Spring thunderstorms were something Henry liked to look forward to. The way the air smelled just before the rain fell, how the rain would start off slow and then suddenly change into a fast shower, the sky changing, thunder roaring. And then the lightning. The unique zig-zagging lines that disappeared just as quickly as they had appeared.
The thunderstorm had already started though. The rain was falling, pouring, incredibly fast, already beginning to soak through his robes. He pulled his hood further down over his head, though it really didn't really do anything.
And then they came. Dressed in their solid black cloaks, hoods over their heads just like Henry. They all arrived around the same time, with a cracking sound. And one of them held a crying baby in their arms. That one person stepped forward and made his way to Henry.
"So, you're absolutely sure you want to be with us then boy? I'm sure you know the risks, but I'll be kind and remind you. Because once you join us, you can't turn back. You give up a lot of things. But if you want power, then this is right up your ally."
Henry just held his gaze at the man.
"You face cutting off all ties with your friends and family. You face being captured by the Ministry, being tortured, even killed. To be a traitor will result with consequences. So tell me, is this what you want?"
"I want to be strong." Henry replied quietly. "You told me if I joined you, I would gain strength. I'd be able to over-power great witches and wizards. I'd learn things that some of the greatest masters don't even know."
"I know why you want this. It's just my job to make sure you understand what you're doing."
Henry nodded. "I understand."
The man suddenly grabbed Henry's arm, his wand in his other hand, and pushed the baggy fabric up. He pressed the tip of his wand into Henry's forearm and Henry cried out in pain. There was a green flash, and then it was over.
He had the mark.
"There. Now, you have a mission. You cannot fail this mission. You must get away from here. Far away. And you are to take this baby with you."
Henry's eyes widened. "B-baby!? I can't take care of a baby!"
"Silence! You are to do as I say. This is your mission. Do not fail us." He put the child into his hands, and then snapped his fingers. That was when all of the cloaked figures left with another cracking sound.
The baby had stopped crying and stared up at Henry. There was a note on his shirt.
Char Mason
Must be his name.
"What do I do with you? Where am I supposed to take you? I'm only fifteen."
((THANK YOU.))
There was a disturbance.
No, another disturbance. It wasn't often Stacey felt this sort of thing, but when she did she knew exactly what it was. There was a rotten feeling in her stomach, like she was going to get sick. If the situation had been different and she had been pregnant, she might have passed it off as morning sickness--except at night.
But she wasn't pregnant, and she did in fact know exactly what this was. There was something unwanted. Someone unwanted in the forest. Ever since they had taken Charmond, she had set up little mental markers in certain areas. A lot were hidden in the forest, but there were some in town. They were fairly simple; all they did was go off in her mind if Char got too close to them. And right now, she knew where he was.
She didn't have to think twice about anything. The twins were down for the night, so she didn't have them to worry about. Quickly she explained things to Aiden and pulled an old hoodie over her tank top. She had on yoga pants, which wasn't the best for the weather, but she didn't want to waste more time by putting on jeans. Who knew how long the Death Eaters would stay? She didn't have time to waste.
With a quick twist of her energy, she was thrust into the forest where rain was falling heavily. She shivered and moved into the shadows. She had transported right to the signal she had received, so there was only a couple trees between her and the people who set it off. She hands were set in front of her, ready. A blade glimmered near her left wrist. Her eyes were a steely grey as she searched for the men who stole her friend's baby.
Instead she saw a boy. Just a boy. His back was to her and he had his hood up, but he was much to small to be a man. Besides, there wasn't very power coming from him. But he was holding Char, and that was the important thing.
"Excuse me," she asked, stepping out her hiding spot, "I... Do you need some help?"
Stacey put one hand on a hip and gave him an incredulous look, making her eyes change to her "natural" brown. Standing there in the rain with her black yoga pants and old hoodie, she looked more like a teenager than the adult she made herself. That was good, though. Here was a fifteen year old boy with a baby. But he was with the Death Eaters. His sleeve was still pulled up, revealing the Mark.
She was going to pretend like she couldn't see it, though.
((can I join??))
