Lunacy
Chapter Two: Moon in the Pond
William Edgar Adams liked to think he was a sensible man, a man that, while he tended to walk a tad funny, often having an argument with his feet on the matter (though to be fair it did gain him the notice of his now longtime boyfriend), was a person that knew just what logic was needed to handle any situation. Then again, Will probably wasn't a sensible man, or at least had little opportunity to be, with a beloved cousin of his, currently on his door step, surrounded by her closest and dearest friends, all their bags stacked around them, ready to move in, and yet again disrupt his somewhat peaceful life.
Will sighed and stepped aside, not bothering to ask why they were here, again, where they were going, they wouldn't tell him, and how long they were staying, one time it lasted a whole year. Alexandra gave him a cheeky greeting, soon followed by each of her friends, and walked in, every one immediately going to the rooms in the house set aside specially for them. Shaking his head and heading into the kitchen to see what alcohol he still had in the cupboard, he called back over his shoulder to Alexandra, warning her yet again to stay away from his sword and gun collection, which she would undoubtedly disobey yet again.
Later that day, after his boyfriend Thomas had returned from work and Tuula had made dinner, spaghetti and meatballs, did any of the girls bother to tell him why they were here. In fact, he had been in the middle of putting a forkful of noodles into his mouth when Rosalva so kindly and casually brought up the paranoia currently running rampant in Wizarding England.
"It seems to me the wizarding world of England is in need of a few 'rat catchers' don't you think? After all I was just at this pleasant little ice cream store just the other day, and lo and behold, some pest in a mask and cloak decides to drop in and ruin my delicious sundae." Rosalva pouted in a deceivingly cute manner, much like a petulant child in many regards. Cautiously, already suspecting what the answer would be, Will decides to be polite and ask what she did with the "pest."
"I take it you decided to temporarily try your hand at rat-catching for such a grave offence?" It wasn't really a question to be honest, though its answer was known when Rosalva just smiled sweetly at him, which he decidedly ignored and was grateful when she didn't add any details. He very much loved Tuula's cooking and often Rosalva described her methods of dealing with vermin far too graphically for his tastes at the moment. Perhaps later Rosalva would be willing to share the story in depth, when he wasn't in the middle of eating of course. Death Eaters were quite a nuisance he would be glad to be rid of, even if, as a wizard, he lived on the barest outskirts of the Wizarding world of England.
"What do you need me to do then? I take it you were sent here to play pied piper." Thomas quietly stayed out of the conversation as he served both he and Will seconds, while Will figured out how to help the girls. Thomas long ago learned that he would rather not know about a lot of the things his "cousin-in-laws" were up to when they came for a visit. Tuula looked at Will, nodding while the other girls smiled, relatively pleased at how he took the information.
"You hit the nail on the head. We need you to be our cover and 'guardian' as we infiltrate Hogwarts. We are supposed to pose as foreign exchange students from the United States. The most I am allowed to inform you of our true objective is more along the lines of security and playing bodyguard. No doubt though, we will be pulled into the politics surrounding this war. In the case of that, Rosalva is going to infiltrate enemy lines." Will nodded but a thought struck him, curiosity, though if he asked he was not sure if he would get a response, let alone one he would like.
"And which is the enemy side for you lot, exactly?" The four girls stared at Will and Thomas soberly before returning to their meal, ignoring his question. Will decided he didn't want to know the answer anymore.
It was dark now, so while Alex distracted her cousin, they were playing a drinking game with Will and his friends who had shown up after dinner and, upon discovering the girls, immediately pulled them into drinking with them. Rosalva stepped outside and walked along the mostly empty street toward the beach. She kept her mind blank, walking forward in a purposeful but unhurried pace, all while keeping her senses completely open and aware for any troubling sign. She looked up at the sky, not bothering to watch her feet that already knew this path intimately. A while later, she gritted her teeth together at the sound of a twig snapping behind her, her hand fingering the needles in her sleeves, the beach only feet in front of her, the full moon reflecting over the oddly calm waters. She kept walking, slowing her pace only slightly, while she took a calming breath, shifting her weight to an easy battle stance. Her eyes took on a predatory focus, while her mouth eased into a smile that was eerily like a dog baring its fangs.
