Of course it would be now. On a muggle street. When she went to get shoes for the blasted dinner tonight, having put it off. She had shoes but black wouldn't be best and part of her wanted to meet the matriarch's expectations. It was a skill, of a sort. Now even showing up may be a problem.
Wards were going up and there were perhaps thirty muggles in her immediate vicinity. What the man thought he was doing, she didn't know and then wondered if this was his way of forcing a confrontation. Hadn't turned to meet him and tracking her hadn't turned out well either. If that was the case he could have just asked her. Walked up to her and challenged her. Sometimes wizards were complicated. Several in her life were anyways. In fact her mentor would have approached it this way or something similar, she thought.
What to do. Already she was putting up personal wards and made a decision. If this was what he wanted then she would at least try and make sure no one else was involved. In between sets of her personal wards she began erecting wards that were outside of his. Muggle repelling and her variation of the general crime scene Auror protocol wards. Then she continued and when the first barrage of lights came at her interspersed with wards still going up she used her free hand to grab her coin. This looked promising and Yaxley deserved a reward after his scavenger hunt idea. Rowle had requested again to be invited and swore up and down he would let her be taken. She hadn't been sure any of them would like it. Infact she knew they wouldn't.
Chamberlain Square, London.
Message sent she dropped the coin and began her secondary ward set and rolled away from the second barrage of spells. They were powerful but sent at where she actually was rather than where she could be. When the trip ward she hadn't noticed began closing around her she thought again of her mentor and quickly pulled it down while beginning to add her own traps and magical trip wires. Some were a bit ridiculous but they had worked in duels with several of her friends and colleagues. It had been three weeks since she was deemed fit to cast magic again and they had been steadily working on her deficiencies and planning her rune stone layout. The stones were done and the calculations for the preparatory magic as well. Next week maybe. Of course Dolohov didn't say when or even if she would get to participate in their installation but she thought he would let her. Outside of her studies she had been duelling daily. It was good practice in response time and magical expenditure.
She used all of that now and began fighting back in earnest. He was very good and several of the spells she didn't recognize. Most of this was taking place in silence and she began to get caught up in the exchange of curses and the beginning of both of them using other things. Direct spell exchange would be a case of getting lucky. Clearly he agreed as a wave of water poured from what had been a statue and she let it flow around the protection she already had around her personally against several natural elements.
Dolohov had liked that creation of hers and they had used it as a practice exercise. He would cast from a hundred meters away and she had that time to block its effects. She had gotten quick and some were quite complex. As she put up a ward that would focus the natural light on him she heard the blared siren that meant the Aurors were here. She cursed and tried to just keep going. At its second sound her opponent threw up a wall of wards and stopped casting. She came up out of the dive and waited. He looked around though he kept her in his sight.
"The Aurors know. They are here. It's all good. You chose the middle of muggle London." She wasn't going to cast against those wards, it would be wasted and take too much to pull them down. He wanted to capture her more than she wanted to capture him. She had plans tonight. Panting slightly and feeling a bruise on her hip she surveyed her opponent clearly for the first time.
He was handsome, wavy shoulder length inky black hair and grey eyes. He nearly looked like a Black to her. He was tall, most seemed to be which was frustrating to her. He was surveying her in much the same way though he was smiling.
"Not happy to see me Malyshka?" He taunted in heavily accented English. She hadn't been really angry but her temper flared at the monicker. That was her masters name for her and she would take it from him but not this whelp.
"You came here for a reason." It was obvious she meant to get to it and he nodded amicably. Looking her over in a way she didn't like at all.
"It's my svobodnyy god, so I have dual purposes at all times this year." She wasn't sure of the context but that translated to free year and she didn't care what it meant.
"I don't care about the second one." With that she began taking down his wards and watching him. Drop his wall of wards or have her apparate away.
"Perhaps you don't know who I am or what I mean Malyshka. Vasilli Gorselev, scion Liniya. On the hunt for a wife." She smiled sweetly at that and felt the first layer come down.
"It's a pleasure and I wish you well." She responded, and then as she had expected, he dropped the wall and began casting at her.
She stood her ground this time and began several deflection wards and set up several dual controlled trip wards with her left hand while casting with her right. Now that she had finished that it was time to move again, less energy to dodge than block. Even deflection at this density was a drain she didn't need.
Knowing there were pipes under the cobbles and not wanting to make a mess of the muggle area, she cast several wards at the ground, two feet down while she rolled flat across the stones and then came up with rapid fire disabling spells that probably wouldn't make it through his wards. What they would do was give him something to do while she began her plan for holding him in a way she could transport. He couldn't be left here without ministry involvement and she didn't want that. Hopefully Harry or even Kingsley could keep this quiet.
