Parchment 10! woo hoo, I feel like I need another celebration of getting to 10.
Well, this chapter is pretty action packed, so i hope you all enjoy!
Thank you for reading, and leave me a review!
Achieving the Impossible
Parchment 10: Monster Hunting
They returned to the house, to gather supplies, and change clothing. Lixella was more than happy to finally get out of the white dress. As much as she loved dresses, this was not a mission that called for one. Instead she put on clothing that would let her move. She couldn't help but go for the badass monster hunter look. It seemed more fitting, to go monster hunting in tall black combat boots. Once again, it took forever for her to put her outfit together.
"Dear god" said Nym, constantly watching the grandfather clock, "we're losing moonlight!"
"She's probably taking forever trying to find something to wear, again" said Mickey in a smug voice.
Lixella took her time walking down the stairs. Not because of her shoes, but because she loved making an entrance. When she finally go to the top of the lower staircase, she stopped for a second. Nym fell to the ground laughing, as Lixella picked up an umbrella, and posed.
"Wha…what are you doing?" asked Nym, gasping for air
"being a werewolf hunter" said Lixella, she held the umbrella in the air, "This is my silver bullet filled pistol!"
Lixella marched down the stairs, holding the umbrella like a gun. She paused at the bottom of the stairs, and pointed the umbrella to Mickey. Draco began laughing as well, shaking his head at her ridiculous gesture.
"you'll pay for your terrible crimes against humanity…werewolf!" said Lixella, pretending to load and cock the gun.
"really, Lixella?" Mickey asked, holding back laughter
"My name isn't Lixella" she said as she put the gun against her shoulder, staring into the distance, "My name…is Vanhelsing. Legendary monster hunter! And you're going down!" She raised the pretend gun to his face, ready to fire. Just as she did, a ladle knocked the umbrella from her hands. Nym stared at her, standing in front of Mickey, wielding her ladle like a sword.
"I can't let you do that, Vanhelsing" said Nym dramatically, grinning a bit, "You see…I'm in love with this werewolf. So, you can't kill him!"
"Betrayal!" shouted Lixella, picking up the umbrella, wielding it like a sword, "I knew you'd turn on me one day. But I never imagined you would leave me for a monster!"
The two of them began dueling as if they were locked in a sword fight. Lixella fenced with Nym, moving up the stairs. Nym got in a few good swings, nearly hitting Lixella's feet. Lixella jumped over her low attack, and made her way across the foyer. The two of them were laughing like maniacs. Nym chased her, batting away Lixella's attacks. They ended up on the top of the stairs. Lixella ducked as Nym swiped towards her. She stood back up, and poked Nym in the stomach. Nym began to fall over, dramatically holding her stomach, before pretending to die. Lixella put one foot on Nym's stomach, raising her umbrella triumphantly.
"Aha!" she cried, "I am Vanhelsing…greatest monster hunter to ever live! No one shall bring me down!"
She held the umbrella high in the air, staring up in victory. Then, a broom handle knocked the umbrella from her hand. She turned around to find Draco wielding a broom, smirking at her.
"I can't let you do that, Vanhelsing" he said, "I can't let your head get any bigger!"
"Well, if it isn't my arch nemisis…"said Lixella, slowly backing away, "Count Dracula…I should've known that you'd turn up! Come to save your wolf friend?"
"No, just come to kick your arse, of course" said Draco.
"of course…" said Lixella, returning his smirk.
He jabbed the broom handle towards her, Lixella jumped backwards, falling to the ground. She stared at him in shock for a second. He began charging towards her, Lixella grabbed the umbrella from the floor, blocking his attack just in time. She pushed him away, and jumped to her feet. They began fencing on the top of the staircase. Lixella took a few good jabs towards him, but was blocked every time. She had to admit, Draco was much better at sword fighting than she had thought he'd be.
"It seems we're equally matched, Dracula!" said Lixella, crossing her umbrella with his broom handle.
"It would appear so…Vanhelsing…" he replied, "but you can't fight forever. I, however, can!"
He spun around, trying to knock her off of her feet. Lixella jumped, but lost her footing on the way down. She fumbled and dropped the umbrella, which rolled down the staircase. It was stopped by the railing at the top of the lower stairs. She stared back at Draco with wide eyes, waiting for his next move. She then got up and began running towards her umbrella. Just as she was about to reach for it, a hand grabbed her wrist. He pulled her back, spun her around, and pinned her against the top railing, overlooking the foyer.
