I apologise for not updating for so long. I have no excuse, because my exams finished a while ago. Anyway, I'm nearly halfway through this story now, and I'm focussing on getting it finished as soon as possible!
Without further ado, let's go and save Karen XD
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter in any way, shape or form. All rights go to J. , and she sure as hell deserves them :D
Chapter 10: A Failed Rescue
Kaine
I stumble down the stairs, bursting into rooms, trying to find anyone. Charlie. Sheila. Ollivander. Gerald. Anyone at all. If Karen has been transported somewhere, then I'll need help getting her back. Someone should be able to calm my panicked state of mind, right? My chest heaves, and my breathing is shallow. Maybe I'm even starting to hyperventilate or something. Karen would probably have something intelligent to say about that. I can imagine her now, sprouting some stupid nonsense from a textbook. She's been doing it ever since we were young. She'd pick up a book on anything and read it intensely. Karen's a clever girl, but she's a little bit cocky. Almost too much for her own good. And if she heard my thoughts right now she'd probably yell at me.
I almost trip over my feet as I hurry down the stairs and speed towards the next room: the sitting room. It's a neat and small place, filled with squashy armchairs covered in red velvet. The floor is also a deep crimson, but it has a calming aura about it, and doesn't assault the eyes.
I would enter, but in those seats are Sheila and Ollivander talking about something. I stop outside the door, not sure whether to go in, the large crack between the door and its frame shining light into my face and into the dark hallway. I'm surprised that they haven't heard me thundering around. Maybe they're so immersed in their talk that they can't hear anything else…including my heavy breathing and the creaks of the floorboards beneath my feet. I don't want to eavesdrop, because none of what's being discussed is for me to know, but I need to speak to someone. Maybe I'll wait for an opportunity to knock and walk in.
"When you all walked into the shop, my wands reacted a little due to the magical blood near it," Ollivander was saying.
"Yes," Sheila agrees. "I remember."
"However, Miss Hopps, the wands didn't just react to Kaine and Karen, it reacted to a third person as well,"
Ollivander's shining eyes regard Sheila before he continues.
"That person was you."
"I have magical blood anyway," Sheila shrugs dismissively. "What does it matter?"
"My dear, wands detect the magical potential within people, and connect with the wizard it chooses. That is how a bond is formed between the wand and its owner. It is not based off of whether or not one has magical blood, but if one has magical power."
There is a ringing silence in the living room as Sheila takes this in.
"So…I?" Sheila mutters.
"Yes, Miss Hopps, you are a witch," Mr Ollivander says.
"B-but how?" stutters Sheila, still shocked with the news.
"There are some magical folk that are known as Squibs, as you believe yourself to be," Ollivander says. "But sometimes, magic needs coaxing. Magic can be used, but it is often hidden within some Squibs. It's extremely rare, but with enough practice with a wand of your own, the magic locked inside of you can be freed."
Sheila considers this as Ollivander reaches beside him and reveals a simple black wand box.
"I believe this wand is the one which reacted the most, and I give it to you on your journey, in the hopes that you might be able to find the time to use it,"
"Ollivander…" Sheila says, at a loss for words.
"It's curious really," Ollivander says.
"What is?" asks Sheila.
"Curious, because your very own Mother was also a Squib,"
"You knew my Mother?" Sheila asks, surprised. She winces slightly as well, as if her Mother is a bad memory. Then I remember: her parents died in a house fire.
"A lovely young lady, who once visited this very shop in the hopes of claiming a wand and heading to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," Ollivander replies, his eyes alight with the memories of his past. "But she was afraid. She couldn't unlock her powers. She realised that she was a Squib. As I came to this revelation, her parents (your grandmother and grandfather) begged me to help them in any way I could. I suggested that they set her on a Kwikspell course to help to unlock her powers."
"Were her powers unlocked?" Sheila queries.
Ollivander nodded.
"It took some time practicing with more advanced spells before it became unlocked. We actually found that the Kwikspell course was unsuccessful."
