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BanaBatGirl · 12-22-2020, 04:11 AM

TeafortheSoul · 03-28-2021, 01:19 PM

SPOILER!!: Peggy

"We'll get you there, and we can put you in a chair and you can help defend the other injured in the Great Hall." She said, giving the woman an encouraging grin, then she nodded and gestured toward the rock where her husband ~~in all his smexy professional Quidditch player glory~~ was waiting with the injured man.

"We'll go together." She took the woman's weight, her wand at the ready, and headed over to join the others.

SPOILER!!: Henry & Oakey

Quote:

Originally Posted by emjay

In case anyone was wondering, Henry did not ask his wife, Charlotte, to stay away from what he was certain to be a harrowing battle. If anyone thought he could keep Char from doing exactly what she wanted to do, they were crazy. And so when they heard the announcement on the radio and she wanted to go, all Henry could do was join her. He didn't even give it another thought.

He was no healer, but he'd been a decent dueller in his day and learned plenty from Char. He wasn't exactly interested in fighting himself so much, but he knew that covering Char with any shields or spells necessary to make sure she could safely tend to the injured would be a great choice for him.

Henry ran out alongside her towards the wooden bridge, his own featherlight charm cast and deflecting a few spells on their way. This was a crazy scene, but he was used to those having been a student himself, even if they had been different circumstances. He noted who was on the ground and who Char could tend to first, and he head towards the man (Oakey) crouched behind a rock.

"Are you okay? Can you walk?" Henry asked the man and offered his non-dominant hand to him. "I'm going to get you out of here and into the Great Hall to see a healer." Out of the battlefield would be best for him and they could assess his injuries.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle Moose

His breathing was still off and frantic. He pulled his unfeeling right hand against his stomach and with his left hand pressed it against himself to try and compose himself. He poked his head out from cover briefly when he heard someone call over to him and to sit still. Some tears forming under his yes wetting the blackened dirt under his eye. He turned back around and continued to tightly clutch his hand. He had to focus on himself for just this moment. Hope that everyone else at the bridge could hold there own. Had anyone gotten Hadley free? Heh, even when he said to focus on himself he couldn't. A small smile but sad smile crossed his lips, how ridiculous that he thought he could hold back his bad luck. Oakey rushed off getting separated from his Wife and Daughter in the process, Tank took a killing curse because he had his back turned rushing to Minerva, and he was open and vulnerable while in the air from Flamsteed's spell. He was in over his head. His heavy panting smile turned into gritted teeth to fight off those feeling when he heard another voice this time closer.

"Y-yeh-I canwalk" He spoke in broken words. "Gr-grab my-rm. Help me up." He extended his right arm out to the man. then pulled it back. He looked at the man real quick. He didn't know him. The voice that told him to sit still was a female's. He pulled his arm back and gripped his wand in his left hand tight. There as some relief that he could still feel in that hand. The hesitated moment subsided quickly. He had to trust him. Anyone else who could have gotten to this side by now and found him would not have even taken the time to attempt to fool him. They would have done him in right away. He kept his wand out but away from the man offering help and held his arm out again. "S-s-sorry I couldn't I was..Ijust..." His words were apologetic mixed with him trying to breath. "I'll be fine. M'wand hand is still working." A quick little hint that not everything was alright but he could still make the run to the Great Hall with him.

He watched his right hand twitch, but felt nothing from it.

Arriving by the two men, and with the injured woman leaning against her, Char looked around just to make sure there was nothing too concerning in their immediate vicinity, but for now the coast was relatively clear. She shot a quick, determined smile at Henry then addressed the injured man.

"Here, I'll immobilize that arm for you, and we'll get you both to the Great Hall where they can fix you up a little better." Char said. Her wand hand was free already so she cast on the injured man's twitching right hand, carefully freezing his arm all the way up through the shoulder with the same numbing and immobilizing spell so that at least it any further damage would not happen while they moved. A couple of featherlight charms on each of the injured too so that she and Henry could still move as quickly as possible despite supporting their respective weights, and they were as ready as they were going to get.

And talk about timing - was the bridge collapsing? Char looked up in time to see some of that carnage, but she wasn't about to be distracted from the task at hand. And besides, the sooner they got to the Great Hall the better since it seemed like there might be others arriving with burns or smoke inhalation damage from all of that.

"Time to go, as fast as you can move. Henry, you shield. You too, if you can manage it" Char added, nodding at the injured man. And Char would keep her wand ready for blasting through if they needed it.

And she started them moving, trusting Henry to stay close while she led the way, supporting the woman's featherlight-adjusted weight for the mad dash toward the Great Hall.

ooc: Let me know if I need to change anything!!! Wanted to get us all moving! You guys wanna post out here too go ahead, or someone can post us arriving at the Great Hall?

TakemetotheBurrow · 03-28-2021, 03:10 PM

Ella Bishop-Order Aligned

"Hadley, NO!" The former Hufflepuff had been shimmying her way down a pillar she'd clung to when Airey's spell had been cast, trying her best to shield herself from the flames that were licking at her from the flaming inferi overhead. Her golden hair was black from the ashes by now, fresh tears streaking through the ash on her face. Tears for Hadley. She was gone. She-Ella choked back a sob as her feet touched the ground again. She clung to the railing as she backed her way out of the anti-gravity area and the collapsing area of the bridge. Others were retreating now, Oakey was being taken care of. "Min, Ethan, Wade, we have to go now!" And Airey. Airey. Ella didn't want to lose another former Professor today. "Profes-Mr. Flamsteed? Come on, we gotta go."