Once her bare feet hit sand, she had taken off her shoes at the house; she swung quickly around, and released a few needles to a spot a few meters behind her, a loud cursing issuing from the shadows in that direction as a distinctly male figure narrowly dodged the sharp little weapons. The two needles imbedded themselves into the tree trunk just to the right of the figure's head, a good three inches deep. Rosalva was fairly sure she would not be able to pull them out again. Rosalva narrowed her eyes, her lips forming a sneer as she noted exactly who had been following her.
"I won't miss with my next hit so I suggest you tell me what you want, Louis." He stepped out into the soft light of the moon, a condescending smile on his face, his dark eyes full of malicious mirth.
"Is that how you greet all your ex's?"
"No. You're special like that. I just really hate you." Rosalva growled, new needles in her hands already, serving as a warning. Louis casually brushed his long black bangs out of his face, his expression turning serious as he stared at Rosalva in silence for a few moments, collecting his thoughts and searching for the right words. Rosalva waited, well aware that he wouldn't bother to contact her without a good reason that deeply involved the both of them, but made sure to remain in her stance. Finally he spoke.
"Why are you here?"
"Playing Pied Piper."
"In a war?"
"You know how I like to play." He made a scoffing sound, turning his eyes away from Rosalva and to the reflection of the moon on the water.
"Don't die. I don't want to have to see Terra and Lily's sad expression."
"Obviously you still don't know me. I don't live for myself."
"Your right. But you would die for your friends."
"So would you."
They stood there, glaring at each other before Rosalva broke the tension with a bitter chuckle. Louis narrowed his eyes, suspicious of what she would do.
"You're still a bitter, egotistical brat who likes to say fuck the world but has a weak spot for his friends, mother, and helpless animals. Go back to protecting Terra and Lily. I'm not some naïve rabbit that needs someone to lean on despite what you have always thought of me. I was independent before I ever met you. I have never had any qualms about returning to that life. The only difference now is that I have you to hate for making me temporarily weak and compliant, act or not."
He looked her over, not sure if he recognized her as the young girl he had dated that summer of over a year ago. She still had the same face, same clothes, same coloring, and same height even, but the way she held herself was so different. He realized now that she had played at being sweet and innocent for his sake, not because she was truly that person. This is what she was; a monster in sheep's clothing, a weapon to be used, not coddled or displayed, never flinching at the sight of blood. She was the eagle that ate the venomous snake, not the helpless rabbit he had thought she was when he had fallen for her, before he gave her a reason to put him on her bad side. He made a thoughtful sound before he turned his back and walked back into the shadows, leaving Rosalva, alone on the beach with the resolve to never return. He had said what he had come to say. He wouldn't see her again after this unless their goals clashed again. Meanwhile, Rosalva turned her gaze back to the sight of the moon on the water, her expression reverting back to a doll-like blankness as a single warm salty tear joined the ocean, and then she too turned back to the path and faded into the shadows. The waves continued to crash against the shore, oblivious to any act upon it.
It took another four days after their arrival, days filled with cursing, card games, explosions, arguments over weapons and food fights, before their Hogwarts letters finally arrived by way of a beautiful barn owl. One which Rosalva immediately took to and tried to persuade to stay with her rather than have it return to its post. It seemed to be working actually, with Rosalva's promises and the owls seeming discontent with its total lack of single ownership; it was a school owl after all. At least that was what Rosalva had told everyone, and considering how the owl, now named Hel , was sitting contently on Rosalva's shoulder eating tidbits of bacon and sausage out of her hands, the team was more than happy to believe her.
Alex looked over the letters, and after a few hours of persuasion, Alex managed to wrangle Rosalva away from her new pet owl long enough to send their acceptance notice back, but not without promising that her owl would return right after delivering the letters. Now with their supply lists, and a new pet owl, they needed only to go to Diagon Alley to buy their supplies. Will handed them a tin can that looked to have contained tea at some point before being converted to floo powder storage then gathered his coat, umbrella, and boyfriend, to accompany the girls as their temporary "guardians" to Diagon Alley, and hopefully deter a few from entering Knockturn Alley, namely all four.
Will sighed; bringing his hand to his recently shaven chin before running it through his hair that was still in its unmanageable black waves. Nonprescription glasses in front of his bright blue eyes that were an almost haunting shade that bordered on supernatural surveyed the group while he shifted his weight in his nineteenth century gentleman's attire. Will's eyes found Thomas's form, the other man having gone muggle with an olive green sweater, worn jeans with his hands in his pockets, and heavy, steel toed working boots. His dirty blonde hair was cropped short and spiked naturally by the length, his chin also clean shaven. His eyes were such a dark blue that they were the same color as the calm of the sea at night. Will smirked before turning his attention away from his boyfriend and to his cousin and her insane friends.