Jackie twitched disagreeably from where she was crouched in the shadows. That group of men in black hoods had scared away the fattest looking animal she had laid her eyes on in quite some time. She had been looking forward for punishing a couple of them for it. However, what she hadn't planned on was following them silently through the woods to this young boy.
He looked too young and naïve to be sporting the Mark that was clearly visible on his arm. Death Eater. She thought to herself. But really who was she to judge? How many people had she killed in her long life so far?
Sitting back in the thickets of shrubbery the forest had such an abundance of, Jackie waited. She observed the boy. He looked indignant and a little bit afraid, though he was doing a good job hiding it. Turning her head minutely to the left, she observed Stacey step into view. She smiled softly, drinking in the presence of someone familiar to her. It had been too long.
She stifled another broader smile. Stacey, as hard as she tried could never look quite grown-up. She could be terrifying and definitely deadly at times, but an adult? Never. However, there was a tense undertone to Stacey's body now. Jackie couldn't place the emotions, but she assumed something was up. She stayed where she was, watching.
((Yes. The topic is open haha.))
"No." Henry replied quickly. "I'm-I'm fine." He shifted the baby in his arms so that he swiftly pull down his sleeve. Had she seen the mark? If she did, he was done for. She would probably turn him in.
"Don't forget, you know magic far beyond your typical lessons at Hogwarts. "
That was what he was told at the end of his last meeting with the Death Eaters. That was why they had really wanted him. Because he was strong. But they had warned him that night. They had taken in a girl who was very talented with magic, but she had drifted away and turned her back on them. You can't do that. You face horrific things for turning your back on the Death Eaters.
"I was just leaving." He said, taking a step back.
Stacey raised an eyebrow, starting to shiver. The rain was already starting to soak through her thin hoodie, and the wind wasn't helping anything. She wasn't really listening to the boy; her eyes were set on the baby in his arms. When he started to back away her eyes sharpened on him, though, flashing a dark green. Quickly she forced them back to brown, hoping she hadn't startled him. It didn't seem like he recognized her from the school, and she didn't really know who he was, but surely he knew about the barely-adult-teacher-with-the-scary-eyes. She had heard mentions of herself in the minds of many of the older students. Most of them weren't so nice, either.
"Are you sure? I mean, that's a baby. A little life. No offense, but you don't look like you know how to take care of it, and I would really feel better if you gave it to me." Stacey spoke slowly, making sure her words were clear. She tried to keep her innocent, young tone as well. Pushing the mommy factor would most likely scare the poor kid. He was probably already scared anyway, he had just been made into a Death Eater.
Death Eaters. Surely they must have taught him something about dark magic. What if he tried something on her? Without taking her eyes off of him she moved her fingers ever so slightly, pushing with her mind rather than using physical motions. A faint shimmer appeared behind whoever the kid was and she let herself relax. He couldn't run, at least. If he tried, he would just run into an invisible wall.
"Hey, what's your name? I'm Stacey. Stacey Gray," she asked, moving towards him with her hand outstretched. She really didn't expect him to shake her hand, but it was worth a shot and gave her an excuse to get closer to him.
"No, you can't take him." Henry said quietly. He narrowed his eyes, bright green, that gave off a dark, mysterious feel. This was his responsibility. If she took the infant, he would be punished. Henry wanted to prove to the others that he could pull off anything they challenged him with.
And then he recognized who the woman was. A teacher of his. He was fairly new, so he didn't really pay much attention, but he remembered her now. She stepped forward, holding out her hand and asking for his name, introducing herself.
Henry took yet another step back, hands still around the baby. He knew already that she was after the little infant. There was no doubt about it.
"Henry." He said.
A bright crack lit up the sky. Lightening flashed, followed by a large crash of thunder. Energy from the air automatically flowed into Stacey--she could feel it crackle around her--and her hands moved to her sides, fingers curved into claws. She gave up on her eyes and let them change to an electric yellow.
"Actually, I think I can. You aren't old enough to take care of him. You aren't old enough to leave school, Henry. How are you going to take care of a baby? You know nothing about him except his name." Her eyes rested heavily on him, trying to hold him with her gaze. Maybe she could do like they did in Muggle movies and do that meaningful look thing that always made the bad kids come back to the right side. Pffft.