Lixella stared into his eyes. They were inches apart from each other's faces. He laughed, and she could smell the effects of his spearmint toothpaste. Lixella didn't bother glancing around for an escape. She knew that she had been defeated.
"You're mine now, Vanhelsing" he said with a smirk.
His face moved down to the crook of her neck. She could feel him breathing. Her heart began racing. She felt the blood rush to her cheeks, turning them a light pink. He touched his lips to her neck, kissing it lightly.
"We have an actual werewolf to kill, ya know?" shouted Mickey from the bottom of the stairs.
Nym shot up off of the floor, "Dammit Mickey! I was about to make a huge comeback from the dead!" she shouted.
Lixella was still staring up at Draco. "until we meet again, Dracula" she said as she grabbed the back of his head, and pulled him in to kiss her.
"Okay you guys" said Nym as she descended the staircase, "we do have a job to do"
"ugh" Lixella grunted, "Buzz kill!"
They all put away their imaginary weaponry. Then, they headed back out into the dark forest. Once more, the house lights disappeared, leaving only darkness around them. Lixella held the lantern in front of her, creating a blue glow on the scenery around them. They walked idly through the woods, watching their surroundings for movement.
"Do we have any idea where this werewolf is?" asked Nym
"No" said Lixella, "I guess that would've been a good question to ask."
"Just a bit…"muttered Mickey
"Well, that wolf call from earlier came from over here" said Lixella
"it wouldn't howl tonight, though" said Draco, "it isn't a full moon. So he's not transformed, right?"
"oh…yeah" said Lixella.
She stared at her outstretched hand, holding the lantern up. She still wasn't over the newly blackened veins in her arm. Now, both of her arms were marked with dark magic. It just reminded her, once more, that she had little control over what happened to her. She began thinking about the banshees, about Cordellia. She was somewhere in England, waiting for Lixella to return with her resurrected sisters. Then, her mind moved to Voldemort, and how she couldn't let him use the banshees in his war. Lixella was on the wrong side, and she didn't know what to do about it.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a moving shadow. It had crossed between two trees up ahead. She raised the lantern a bit, trying to get more light. The others were distracted, each looking in a different direction. Lixella was fixated on the dark shape in the distance. It was just a mass of something, huddled on the ground. "What the…?" she whispered, squinting her eyes. The black mass suddenly stood up, and revealed the form of a person. The outline looked familiar. Lixella could barely make out it's faint features. The figure turned to look at them. It's face shadowed by darkness. She lowered the lantern, letting the moonlight shine down. As she did, she noticed a jaw line, covered in blood. The person smiled, wiping blood from their mouth. Suddenly, they began sprinting away. Lixella gasped, and ran after it, into the thick dark woods.
"Lixella" Draco called out, he began running after her.
He hadn't noticed that she was gone. Now, it was too late, she had run far ahead of them. Nym and Mickey were running close behind him. They followed her distant form for a good couple of yards. Then, she disappeared between the trees. They all stopped, glancing around the forest. Draco began pacing, looking around in every direction, turning towards every tree. She was nowhere to be seen. Lixella was out there on her own, chasing a werewolf.
"Lixella!" he shouted to nothing
Lixella couldn't hear him, she was far ahead. The shadowed figure was darting through the trees. He turned sharply around bushes, and ducked behind branches. She ran after him, pushing away branches, the wood scratched at her skin. Lixella was keeping up with him, until she came to a clearing. The trees had disappeared, and the hills were lined with large rock formations. Lixella looked around for the figure, turning in every direction. There was nothing around but empty hillside.
She listened closely for any noises. Suddenly, she heard low dark laughing. Lixella shot around, the lantern stretched out in front of her. Then, she saw it, the strong jaw line, and messy black hair. His arms were strong, with hands that were covered in blood. His eyes were a piercing shade of grey. She dropped the lantern to the ground in shock. Her eyes would not move from his stare. She could not believe that he was standing in front of her, that he was the werewolf.
"Lixy…baby" said Jonny with a bloodstained smile, "Long time no see. How are you?"
Lixella couldn't respond, she was frozen in fear. It didn't' make sense, that he was there, that she had to kill him. Her heart began racing, images of him beating her flashed through her mind. Her entire body locked up, unable to move a single limb. He stepped a bit closer to her, into the lantern light. As he did, his features became more wolf-like. His wild black hair began growing on his face, and his cheek bones became more prominent. He smiled a cynical smile, staring at Lixella with wild grey eyes.