Thomas stood by quietly as Will made a fuss over having everyone dressed properly for the weather, taking extra care to also make sure that Alex wasn't sneaking off with one of his swords again in her trench coat. He also made note that Rosalva was carrying a finished doll. Will would have to take her to St. Mungo's later today to make her delivery, it seemed.
Will had suspected as much when he noticed that within hours of her arrival she had left to go to St. Mungo's to visit the dying patients that had no hope of recovery. Will didn't really want to know much about what she did but unfortunately he did. She made what she dubbed "guardian dolls", magical dolls created for a family of someone recently died to protect them and look after their wellbeing. Technically this was illegal because of one key aspect. You had to steal a soul to give to the guardian doll. Rosalva in her case only made these for the few who requested it of her, and usually only under the willing permission of the dying patient. The fact that Rosalva was carrying the case of a newly finished doll meant that the person who had requested it of her had passed on very recently and that the relatives that would come to collect their loved one would be given this doll as well. Will sighed, before once again surveying the girls.
Today for the chilly weather, each of the girls was dressed accordingly in their own unique way. Tuula was dressed the most normal of the four. She had on a simple dark blue suede pea coat, a warmly woven white scarf with puff balls on the edges for decoration and a knit cap, also in white, with a woven dark blue rose attached. Her boots were thick, and practical, black leather. Underneath her coat she wore black jeans and a warm white sweater that matched her hat and scarf. An oval locket with a cameo on it, hung on a simple sterling silver, box chain around her neck.
Alex went with a more intimidating look with a long black leather trench coat, a black scarf and heavy military boots. The hat she had been wearing previously had already been confiscated as it gave her outfit too much of an offensive look that others would get the wrong ideas about. Underneath the coat she wore black skinny jeans, a Morrissey concert t-shirt, a studded leather belt with a sword attached to it, courtesy of Will's collection, and a little vial of what looked like mercury around her neck on a thick chain that she had placed a spell on to make it unbreakable. One shouldn't take chances after all. On her wrists are studded leather cuffs that matched her belt. She also wore thick black leather gloves on her piano perfect hands.
Laverna, like Tuula, wore a knit cap over her rioting brown curls, though in purple and with a lack of a flower adornment. She wore a simple purple ski coat with faux white fur trim, matching mittens, and a white fuzzy scarf with puff balls attached to each end. Like Alex she wore heavy military boots, perfect for kicking she thought, and dark jeans. Underneath the coat she wore several layers of long sleeved shirts, all in purple, with the top-most layered one decorated with the picture of a white three headed dog. Will would have to make sure she didn't take off her coat in the muggle part of London today since the shirt had been spelled to make the Cerberus move. Currently the white hound was curled up asleep on Laverna's belly.
Rosalva on the other hand stood out the most of the four. Today she had her hair bound up in a single thick braid that she let mold over her shoulder and down her front rather than let it hang behind her. She wore a red suede pea coat with a red caplet that had a hood attached. Adorning the hood were two long bunny ears, made of matching material, and the whole thing had a white faux fur trim. Underneath the coat, Rosalva wore a thick black velvet dress with a high mandarin collar that looked like she had pulled it off an antique doll, and was all trimmed out in white lace. The bottom of the dress was decorated in ruffled black satin, also trimmed in white lace. Black lace petticoats filled out the bottom of the dress into a bell shape that stopped at her knees. She wore warm stockings in thick black and grey stripes that had little lace bows sewn on the top and the ankles with little sterling silver bells as centerpieces. To complete the outfit she wore shiny black Mary Jane's with a low heel and good tread on the bottom, for running of course, with little metal red rose snaps instead of buckles. Like Tuula she wore a cameo locket. In her hand was a mahogany stained box with a carved rose design with gold inlay and a thick leather handle with a gold key chained to it. A matching lock decorated the box on one side and had a name that was obscured at the moment by the folds of Rosalva's dress. If one were to peek inside they would notice that the chosen doll was laid in an upright position, eyes closed, in plush black velvet casing that perfectly conformed to the doll's figure. The box itself was large eight inches by a foot with a thickness of about six inches. The box was typical for all of Rosalva's dolls.