"You don't have to do this. Are you scared, because I can protect you." That was kind of a lie. She had too much in her life to be able to protect some kid. She could try, but the Death Eaters would no doubt find their way around her half-trying powers.
Suddenly Stacey felt a twinge of coldness that has nothing to do with the rain. A sort of power seemed to drift into her and a fierce shiver rolled over her. A familiar shiver.
-Jackie?-
"You can't protect me!" Henry exclaimed. "No, you can't take me away from something I chose. I agreed to this. And I'm going through with this mission. I'm taking him away from here, like I was told. I'll have help. I don't need to be at this school." Henry's eyes lowered to Char and then back up to Stacey's eccentric yellow eyes.
"You should go back to the school. I know what I'm doing."
Zepha had been walking near by when she heard a voice scream. Something told her that something bad was happening and so she followed her gut and walked towards the sound.
She approached the clearing and saw a boy, his back was towards her so she couldn't see his face. But behind him was Stacey, and she had a look in her eye that said something was wrong. Then she saw something wiggling in the boy's arms. Was that, a baby? The boy moved and she could see the mark on his arm, a death eater. She glanced back at Stacey, who was focused completely on the child. Then it all clicked, that was Char, Sky's son who had recently been kidnapped.
She instantly knew what was going on, but didn't know what she could do. She glanced at Stacey again and figured she'd stand here and wait. Maybe there was something she could do to help. Granted she didn't know her spells but she was willing to put that asided if it meant helping rescue Char.
Jackie smiled, decidedly happy that Stacey had recognized her. -The one and only- She thought, smirking. She didn't send her thought out towards Stacey, but more thought it to herself. She figured the boy wouldn't pick up on it that way, and she knew Stacey would be good enough to get the message. After all, she had sensed Jackie in the first place.
Rising fluidly from the bush that had once concealed her, Jackie smiled at Henry, masking her confusion over the baby held in his arms. It looked somewhat awkward; like he wasn't quite sure to do with the tiny thing. She figured that she didn't look like much of a threat to him. With her slight, willowy frame and height of around five feet, combined with her blue eyes and blonde to the point of being white hair; she didn't look like much of a threat to anyone.
"Pardon me for saying so, but I doubt you know more about what you're doing than Stacey here does." She commented softly.
Then she looked at him and smiled again, an inviting gesture. "Why don't you let us help?" She asked. "And what exactly is this mission you mentioned?"
Henry just shook his head. They were so ignorant. He just told them he chose this. He had warned him that if were seen, he'd probably be encountered. And he was to do everything he had to, to keep that child in his possession.
"I don't want your help and I don't need your help. And the details of my mission are strictly for me and those who assigned me."
Stacey felt Jackie appear rather than see her. Her unnatural eyes were locked on the boy with the baby. That was her main concern. She only barely heard Jackie's reply and a small tickle run through her system. Zepha, her mind told her, the new girl. Great, more complications.
"Pardon me for saying so, but I doubt you know more about what you're doing than Stacey here does." A sort of defensive fury rose up in her mind. Stacey hated being underestimated, especially now. She deserved to be treated like an adult with everything she had been though, and she wasn't fifteen anymore.
"Look, Henry," Stacey started, ignoring Jackie's comment for now. This was no time to be offended. "I'm a teacher, and I can't let you take that child." She took a step forward and snapped her fingers. The wall she had formed behind Henry lit up and expanded, crackling like lightening. An eerie light formed and illuminated the raindrops as they fell. Where they hit the wall soft sizzles could be heard.
"Please, I can help you."
Henry just laughed as he turned to face the wall.
"You must think I'm a typical fifteen year old." He stated, pressing his hand against the wall. There was a curious glow around his hand, a dark black aura. There was a sizzling sound as his hand passed through the wall, feeling rain on the outside. And then he pulled it back in.
"You two stand here thinking you're so substantial, like you can easily have your way with a snap of your fingers. Let me tell you, your very wrong. And I don't recommend making arrogant mistakes like that."
There was a sharp spike in her mental radar and she gasped. She knew he must have been taught something, but not much. He knew more than she gave him credit for.
