Early June 1981, London
Bryony Harper strode down the streets in the frigid cold of London, cursing herself for the poor choice of clothing she was currently dressed in. She wrapped her brown coat tighter around her thin emerald blouse and equally thin flared jeans, desperate to preserve what little heat she could.
"I can't believe you talked me into wearing this ridiculous outfit, Mia," Bryony grumbled, staring daggers at her younger sister, who was walking beside her.
Amelia Harper, or Mia as she liked to be called, scoffed, casting an unimpressed look at Bryony.
"We are going to a party, Bryn. These clothes are more appropriate than the ones you were planning to wear," Mia stated simply as she shifted aside for the incoming pedestrians walking from the opposite direction.
"At least the ones I wanted to wear wouldn't make me freeze to death," Bryn muttered darkly under her breath. A sudden cold gust of wind caused her to shiver furiously and burrow herself deeper into her coat.
"Where is this party anyway? I'm about to get hypothermia," Bryn whined, as she looked around her surroundings.
"Well, it should be in between these two buildings. I think we need to go through this alley," Mia pointed towards a dark passageway on their right.
As the sisters walked halfway into the alley, they stopped abruptly at the sight of a dead end. Bryn raised an eyebrow at her sister as Mia frowned at the map.
"Oh bugger, my mistake. It should be the next alley after this," Mia gave her elder sister a sheepish grin before turning around to walk out of the dingy alley. Or at least they tried to.
"Well, well, well, look what we have here boys… Two lovely Muggles served on a platter," a lustful voice drawled from the entrance of the alley, causing the girls to come to a halt.
Fear pooled in Bryony's stomach at the five dark silhouettes blocking their only exit. Even though every inch of her body was screaming "Danger!" at the sight of this group of men, a distant part of her mind couldn't help but be confused.
Muggle? Is that a new derogatory term for women these days?
The men advanced slowly into the alleyway and Bryony had to hold back a gasp as their appearances were revealed.
They were dressed oddly, cloaked in long black robes with hoods drawn over their heads. Their faces were obscured by bone-white masks with black swirl details that formed fearsome visages. Silver bands were lining where their mouths would have been as if their lips were sewn shut. The only slits present were for their eyes, narrowly cut and almost snake-like. Each of them held a wooden stick of some sort, twirling or gripping it with an unknown purpose.
They honestly looked like they were part of some secret society or cult, which did not bode well for Bryn and Mia.
Mia gripped Bryn's forearm tightly and Bryn didn't need to look at her to know her eyes were wide with fright. Bryn kept her wary gaze on the robed men and their sadistic grins as they stalked closer. Like predators approaching their prey. Bryn clenched her hands into fists, willing them not to tremble. She would need every ounce of her wits and strength if she was going to get Mia and herself out of this situation unscathed…
She shifted her stance slightly, lowering her centre of gravity in preparation for a fight. Out of the corner of her eyes, she could see Mia's hand reaching almost imperceptibly into her purse for her Swiss Army knife.
"Ah ah ah, what do you have there, little girl? Accio!" The man who broke the silence pointed his stick towards Mia and – Bryn could hardly believe it! – the Swiss Army knife that was in Mia's hand flew as if it had been summoned, into the man's grasp a good four metres away. Mia let out a frightened cry and Bryn stiffened in shock.
What in the world?
Bryony could not even begin to fathom an explanation for what just happened. But she knew the situation had just become even more dangerous than she had anticipated.
The robed man seemed amused - and oddly curious? - as he flipped the Swiss Army knife in his hand a couple of times. He tossed it behind him carelessly and directed his gaze on Mia, malicious intent bared.
With a sinking heart at the clatter that the knife made as it landed on the ground far out of their reach, Bryn angled herself to shield Mia from his line of sight.
He let out a mocking laugh.
"Seems like we got a couple of fighters, boys," the leader of the group taunted, causing the entire group to erupt in loud snickers.
He narrowed his eyes, which glinted with madness. "Oh, It's just going to be so much more fun when we break you."
He raised his stick, lips twisted with deranged delight behind his mask. Before he could utter a word and before Bryn could brace herself for god knows what he was about to do, a deep masculine voice called out to the sisters.
"Get down!"
Bryn acted purely on instinct, shoving Mia down to the ground just as a jet of red light hit the wall next to their harassers.
BOOM!