Charely Potter · 03-28-2021, 03:43 PM

Wade Potter - Order-aligned

As soon as Wade kicked off the pillar, he found himself swimming in the air. He performed a backstroke as he felt time slow down.... until it resumed the natural speed when he landed flat on his back. "Oof!" The planks of wood that weren't blasted away barely softened the impact. Adrenaline kicked in for him to sit right back up in time to see the destruction of the bridge. The Inferi were going down..... with his former Head of House.

"NO!" Wade yelled in anguish. Fumbling for his wand that briefly left his hand in the landing, as spells flashed over his head missing him. Visions of his youth went through his mind, remembering their house common room parties, examination and grade result discussions in her office. Hadley's kind smile and demeanor in classes. Her face etched in his mind before the vision got cloudy. She was a great Professor and Head of House. It was starting to rain again. He sniffed, wiping his eyes harshly after acquiring his wand again and then aiming his wand in the direction of the former Headmistress who was hanging onto her young companion. Incarcerous, Impedimenta, Stupefy, Petrificus Totalus, Expellariamus, were spells aimed wordlessly in her direction despite the long distance. He did not intend to hit spells at the underage wizard, but instead at the woman who was supposed to protect the school. If any were able to reach them, with the raging fire and collapsing bridge, it'd be under Merlin's grace given the complexity of the situation.

It took Ella's voice to ring back into Wade's ears that caused him to turn his back. He had to go. "I'm.. sorry." He last said to the massive hole were Hadley fell through with the Inferi. He tried to see where Min and Ethan were but his vision was getting blurry again. He couldn't stay any longer. "Min, Ethan, the Great Hall!" Wade called out since they were nearest last he checked before heading to the castle. He didn't turn his back though, instead backing away in a running backwards fashion casting shield charms along the way so others could run too.

Lissy Longbottom · 03-28-2021, 03:47 PM

Tucker could hardly believe what he was seeing. He watched in horror as his former Head of House fell off the edge and into the darkness with the Inferi, and a moment later, his former Headmistress was hanging off the edge of the bridge. Every instinct in him told him to go help but...she was on the other side. He'd watch her send out a Killing Curse just moments earlier! This wasn't the same woman who'd led the school when he had gone here.

He had to focus on getting to the castle. Not just for his mum but for all her students as well. He decided the best way would be to follow the healer who was assisting the injured. He trailed behind, silently offering support if she needed it.

Time to move.

BanaBatGirl · 03-28-2021, 06:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Felixir

Even duelling, though they were perhaps not at such a level they could converse freely while casting - as if they would ever admit to that - Nem could still think. And listen. That name, they knew that name. At least the last two in that particular combination, and not just because they belonged to a Hogwarts Headmistress from the triassic era.

Either way, it was useful to know. Also useful to know exactly what this woman's intentions were.

Monologuing. Honestly. Some people never learned.

The flaming inferi stumbling into the duel was not exactly a welcome interference, but Nemesis could at least coolly sidestep away and around, so that Former Headmistress Anastasia Reina Bunbury Truebridge was wedged more directly in their path, with Nem further away. A strategy they stood by, especially when one of their own spells hit the bridge, and the whole thing started to go. Made sense - a lot was happening here, and the structural integrity of the thing had to be severely compromised at this point. Fire, explosions, masses of people, and literal dead weight.

It seemed, however, that that was the end of the duel. The spells suddenly dying down to nothing, Nem watched rather dispassionately as the old woman slipped through the widening crack in the bridge, until all they saw of her was her fingertips and her wand. Imagine showing up to a battle in high heels.

Well, whatever. Seeing as she asked so nicely, and they were on the same side and everything, Nem reholstered their wand, ducked around the burning inferius, and dropped to the floor. Collapsing bridge? Don't even worry about it; they were perfectly confident in their ability to survive. As they'd told McCarthy Senior, this wasn't that dangerous.

"Alright, keep your hair on," Nem remarked oh-so-casually, grabbing Former Headwhatever Blah Blah Burnbridge by one wrist, plus the hand she held her wand in, lying flat on the section of broken bridge so that they were less likely to be pulled off balance and over the edge. "I've got you." Nem tugged at the woman's arms to heave her up. See? Helpful. "There was one thing, though."

Anastasia was dangling, certainly, now. She tried waving her wand to ensure that she could stay afloat, but, ultimately, she'd already lost one heel to the wooden plank of the bridge when it had started to splinter apart and now she was THISCLOSE to losing a second.

Oh, and her life was at risk, she supposed. But whatever. She was THE Headmistress. She'd be fine. Surely she'd survive this and then go home to tell Zan and Davie all about it.

If, of course, Upstead's demon spawn (who knew how many that Hufflepuffin had by now) would just bloody cooperate. AND not make REMARKS about her IMPECCABLE, fully natural, never once dyed ~~this was a blatant lie~~ hair.

She tried to cooperate with the lad trying to pull her up, but her wand was, once again, in the way. Also, Upstead's child was a shrimp. An actual skinny little shrimp. Did Jake Jakers Jonkley know that?

"Well do a SPELL or something," she snapped before she could properly get up on the bridge. Her wand was poking through her fingers by now and was THISCLOSE to just rolling away entirely. She could hear said wooden bridge continuing to break and splinter around her, but she couldn't think of what else to do besides rely on her inner Hufflepuff core and count, just COUNT, on this childe to do the right thing.

Or whatever.

"What's the one thing?" Get on with it, then. Rescue? Was THAT the one thing? Or was this about to turn into a shakedown for some moolah? Like, obviously she was dressed head-to-toe in designer clothes, but.... she didn't expect an Upstead to notice that.

Felixir · 03-28-2021, 08:07 PM

A spell? Any other time, maybe, especially to save themselves, but not right now. That wouldn't do for Burnbridge, even if Nem's arms were starting to strain with the exertion of pulling her up, and the broken floorboards dug painfully into their chest. The remains of the structure fractured and splintered around them. It was easy to take no notice. Effortless.

