~*The Girl in the Swamp*~
By: Cisselah
~*-.-*~
(Beater 2)
written for Cearphilly Catapults in The Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition
Prompts: 2 & 6
~*-.-*~
Teddy Lupin was having a terrible day.
"Circe's pigs!" a loud, amused voice cursed in a thick Irish accent. "What happened to you?"
Glaring at his partner from underneath a fringe of bright blue hair, Teddy seriously considered wrapping his hands around the Irish's throat and squeezing.
Rohan McAllister grinned as if he could read his soaking wet partner's mind - which wouldn't surprise Teddy at all. During the seven years Teddy had worked with the man, there was only one thing Teddy knew for sure; Rohan McAllister was a mystery unlike any other.
With his shockingly red hair and catlike, swirling gold eyes, Rohan immediately commanded the attention of the room (often in an obnoxious, unnecessarily loud way). Despite his loud, outgoing personality and easy smile, Rohan had a distinct aura of power and danger that surrounded him like a dragon hide cloak. Even though he was skinny and weak-looking, Rohan was stronger and deadlier than most of the Beast Agents' Division. Once, Teddy had seen the redhead rugby tackle a wendigo. While Teddy hastily dragged the wendigo's unfortunate victims, Rohan had engaged in a brutal wrestling match - and won.
So not only did Teddy strongly suspect that Rohan was way more powerful than any other wizard in the entire ministry (save Teddy's godfather, Harry Potter, whose magical powers sometimes lit up the room like a supernova) but he also wasn't entirely sure that Rohan was a wizard at all. He had never seen his redheaded partner use a wand, and the man favored his daggers to the point where he always carried them with him ("Because using magic is for wimps"). There was even a rumor going on in the department that Rohan had named the daggers Torment and Death, after the two things he did best.
The result of Rohan's dangerous reputations and strange quirks was that Rohan went through partners like other people went through clothes. None of the other BAD agents wanted to be his partner, and those that did never lasted long. It had gotten to the point where Rohan had gone through most of the Division and the Head of the Department had had no other choice but assign a freshly graduated BAD agent to the man. Teddy had always suspected that the Head had assigned him Rohan's partner as payback for the Applesauce Ambush incident. Most of the Department (including the Head) had figured that hotheaded Teddy wouldn't last a week as the infamous Rohan McAllister's partner.
This was Teddy's seventh year as Rohan's partner.
Not that the job wasn't without its difficulties, like Rohan's ever-present coffee addiction or his annoying ability to drag himself through an Irish swamp without getting a single spot or wrinkle on his clothes. Rohan also seemed to lack any knowledge of proper social behavior, and had the uncomfortable habit of lacking any sort of filter between his mouth and brain. In addition to that, the twenty-eight year old redhead had the guts to do everything (from tracking rogue beasts to baking enchiladas) perfectly - and seeing nothing wrong with that whatsoever.
That cocky asshole.
"I just trudged through a bloody swamp in chase after a bloody succubus, what do you think happened?" Teddy snapped at his partner, feeling the familiar rage pulse up from within him to wrap itself around him like a favorite cloak.
"I went through the swamp too, and you don't see me looking like Fido's latest chew toy," Rohan grinned so widely his dimples showed, showing no fear at the sight of his partner's furious words and threatening glaring, even though Teddy knew that the wolf inside him had to be shining in his eyes.
"Maybe because you use your mysterious mojo to keep yourself clean and sharp at all times!" Teddy accused his partner, twisting his favorite jacket to try to wrangle out all the water and mud out of the leather. He had already deemed the rest of his black clothes a lost cause.
Rohan's grin widened. His black clothes - black t-shirt, black jeans, black combat boots and black leather jacket - was of course as undisturbed as his messy red hair and catlike, swirling gold eyes.
"I would never!" The redhead grinned like it was the funniest joke he had ever heard. His eyes twinkled slyly. "That would be misusing my powers. If I now happened to possess such powers"
Glaring at his partner in a drop-dead-you-ass way, Teddy let his thoughts about that particular statement show in his eyes.
Rohan laughed.
"Did you spot her?" he asked Teddy, still grinning in a carefree, joyous way. Only Rohan could be that ecstatically happy while hunting a man-killing succubus through a swamp.