My heart thudded against my chest. So…Sheila is a witch with her powers trapped within her? Wow, that is deep. Ollivander's words strangely send a chill down my spine. As I plan to think about what I've heard, thoughts of Karen spur me into action. I rap my knuckles on the door thrice, and I creak open the door slowly.
I notice immediately that the wand is gone, most likely hidden in the folds of Ollivander's robes or behind Sheila's back.
"Yes Mr Wolfe?" the Wandmaker asks me.
"Karen's gone." I say bluntly.
Sheila frowns, and Ollivander beckons to me to continue.
"We had a fight, I created a Portkey, and she accidentally fell into it." I say, summing up the story as quickly as I could. My voice trembles. I'm panicking. Never would I consider that I'd be worried about Karen's safety, but it's obvious that right now, I am.
"Did you have any places in mind while you performed the spell?" Ollivander asked me. "Any memories or landmarks?"
As if the Wandmaker had brought my memories to life, I remembered Devon.
"I think I know where she might have gone." I answer.
"I'll come with you," announces Sheila, standing up, holding a wand in her hand. Ollivander makes a sound of protest, but Sheila simply nods once at him. I pretend to look shocked.
"Why do you have a wand?" I ask, putting as much surprise into my voice as I can.
"Long story," she replies. "Now, let's find Charlie and go and get Karen back. It shouldn't be too much trouble."
"It'll be dark," Ollivander warns.
"We'll be fine," I reply.
"Let's ready to go." Sheila says, and I turn out of the room to find Charlie.
Hold on Karen! I think desperately. We're coming for you!
Karen
Another jolt of pain rips through my cheek as the man before me slaps me across the face, hard.
"Tell me! I've asked you enough times!" he shouts. "What were you doing in my garden banishing a wand?"
OK, so let me explain. I was hauled into the house by two figures, and I was tied up to this chair. They restored me, and they demanded to know the reason why I was here. I explained to them that I got here by Portkey, but they're still not believing me. All I've been receiving for the last ten minutes are slaps to the face, and a shower of spit. Honestly, I'm too dazed from being hit so hard that I can barely make out what they look like.
The man seems to be fairly strong and muscular, with black hair and soulless eyes of the same colour. His skin is deathly pale, with high cheekbones and a creepy smile. His wife, who is cackling as she hears me cry out in pain, has similar features, except for her hair and eyes, which are both a muddy brown.
"I-I've told you already…" I stammer. "I got here by a Portkey,"
"No kid walks onto our property unless they're from the Ministry of Magic!" the man roars at me. I earn another hit around the face: this time, a punch. I cry out in pain again, and his wife laughs at me. I catch sight of a wine glass in her hand, the blood red liquid sloshing around in its container. I wonder why she's drinking. Maybe this is a ceremonial occasion for her.
My mind races at the man's words. The Ministry of Magic. Then I realise…I've performed a spell outside of the safety of Ollivander's house. Ministry wizards will be here any minute. There's bound to be trouble.
The man takes a break, sitting down in front of me. There is silence for a little bit, until the man speaks again, his voice deep and as soft as velvet.
"Why aren't you in school?" he asks, probably realising that I'm old enough to be in Hogwarts. I almost roll my eyes at him. They took this long to realise that I should be at school? Wow, if you don't call that slow, I don't know what is.
"Mom, Dad?" a voice calls from the hallway interrupting the conversation. Not like there was much of one anyway.
The door creaks open eerily, a whine on newly oiled hinges as a boy steps into the room. If it weren't under these circumstances, I probably would have melted. This guy was freaking hot. Brown styled hair, high cheekbones, and a prominent jaw line…and his eyes…dark like mahogany, shining with curiosity and interest at my presence. However, when I look hard enough into those captivating eyes, I find myself surprised to see pity. He looks at me with sadness, before our eye contact is interrupted.
It had to be in these circumstances when a hot guy like that walked in. Trust my luck.
"Joshua!" the man says. "Now, don't be alarmed, son. We're just gaining information on how this street rat arrived in our garden."
