Tomoe held out her hand. Lisbeth showed no signs of anxiety, but internally she was reeling. This woman was a mystery. She just came out a bathroom stall and now she wanted the hacker to take her hand.
I can't trust her. But I want to know more.
"Well?" she cocked her head.
Fuck it. Fuck Fallon.
Lisbeth reached out and took the Japanese woman's hand and once again they were sucked through a garden hose to who knew where. In a matter of seconds the two women were standing on solid ground. Lisbeth's first clean arrival, but her stomach still wanted to come up through her throat.
She had no idea as to where they were. It was obviously someone's home. It too looked like something from a fore gone century. The furnishing were lush and lavish; expensive and very old, but still in magnificent shape.
"Incase you're wondering this is Fallon's family estate. Well the English sides' anyway," she strode across the study toward a cabinet, "Please sit down. This will take a moment."
Lisbeth sat down in one of the cushioned armchairs and watched Tomoe closely. The witch opened the ornately carved cabinet and out floated a familiar vessel.
The penseive.
Tomoe withdrew her wand and placed it to her temple and slowly began to pull silver milky strands from it and into the basin they went mixing with the watery liquid. She turned and with a wave of her hand the basin came to float in front of Lisbeth.
The cigarette was now almost down to the filter. They were waiting one another out. Finally after minutes of silence Fallon broke the silence.
"I'm growing tired of all this, Hadrian," she drew one last drag; examined the cigarette and then flicked it into the corridor as she did this she drew her wand and with quick flick of her wrist lightning shot from the tip. Hadrian was quick on the counter and diverted the bolts to the lights overhead blowing them to pieces.
The corridor went dark. Hadrian wasted no time in countering with a slash spell. Fallon managed to avoid it at that last second. It struck the bench she had been sitting on not long before. The bench split cleanly. As Fallon stood she slammed her foot into the floor creating a shockwave and at the same time clapped her hands together created another one. The two massive shockwaves tore through the corridor knocking Hadrian's followers back to the lift and bringing the dark wizard to his knees.
"You've have to do better than that old friend," Hadrian chuckled. Something sliced through the side of Fallon's leg. She dropped to the ground as she felt blood begin to pour down her leg. A large metal spike protruded from the wall. She rolled away as another came up where her face had just been. A wave of them were coming at her. The witch tucked into a ball and was surrounded by a thick stone shield as the wave slammed into her.
As she unraveled herself she flicked her wand, the spell cast collided with Hadrian and sent him reeling. This gave her time to drag herself to her feet and assess the damage to her leg. The puncture wound was deep, but she'd live.
Hadrian stood gripping his chest and blood poured from behind his hand. Anger was raging behind his eyes. He raised his wand, but before the spell could be cast both of them were thrown sideways as a massive shockwave ripped through the corridor.
"You coward!" a voice howled. From the destroyed doors appeared Allande. She was wrapped only in a simple dress and sweater. Her hair was in disarray, but her eyes were wild as she stood in front of Fallon and stared down her brother. From where Fallon lay she could see Sgrion's mark blazing on Allande's neck.
"HADRIAN!" the voice that emanated from her body was other worldly. It sent a chill down Fallon's spine. She had never seen the young girl like this.
Hadrian's eyes were wide as he looked upon his sister for the first time in many years. She was wild and unkempt. Years of living in St. Mungo's left only a shell of his former sister. Allande was once a beautiful witch with raven black hair and piercing green eyes. The good looks had not evaded her, but Armant's curse was stronger on her will than most and had begun to take its toll long before she was brought to the hospital.
"Allande," Fallon called out to her, but she didn't seem to hear her. But as Fallon stood she knew immediately something was wrong. She looked past the young witch to Hadrian who had turned ghostly white and simply stared at her.
Allande began to laugh this bone chilling cackle, "You tried to stop me. Silly brother," she smirked raising her arms towards him, "You're not strong enough for that." Vines shot from her fingers tip and before his followers could evade them they had wrapped themselves around 3 of them and hoisted them into the air.
They struggled against the constricting vines, but every time they struggled or took a breath the vines got tighter and tighter. Fallon's eyes flicked from her to Hadrian. The former friends both seemed at a loose of what to do. Allande was out of control.
"I should have killed you years ago!" Hadrian shouted at her as he watched his followers die.
"No one believed you then and no one believes you now," she laughed at him dropping the bodies to the floor.
"You became a monster and no one saw it!" he pointed his wand at her, "Avada Kedavra!" but his wand fizzled.
"What the fuck?" he looked at her.
"Allande stop this!" Fallon raised a hand to grab her, "He'll be arrested and tried for what he's done to everyone."
"I think it's time I've come clean, Fallon," she turned to face her, "After all these years of you being so good to me; promising me my brother's head on a silver platter."
"What are you talking about?" Fallon asked.
"Hadrian has been like a good member of the family continuing our sworn duty to destroy all those descendants of Armant."
"But…" the Auror didn't understand.