Although, was someone firing spells this way? Irresponsible. Nem was trying to save a life over here. Or something. At least the Neo-Alliance followers had apparently taken their leave from the bridge, one way or another.

Right, yes, the one thing. "Just to answer your question..." Nem stopped trying to heave the woman up over the side for a moment, endeavoured only to keep her in place as they leaned in a little closer, all the better to rivet their blue eyes unfalteringly on hers. What was it Lucien Rosier had told them? Oh yes. "There is nothing wrong with me." They grinned pleasantly, digging their fingers spitefully into Burnbridge's arms. Seemed they were done here. "Your services are no longer required."

Dropping the smile, face inscrutable once again, Nemesis Upstead let go, shoving Former Headmistress Anastasia Reina Bunbury Truebridge's hands away and snatching at her wand in the process.

"Peace."

BanaBatGirl · 03-28-2021, 08:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Felixir

A spell? Any other time, maybe, especially to save themselves, but not right now. That wouldn't do for Burnbridge, even if Nem's arms were starting to strain with the exertion of pulling her up, and the broken floorboards dug painfully into their chest. The remains of the structure fractured and splintered around them. It was easy to take no notice. Effortless.

Although, was someone firing spells this way? Irresponsible. Nem was trying to save a life over here. Or something. At least the Neo-Alliance followers had apparently taken their leave from the bridge, one way or another.

Right, yes, the one thing. "Just to answer your question..." Nem stopped trying to heave the woman up over the side for a moment, endeavoured only to keep her in place as they leaned in a little closer, all the better to rivet their blue eyes unfalteringly on hers. What was it Lucien Rosier had told them? Oh yes. "There is nothing wrong with me." They grinned pleasantly, digging their fingers spitefully into Burnbridge's arms. Seemed they were done here. "Your services are no longer required."

Dropping the smile, face inscrutable once again, Nemesis Upstead let go, shoving Former Headmistress Anastasia Reina Bunbury Truebridge's hands away and snatching at her wand in the process.

"Peace."

For a moment, Annie thought, she really thought, that she was going to win this one. Upstead the Umpteenth really had her believing. Look at those icy orbs staring into her soul; surely someone who looked nearly as precious and beautiful and talented and intelligent and fabulous as her (because, obviously, her eyes were sharper, so once again, Nem just wasn't quite on par) couldn't do such a thing to her.

Surely... this was the case.

And surely, just as surely, her narcissism would be her downfall.

The woman's perfectly outlined and lipsticked red mouth opened in a wide O of surprise when Nemesis Upstead let go of her arms (which hurt, by the way; her arms physically and emotionally hurt now; AND now she'd be falling to her grave with blemished skin on her forearms). Bunz fell with only one last word which was really very telling of her personality and outlook on life and everything else:

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooooo!"

Hopefully, the redheaded Queen would stay dead down there at the bottom of the ravine. Because, to be clear, she was.

Dead.

**The Narrator** · 03-28-2021, 09:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Felixir

A spell? Any other time, maybe, especially to save themselves, but not right now. That wouldn't do for Burnbridge, even if Nem's arms were starting to strain with the exertion of pulling her up, and the broken floorboards dug painfully into their chest. The remains of the structure fractured and splintered around them. It was easy to take no notice. Effortless.

Although, was someone firing spells this way? Irresponsible. Nem was trying to save a life over here. Or something. At least the Neo-Alliance followers had apparently taken their leave from the bridge, one way or another.

Right, yes, the one thing. "Just to answer your question..." Nem stopped trying to heave the woman up over the side for a moment, endeavoured only to keep her in place as they leaned in a little closer, all the better to rivet their blue eyes unfalteringly on hers. What was it Lucien Rosier had told them? Oh yes. "There is nothing wrong with me." They grinned pleasantly, digging their fingers spitefully into Burnbridge's arms. Seemed they were done here. "Your services are no longer required."

Dropping the smile, face inscrutable once again, Nemesis Upstead let go, shoving Former Headmistress Anastasia Reina Bunbury Truebridge's hands away and snatching at her wand in the process.

"Peace."

Quote:

Originally Posted by BanaBatGirl

For a moment, Annie thought, she really thought, that she was going to win this one. Upstead the Umpteenth really had her believing. Look at those icy orbs staring into her soul; surely someone who looked nearly as precious and beautiful and talented and intelligent and fabulous as her (because, obviously, her eyes were sharper, so once again, Nem just wasn't quite on par) couldn't do such a thing to her.

Surely... this was the case.

And surely, just as surely, her narcissism would be her downfall.

The woman's perfectly outlined and lipsticked red mouth opened in a wide O of surprise when Nemesis Upstead let go of her arms (which hurt, by the way; her arms physically and emotionally hurt now; AND now she'd be falling to her grave with blemished skin on her forearms). Bunz fell with only one last word which was really very telling of her personality and outlook on life and everything else:

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooooo!"

Hopefully, the redheaded Queen would stay dead down there at the bottom of the ravine. Because, to be clear, she was.

Dead.

With the long, high-pitched squeal of the former Headmistress, the wooden bridge began to splinter properly. Where it once had been merely falling in half, now it was all coming down.

Anyone who did not escape in time would also fall to their doom.

Only the slightest bits of each end of the bridge were left standing at the end of this epic, loud, splintery fall. In fact, a big BOOM could be heard quaking throughout the grounds when the bridge finally came down.

Thus ended former Headmistress Anastasia R. Truebridge, buried, ironically, by a structure of the same name.