"OK," Joshua simply replies, and he walks past me and his parents, over to the mantelpiece beside a lavish kitchen-diner. On that mantelpiece, is a box. It is a simple black leather box, and if anything, it reminds me of Ollivander's wand boxes back in his shop. In fact…
Slap!
"Answer the question!" the woman yells at me. "Why aren't you at school? And you'd better tell the truth, or I'll give you more pain that you'd ever imagine."
I gulp, fear shaking my body in uncontrollable tremors. They are bound to hurt me in numerous torturous ways until I tell them why and how I got here. Would they let me go if I told them all of what had happened? Surely they'd turn me in…? But after all, these people were pretty slow and stupid. If I can put the story forward in a way that covered up anything illegal…
I work out the possibility of it working. 50-50.
Eventually I decide to tell them everything: how my brother and I met each other in London, and how we realised that we were wizards. I talk about Kaine's concussion and all about our stay at Ollivander's, including how I got here. The whole time, Joshua watches me, a cold, hard look on his face, but with eyes full of the same interest and pity they'd held earlier. I finish my story, and wait for someone to speak. At first, I think that my plan has worked. Instead, it doesn't.
"Liar!" the woman shrieks, and I am lashed around the face once more. My lip splits, and blood dribbles down my chin. The woman's face has contorted into an almost indescribable entity. Her skin stretches wide and thin, her eyes wide and bugging, with sweat coating her forehead, already trapping pieces of sodden hair sticking to her forehead.
Suddenly, the glass of the window smashes, and in rolls Kaine, followed swiftly by Charlie and Sheila. My heart lifts. I don't even care how they found me, I'm just happy that they've come to the rescue. A battle commences around me. Kaine yells incantations, rolling around and attacking the woman nearest me. Sheila reflects spells off a dagger with surprising accuracy, while trying to attack Joshua at the same time. His eyes are wide and frantic, and he shoots spell after spell, wand in hand after seconds of the fight commencing. His wand must have been in the box, and he must have whipped it out as soon as Kaine smashed through the window. Charlie has his shield, and is advancing towards the man, blocking and reflecting more spells with its reflective surface.
Meanwhile, the woman is shouting at Kaine for ruining her window.
"THOSE COST FOUR HUNDRED POUNDS YOU DIRTY LITTLE STREET RAT!" She screams, shooting spell after spell, which Kaine keeps on blocking with a shield charm.
"Well," he yells back tauntingly. "I've heard they're doing triple glazing, half price off on winter deals! If you can afford it of course."
This only further infuriates the woman, and she increases her speed of attacks, Kaine now having to leap out of the way or dodge some of the other spells, because he's not fast enough to cast a shield charm. From there, the short battle starts to come to a close. Sheila is the first to get hit, and she falls to the floor, stunned. Kaine is the second to fall, unable to block two amounts of spells: one form the woman, and the other from Joshua. Charlie falls swiftly after, his arms snapping to his sides once the woman hits him in the back with a full body bind curse.
Breathing heavily, the man and the woman drag Kaine, Sheila and Charlie over to a corner, and stand by them.
"What do you think we should do with them?" the woman asks her husband.
I tear my eyes from them, tears welling up in my eyes from the fear of what might happen next. I don't want to die. I don't want them to die either. It's not fair. Why do we have to trapped in situations like these? Why did Kaine have to send me here in the first place?
Joshua looks at me in pity as I start to sob quietly. I decide to do one last thing. A request of sorts perhaps, but I know in reality I'm just begging.
"Please…" I whisper to the boy. His dark eyes glint mysteriously in the dim light of the room, and the icy blast of the cool winter air turns my spine to a frozen myriad of nerves and bone. Joshua regards me, staring into my soul with his gaze. I stare him down. After a good few seconds, Joshua makes a sort of nod, before turning to his parents and waving his wand. As he does this, his parents turn around, their faces morphing into shock as they see his raised wand.
"Joshua, wha-" the man starts, but he's quickly immobilised, the woman following swiftly after. They crumple to the floor and lay still. Joshua then turns to the window, inspecting the shards on the floor, and what little of the glass is left in the window frame.