The wall exploded and crumbled on top of the robed men, the dust from the blow engulfing them. Bryn raised her head and spotted their rescuers: two almost identical red-haired men running through the debris, holding similar wooden sticks. One of them flicked his stick in their direction and Bryn found a transparent wall shimmering into existence in front of her. He then proceeded to face off against the five men who were still recovering from the explosion, drawing their attention away from the girls.
His brother - Bryn was assuming - ran up and gripped the crook of her elbow to pull her to her feet. Bryn stumbled slightly into his hold, her pupils dilated and looking rather dazed. His red hair was short and messy, bringing out the grim expression on his handsome face. His blue eyes bore into her own and for some inexplicable reason, her trembling subsided.
"Take your sister and get out of here! We'll hold them off! Go!"
His commanding tone held no room for discussion as the red-haired man jumped into the fray, joining his brother in battle.
Bryn barely registered his words until Mia grabbed her wrist. They ran, keeping close to the wall, out of the alley. The robed men didn't even attempt to pursue them, now too preoccupied with their new challengers.
Bryn glanced back at the entrance of the alley, her heart palpitating at the sight of brightly coloured lights escaping it and hearing the furious shouts of Latin.
No.
Bryn pulled Mia's hand and they screeched to a halt. Mia looked at her incredulously, panting heavily.
"Mia, we can't leave them there!" Bryn shouted, trying to run back into the alley.
Mia tightened her hold on Bryn's wrist.
"No, Bryn! It's too dangerous! They can handle whatever it is those men are doing! We gotta get out of here now!"
Mia tried to tug her away from the scene but Bryn dug her heels in.
"It's two against five! Those are not good odds, Mia. I have a bad feeling that they need help… There is no way I am leaving those two alone after saving us!" Bryn cried out.
Mia let out a noise of frustration as she threw her hands up in the air.
"Well, what do you propose we should do?! We're not exactly armed with god knows what those people have!"
Bryn's brain was working overtime, her mind formulating a plan to try and help the brothers. She spied a wooden plank resting against a closed store and the discarded Swiss Army knife near the corner leading into the alley.
She swallowed.
Not my best idea but it's all we've got.
"Mia, go get the car. We're going to need a quick getaway," Bryn ordered, as she threw her sister the keys from her pocket. Mia hesitated, reluctant to leave Bryn behind as her sister ran to grab the wooden plank.
"MIA, GO!"
"Don't you dare die Bryony Ann Harper or I swear, I'll find a way to bring you back just to kill you myself!" Mia growled before running off to their car parked a few blocks away.
With the wooden plank in her hand, Bryn sprinted closer to the alley and grabbed the Swiss Army knife from the ground, unfolding the blade with a flick of her wrist. She pressed herself against the wall near the entrance of the alley and peeked in.
The robed men were fanned around the red-haired brothers, the sticks in their hands emitting bursts of ominous-looking lights towards their opponents. The hoods had fallen from their heads and several masks were lying on the floor, the blast probably having knocked them off their owners. The twins – Bryn decided from their identical appearances – were holding their own pretty well, avoiding the attacks from the robed men but it didn't seem like they could last much longer against so many skilled opponents.
A few minutes later, a jet of red light got through their guard and hit the side of one of the twins. He let out a yelp of pain before crumpling to the ground. His brother pushed forward, shifting to protect his fallen brother but with all the attacks now concentrated on him, there was no way both of them were going to escape alive.
It's now or never.
Bryn slipped into the alley, her eyes trained on the five men. She had to take them out quickly while she had the element of surprise.
She tightened her grip on the plank before promptly whacking the closest one to her on the back of his head, knocking him out effectively.
The rest of the men were oblivious to the state of their fallen friend, too wrapped up in their glee for defeating one of the brothers.
As the old Chinese saying goes, "The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind."
Without wasting another second, she knocked out the next one and he similarly went down without a fight. However, the others were finally aware of her presence.
One of the robed men with a scar on his left cheek let out a cry of outrage, pointing his wooden stick at her makeshift weapon and it was blasted out of her hands. She hissed, feeling sharp splinters of wood scraping her hands and cheeks.
"You filthy Muggle! What do you think - "
Bryn didn't give him the chance to finish his sentence as she slashed his cheek with the Swiss Army knife in her hand. He howled in pain, his stick dropping to the floor as he clutched his bleeding cheek. She gave him a sharp punch to his jaw and he fell, the impact of his head hitting the ground rendering him unconscious.