Settling in to the duel she let her magic spread more thickly around her and spin faster. Searching for magical disturbances and noting the subtle trip wards and potential traps he had planted. This was far different than anything she had done outside of the few freedom duels she had done with Dolohov himself. There was an accuracy in the warding that seemed a bit familiar and while it was disturbing, it also was familiar. She could see the twist with her magic, that showed something would come down within an area about six feet closer to him. She would have to stay over here. If it was a wall like that, she hoped he wasn't as quick as Dolohov.
Spells rained and blasts from the cobbles had created dust. Spells hit her containment wards and showers of light added to the movement around her. She felt alive and focused. Seeing three jets close enough to hit she sprung as high as she could and rolled over them before somersaulting back to her feet. She was breathing hard and getting more of a feel for his bursts. It would hurt, her capture, but it wouldn't break her.
Keeping an eye on the line she had labelled do not cross, she began the first part of her plan. She tripped her own ward and fog began filling the space and then another and it was smoke billowing into the greying area. Finally she cast one that pulled light, it made things blur as some beams didn't make it bounce off things and create what they could see as sight. Her magic was her guide as she was subject to everything but the smoke.
Now he wasn't casting silently as much and she could hear Latin and Russian. Several of her capture wards were slow moving. She found that with her range she reacted to quick jerks sooner and Dolohov had indicated that to be true. She had surmised it was because it caused more of a disturbance to their magics like it would to water or air.
Still she kept on deflecting and dodging while she cast. Several smaller spells had hit and twice she had summoned her wand from midair after being disarmed. When she judged they were closing in she began responding to his taunts. They weren't frequent but they were pointed.
"Razbitnaya." He spat in between the steadily heavier curses he was throwing and a blasting curse caught her left shoulder a glancing blow. It hurt. A lot. As she sailed through the air and rolled properly she felt it protest and knew it was damaged but not shattered, there was no grating feeling.
"I like hoyden better than little girl. Coming from your mouth. No woman will want such a whiny man." She taunted and laughed slightly at the slew of swear words.
"Ledyanaya koroleva. I've heard about you." This was all said between gasps and barrages of spells and collapsing wards as both cast and took down amidst exchanging spell fire. Ice queen, internal she scoffed.
"I've never heard of you." She admitted and the smoke was clearing, just her light manipulating ward that he hadn't found tucked behind his own set of trip wards.
Then she flung herself forward and to the ground as one of her timed wards collapsed and pulled three it was tied to. Light exploded out, the air and magical darts couldn't be seen. Then she pulled the first set of her planned capture wards up from where she had placed them in the ground and began casting spells that might disarm or tie him. Silence otherwise, beginning to disable him.
The tie for this was in between the second and third layers of the patterned set she had planted. Three seconds later the next set began to rise from the ground while she released the trigger for the metaphorical cage to fall around him. Then she blocked herself with raw magic and barraged him with a rain of spells to limit his capabilities and finally he abruptly stopped casting against her wards. Unwilling to take chances, she stayed alert and began releasing the spin on her magics, allowing them to spread further. Still unwilling to cross the line, his wards were still up so were free standing, she stood for a moment and thought, then decided to take down the apparition wards. Both of theirs and see what was in her way.
Now that she had a moment while her cage solidified from the magic it was originally made from the transfigured stone she had used, she breathed heavily and tried to calm down. Adrenaline wouldn't help her now. She had to be alert. Pay attention. It was by no means a victory until he was trussed up tight and not here. Plan in mind she began taking down the wards.
Rueban was flipping through a rare text on mind magics when he felt a warm buzz in his left front pocket. Both other wizards looked up from their tasks when he did. Then all stood and three grown men, capable wizards, all hardened veterans of war and imprisonment, fumbled in whatever pocket held a golden galleon and then upon reading the message glances were rapidly exchanged and it became clear no one knew exactly where that was.
"Let's Go." It was Rueban himself that broke the silence. One had come, and if it wasn't that then they still had to go and the witch would be in trouble if she needed help and hadn't found a better way to ask for it.
They reached the first line of anti apparition wards around the cabin property and he and the younger wizard stopped in surprise when Antonin abruptly halted and held out both wrists to them. There were two more to go and Thorfinn only knew of this one because after Christmas they had begun work on apparition wards and minutely studied the ones here. Even he had thought it interesting.
The look said I am going and if you are coming it will be now and both of them grabbed his wrists before an apparition journey that was less pleasant than usual. He had forced through the wards, he could without much cost but the passengers paid more for it. Neither were actually ill but Thorfinn looked a little bit pale for a moment and even he took a breath before following his friend's gaze to an empty square. Immediately he had a moment of appreciation for the ward that made them see that, then began subtly casting muggle repellents and notice me not charms at a high powered level. They would work unless people knew to expect them there and what to look for.
