Here's the second chapter, you get to know a lot more about our dear main character. :)
Usual Disclaimer: I own nothing but the girl, everything else is J.K. Rowling's masterpiece.
The Thrill of the Hunt: My Own Personal Snatcher
Chapter Two: The Party
This was a time of great peril, Snatchers and death eaters running amuck in both the muggle and wizarding world, catching and imprisoning muggle-born, half-bloods and pure bloods alike. And yet here I was, dancing at a party, in the arms of a good-looking man. I smiled as he spun fast me under his arm and pulled me to him. The fast tempo of the music pulsed through me, mimicking my heartbeat before he dipped me, his warm dark eyes staring intensely into my amethyst orbs.
It seems terrible, dancing when the Second Wizarding War was so close, but I assure you, even as my lips run over his neck and the fire whiskey makes its way down my stomach, I'm doing my job. I was specifically hired to make sure nothing went awry, and no one turned up dead or snatched and that is what I was doing, just in a different manner.
The man dipped me again, running his fingers down my neck tantalizingly. I knew the girls in the corner looking on were jealous, I could feel their hatred boring holes in my skin. As he picked me up he pulled me close, his hot breath on my ear, "Calm down I doubt their going to show up," his nicely shaped lips rubbing against my ear as he whispered.
I glared at my dance partner, Rafael, a Spanish auror hired for this evening's gala as well. "I wouldn't be so sure, something's in the air."
I had only met this man two days prior; he had shown up in the same location with the same letter I had received; it said this would be our safe house before this party and were forced to share a flat. I hated the thought of sharing a hiding place with a man I wasn't sure I could trust, but you can't always be so picky. The only good thing about him was he didn't press to know anything about me.
"Love?" He replied cheekily. I elbowed him in the stomach before going back to my thoughts, allowing him to lead me all over the floor as I looked for any other Order Members that could be present … sadly there were none.
Though I was in hiding I had come in contact with my old headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, before his untimely death and he was quick to try to inaugurate me into the Order of the Phoenix. I told them explicitly I'd participate in the war and even make it to a meeting or two, but until the war it could not be known that I was associated with them.
It wasn't out of selfishness or for my own protection, but rather for their own protection. I might just be a 21-year old Witch who didn't even finish her auror training but I was still powerful. I was a pureblood, born and raised by two Slytherin-housed parents. Imagine the shock when they found out their daughter was a Ravenclaw, good thing they never knew the Sorting Hat also considered Gryffindor for me. They didn't reject me though, not the happiest about it, but accepted it eventually. My father even managed to laugh about it; blaming himself for making me study nearly every day since the age of 6, giving me the cleverness and intelligence that Ravenclaw loved. It was due to this studying that I was easily recognized as top of my year by the first week. Got all O's on my O.W.L.s and top scores on N.E.W.T.s, of course no one really knew this. Although I was decently popular, I never let the extent of my intelligence to be too known, too afraid to draw attention to myself especially after my parents near-death. Just blend in my father would tell me often.
Speaking of my parents, they weren't the typical pureblood Voldemort followers, which is why they are dead now. Voldemort was keen on getting them in the first war… they were parseltongue and had a natural gift for legilimency... what could be better for him? But they rejected all his proposals, they wanted to be neutral in all of this, not wanting me to grow up to be like the rest of the Death Eaters children would. The only thing that saved them back during the first war was that he went after the Potter's first. I might have only been 6 at the time, but I knew my parents were only alive thanks to them, and from that moment on, I vowed my allegiance to the boy-who-lived no matter what he did.
They came to their demise not too long ago, 3 years to be specific… the same day Voldemort came to power, the day that I watched Harry Potter come back with Cedric Diggory's dead body was also the day the Death Eaters had sought my parents and slaughtered them. I graduated from Hogwarts that week alone.
I suppose you are rolling your eyes, thinking I'm some mighty person. Well, I assure you that you are very incorrect. The day my parents were saved was the day my father decided to educate me in any topic that was relevant; he wanted me to be prepared for anything. But it was a rough start seeing that it was then when he realized I was dyslexic. Oh god, how embarrassing, a pure-blood with a reading disability, how great am I now? Of course I eventually I was trained to overcome it… but I still get screwed if I'm tired and trying to read anything, and having 10 classes in Hogwarts sure made a girl tired. Not only that but the parseltongue gene seemed to skip me. My mother was the one to actually enforce my learning the language. Have you ever tried to learn parseltongue? It's far from a walk in the park, unless that park has needles instead of grass. At this point I don't know if I can actually speak it or just mimic, but whatever I can do it's decently effective. The only thing that ever came easy was legilimency.
"You're doing it again," Rafael whispered as a new song started, only instead of dancing he was leading me to the refreshments.