"No," Teddy said shortly. "Was too busy soaking in all the mud and moist"
"Look on the bright side," Rohan said brightly. "Girls pay a fortune to get their face smeared with stinking mud... you got it for free"
Turning away from his still grinning partner (mostly because the sight of his face made Teddy contemplate murder), Teddy tossed his leather jacket on the ground (because even someone as stubborn as Teddy knew when something was a lost cause) and glared at the swamp with eyes that were likely to set it on fire.
"That was my favorite jacket," he growled at the swamp. "Rohan - this is all your fault. You better buy me a new one you little bugger!"
His partner's laugh dared Teddy to make him. Teddy turned to his partner and growled, baring his teeth in a wolf-like manner as he raised his hand in an obscene gesture.
"C'mon," Rohan said in a grinning voice that was pure Rohan (with a slight side dish of provocation). "Let's find that man-killer, shall we?"
Teddy spun around and started walking the opposite way, mainly to try to keep himself from strangling his knew without looking that Rohan followed him like a shadow, all stealth and silence that was so at odds with his obnoxious grin and usual flamboyant attitude. Not that it was surprising. BAD only hired the best, and mostly half-breeds whose half-beast skills gave them an edge over the purebred wizards.
Back in the old days, before the war, BAD had only recruited purebred wizard and witches. The mortality rate during those days had been close to 100 % - for both beasts and agents. These days the Granger Reformation Laws of Equal Rights demanded a much gentler and more non-lethal approach to managing the beasts, and also allowed half-breeds such as Teddy to acquire jobs within the Ministry. Although they legally had the right to seek any job within the Ministry, most people with mixed blood ended up in the Beast division where they could use their extra abilities to manage and police their kin. People still died on both sides, but the numbers were significantly lower than before.
A prickly sensation stung the back off his neck. Teddy tensed almost immeasurably. He recognized the sensation for what it was. Someone was watching him.
Discreetly, he breathed in deeply. His nostrils flared as he sorted through the scents at a moment's notice. Swamp. Mud. Dead animals. Outdoors. All ordinary scents. And then... then came the scent. Most people wouldn't have caught it, but the mixed blood that ran through Teddy's veins enhanced his senses and made him sharper than most. The scent of candied apples and cinnamon still lingered in the air, the scent so familiar that he noticed it even under all the mud and swamp-y smells.
Teddy stopped abruptly.
What in Merlin's name...?
A rustle from behind him.
Spinning around at inhumanly speed, Teddy caught a brief glimpse of a pale face and even paler hands. Time stood still as he opened his mouth to shout out a warning to his partner, but Rohan had already realized that something was wrong. The smile slid off his face, his eyes narrowed and the redhead started to turn around, his hands raising his beloved daggers to defend himself...
But it was already too late. In a move so fast it literally blurred, a pair of pale, delicate hands wrapped around Rohan's shoulders, drilling into his jacket as the Succubus yanked him back into the swamp. To Rohan's credit, the BAD agent didn't panic (and actually seemed to be in the process of twisting around to stab his attacker in the face) and disappeared under the surface with an expression that was both pissed and a touch of embarrassed.
Cursing a blue streak, Teddy dove towards the swamp. Sending a red stunner towards the struggling mess of limbs, he grabbed one of the pale, delicate hands and tried to rip it off his friend. It didn't move. Clinging to Rohan like a bear trap, the succubus snapped out her hand and grabbed his wand, yanking it down into the bubbling swamp. Calling her and her mother several unpleasant names, Teddy struck out with his now clawed hands. The wolf moved restlessly under the surface of his skin, growling to be let out to kill the silly little creature that thought it could get away with hurting its pack. His clawed hands stuck pale flesh before it disappeared into the swampy waters.
It took almost three minutes of splashing and cursing and threatening everything from the succubus to the sun before Teddy admitted to himself that the psycho demon had stolen his partner and wand and gotten away.
It took him two minutes to get a crossbow from the car.
Fuming with fury, Teddy set out into the swamp. He hunted after the seductive scent of candied apples and cinnamon, making sure to keep the crossbow ready at all cost. The psycho had nabbed the wrong agent, Teddy thought darkly as he showed his sharp teeth in a mean grin. Tracking was Teddy's specialty, and he never let his prey get away.