"Speechless, eh?' he asked, "I suppose you would be, considering that I haven't seen you since it happened."
"how?" Lixella was able to mutter only that one word.
"Oh, Lixy-darling" he said, moving ever closer to her, "you've missed so much. I got bitten last summer. My parent's disowned me, the werewolves took me in. Nice bunch of guys, really big supporters of you-know-who. I've been hunting human flesh ever since."
He smiled, licking his top teeth. Lixella swallowed hard, wincing at the mention of human flesh. Her legs, no matter how much she willed them, wouldn't move. Fear had paralyzed every part of her body. Jonny finally stood right in front of her, his chest nearly against hers. She stared up at him, her lower lip quivering. His pale grey eyes were locked on her. She could usually hide her fear well, but she had never experienced this level of fear before, not even around Voldemort. Jonny knew that he had complete control over her.
"I bet you'd taste lovely" he said, noticing a cut on her cheek from a thorn bush. He leaned down, barring his white fanged teeth. He kissed the cut on her cheek, Lixella's eyes began to water. He returned to his upright stance, licking her blood from his lips. "You do taste lovely" he snarled in a low voice, "how's about it, babe, you wanna join me?" He asked, grabbing her chin with his hand.
Lixella shook her head, her eyes were watering. Tears were forming. Jonny's expression changed from mad, to rage. "What's wrong, Lixy" he asked in an angry tone, "you gonna leave me again?"
He lifted his fist, and punched her in the cheek. Warm blood began trickling out of her bashed lip, and nose. Lixella began crying, hyperventilating from her fear. The images of him beating her to an inch of her life, raced through her mind. She tried to form words, tried to tell him to stop, but she could only sob. "you gonna disown me too?" he shouted, and punched her once more. She fell to the ground from the force of his strength. She couldn't stop crying, she was helpless. It was humiliating, the amount of control he had over her because of fear. Lixella hated being controlled by fear, she had such strong will, but Jonny made her seem like a weakling.
He leaned down, and picked up the lantern, letting the simulated moonlight dance across his face. As it did, his features turned into almost completely wolf-like. His nose became a wolf snout, making his fanged teeth protrude outward. He began snarling at her, Lixella whimpered in fear. Suddenly, her hand involuntarily grabbed her wand, and shot a spell at him. Jonny was pushed back, toppling to the ground. She suddenly regained the feeling in her legs, and began running. Jonny shot back up, and gave a good long howl. He looked around for Lixella, but she had ducked behind a rock.
"Reducto" Lixella yelled, casting around the rock.
A space next to Jonny exploded, unearthing the dirt and leaving a crater. Jonny toppled to the ground. Lixella saw her opening, and darted to a bush a few feet away. She peeked over the top of it. Jonny was pushing himself off of the ground, sniffing around for her. His posture had become more hunched, and his hands now had sharp nails on them.
"Stupefy" Lixella shouted, sending Jonny back to the ground.
She crouched behind the bush again, her eyes darted around. She had to find a way to escape. Then, she heard low snarling from above her. She peered up, Jonny was towering over the bush. Then, he pounced in front of her. Lixella let out a long high pitched scream. Jonny began charging at her. She tripped as she struggled to get up. He had grabbed onto her ankle. Lixella wriggled around, trying to free herself. He yanked her closer, she kicked him in the face. Once she was free, Lixella began running. Jonny was close behind her, snarling and growling. Lixella raced back through the forest, darting through the trees, looking for another hiding spot.
She ducked behind a tree. She could feel tears pouring from her eyes. They fell down her cheeks, until they mixed with the blood on her face. The sound of snapping twigs, and crunching leaves became evident. Someone was headed towards her. Lixella couldn't move. It was hopeless, she was alone and paralyzed. The sounds got closer, Lixella covered her blood stained face with her hands, awaiting her terrible fate.
"God dammit" said a voice in front of her.
She felt a pair of arms wrap around her, hugging her huddled body. She moved her hands down past her eyes, keeping her face covered. Draco sat crouched in front of her, his face filled with shock and anger. He noticed how red her eyes were. She had been crying, quite hard from their amount of puffiness. The rest of her face was covered by her hands. He hoped that she wasn't mauled by something.
"Lixella, darling…"he said in a soft voice, "move your hands."