Before his friend could react, she delivered a swift kick to his stomach. He hunched over, clutching his stomach in agony. Bryn knocked him out cold with a precise kick to his temple.
The next moment, Bryn felt a prickling feeling at the back of her neck, warning her of danger. She looked up and immediately ducked, barely avoiding a blast of purple light aimed at her face.
In her haste, she slipped on one of the cobblestones and fell on her behind. She caught sight of twins, both lying still on the ground. Her stomach swooped down in horror. She stared fearfully at the last man standing, his mask gone to reveal his long, pale face twisted with rage. He scowled at her, his wand aimed at her chest. She scrambled to her feet, gripping the Swiss Army knife tightly in her fist.
The man flicked his stick and her knife glowed red, the heat searing her palm. Bryn shrieked - more in surprise than pain - and dropped the glowing weapon,
"You're more trouble than you're worth, girl," he growled low and threateningly. Bryn held her ground, frantically thinking of a way to defend herself. But with his weapon of choice trained on her every movement, she was out of options.
"You dared to attack my fellow comrades? Your kind is weak and a stain amongst this world. You need to be taught this lesson," he spat out, raising his arm higher.
Bryn's heart thundered in her chest. At this distance, she wouldn't be able to disarm and tackle him to the ground before he launched his attack. She gritted her teeth, her muscles tensing.
"Cruc-!"
His words were cut short as his entire body literally froze in mid-movement.
Bryn was still in shock as she watched the man fall flat on his face rather comically. Behind her fallen enemy, she found the red-haired twin who tried to protect his brother on his knees with his stick pointed to where the robed man once stood. He grimaced in pain before collapsing, his body wracked with heavy coughs. Bryn snapped out of her stupor and flew to his side, crouching down to support him.
"Told-cough-you...to-cough-run," he managed to wheeze out, glaring at her.
"I did. Then I came back to help. There was no way I was going to leave you and your brother alone to fight them," she stated firmly.
His rebuttal was promptly interrupted by another round of wheezing.
"Bryn! Are you alright?"
Bryn looked up to see Mia rushing towards her, pointedly avoiding their motionless attackers strewn on the floor.
"I'm fine," she waved off her concern," but he's not doing so well. Could you help me check on his brother?"
Mia frowned but she did as she was told, checking on the unconscious brother.
"He has an open wound on his left side, not too deep thankfully. I managed to staunch it with my cardigan. His pulse is a little weak but I think he'll be okay, Bryn. We need to get to them to the hospi - "
"I don't think the hospital staff will know how to heal all their wounds, Mia. Besides, they're bound to ask questions that we might not want to answer…"
The red-haired twin next to Bryn pressed against her, attracting her attention once more.
"I...have...potions...remedies...in...my...pockets," he spoke weakly, his chest heaving shakily, seeming as if it was incredibly painful to form words.
Bryn eyed him with concern. Both of them needed medical attention immediately and bringing them to the nearest hospital was definitely out of the question. She came to a quick decision.
"Mia, come and take his other arm," she slung the man's left arm around her neck while her sister went around to take his right.
With their combined effort and some help on the man's part, they made their way to the car stationed on the road in front of the alley.
"Where are we taking them?" Mia asked as she unlocked the passenger door.
"Home. We'll treat them there," Bryn replied shortly, sliding him inside the car as gently as she could.
Mia looked at her doubtfully. "Bryn, are you sure that's a good idea?"
"Well, a hospital isn't an option, that's for sure. It's also the least we can do for them."
Mia seemed convinced albeit a little cautious as they braced the arms of the unconscious twin across their shoulders. It took a considerably longer time to carry him to the car but they managed to place him carefully next to his brother.
Mia took the driver's seat while Bryn sat in the back with the twins to monitor their condition.
Just as Mia shifted the car into drive, the semi-conscious twin took Bryn's hand, which was resting on her lap, and gave it a feeble squeeze.
"Thank you," he whispered hoarsely, his blue eyes holding hers captive.
Bryn wrapped her other hand around his, holding it firmly in her grasp.
"You can thank me by surviving."
He chuckled softly, the sound making her ears burn as his lips pulled into a smile.
"For you, I think I can do just that."