Chelliephone · 03-28-2021, 10:54 PM

His head was swimming and he wasn't moving nearly fast enough to outrun the coming collapse; his feet far too unsteady. He didn't hear the screams of the former Headmistress' fall, which maybe was a good thing as he didn't know what was coming until the last second.

But that still wouldn't save him from his fate, as the bridge fully went down taking Anakin Amstern with it.

And as he fell, all he could do was hope that when the war was over and the rubble had cleared, someone would find the letters tucked into his jacket that he kept with him for his family.

Bazinga · 03-28-2021, 11:10 PM

So much was going on, but she knew one thing that bridge was going down and everyone was right they needed to keep moving. She was trying to help Hadley when all of the sudden the inferi were headed over the edge and so was her former head of house, the woman that had helped her through so much. A scream left her lips and a knee jerk reaction to step forward, but thankfully it was just a reaction and she quickly jumped back. She jumped back off the bridge just in time to look up and see that child, that student, that friend of her son, look like he was helping Truebridge.

Then all hell broke loose and the bridge was falling and so was Truebridge. Another person from Minerva's past, another death. She stood just staring at the mess, at the craziness and pointed her wand towards Nem, "STUPEFY". Her mother instincts were still there and she decided if he was brain washed if she could just get him stopped they could figure it out later.

There was so much noise though and so many people she lost sight of Ethan. Where was Ethan, panic set in. Tears were mixing with the blood from her head and she felt herself shaking with panic and fear. She knew Wade was right there and Ella, she saw Oakey, where was her husband. "ETHAN??" The dust needed to settle from the bridge falling so she could see properly.

Lissy Longbottom · 03-28-2021, 11:22 PM

Royland's eyes widened and he reached out to grab Hattie's hand as the whole bridge collapsed, which caused the whole ground to start shaking. "Did you SEE that?!" he exclaimed in shock. He wasn't referring to the bridge, of course - no, he was referring to the child who had literally just KICKED that woman off the bridge?! A literal child??? WHAT??

He bit his lip and looked around. The inferi problem seemed to be taken care of, and obviously the bridge was NOT going to be a way to get to the castle now. "Let's follow them!" he said, pointing to the healer who was gathering some of the injured and bringing them to the castle.

emjay · 03-28-2021, 11:49 PM

SPOILER!!: Oakey and Char and Peggy

]Henry nodded at the man, glad to hear he could walk with him. Of course he could have conjured a stretcher for him if needed, but being ambulatory seemed like a good sign to Henry. Hopefully his injuries weren't too bad. He reached for his arm, then watched him curiously yet patiently as the man recoiled. Henry didn't see any recognition in his eyes, so perhaps he was in a lot of pain and rethought his decision to get up. He kept his hand outstretched to him a moment longer, but he would have to conjure a stretcher for him if he took any longer. It wasn't safe to just hang out here.

"It's okay. My wife and I are here to help," he said reassuringly as the man reached out again and Henry helped him to his feet. It was then that Charlotte returned to his side and he took the opportunity to look at their surroundings while she tended to his arm. "The bridge is falling." There was surely to be more fatalities and more injured, but their focus was on these two for now.

"Right, of course." Time to get moving. Taking Charlotte's lead, Henry cast a featherlight charm to the injured man to help him move a little faster on his feet as well, then cast a shield for the group of them before taking the man's arm again. "This way, try to keep your focus on getting into the castle," he told the man as they started to quickly follow Char and the injured woman. He knew it was tempting to look around with war raging around them, but it would do no good to get distracted. If he could manage a shield too, great, but Henry would shield and defend anything that came their way.

Felixir · 03-29-2021, 12:22 AM

Look at that. Succumb to hubris, and Nemesis will appear to deliver divine retribution. Funny how these things worked out.

They'd watched her go, fall into the abyss, that look on her face already fixed in their memory. It had been an entertaining few minutes. Enlightening, even. Nem had not been aware, while climbing up onto this bridge, that they'd be sending someone off of it, especially having already done that once tonight. They had also not been entirely aware that they would have such a heavy hand in sending the entire bridge down, so, you know. It was a night of interesting revelations, all things told.

Speaking of, it was time for Nem to get off this ride. With Burnbridge's wand now in hand - and, it was worth noting, already perfectly at home there - they jumped back to their feet, pushing through the upper body ache that came with using their arms for leverage. They were barely upright for a moment, however, when a jet of light flew their way - Nem quickly brought up the cherry wand to block it with a shield charm, and sent the same stunning spell vaguely back across the widening chasm.

Again. Irresponsible. Standing on a precipice over here.

Speaking of, things were getting a bit touch-and-go. As Nem finally made to flee down end of the bridge, the section they stood on joined the collapse, threatening to take them with it. They sprinted along the planks, until their retreat was less a run, and more a climb. And then a scramble to find something to hold onto. And then a fall.

A rope of light shot suddenly up out of the ravine, connecting with the small section of the bridge that remained standing. Nemesis Upstead soon followed it, barrelling through wooden debris, Carpe Retractum-ing themselves out of the jaws of death. Up they flew, and onto the last of the wooden boards with a heavy thud, rolling a short way before scrambling to their feet at the entrance arch of the broken bridge. They were bruised, battered, bleeding. Their eyes blazed. The wild grin on their face was, quite frankly, alarming. They definitely had at least one splinter.

It was time to go. Again.

Not lingering another moment, Nem turned and fled the scene, abruptly swallowed up by darkness.

emjay · 03-29-2021, 01:06 AM

There was so much happening at once and Ethan was having a hard time keeping his focus on just one thing. That would probably be the best course of action, rather than divide his focus, but he needed to make sure his wife was safe as well as help his allies fight off their enemies. And there was still the child in the midst of this, no matter what they said or did. Ethan couldn't help caring like the father he was.