I hm'ed softly at him, staring right through him until he shook me violently. "What?" I snapped, this time my gaze focusing on him.
"You are glaring at everyone, it's making them uncomfortable. What are you thinking about?" His thick Spanish accent seemed to make every word sound sexy.
I bit my lip nervously, it hadn't been my intention, I was actually enjoying myself, but … there was this heaviness in the air; foreboding. "I can't help but think there is something terribly wrong."
Rafael didn't reply, just stared at the crowd of younger witches and wizards, just barely out of their respective schools. I recognized many from my years at Hogwarts, but none recognized me, which was for the better. I should never be recognized.
Rafael excused himself for a cigarette break, I rolled my eyes and told him not to go, but the buffoon would not listen.
"Care for a dance Miss?" Some man just a little bit my senior asked as he offered his hand, I stared at it hesitantly before taking it, allowing him to automatically waltz me to the center of the floor. "And what would your name be?" He asked smoothly, his hand on the small of my back.
Brynja. "Izabella." I answered smoothly, "Izabella Payne." Brynja Vaux. When it came to my name there were few people I could trust to know it.
He smiled, trying to look charming, "a beautiful name for a beautiful woman."
I couldn't help but laugh, a lot. "You must pardon me; I just hear that so often." Blunt and to the point, just how I always am.
He didn't know how to reply so I quickly excused myself, he was boring, and I was starting to get anxious about Rafael's absence. Leave it to be this exact moment when I see purple sparks right outside. I growled as I quickly hiked up my dress and pulled my wand from garter band. Apparating to the stage I cut the DJ, "Everyone! Pull out your wands, we aren't alone." I yelled over the crowd, spotting more sparks from the large windows.
The party was more than over, the adults all pulled out their wands as they rushed the children to hide in the safe rooms, some already starting to apparate. I moved quickly to the doors, quick to rip my nice evening gown so I'd move better. I barely made it to the door before it was blasted open. There were screams around me but I remained calm, staring through the dust to see three men and a larger beast of a man walk cockily through the door.
I raised my wand but the man seeming to be the leader was quick to put up a finger, "I wouldn't do that if I were you, love." He said in an amused tone, "we brought you a gift."
My eyebrow arched as I stared at the man, he seemed tall, his messy dark hair barely tied up in the back, a red streak going through it, his clothes well worn down but somehow suited this dark man's demeanor. I could see the red band on his arm. "Snatcher." I whispered.
He seemed amused at the crowd's hesitation as he gestured to the beast, who I could now tell was indeed a werewolf. That's when the werewolf seemed to just drop a large mass that I didn't even notice he was carrying.
Rafael.
"And how is that a present?" I asked boldly, I knew the motions … act like he wasn't important, make them feel inadequate and then attack.
Rafael stared at me through his bloody and swollen face, a look of fear etched in. I couldn't let this get personal. He knew what he had gotten himself into, I reasoned.
This uncouth man seemed to laugh a great deal, a smile spread across his face, making it look unnatural. He walked closer to me, eying me up and down, visually raping me. I merely stared back unaffected by his intimidation. He didn't seem that intimidating really, his coarse and dirty, almost dread locked hair barely contained by the ribbon it was tied in. His odd outfit, a weird looking military vest, leather jacket and plaid pants really did seem to work for him.
"Just showing you what happens when you fight us, giving you the option really, whether to cooperate or not. If you come calmly no one else has to die. " He was staring at me but addressing the crowd, his voice was smooth yet roughened from experience, I knew the sound well, Azkaban prisoner.
"EXPELLIARMUS!" I screamed, but I of course aimed it at the wrong person. I had knocked out the leader's wand, catching it, but of course there were others, picking up right where he left off. The killing curse rang throughout the party hall, Rafael's life ended right then.
I stared at the guy I had only just met, I knew I had to keep alert but the fact no one else had bothered to try and disarm these men shocked me. "STUPIFY," I screamed repeatedly, zigzagging from side to side to try and evade the spells they shot in my direction. Tucking and rolling I was blessed enough to hit the final human snatcher, knocking all but the werewolf out. It had been easier to catch them by surprise, not figuring on me still attacking giving me a few seconds head-start. The beast growled at me as he lurched forward at me. His claw like fingers swiping for me. "Sectumsempra," I hissed before he got close. He howled as his skin got torn apart before his eyes, his body thrown back as he howled in shear pain, the quick lose of blood rendered him unconscious.
Everyone at this point rushed out of the room; they ran for their lives, for their children, ran because they did not want to be the ones who were added to the high priority snatch list for harming the ministry's snatchers. Hell, not even I wanted to be in this position, but I was paid to be here and couldn't go back on it.