"Everyone ready?" Called Will quickly answered by five affirmatives, one being a nod from Thomas. "Ok everyone, into the fire!" Within moments everyone left the now empty house in a swirl of green fire and four calls of "Diagon Alley" and two for "Knockturn Alley."
Will tried so hard to keep all the entirely mental girls together and out of Knockturn Alley but after counting, he soon discovered that the trouble duo, his cousin and Laverna, had escaped. Will sighed giving Thomas a look that needed no translation, and soon enough Thomas was briskly walking in the familiar direction of Knockturn Alley. Of course, while Will's back was turned to the remaining two, both Rosalva and Tuula escaped as well, leaving Will by himself in the middle of the Leaky Cauldron. Will paused, then decided that a nice warm soup and some beer was in order to get through this shopping trip.
Rosalva sprinted through the nearly deserted street that made up Diagon Alley towards Florean Fortescue, the ice cream parlor the team had stopped at when they had first arrived in England. Their ice cream had been kindly paid for by the nice Auror named Kingsley that had escorted them through the ministry for the hellish but necessary paperwork to get their transfers to Hogwarts. Behind Rosalva, Tuula attempted to keep up, cursing mildly under her breath as she elbowed anything and anyone out of her way as she tried to keep Rosalva's bright red bunny ears within her line of sight. Around her she noticed posters over the display windows, ministry ones by the looks of it, as well as quite a few wanted posters. Soon enough Tuula caught up with Rosalva who had stopped dead in front of a shop that was clearly boarded up; a shop that Tuula soon realized used to be the ice cream parlor that Rosalva had earlier complained about, stating that Death Eaters had been there. Tuula glanced at Rosalva's face, nervous a little to the other girl's reaction. Rosalva was clearly pouting, and mumbled something softly under her breath that only Tuula was close enough, and with her heightened senses could hear. " Should have skinned and boiled that rat when I had the chance. Florean was such a nice man."
Tuula chuckled and dragged Rosalva towards Madame Malkin's for their school robes, just as a blonde woman and a white blonde teen boy walked out in a huff. Tuula had to take a second glance to be sure that the boy wasn't Alex. Rosalva shared a glance with Tuula as they both grinned mischievously. Apparently they had found their first target sooner than they thought. Rosalva quickly skipped off to catch up with the blonde mother and child as Tuula walked into the store, paper in hand of the whole team's measurements and a note from Will to pick up a parcel.
"Soda is a magical drink! Shut up!" Alex pouted at Borgin. Borgin looked at her confused for a few moments then posed a question to her.
"Do you mean fizzy drinks?" Alex nodded and Borgin shook his head and muttered "Yanks" under his breath. Behind Alex, Laverna surveyed a hand of glory, chuckling vaguely at the irony if she decided to buy it, before turning to look at a skull that had what looked like a bullet wound through the forehead at close range. Alex continued to try to explain the wonders of the magical drink she called soda to a very inattentive Borgin, Laverna remaining unattended to explore the shop.
A few moments later a very pissed off Borgin tossed both girls out of his shop and onto the empty road, a still smoldering shelf could be seen from the window. Alex yelled German obscenities at the door; a few seconds later that's how Thomas found him, Laverna looking way too gleeful for being just thrown out of a shop and Alex looking offended, as if someone had just stolen her soda. Thomas glanced at Laverna suspiciously but decided that it might be best to leave Will to take care of what she might be up to and instead concentrated on Alex who was still in the midst of her German rant, something about having a giant's bits for eyes and a troll's sense of taste buds. Thomas smiled proudly before putting a hand on Alex's shoulder and gently steering her back in the direction of Diagon Alley and back to Will. The other two girls had probably abandoned his boyfriend soon after he had left, leaving Will in the middle of the wizard pub to get into who knows how much trouble.
Mwahahahaha ^^ I got the second chapter done. aaaahhh i love writing this one...and i think a few of you might be glad to know that i got this one beta'd this time. (thanks Wildspeaks) anyhow i'm already off to write the third chapter. don't know how long it will be but i do hope you enjoy how long i made this one :D peace out -victory sign- and please be sure to leave a review. ^^ it really helps not only motivate me but also helps me write better and better
