sigh, a puff of dust following the impact and settling across the tops of his jeans and down his arms.
“Did you bring the parchment? Paulk Parish is our next target, but I wouldn’t mind knowing why before we go bungling into anything,” he looked at Audrey with eyes that spoke years beyond the features of his face.
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Post by Audrey James on May 18, 2011 18:54:06 GMT 10
“It’s here,” Audrey waved a circle in the air with her wand and the rolled up parchment appeared out of this air. She plucked it down and unfurled it, smoothing it out across her lap as she sat down on the edge of Jack’s armchair. She spared a moment for a smile as she looked at his young face. It was still very strange for her to see him this way. They had grown up on opposite sides of the world and had not met until they were much older, and it still made her head spin to think of Jack as having ever been a child, so different to how he was in their present, her current forms future. Damn paradox’s spinning her out again.
She turned back to the piece of paper and scanned it, raising her eyebrows as she noted the changes. It was a guide to their tasks in this strange mission to the past and it updated frequently as they completed pieces and changed the course of history.
“So, I’m beginning to think fate really has it in for Mariana, look at this” she passed the parchment to Jack, pointing out a paragraph that had changed since the last time they had looked.
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Post by Jack Russell on May 18, 2011 19:12:16 GMT 10
‘I’m still having issues understanding where she comes into all of this,’ he said snatching the parchment out of the air and then letting his hand fall limply at his side clutching the scroll firmly. “Ok, so now instead of being murdered in the Entrance Courtyard on the night of the duelling, she goes missing on some other unknown night and found dead a week later,” the frustration was barely sitting in, but it was frustration all the same.
“Well at least I know our work with Mariana isn’t already completed anyway, I was going to have to keep an eye on her as it was, now we have more reason to keep an eye on her,” he said lifting the parchment back up and looking at it, “I see the fate of your father hasn’t changed,” he gave the parchment back to her and cupped his forehead between his thumb and forefinger.
“I just don’t know why the Guild is targeting her, and that makes me extremely uncomfortable,’ he said looking up into the eyes of his believed, “We always assumed that Mariana was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, and now we have probably – inadvertently – put her in harms way, why? Because she saw who we were, she doesn’t know anything,”
“I wiped her memory!” he said thinking about the Guild and remembering they never really needed a reason to kill her before. And the fact that they did now, was possibly all his fault. “My mother told me something like this might happen”
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Post by Audrey James on May 18, 2011 19:32:02 GMT 10
“To be honest Jack, I just don’t know. I feel like maybe she’s bigger part of this than we realised. I guess nobody is really an innocent bystander in this ridiculous war” Audrey sighed deeply and slid off the edge of the armchair and onto the seat next to Jack. The furniture was all large, obviously built for much bigger humans than them, and they were both two small first graders. They fit comfortably.
“Did you wipe her memory for the entire night? I feel like we- I’ve forgotten something. I think I’ll head to the entrance way tonight after lights out and see if we missed anything” She spread the parchment over her legs once more and scanned the list until she found the next instructions regarding Paulk Parrish and pointed them out to Jack.
“What do you make of this?”
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Post by Jack Russell on May 18, 2011 19:55:13 GMT 10
“He must have something to do with Mariana’s disappearance,” he said looking at it and then back at Audrey, “The question is, do we follow him, or do we follow Mariana, Mother said we should not divide our forces at any cost, we cant follow them both” he thought about that for a moment, “I suppose we could always just take care of him now, but we don’t know if that is what sets off the Guild from taking Mariana, for all we know his name is on the list because us removing him from the equation is what gets her in trouble in the first place.”
