Toby's hand over his wife's wrist was shaking and he watched blood pour from his brother in law's shoulder. His wife ripped her wrist from his grasp the the gun down onto the desk and whirled around to smack him across the face.
Nathan had stumbled back into the wall and was staring at the ruin of his arm and shoulder in shock "You shot me!" He accused.
"You pissed me off."
"You were aiming for my head, you tried to kill me!"
"You pissed me off!" She reiterated through clenched teeth as she tore her glasses off her large nose and cleaned the blood off with the hem of her shirt. That done she turned around slumped into her chair and began digging through draws until she found her wand, 12 inches long and made of elder wood, untouched now for many years. "Come here."
She grabbed his bad arm to pull it closer towards her and held up a wand. Her brother hissed in pain and shover her roughly away with the hand that didn't feel like the arm it was attached to was burning up.
"What?" She exclaimed.
"I need photographic evidence that you tried to kill me." he snapped in all seriousness, ignoring her scoff as he pulled at the velcro on the camera bag at his waist. He passed the slim silver item to his brother in law.
"Ah- Oh- God Nathan I can't take that!"
"Hah!" The large nosed girl tossed her hair victoriously and Nathan's scowl deepened towards the large man fumbling with his camera uncomfortably.
"Then give it back." he hissed, trying to move forwards and take the camera to photograph himself. His face instantly contorted in pain and when he grit his teeth Toby could see blood squeeze between them. In a moment Ashleigh had hidden her concerned look that had, for a second, taken up residence on her face, and, with infinite care and a fake sigh, was re-knitting skin with the tip of her wand.
Nathan watched her work suspiciously and when she was done he flexed his arm and said firmly. "You tried to kill me."
"And yet your voice isn't even wavering." He shrugged and winced when the action stretched the tender new skin, looking pale with blood loss.
"Despite what you may think, you aren't the scariest thing in this world, and might I remind you that this is not your first attempt on my life, I suppose I must be getting used to it." he said bitterly his eyes so narrow that they were like thin back slits in his face. He shoved himself upwards and took his camera from Toby's hand, the older man could feel the reporter's fingers trembling furiously as they brushed his own. He threw a look to his wife, who, although she was not outwardly denying the accusation, wore a most indignant look which fairly screamed 'I was only nine you brat', but even Sullivan had sense enough to keep her mouth shut at times like this.
In silence they watched the young man snap photos of the blood smattered room, he turned his camera then to his sister he growled in his face before he could try and immortalise her red smattered image. He left, slamming the door behind him.
In his absence Ashleigh flung herself into her chair and Toby perched himself on the edge of her desk and stared down at her. He was the first to talk.
"Why did you do it?"
"Thanks for not taking incriminating photos." she tried for a subject change.
"Ashleigh..."
"Oh I don't know!" there was a few more moments of silence where he stared at his wife and his wife stared at the gun on the table top. "It would be easier though wouldn't it." she looked up and her eyes held a gleam of maliciousness that had followed her up throughout her childhood, army days, years of mother hood and was only stronger now for it. "I mean, think about it baby." a smirk curved her lips. "No more newspaper articles or protests, no talking to wizards, no interfering at all!"
"You can't murder your brother"
"Oh why not!" she stamped her foot: a petulant child.
"Because he's your brother!" Toby stood up, burying his head in his hands. "Ah God, Ashleigh I can't talk to you!" He left the room without another backwards glance. Sullivan grinned at the back of the door and fingered the tip of her wand.