"Reparo." He says aloud, and the glass shards rise and slot into place, restoring the window to its former glory. He does this with several photo frames, sending them whizzing back to their respective shelves. He turns back to me, and smiles a little. It's a sheepish and cheeky smile, showing of his perfect teeth and lips. I swear I start to sweat a bit at how handsome he is. He so dark and dangerous…my kind of guy.
He briskly comes over to me, and unties me. I rub my wrists, and around my body where the ropes cut into me, leaving burning red blemishes on my skin.
"…Thank you." I get out, still astonished that Joshua actually did what I'd asked him to.
"Wondering why I'm doing this?" he asks as he restores Kaine, Sheila and Charlie to their natural states.
"Definitely." I reply.
"Wha?" Kaine says with a confused look on his face. "Why are you freeing us?"
"I was about to come to that," Joshua says. "I've had enough of being under my parents' control."
He waves a hand over to where his parents are crumpled.
"Well, that escalated quickly." Charlie comments.
Joshua ignores the comment and continues.
"I've heard all about your journey so far," he says. "Although my parents disagreed with this young girl here, I believed her. She gives off this sense of truth…"
He pauses for a moment, locking eyes with me. The others also glance at me, and Kaine does something unexpected, walking over to me, and checking over my wounds to make sure that nothing looks broken.
"Anyway, my parents have constrained me and kept me inside the house. I've been trapped at home for ages. I've been wanting to go back to Hogwarts for two years now." Joshua explains.
"Go back?" Sheila questions. "Why aren't you there now?"
"It's not important," Joshua says quickly. "I have had enough of living under the same roof as parents who don't seem to care anymore. They see me as a failure…but enough of that."
I twitch, but I keep my face blank as Kaine peers over at me to check if he's lying. I don't know why I'm protecting him. It's like this little urge in the back of my mind that forces me to help this guy out. I can't help but feel that he'd be helpful on our journey. And it's not because he's hot. He hasn't lied yet, but he's definitely hiding something important about him from us.
"I hear that you're heading back to Hogwarts, right?" he asks.
Charlie slowly nods his head.
"Yeah, but we're just dropping in to visit before I leave to go back home." Charlie says. Joshua frowns.
"Why aren't you staying?" he asks, but then his face relaxes. "You're a squib, right? That's why you fight with that shield of yours."
"Uh…yeah," Charlie lies, and I can see Sheila's jaw tense at the loose usage of her kind. Or maybe she's just pissed off at the fact that Charlie was digging himself a deeper hole to get out of if Joshua ever finds out that he's a muggle.
"So…can I come with you on your journey?" Joshua requests.
We all turn to Kaine, who looks doubtful.
"He's powerful." I suggest, coming to Joshua's aid. What? It's true. I saw how he fought off Sheila without even batting an eyelid. Even though all she owns is a dagger…
Kaine wrestles with his judgement. I want to tell him to hurry up, so that we can get out of here, back to safety. Silence invades the room, coating me in a wave of soundlessness. The silence almost deafens me, and I jump when I hear a small muffled pop coming from outside.
"What was that?" Sheila asks, backing away from the window, drawing level with Joshua. Charlie follows the suit, looking warily out into the darkness.
"I'm not sure…" he mutters uncertainly.
More muffled pops can be heard, increasing in speed like a ticking time bomb. The time left for Kaine's decision is running out fast. None of us think to run. None of us think to hide. We realise too late that they are here, as the windows in front of me explode violently, shooting glass shards towards us. They refract the dim light of the room, and the chill of Winter's breath gives my legs sudden goosebumps. My world erupts in flashes of light as the glass flies towards my heart in speedy spinning motions. The yells of Ministry wizards can be heard, as several spells shoot towards us.
They're here.
This chapter may not be up to scratch, but here it is! Next chapter is the second half of the story, and trust me, that gets one hell of a lot more interesting.
So, what did you think? I hope you enjoyed it! Don't hesitate to PM or review if you have any questions! Until next time.
Over and Out!
~E.E.