I stood up slowly, the rush of adrenaline crashing into my brain like a wave upon rocks make it hard to focus. Walking closer to the snatchers I noticed the leader moving a bit, recovering, "Petrificus totalus," I uttered pointing my wand right at him, watching as his limbs snapped together. Repeating the spell on all the others I stood over the leader's body, his cool blue-gray eyes boring into mine. I leaned over him, my long black hair brushing his chest, as I shoved the wand back in his vest's pocket. I pointed the wand at his temple coldly, but oddly his eyes looked intrigued and not at all fearful. "I spared your life, Snatcher... remember this," I hissed before standing up.
I stood over him, waiting as all the people apparated and left the party as fast as they could, making sure they the snatchers were all immobile. Once they all had left I uttered the counter-spell to save the beast … sadly he was protected by the ministry, and I didn't want to be put under the spotlight.
Grabbing Rafael's cold body I held him tightly as I stared at the snatchers. The need to kill, to revenge, coursed through me and before I could think I raised my wand … but instead I just apparated away. I was three months shy of being an auror, meaning I was three months short of getting the unforgivable curse tracker off of me.
Dropping into the flat I had been using for a safe house I laid Rafael's body down. I sighed as I stared at his lifeless body, his smooth skin paler than it had been just an hour ago. I wasn't sad; in fact the only thing I wanted to do was shower. So that's what I did.
Death in this time was inevitable, not even I had any hope of living through this. And although I felt bad about Rafael's death, I was not close to him therefore held no significant grief. It wasn't even for him I had really wanted revenge for; I wanted it for all the pain our side has suffered and will suffer. Rafael knew the stakes, he didn't accept to protect those people for nothing.
Stepping out of the shower I got dressed as fast as I could, I had an hour before I was due to leave, especially now that the Snatchers wouldn't be happy that I not only escaped but allowed the people they had actually been hunting escape. With a flick of my wand my bag was packed, heavily charmed to carry my life in an almost weightless old book bag. Throwing my curly hair up in a messy bun I couldn't help but feel like I was missing something. I stared at the body lying on the floor, chewing my bottom lip feverishly. Fixing myself another shot of fire whiskey I thought about what to do with him. Walking slowly to his body I lowered myself to my knees, with my wand I traced his pale face, the bruised and swollen skin turning smooth and flawless; even in his death he was handsome. Lacing his hands across his stomach it almost looked like he'd wake up any minute, merely in a state of concentration. There was no reason for his death to look gruesome.
I sighed as I got up, pressing my temples I grabbed his cell phone; a muggle device Rafael seemed quite fond of, especially to contact all his muggle girls. Walking to the kitchen table I dialed the first number that could deliver food, with the most rough voice I could muster I had ordered the first couple things I saw on the menu. "Yes, deliver it here." I requested, pulling a pad of paper off the counter and shuffling through my bag for a quill. Hanging up the phone after giving the address I quickly scrawled on the paper in the shakiest handwriting I could. It gave instructions on where to bring the body … maybe he could at least have a proper burial.
Taking a deep breath I laid the paper over his body. Nodding to myself I started to get ready to apparate but stopped quickly. My scent. "Bloody Hell," I hissed under my breath as I paced the room again, remembering what was missing earlier.
Everyone on this earth has their own scent; the pheromones in our body create this smell, attracting us to other people. You might not be able to smell yours, but trust me, you have one. But attraction isn't the only thing it's good for. Any good hunter can pick up even the smallest scent of the animal they are hunting … and right now … I'm the animal whose scent is covering this flat. I growled at my stupidity, I shouldn't have returned here, should have waited out somewhere then come back here for my belongings. Stomping my foot I cursed myself for bringing Rafael back, of course they had picked up his scent during the fight, and even though they couldn't have directly picked up my scent they'd trace him to here… knowing I was with him at one point. They would find my scent all over and then I'd really be the hunted.
Time was running out, the food would be here soon and it would be even more work if I got caught. "Accio bleach!" I hissed, praying there was some around this place. Luckily for me there was half a bottle, not enough but would probably do the trick. Using magic I quickly spread out the bleach in any area around the actual flat. I didn't have enough for my room, so I merely set it on fire, using a protection spell to keep it from going anywhere but the room. Hopefully that would be enough.
At that point I quickly apparated; knowing if I stayed around any longer I'd be in danger. I felt my body whiz around as it found where I wanted to be, dropping me right near Spinner's End.
This was suppose to be my first chapter actually but I felt like it was too awkward, that's why you learn more about her here than in the first chapter.
Brynja Vaux [BrIN-Ya] [Va-O (like faux only V)]
Hope you Enjoyed.