"Think about it Fallon. Think very hard."
Fallon stared at Allande for a moment then to Hadrian. She remembered the night Hadrian murdered his family. She was there. She had tried to stop him. He looked at her and apologized before a blinding white light and then they were all dead except for...
"You?" Fallon looked at her in horror.
"Very good," Allande laughed.
Lisbeth dropped into the Gryffindor common room and saw Fallon sitting near the fire looking at some bits of parchment. She was probably no more than 15 or 16. With the same short unkempt hair, striking features and already sporting a few tattoos beneath her sweater.
"Not going home for Christmas again, Fallon?" Lisbeth saw Tomoe enter the scene and drop herself into a cushiony armchair next to her friend.
"I know," the young witch smiled putting the notes aside and picking up a mug of hot chocolate.
"Why?" Tomoe pried, "We've been friends for a few years now and every holiday you're here."
"You don't go home either," Fallon teased avoiding the question.
"I'm tired of going to Japan for Christmas. Besides I enjoy our Christmas's together."
That statement struck a nerve with Lisbeth. She was insanely jealous of this girl.
"That's because we basically get to do whatever we want," she sipped down some hot chocolate.
"So what's the plan this year?" the young witch smiled as her friend finished off her hot chocolate.
"Hogmeade? Maybe a wander through the Dark Forest?"
"I like it. Always a nice bit of excitement with you," the Japanese girl smiled.
Neither one would admit it, but the butterflies were welling in them both. The feelings had been brewing for awhile now, but both were afraid that these new feelings would ruin their friendship.
"Welcome first years to the Defense Against the Dark Arts!" shouted their Professor Drua Bohun. She was a beautiful young German woman; blonde hair and blue eyes. They would later come to find out just how feisty and powerful she could be.
The moment Fallon laid eyes on her she was smitten. 7 years of chasing began that day in class. Lisbeth was standing off to the side viewing all of this and she could see just how much the young witch was drooling over this woman. She smiled and shook her head.
She also noticed that 2 students stood off from the others. It was a very young Fallon Calvaria and Hadrian Pravus.
"Alright we're going to split off into groups of 3. So make new friends and create your groups."
Hadrian and Fallon didn't move and the other students made no effort to join their group. Lisbeth saw they almost seemed to be afraid of them.
"What's this?" she looked over to them, "You two aren't very good at math. Count yourselves? How many of are there in your group?"
"2," Fallon chirped.
"Exactly," she held up three fingers, "I need three of you in a group. Not 2."
She looked around the other groups and saw a lone student standing behind the mass of them, "You!" she called out, "Come forward," the only Japanese girl in the entire class stepped forward.
"What's your name, girl?" Professor Bohun asked.
"Tomoe Gozen," she answered quickly.
"Ok Ms. Gozen," she pointed to Hadrian and Fallon, "Here's your group."
"Fallon wait up!" Lisbeth was now standing within a massive forest surround by dark trees. Fallon sprinted by her and then Tomoe.
"Come on now!" Fallon laughed, "Keep up!"
"You're too fast!" Tomoe shouted, "Slow the fuck down!"
Lisbeth followed after them.
"I'm going to throw up my dinner if we keep this up!"
"Suck it up!" she heard Fallon shout.
They entered a clearing in the woods. It was just Tomoe and Lisbeth. No sign of Fallon. It was very quiet. Tomoe looked around and Lisbeth could see her begin to get worried.
"Fallon?" she said just above a whisper into the darkness, but received no answer.
She waited a few more moments making her way around the clearing, "Fallon?!" this time more urgent. Still no answer.
"Fallon!" she called out, "Fallon!" she backed up towards a tree as a branch snapped close by, "This isn't funny, Fallon!"
Fallon appeared and pinned her against the tree, "Scared?" Fallon breathed.
Tomoe jumped and pressed herself against tree, "No," she whispered. The two were silent for a moment; staring at one another. Fallon looked down and saw Tomoe take a hold of her shirt. Fallon breathed and looked Tomoe in the eyes. The future Auror leaned in and tentatively kissed her friend on the lips slowly pulling away.
Lisbeth's heart was in her throat watching this scene between the two. Tomoe's hand gently cupped Fallon's cheek and Fallon's hand rested on Tomoe's hip squeezing it just a little bit. Tomoe pulled Fallon towards her and kissed her passionately.
Lisbeth was back in the study. She immediately stood and moved away from Tomoe. The young swede wanted to vomit. She held her hand over her mouth and looked at Tomoe who stood with arms folded and a smirk on her face.
"Interesting isn't it?"
Lisbeth continued to stare at her.
"There's more if you want to see?" Tomoe pointed to the basin again.
Lisbeth nodded and slowly took her seat again.
"Lisbeth!" the Auror's pounded on the lavatory door, but received no answer, "Lisbeth!" it had been nearly an hour since their charge had gone to pee.
They broke open the door to find the toilet empty.
"Shit!" the main guard breathed.