It didn't take long before he had caught the trail of the succubus.
Candied apples and cinnamon...
Something deep inside Teddy's heart twisted angrily at the scent. How dare she?! that something hissed predatorily. How dare she use that scent?! Another part of him, the logical part, whispered that it was a part of a succubus magic. To, much like Amortentia, make its victim smell the most attractive scent he or she could imagine, hence the heavenly smell of candied apples and cinnamon.
Teddy didn't want to think about what that said about him.
Pushing away all thoughts of pale ivory skin and ice water eyes, Teddy stalked forward silently as he circled the swamp. The aching pain that terrorized the inside of his chest doubled for every second that Rohan was gone (in the hands of that psycho succubus). If she had hurt him... Teddy was going to kill her - screw the protocol!
It didn't take long to find her. She hadn't even bothered hiding. The soon-to-be-dead succubus was standing in the middle of the swamp, smirking at the bluehaired hunter in a smug manner.
Teddy's heart did a strange jerk, like someone had their hands inside his chest cavity and was twisting his heart with both their hands. His blood turned to liquid hydrogen in his veins with a sudden intensity that stopped him cold. In the murky depths of his memories, his old professor's lessons made themselves reminded.
A succubus can take the shape of whatever her target is most likely to react to. If the wizard likes blondes, then the succubus turns blond. If the wizard likes brunettes, then the succubus turns into a brunette. If she's powerful enough, the succubus can even invade his head and pick a form from his memories. His wife. His daughters. His childhood best friend. Anything is fair game.
Anything is fair game.
Long, smooth legs that stretched on forever. Pale ivory skin covering a curvy body that looked so fragile it might break in half. Ice water eyes. Sharp cheekbones. White gold hair flowing down her shoulders in a waterfall of seduction. Blood red lips turned up in a condescending smirk. The succubus was standing in the swamp, water slouching her calves and licking the edge of her dress. Red blood dripped from four long claw marks on her left arm. She was wearing a sexy red dress with a revealing slit that almost went all the way up to the promised land.
She was also wearing Victoire Weasley.
"Ooooh...The ruggedly handsome hunter has come to find his princess," the succubus drawled in Victoire's snarky voice. "Want to come and play?"
"Where's my partner?" Teddy growled, totally ignoring proper protocol. If Rohan was there, he would inform the succubus that they were agents from the Department of Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures and the succubus had violated article seventy-something of bla-bla-something. But Rohan wasn't there, and Teddy dealt much better in blood than he did in words.
"What partner? I don't know anything about any partner..." the succubus smiled innocently, completely unaware that she was baiting the wrong agent. "Unless we're talking about... other activities..." she fluttered her eyelashes seductively.
Teddy's finger tightened around the trigger. He would have shot her already, consequences be damned, but somehow he couldn't bring himself to shoot her, not when she was wearing that face.
"You know exactly what I'm talking about. Tell me where he is! Now!"
Victoire's face turned cold. She narrowed her eyes at him and stuck up her chin, just like she did every time they passed each other in the Atrium. Except this wasn't Victoire, but a parasite that had slithered into her warm skin to use it for its own gain. The cold, calculating smile that was dancing on Victoire's lips cemented that fact.
"My, my... Such charming manners you have," the succubus drawled smoothly. "No wonder Victoire won't look at you without disdain in her eyes. Or wait... Maybe that's because of the way you broke that poor little girl's heart. Very cruel of you. Rejecting all her advances like you couldn't care less"
"Shut up!" Teddy snapped. The succubus's smile widened and he knew she was digging around inside his skull, finding the memories that hurt the most and the buttons attached to them.
"But you did... didn't you? You were attracted to her - to us. You liked the way we looked. The way we spoke. Oh dear, all those naughty thoughts you had... All those dirty little fantasies you had... all about little Victoire Weasley. It tickled your tummy to see her in a bikini"
"Shut it!"
"You must know that's wrong, don't you? Lusting after a girl as young as little Victoire"
"I'm warning you!"
"What would her family say? What would your godfather say?"
"Don't say another word about my godfather!" Teddy growled, his eyes shining yellow as the wolf clawed the surface.
The succubus laughed.