He barely had time to react to the horrible sight of Hadley's apparent demise when he could tell that the bridge was starting to come down. There really was no time to lose now, they had to get out of there immediately. But where was Min? Wade? Ella? Airey? "Let's go, off the bridge!" he shouted as he sprinted off the edge, hoping any of them who might still be there were on their way off as well.

"I'm here!" Ethan caught up to Minerva again and glanced back. Did Nemesis just...?Horrified, he stared as his former Headmistress was pushed off the bridge, screaming on her way down. "Wait.." he started as he heard the stunning spell shouted from next to him. No matter what the kid had done, they were still a child and Ethan didn't want them falling to their death. Being stunned would make it impossible for them to run off the bridge. And even though the spell seemed to have missed, it also seemed to be too late as the bridge came falling down before he could do anything about it.

His breath caught in his throat as he paused only a beat, but he turned and grabbed Minerva's arm. "Let's go! We need to get to the castle," he said as he began running with her that way. They needed to get to Morgan and make sure he was safe.

sweetpinkpixie · 03-29-2021, 01:15 AM

AIREY FLAMSTEED | ORDER ALIGNED

There were some concerns, some regrets, and an astronomical amount of trepidation.

The situation felt very much like they had all stepped into the Kobayashi Maru. There was a horrible irony in that the inferi and bridge shared one thing in common: an aversion to fire. Something that Airey had both been acutely aware while also impeccably ignorant of when he had cast his anti-gravity spell, his sole thought in the moment being separating the minds capable of thoughtful reactions to those who could not. Which had been the precise outcome of his spellwork while also providing the former Astronomy professor with an unnecessary dose of nostalgia for a time several deca--- well, it had simply been SOME time ago now, hadn't it. And once again Mr. Gunter had neglected to wear his helmet. Tsk tsk.

And speaking of knocking heads...the inferi who were caught up in the anti-gravity charm were doing just that...against the ceiling...and some were on fire and thus the flames spread and did even more damage both in that moment and when they went crashing to the ground.

So...there were some regrets. Curse you, Jack B. Sowards!

Seeing that the living were able to create space between themselves and those simply animated to mimic life, Airey wiped his brow and winced at the pain in his shoulder while doing so. Only to realize a couple of seconds too late (there was quite a BIT going so it was beyond human capacity to properly observe everything, especially with smoke and flame being such inhibitors to the human sensory system) that there was someone beneath the pile of inferi...and then the bridge collapsed under the weight... and saw his former colleague fall along with the inferi into the darkness below. It was difficult to process what he felt, even under normal circumstances it would have been a difficult matter to see someone he was acquainted with perish, and right now all the man could acknowledge was that his stomach had shifted violently downwards and an uncomfortable numbness had taken over. A defense mechanism, perhaps.

He also realized now that he was no Klingon and would very much like to retract his earlier battle cry.

Later he would not be able to remember precisely what happened in the immediate moments following Josephina's fall, but the voice of ~~Miss Bishop~~ Mrs Summers pulled him out of his autopilot of spell casting and deflecting as he moved backwards on the bridge. "Yes...come...let's..." It was then that the man recalled Headmistress Truebridge too was present on this bridge and despite it being YEARS since their tenure together and him never quite seeing eye-to-eye with here while simultaneously being positively terrified of just breathing the same air as her...he still felt a sense of duty to assist her. She too, after all, had been a colleague someone who had seen fit to provide him with the opportunity of becoming an educator at Hogwarts. He, dare he say it, owed it to her to assist?

As irrational as it was, he gave ~~Miss Bishop~~ Mrs Summers a bit of an awkward pat pat to her head (that was a reassuring gesture, yes?) and looked ahead as he took a step forward. "I must assist Headmi----" Through the fire and splintering wood as the bridge's structural integrity finally gave, Airey felt his stomach drop and twist further as he saw the redhead of his nightmares fall (and his impression of the moment was that the blonde student who had been beside her had fallen to their doom as well). Call it the emotional suppression worthy of a Vulcan, but there truly was only one logical conclusion to be had here as the bridge began to crumble and that was to get the hell off this bridge at lightspeed.

There was a reason he had not worn any red today, you see.

Turning and running, his hand moving to the small of ~~Miss Bishop~~ Mrs Summers back to assist in the departure (he would, if necessary, literally hoist her up by the fabric), Airey Flamsteed ran and felt the wooden planks give under his feet just as he leapt to throw himself against the ground on the Hogwarts castle side of the bridge...panting, out of breath, and with burn marks all across his forehead and hands.

His suit was, likewise, more than a bit singed at the seams.

ArianaBlack · 03-29-2021, 05:23 AM

SPOILER!!: Quentin + Inferi

Quote:

Originally Posted by INFERI!

The Inferi were very busy, attacking all these people. As the first witches and wizards began attacking with fire, they retreated from the spell casters, some quicker than others. Those few corpses that could not avoid the fire succumbed to it, and lumbered, burning, away from their fellows.

Several Inferi received solid thwacks in the head from Zoryn Chosen's bat, but they did not stop attempting to grab her or the others. What is a blow to the head when you're already dead?

Returning to the woman (Zoryn) with the fire-less bat, one Inferus grabbed ahold of the bat, suffering multiple blows to its head and torso before it attempted to wrench it from her hands. Another grabbed for the woman's arms, and a third attempted to grab her legs.

Quote:

Originally Posted by nicole black

The sounds of screams would never leave his head. The smell of blood. the sight of so many fallen. But Q didn't have time to think of it now, there was so much to be done and time was a privilege, not a right. The Threstrals had gotten loose, he wasn't sure how or how many but he'd found this one out by the lake being terrorized by the alliance, well, he'd taken care of that. Try as he might, the poor creature, shaken to it's core, hadn't wanted to leave his side.