“We cant do anything more tonight, for now I say we just follow them both whenever we can, but do not leave the castle grounds, we know he is in the Guild so he sneaks off all the time, so Mariana is going to be easier to track, I already have something of a rapport with her, but I am getting through very slowly, it might be your turn,”
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Post by Audrey James on May 18, 2011 22:24:42 GMT 10
“I agree, we shouldn’t split up, but I think alone we are less conspicuous than the pair. People might begin to be suspicious seeing a couple of kids sneaking around. One of us can feign being lost but it’s less plausible if there’s two of us. Usually I’m lost in this place anyway, it’s not acting...” Audrey tilted her head to lean on Jack’s shoulder. It was strange for them being in this form, they couldn’t often express their affection for each other, and truth be told Audrey felt strange kissing her miniature husband even on the cheek. Though she knew this mission was incredibly important, she longed to be back in the future, altered as it might be. One thing was constant and that was their love for each other.
“What do you think I should do? Quietly follow Mariana or befriend? The guide says she will disappear, but we don’t even know who will take her.” She ran her hands through her blonde hair, still much longer than she was used to. Still so much to get used to, even though they’d been this way for a couple of months, it made it easier when they were able to switch to their adults forms, however briefly. That was the good thing about being from the future, nobody knew what you looked like, yet.
“What about Avada? I still think there’s got to be some truth to the rumour about the great hall. She obviously had been there before she opened the cavern, she clearly knew her way around. I think she’ll probably send someone in, even if she doesn’t come herself. It’s got to be one night this week.”
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Post by Jack Russell on May 18, 2011 22:39:55 GMT 10
“I don’t know, she’s not very approachable and quite jumpy at the moment, it may be difficult to do either, still, if she notices that you are following her around all the time we might be in a worse position,” he smirked “First year Emerindyl or not, she is going to notice a little blonde eleven year old following her around, you either need to befriend her, which might be difficult enough anyway, or at least befriend someone close to her so you have an excuse about why you are around all the time,”
“I’m sure you will find an opportunity somewhere” he added as an after thought.
He smirked again at the mention of Avada in the Golden Hall, he too had heard the rumour, apparently it had come from a house elf whom had almost been seen by the Dark Lady herself when it caught her down on her knees cleaning the floor. ‘I find it very hard to believe that Avada would be stupid enough to try and enter the castle, I don’t think she is even capable of it to be honest. She doesn’t only stay away because she is scared of Grandfather,” he laughed openly.
“No I am sorry, but the very thought is absurd, and besides, we’ve both had very little sleep since we got here and nothing is happening at the moment, I think we need the downtime,”
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Post by Audrey James on May 18, 2011 23:00:31 GMT 10
“Ok, I’ll see what I can do about Mariana. Seeing Finneas Mark torturing her was enough for me, I’d like to keep her out of harms way if at possible.” Audrey nodded to herself, a plan already forming in her mind. All she needed was an excuse to start a conversation with the girl.
As Jack spoke, Audrey found herself staring out the window. She knew Jack’s feelings about Avada, he had strong opinions on the woman, and had grown up learning about her, knowing her reputation. Audrey, having attended Astilon during her adolescence had only heard news of the goings on in her homeland via correspondence with her father. Her Father. Who was at this school along with Jack’s parents. It was strange how they had different ways of coping, Jack had enjoyed seeing his father around the school, but Audrey supposed that was because Jack had never met his father. Audrey however had grown up knowing her father and loved him. His death was still fresh for her and she found it hard to bear even seeing him across the hall at breakfast.
Her focus snapped back to Jack as he spoke his last sentence. She chose not to respond. It wasn’t a direct order from him, more like a strong suggestion. She wouldn’t openly argue or defy him, but she wasn’t going to lie to him either. She would go to see if Avada Kedavra would be stupid enough to enter the great hall a week after the murder of a student. Turning to look at Jack, she smiled “Yes, I agree, the thought of her trying is absurd” Audrey planted a kiss on Jacks cheek and stood up to go “The perks of being a student again, I’ve got a tonne of homework to get through. I’ll see you at dinner?”
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Post by Jack Russell on May 19, 2011 10:07:19 GMT 10
::Thread Complete::
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