"You're a dirty old man, Teddy Lupin, lusting after pure, little Victoire that way, and you know it. That's why you rejected her advances. Why you go out of your way to annoy her every time you see her. You pretend to be noble enough to give her up, but in reality you're only waiting for her to be old enough for you to stick your-"
He pulled the trigger.
~*-.-*~
It took him almost an hour to find hollow tree were the succubus had dumped Rohan. The redhead lay curled up inside the trunk, bound and gagged and snoring like he had every right to sleep through his captivity and rescue. To Teddy's disgust, the Irish also seemed to have made it through the ordeal without getting a single mud spot on his clothes - despite getting dragged into a muddied swamp by a succubus.
"Where's the succubus? Did you eat her?" Rohan asked him as they trudged towards the redhead's rusty old Chevrolet (which was parked a mile away from the swamp so that "it wouldn't pick up the swamp-y vibes") .
Teddy snorted and headed to the back of the car. Curious, Rohan followed him. He gaped at the sight that met him when Teddy opened the trunk and showed him the succubus that lay there, glaring at them with ice water eyes from underneath purplish swollen eyelids.
"What the hell?" Rohan stared at the woman in his trunk with wide, catlike, swirling gold eyes. "What did you do to her?"
The succubus tried to say something around the sock that Teddy had stuffed in her mouth. She was still wearing her Victoire-disguise, but looking considerably much ragged than before. Her white gold hair was tousled and muddied, her face covered in black and bluish bruises and her dress several new shades of red. A rapidly healing wound was leaking crimson blood in a thin stream down her leg. Silver handcuffs engraved with runes forced her arms behind her back and bound her wrists together tightly.
It was nothing that wouldn't heal. All succubuses had a mean ability to heal lethal injuries in cfa matter of hours, and this one's injuries were nowhere close to lethal.
All in all, Teddy considered this a success. After all, the psycho was still breathing, wasn't she? Now it was all a matter of bringing the succubus back to England and throwing her sorry ass in a holding cell.
"Nothing," Teddy grunted impatiently, already feeling the desire to shower off all the mud and swamp shred any chance at polite conversation Rohan might have.
"Nothing?" Rohan's eyebrows rose to touch the top of his hairline. "You've got to be kidding me! My baby is covered in mud and blood! Couldn't you have rinsed her off before you put her in there?"
Teddy gave him a look.
"Lost my wand," he told his partner. "Besides, look on the bright side. Girls' pay a fortune for that muddy stuff... you get it for free"
Rohan whimpered dramatically as he petted the side of his car. "Don't worry baby," he whispered to the car. "We'll get that icky mud out of you as soon as we get rid off that hag my mean partner stuffed in your trunk" He straightened up, still looking at Teddy like the blue haired BAD agent had just threatened to eat homeless little children for breakfast. "What happened the succubus by the way?"
Teddy shrugged.
"She fell," he said.
"She fell?" Rohan repeated.
"Down the stairs," Teddy added.
"Down the stairs?" Rohan asked incuriously.
"Mmhm... Twice"
"Really?"
"Yup... It was quite the fall"
"I can imagine that"
They looked at each other for a moment.
Rohan shut the trunk.
"Shotgun?" he asked his partner.
"Sounds good," Teddy said.
They climbed into the car. The rusty old Chevrolet growled and spit as Rohan started it, protesting loudly at idea of moving. Teddy could never really understand why Rohan was so attached to the old rustbucket. Not only was the car a menace to society and threatened to blind viewers with its ugly canary-yellow color, but it was also about as likely to break down as a dragon was likely to breathe fire.
Still, Rohan loved that old car and always tried to squeeze in as many miles on it as he could before it took its final breathe and gave up. This meant that as Rohan's partner, Teddy was forced to ride with him in the old rustbucket during missions ("Because brooms are so 1549!").
The car started to move forward and the redhead took a deep breath as if to center himself. For a brief second, Teddy thought that he was going to start one of his 'deep talks' again (because there was no way his partner had missed the who the succubus had chosen to wear), but then Rohan blew it out again in a resigned sigh. Relieved, Teddy leaned back against the car window, closing his eyes as his mind travelled to hot showers and warm beds and the scent of candied apples and...-
"So," Rohan cleared his throat. "Victoire Weasley, huh?"
~*-.-*~
The End