So here he was, riding into the battle on a black winged horse, his hands holding a bridle he'd conjured and his thighs wrapped tight around it's middle. They dashed across the rubble and wreckage, through the grounds and toward the wooden bridge where Q could see bursts of light. But was it the Alliance trying to keep the order out? or the Order fighting them back?

But as Q neared the bridge, he saw it was not quite either.

and there was something else, something that made his skin crawl. Inferi. Everywhere, with their cold hands all over the resistance. Quentin bristled, his teeth bared. "Hyah," he said, tugging on the reins to urge the Threstral onward, faster and faster as they dodged through errant spells. There was a young woman (Zoryn) on the ground, her limbs so covered in Inferi it was hard to tell where she began and they ended. With one hand gripping the reins, he reached for his wand and- and the Threstral, which before had only been running took off from the ground, her great skeletal wings deafeningly loud, but despite the shock Q managed- really just managed- to hold on. "No, no- we need to head back down." He tried to reason with the magical creature, pulling on the reins to get her to turn about. He aimed hard for the inferi still on the bridge, a knock back jinx intended to give the surviving members a chance to flee without causing further damage.

He kept it up, shooting spell after spell all the while trying to steer his way back to the young woman being dragged off the bridge to the murky depths below. Finally, he managed to swoop in just close enough to grab ahold of the woman's arm. "I've got you, come on!" He shouted, panting hard as he pulled her from the Inferi's grasp. "Hyah!" He said, kicking his heels into the Threstral's sides and taking off into the air, his hand tight around the young woman's arm. "quick, climb up my arm and jump on her back." Q looked down to the bridge, from up here everyone looked like a friend to the cause, but he knew that couldn't be the case. "Fall Back! The bridge is going to collapse " He called out to those still fighting. "Get to the Great Hall!"

ZORYN CHOSEN: ORDER ALIGNED

In retrospect, using her bat in battle was not a good move when the alternative could have been her wand. In Zoryn's defense, however, she was much better with a bat than she was a wand - and a bat was much more her style. What was the point of using a wand if everyone else was using one too? Just because they were fighting a war didn't mean she couldn't bring the DRAMA. Drama was like the whole point. Put on a show - GO BIG OR GO HOME.

Or uh, go dead. RIP that chick (Hadley).

Zoryn was starting to realize she might end up with the same fate. All it took was one inferus and another and .... another. They had her surrounded. Her legs, her arms, her torso. She tried with all her might to fight them off, raising her bat into the air and trying to WHACK at them, but fighting was a liiiiiiiiiittle difficult with all the dead weight. This was worse than that one time she had gone to her cousins fourth birthday and all the kids decided to use all five feet and one inch of her as a jungle gym.

"AHHHHHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" What had started as a battle cry had simply turned into ... a cry. A loud wailing, if you will. The sound of a Gryffindor who has come to realize that they made a very terrible, horrible mistake. Like when your momma tells you to bring a jacket and you insist that you won't need one, but then you're five minutes into the function and your bum is literally frozen solid. That kind of cry. It was one of those. "FAITH!?!?" She looked around helplessly, everything was a blur. "FAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIITH!"

And then something spectacular happened. The dramatic scene she had prepared for her entire life. Being lifted up into the air by the arms of an angel. Zoryn grabbed onto the man (Quentin) with ALL HER might, regrettably leaving her bat with the inferi (le crie). Upon climbing up, she LOUDLY gasped for air. "I knew zombies smelled bad, but those guys REEKED!" Acknowledging her almost death? Couldn't be Zor. "Like, shower much?" She laughed in a hysteric sort of way, jumping onto the flying burnt-marshmallow. "Where'd you get this thing?!?" And one more question, what the HECK was it????????

Zoryn then paused for a moment of silence, in commemoration of her favorite bat, that now suffered a fate worse than most (and yes, she did see all the old people die (and yes, this included the weird Mufasa moment - like, get your own original plot, much?)). Anyway, it was hard to commemorate when her angel was doing all that shouting- pretty disrespectful as Zor was trying to have a moment- and--"Oh yeah, it does look like it's gonna--"

Yikes. Sucks to be those guys.

Told ya it wasn't smart to use fire on a wooden bridge. Didn't even have to be a Ravenclaw to figure that out.

Bazinga · 03-29-2021, 01:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by emjay

There was so much happening at once and Ethan was having a hard time keeping his focus on just one thing. That would probably be the best course of action, rather than divide his focus, but he needed to make sure his wife was safe as well as help his allies fight off their enemies. And there was still the child in the midst of this, no matter what they said or did. Ethan couldn't help caring like the father he was.

He barely had time to react to the horrible sight of Hadley's apparent demise when he could tell that the bridge was starting to come down. There really was no time to lose now, they had to get out of there immediately. But where was Min? Wade? Ella? Airey? "Let's go, off the bridge!" he shouted as he sprinted off the edge, hoping any of them who might still be there were on their way off as well.

"I'm here!" Ethan caught up to Minerva again and glanced back. Did Nemesis just...?Horrified, he stared as his former Headmistress was pushed off the bridge, screaming on her way down. "Wait.." he started as he heard the stunning spell shouted from next to him. No matter what the kid had done, they were still a child and Ethan didn't want them falling to their death. Being stunned would make it impossible for them to run off the bridge. And even though the spell seemed to have missed, it also seemed to be too late as the bridge came falling down before he could do anything about it.