Then he walked out of the shadowed area they had appeared in and through the few muggles still about. He could feel the magic now and could tell from Antonin, when he reached him, that his friend could already see. As usual when he was presented with a warding problem and his friend was with him, he would get a look that told him to do it or one that said grudgingly that he would do it for him. He could do it but Thorfinn couldn't as just as soon as he began Dolohov also started, the blond had come up on his other side and looked serious. Of course he finished faster and for another ten seconds he was casting alone. The witch had done well, he didn't think many would know about that particular twist of legilimency in a warding plan.
He watched intently until Antonin's head came up and then his wand. Someone was here. Immediately and silently the Russian warded them in tight. Even he could feel the containment. Then the Auror siren went off and he groaned lowly. Other than that and Thorfinn's chuckle there was no other acknowledgement of the increase in magicals in the area.
For minutes more they watched and Rueban couldn't help his small sounds of appreciation or of concern. This was something else, a different level altogether than the previous attempts.
When the wall came up he straightened and looked at Antonin, who met his gaze for a fraction of a second before turning his attention back to the witch. He could see that it wasn't all that often that he watched her opponent, in comparison.
Eventually they were drawn out of their absorption in the extended duel by Potters voice.
"Is she okay?" The man was looking around at the few Aurors who were stationed here for the duration as if hoping they wouldn't notice he was speaking into what appeared to be thin air. He must have known how to feel out the wards, even if he didn't try and take them down.
Thorfinn made a scoffing sound and had his lip in his teeth as his witch often did. It was admirable. How the younger man kept his temper and instincts in check with the witch. She liked it too, liked when she could accept the courtesies as well. Potter. What to do. He felt a bit badly for the man. The others didn't know what was happening but he did.
Eyes watching the escalating duel and appreciating Antonin's magics on her wards that made it possible to see through the haze she had created. Something was happening with the light and it made it disorienting. Antonin was minutely adjusting wards he was placing to show a clearer picture. Absently he noted his friends skill and sheer volume of knowledge on the subject of his choosing.
"You could." He put in. Really, he thought it fine. Hardly any effort and he wasn't the one duelling. Nothing and then the witch dove over a series of spells and he whistled lowly.
"She would want you to." Thorfinn had his eyes on his witch still but the tone was a challenge. Had he pointed it out the man probably wouldn't have done it. Yet as a challenge, to his apprentice's emotional well-being and trust. It was bold but it worked. Without turning Antonin shot several spells at Potter who valiantly didn't react, or tried not to. Brave of him but he seemed to have settled into trusting them.
Then Rueban reached through the wards and grabbed the man's robe sleeve. He gasped as he entered and could see the destruction and the intensity of the situation. Just then the witch took a glancing blast to the shoulder and both younger wizards let out their version of a grunt in sympathy.
Then Antonin made a gruff sound and though Rueban could see nothing he knew she had landed a good hit or made an approved play.
"It's hard not to ask questions." Potter muttered and Thorfinn nodded absently.
"Watch her face. Usually it's the best bet." Thorfinn offered. Then it became visible as it formed around the wizard, some kind of enclosure and they all relaxed a bit. They watched her silence any response though Rueban wasn't sure exactly what had done it.
Then she stood for a moment, not relaxed but clearly breathing and trying to calm down. She always had the same expression when she calmed her magics and they had been more than just agitated, spinning like that as a shield. When she started casting up and Antonin grunted, he voiced a question.
"What is there that I couldn't see?" Of course there were many things but he meant that prevented her from moving forward. She didn't like the defensive particularly and became antsy usually.
"A wall." The tone was a bit dry to his ears and he looked again at his friend.
"The wall?" He asked and though he got no nod, the flick of eye contact told him that it was that particular spelled ward. Interesting indeed. He had mostly ignored the taunts except for comedic interest but now wondered.
"So she won? Is that thing enough? She said twelve hours." The young dark haired man sounded a bit shaken and Rueban looked him over before looking back to the witch.
"We will see. The capture and then the captivity." Rueban couldn't help looking back at the wizard when he made a small sound. Potter looked thoughtful and then his green eyes met his and he grinned just slightly. Barely noticeable.
"Hermione has given some examples so I'll try this one. She has captured him but that's not enough to keep him for twelve hours, as it stands right now." He spoke thoughtfully and Thorfinn chuckled. Antonin shifted slightly and Rueban just looked at the younger wizard then looked away. He was correct and he enjoyed the soft laughter from the green eyed man. They were striking eyes, and as a man with purple ones, he could appreciate it.