He reached up, and grabbed her wrists, gently pulling them away from her face. She hadn't been mauled, but she had been beaten. Something terrible began boiling inside of him, as he looked at her beaten face. Her jaw was red and covered in blood. Her face was wet from her tears. A bruise had formed on her cheek. Someone had beaten her up, and from the looks of it, she was helpless. Draco pulled her into a hug, holding her close. He stared coldly in front of him as he held her. He'd never seen Lixella be afraid before, she was quivering and sobbing uncontrollably. Something had hurt her, to the point of paralysis. He knew at least one thing, whatever it was, was about to die.
"Who did this?" he asked sternly
"J-jonny…"Lixella muttered with shaking breath.
He let go of her, kissing her forehead. "stay here" he said. She crouched back against the tree, shaking from her sobs. He stood up, looking around for her attacker. Draco had no clue who this Jonny person was, but he was about to get a beating. Then, a tall black-haired boy emerged from behind a distant tree. His face was covered in dried blood, as were his hands. He was stalking around a few trees nearby, looking around with wild eyes. Draco knew that he had to be Jonny.
"Oh, Lixy-baby" Jonny called out, "I can't find that marvelous lantern of yours. But don't worry, I can at least knock you out, and save you for later!"
Draco's expression became cold an dark. He'd found who he was looking for. He removed his wand, and headed across the clearing, ready to kill. Jonny turned around suddenly, giving Draco a toothy grin. "you Jonny?" he asked in a voice that could freeze an ocean. Jonny stared back at him, studying Draco from head to toe. He smirked, and wiped the blood from his mouth.
"Who wants to know?" he asked with a smirk
"Satan, so he can come drag you back to hell" said Draco, holding an icy stare.
"heh" Jonny chuckled, "I'm him…what do you want, ya little shit?"
Draco walked up to him, his face expressionless, but his eyes filled with hate. He could feel the anger in his core, fueling him. He let it fill him up, then he punched Jonny hard across his jaw. Jonny fell to the ground, holding his nearly broken jaw. He stared up at Draco in shock and anger. Draco towered over him, standing tall, staring down at Jonny with disgust. "Why you little…" Jonny muttered, then he pounced forward, ready to attack.
"Crucio" Draco shouted, and a red bolt of light shot to Jonny's chest.
He fell to the ground, writhing in pain, screaming to the skies. He had been hit with the cruciatus curse before, but this one was terrifying. It was as if every cell in his body was being sliced open, and salt was being poured into the open wounds. He screamed so much that he was having trouble breathing. Draco leaned in closer, jabbing the painful curse farther into Jonny's skin.
"Don't you ever fucking touch her again!" he shouted, fueled with rage, "You disgusting unworthy piece of god damn shit! How dare you lay a single hand on her!"
He jabbed the curse in more, bringing Jonny to near suffocation from his screams. Draco had been taught that in order to properly cast an unforgivable curse, you had to mean it. He meant every single flicker of pain, every piercing scream, with complete sincerity. If it was the last thing he did, he was going to make sure that Jonny never even breathed in Lixella's direction, again. Jonny's body began twitching, he could no longer breath. In complete honesty, Draco was ready to let him suffocate.
However, he was interrupted by a shriek and someone grabbing his arm. The cruciatus curse vanished, as he was tackled to the ground. Lixella clung to his chest, pinning him to the ground. She was still shaking from shock. Nym and Mickey were standing behind them, a look of terror on their faces. Nym had found the lantern, and placed it on the ground by Lixella and Draco.
Lixella lifted herself up, her face hovering over Draco's. She was still covered in blood, now with patches of dried tears. Draco looked up at her in disbelief, why had she stopped him from beating Jonny to death?
"Dear god!" shrieked Nym, "Jonny?…how? What happened? What did you do?"
Lixella got up off of Draco, and helped him to his feet.
"What happened to you?" Mickey asked to Lixella.
Nym grabbed Lixella's wrist, pulling Lixella behind her.
"Did he do this to you, Lixella?" she asked, her wand raised at Draco
"No!" Lixella shouted, finally finding her voice, "No, he saved me. Nym, put it down!" Nym just stared at Draco in suspicion, "Put it down, Nym….Now!" Lixella shouted.
"For god sake, Nym, lower your wand" said Mickey, "It wasn't him"
Nym lowered her wand and let go of Lixella's wrist. Lixella rushed over to Draco, crashing into his chest. She held him so tightly that it took every muscle in her body. He wrapped his arms around her, kissing the top of her head. He was not going to let anything hurt her like this, ever again.