His breath caught in his throat as he paused only a beat, but he turned and grabbed Minerva's arm. "Let's go! We need to get to the castle," he said as he began running with her that way. They needed to get to Morgan and make sure he was safe.

Her panic was getting the best of her and as the dust started to settle she could see Flamsteed, Ella, Wade, and then she heard and felt Ethan next to her. "Yes, lets get going." She grabbed his hand with her own shaking one and held on tight. She didn't want to lose him in the chaos, she couldn't lose him or she would never know what to do in life.

Her eyes darted back towards where the bridge was and she mumbled a little I'm sorry to Hadley and even Truebridge because even though it was a war and even though sides were drawn no one should die like this.

Struggling to get her tears under control she had to think of Morgan and the other children. She had to keep moving forward.

sweetpinkpixie · 03-30-2021, 11:41 AM

DERFAEL ASHBURRY-HAWTHORNE | ORDER ALIGNED

Derf had always known that he would find himself back at Hogwarts one way or another...just not like this. He figured that maybe he would pop in for a career day or maybe even get lucky enough to teach a seminar relating to his expertise in magizoology. ON the long LONG list of possibilities, he never imagined he would be darting from Hogsmeade up towards the castle to participate in a war for the freedom of all wizardingkind. Also...to find his sister. Not hearing from Celyn all this time and not being able to tell her officially that she was an aunt had been horrible, each day that passed making the part of his heart she occupied feel hollow. The Ashburry-Hawthornes and Bentleys were an incredibly tightknit family, after all. He was certain mum and dad were out doing their part somewhere else too. In fact, it had been his dad who had first tipped him off to something being...off with the world when he had relayed some of his experience at some spell competition where he had met a former Transportation head who had been fired from her job. Derf hadn't thought too hard about it at the time, these things did happen, but looking back now...just how blind to things had so many of them been?

A thought for another time. Presently he was trying to watch his own footing in the darkness while holding out his Lumos lit wand while ALSO trying to listen to Picketta give him directions. She was particularly bossy this evening and the former Hufflepuff attested this to her finally getting time just with him without Chloe or their daughter 'interfering'. It had not been an easy decision to come here, to fight. Well, actually, it kind of sort of was in the heat of the moment...but the actual act of packing himself an emergency bag like he used to carry with him during the years he took off on his magizoologist journey of self discovery had forced him to slow down and think. Think about leaving Chloe...think about leaving Briallen...think about what it would mean if the worst happened...but when he thought about Celyn, he just couldn't sit by idly. In fact, Chloe did nothing but support him. He still found himself wondering just how the universe had brought him to her, how he had come to deserve someone so understanding of his restless and chaotic with good intentions nature, but he had. And maybe...just maybe after all this, assuming the best, he might do something more with that.

More thoughts for another time.

The horizon glowed and there was a heavy smoke and stench in the air that quickened his pace. At a full sprint, Picketta chirping irritably at him for such a bumpy ride, Derf knew this odor and his heart thumped painfully in his throat. Breaching the forest and stepping out into the clearing just before where the wooden bridge OUGHT to be, Derf slowed to a walk and sort of just stood there for a bit. Stunned. He could just vaguely see bodies moving on the opposite side...but with no bridge to cross here, he would just have to find another. Just his luck, wasn't it? Clearly he had taken entirely too much time packing that bag and fretting over his choice.

"...we'll just...go around then..." He was speaking, mostly, to Picketta. Wiping his brow and now waiting any longer to catch his breath, Derf took off along the edge in hot pursuit of another means of getting to Hogwarts.

AlwaysSnapesGirl · 03-31-2021, 01:55 AM

It was pure chaos as people on both sides ran off opposite sides of the burning bridge. Despite wanting to run for the castle too, Vashti was searching all of their faces...and finally found the familiar face of Anakin towards the back of the crowd.

She sprinted out from the cover of the trees, fortunate that not too many offensive spells were flying at this point, not daring to look for the source of the scream on the other side, her eyes locked on her husband, desperate to reach him.

And then he, and the bridge, were gone.

Vashti stumbled, not quite believing what she'd just witnessed. That...couldn't have just happened. Halting at the edge, she stared down into the darkness, looked around at her surroundings for that familiar face, stared downward again. He... He was... He wasn't...

Her mind couldn't process any of it. Numb disbelief froze her there, silent and unmoving, until one thought pulled her from the abyss.

She had to find her children.

That got her feet moving toward the castle, even if the numbness remained.

She had a purpose. She couldn't stop until they were safe.

nicole black · 04-01-2021, 06:23 PM

He hadn't expected the little witch to be so... expressive? But once she was talking she didn't seem to want to stop. He had to laugh, his lips cracking into a smile as his rumbling chuckle escaped. Incredulous, Quentin shook his head. "Reckon they don't bathe much." He lightly said, flinching as an errant spell whizzed past his head. He dug in his heels, urging the Threstral - which he certainly shouldn't name but certainly wanted to, and perhaps he had already thought of a good one - higher, away from the danger, the dead bodies and the fire. Q wasn't sure what he was most eager to get away from. "She was being attacked by some cowards by the lake. I stunned them and left up tied up for the order to grab. Didn't feel right leaving her there." So he... brought her into battle. Perhaps not the best idea for her safety but it was certainly helping.

The battle here had waned, any fool could see that. "Were they trying to burn down the bridge?" He asked, flinching away as the bridge, with a final roar, collapsed hard into the dark water far below. He couldn't have told you which side won, in fact, he wasn't sure there had been a winner in this game. "I'm taking you to the Great Hall... " He paused, gripping the bridle carefully in one hand, "What's your name?" and with that, he kicked in his heels and the Beater, the Herbologist and the Threstral were out of there.

He'd have time to think... whatever they'd just witnessed... later.

In Therapy.

**The Narrator** · 04-03-2021, 08:04 AM

Quieter and the battle waged here having reached it's conclusion some time ago, a silvery opossum nonetheless found its way here to address any who may still be present. Climbing up the wooden frame that marked the entrance of the bridge, the voice of the Minister erupted out of the spirit guardian’s open mouth and echoed into the ravine the wooden bridge once crossed.

And then the opossum dissipated into thin air.

Felixir · 04-03-2021, 06:40 PM

From their hiding place in the Clock Tower, Nem had skirted the crowds and struggled all the way back here again, only now they found themselves on the opposite end of the bridge from where they'd fled earlier. It had been a struggle to get here too, but they had wanted somewhere quiet to think, and doubted many would have lingered in this particular place. They'd strapped up their ankle, tried what charms they could on their arm and ribs, but Nem was utterly wiped out, ready to drop, and their magic was not what it could have been; almost every part of them still seemed to ache, throb, and burn. Not that that was an issue - without that, they weren't sure they'd be feeling much of anything, not now it was all over.

Here at what was once the wooden bridge, no longer Disillusioned - and looking very much like they had been in the thick of a huge battle with all the cuts, bruises, burns, and scapes, not to mention the dirt and dust - Nem sat on the tiny section that remained standing, their legs hanging over the edge so that their feet dangled above the ravine. They stared down at the smouldering bridge below and all that was buried under it, ignoring the spectacular sunrise, thinking on what they'd seen, and what they'd lost. Though, had they really lost anything? Hot topic of the morning. Something to think about. Later. Other things to deal with first.

The next step was an obvious one, though Nem was in no fit state to go seeking anyone out. They leaned against a broken railing, let out a long, painful breath. Sooner or later, someone would turn up.

Cassirin · 04-04-2021, 02:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Felixir

From their hiding place in the Clock Tower, Nem had skirted the crowds and struggled all the way back here again, only now they found themselves on the opposite end of the bridge from where they'd fled earlier. It had been a struggle to get here too, but they had wanted somewhere quiet to think, and doubted many would have lingered in this particular place. They'd strapped up their ankle, tried what charms they could on their arm and ribs, but Nem was utterly wiped out, ready to drop, and their magic was not what it could have been; almost every part of them still seemed to ache, throb, and burn. Not that that was an issue - without that, they weren't sure they'd be feeling much of anything, not now it was all over.

Here at what was once the wooden bridge, no longer Disillusioned - and looking very much like they had been in the thick of a huge battle with all the cuts, bruises, burns, and scapes, not to mention the dirt and dust - Nem sat on the tiny section that remained standing, their legs hanging over the edge so that their feet dangled above the ravine. They stared down at the smouldering bridge below and all that was buried under it, ignoring the spectacular sunrise, thinking on what they'd seen, and what they'd lost. Though, had they really lost anything? Hot topic of the morning. Something to think about. Later. Other things to deal with first.

The next step was an obvious one, though Nem was in no fit state to go seeking anyone out. They leaned against a broken railing, let out a long, painful breath. Sooner or later, someone would turn up.

It seemed like the crowds were mixing, and it would be so easy for a former Neo-Alliance follower to slip in with the crowds milling about and making their way toward the castle. No one was wearing a big badge that said 'I chose evil and lost', and Vivi had a feeling that more than a few supporters were going to walk right out of the gates today. They'd spend months and years picking apart stories from neighbors and friends turning on each other, swearing they saw Mr. So-and-so fighting for the Alliance today. And some would be lying, creating an evil of their own out of confusion and mistrust.

But today, Vivi had the honor and privilege of spotting an exhausted looking teenager who had definitely broken a few laws today. Had killed someone right in front of her eyes, although Simone had murdered another woman feet away from Vivi just moments before. And it was hard to know if they meant to kill Simone... Still. It wasn't her job to decide how justice was served. She just scooped up the rulebreakers.

Vivi leaned against the railing next to them and gazed at the broken landscape. "I thought I told you that you were grounded, but here you are in the middle of a battleground. Why don't children ever do as they are told?" She was thinking of her own three as she took in their weary face, the bruises and cuts still fresh. This was actually going to be hard.

Felixir · 04-04-2021, 03:44 AM

Well, what do you know, here was one now.

It took only a few words for Nem to place to speaker, due in part to the vague familiarity of her voice, but mostly thanks to the mention of the grounding quip, which they remembered very clearly. Hardly seemed that long since she was getting all bent out of shape over a little bit of fiendfyre over on the stone bridge. Was that thing still standing? Possibly. It was always going to hold up longer than this one, at any rate, but that fire could be wicked destructive.

"I stayed on the grounds, though, is that likely to work in my favour?" Grounded. Ha. Seemed like a bad time to point out that Nem had also never been particularly fond of doing what they were told. The Krafft woman had tried it, and... yes. Bad time. "You should know, a few came off this bridge too. This one woman, Truebridge... she fell, and I... the bridge was falling and..." Nem stopped, let the tired hesitation hang in the air, shook their head. The image of Lucien Rosier swam in their mind, and they impatiently shooed it away, continuing in a flat, exhausted voice. "Let's get this over with." Anecdotes later. Or statements. Matter of perspective, really.

With some difficulty - they weren't sure they'd ever felt this worn down, this physically weak in their whole life, but it was a feeling of sorts, and one they held on to - they used the railing to pull themselves to their feet and stay upright, and stood facing the blonde woman. Now they were looking right at her, in the early morning light of a calm and quiet day, Nem thought she looked kind of familiar, but lacked the energy to try and figure out why. "Xander Upstead, that's my name." Legally, or whatever. For the paperwork. "Everyone calls me Nem."

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