"I'm sorry" she muttered, "I had to stop you…you looked positively insane, and…he has to be alive. Or else, I'll fail at taking his soul."
She sniffled, wiping the dried blood from her face. She stared at the crimson red streaks that sat on her hands. She couldn't believe that Draco had nearly killed Jonny. It had never occurred to her, how much he loved her. She had to admit, however, that she would've done the same thing.
"Jonny's the werewolf?" asked Nym in shock, "what's he doing here?"
"eating people" said Mickey, "If he's the werewolf, then he's been attacking muggles here for weeks. Must've acquired a taste for human flesh."
"Yeah" said Lixella, she and Draco walked towards them, "he tried to attack me. I couldn't move, I was…I was so scared. I've never been that afraid before. I thought I was done for, then…well, Draco found me. I must've looked pretty busted up because, well, he nearly beat the life out of Jonny."
"you were covered in blood, and shaking with fear" said Draco, "I wasn't going to just let him get away with doing that…not to you!"
Several seconds of silence passed by.
"Thank you" Nym said to Draco, "thank you for saving her. Jonny is her ex boyfriend. He, well, he's beat her to an inch of her life before…I'm not surprised that he tried it again, tonight. So…thanks for saving her, and shutting that bastard the hell up!"
Draco nodded to her, "No problem" he said.
"I guess I can remove his soul now" said Lixella, staring at the ground.
She turned to retrieve the lantern, but it had vanished. She looked around, and noticed that Jonny was gone too. They all realized it at once. Suddenly, there was a howl, and a snarling werewolf, came charging towards them. They all stood, wands ready to attack.
"No!" Lixella shouted
Jonny came charging for them. His teeth barred, and his gaze rabbid. He was ready to attack, ready to rip them apart. Lixella ran towards him, her right arm began twitching. All at once, she realized what she had to do. Jonny leaped in the air, foam flying from his growling mouth. Lixella leaned back as he pounced for her. She reached her arm out, and it went straight into his stomach, into his core. She could feel it, suddenly, it was warm and pulsating. But it was corrupted, shrouded in pain and agony. The corruption burned her, but she grabbed Jonny's soul. Then, with her left hand, she pushed Jonny backwards, sending him flying. He hit the ground hard, skidding and rolling across the green grass. They all watched as his body lay there, lifeless.
Lixella stared at the swirling white sphere in her open palm. It was amazing, holding a soul. It was like being able to hold a heartbeat, one that was warm and inviting. It's light was pure and bright, and it filled Lixella with peace and happiness. She picked up the lantern, opened the thatched door, and gently nudged the soul into it. The soul hovered around the candle, like a moth to a flame. Lixella closed the lantern door, and a lovely white light began shining from it. She then turned to Jonny, who lay motionless on the ground. He lay there with his eyes closed, as if he were sleeping.
"I'm sorry" she said to his lifeless body, "I'm so sorry"
It was devastating, watching him lie there, knowing that he was drained of all drive or ambition. Lixella tried to think it through, make it seem like the situation wasn't so terrible. Try as she did, she couldn't create an excuse in her head. She had to accept that Jonny was gone, forever, and that he could never be helped. She had finally removed his madness, as well as everything else in him.
"We should take him to a hospital" she said, "He's going to be in a coma for…well, forever."
"I'll do it" said Mickey, raising his hand, "I have an aunt that works in Sacred Cross Mental Hospital. She'll know who he is…I can't say his parents will be very pleased, though."
"His parents disowned him, when he got bitten" said Lixella, "I doubt that they'll have a sudden change of heart now that he's soulless."
Mickey kneeled down, and lifted Jonny to his feet. He then turned on the spot, and with a pop he apparated away. Lixella stared down at the lantern, which now contained Jonny's soul. Sitting in that lantern was the essence of life. It was the reason for being alive, and the reason to stay alive. She understood, now, just how precious this small floating ball of light was.
"C'mon" said Draco, taking her empty hand, "let's go home, Lixella."
She nodded, and led Draco and Nym back to her house. She'd reached another milestone in her mission. Everything was coming together. Lixella couldn't help but notice just how terrible resurrection was. She swore that, when she had completed her job, she would never use this power again.
Happy Parchment 10! I hope you all enjoyed Jonny...and Draco being a total badass!
Thank you for reading, I hope to hear from you ^_^
See you soon! Happy travels!