Instantly she dropped everything. All of her mental walls were down, which they hadn't been since before she'd been pregnant. A sudden amount of energy rushed towards her, and for a moment she felt an intense presure on her body. She inhaled sharply and coughed once. A few sparks came off of her when she did. She took a deep breath. Everything felt like it was slowing down, but only a second has passed. She could feel everything. The air around her was charged and electric, the rain cool and sharp against her wet face. The feeling of being nothing passed over her; she felt like she could just blend into the ground, she could taste every blade of grass, smell every drop of sweat from Henry. Even the leftover emmotions and memories from the Death Eaters passed over her.
She loved being half immoral. It was easy to understand why immortality had driven some people evil. The feeling was addictive.
"Henry," she said, not recognizing the low undertone to her voice, "I do not think you are a typical fifteen year old. If anyone knows what it's like to be different, it's me. Please don't think I underestimate you." Her eyes glowed bright orange, actually letting off a soft glow. The light mixed with the yellow from the wall to light her small face. She no longer looked young. Instead she looked dangerous and all too small.
"I don't want to fight you, Henry, but I am not letting you take that baby."
Jackie stifled the flash of surprise that crossed her face when Henry showcased some of his power. The edges of her lips turned down, just hinting at a frown. She had underestimated this boy. After a second, her downturned lips turned into a full on frown. Stacey was angry. If there was one thing that Jackie ever learned at Hogwarts, it was that Stacey mad didn't ever amount to anything good.
The entirety of the forest around them seemed to have changed. It felt almost charged with energy that was waiting to explode at any moment. Jackie glanced at Stacey, only her eyes portraying a sense of alarm. It was then she realized she was soaked to the bone. Her clothes clung to her skin, and her hair plastered to her cheeks, giving her the look of a sad five year old.
She turned back to Henry, keeping her expression level and serious, yet sympathetic. She always turned to the empathetic approach first, usually it worked for her. But with Stacey's powers raging next to her, Jackie ditched the act. "I would listen to her." She offered, doubting Henry would listen. He didn't seem like he was in the mood to listen to anyone at the moment.
Waiting, she tensed her muscles in preparation for whatever was to come.
Henry held the baby tighter to his chest, to keep the rain from drenching the little boy.
"You couldn't fight me if you wanted to. You wouldn't want to endanger him." Faint black flames started to form around Henry's body. He was charging his power, concentrating his energy, so that he could break through the wall and apparate. It was much faster than using his hands to temporarily melt away the wall. He couldn't risk being too slow. He just needed a few minutes, and then he could be on his way to a hideout of some sort. Where he was going, he couldn't be tracked.
Stacey felt his plan form in his mind as he thought it himself. She felt his mind as if it were her own. Her hands curled into fists, and she continued to glare at the boy.
"I could very well fight you if I wanted to, son. I know a good deal more magic than you, a different kind. And while you may be powerful, you are stronger than the school wards. You can't Apparate here. The Death Eaters didn't Apparate, they used a different way called transporting, but even that is blocked by the school except to the most extreme." She looked the boy over. "No offense, but you don't look like much."
As she spoke there was a low wooshing sound, and there was a sound similar to wind. Air was being pulled away from Henry, creating a breeze flowing into the trees. The air pressure dropped dramatically, as if they had been pushed into space.
"Now I'm not going to ask you again. Please hand over the child and I will let you leave and do whatever you want to do. Even if you decide to stay, I can help you."
Henry's narrowed green eyes focused on Stacey, watching her threats roll off of her tongue. So she was still insistent on having the child then. Alright, this would have to do. He didn't have anymore time to waste.
The flames were jet black now, reaching high above them. And without warning, he was rushing into the wall, breaking through its barrier. He could feel the pain in his body as he burst through, but he couldn't stop now. He was running, sprinting, with the baby in his arms. He just needed to get past that point, then he could apparate. He could feel his flame aura weakening, his body already getting too tired to handle it. He had only practiced it a few times. He would have to remember to work on that and build up his strength.
Jackie watched Henry crash through the wall and tear off in a sprint. She muttered a curse under her breath. He had to run. Everyone always ran. Her legs bunched underneath her as she sprang after him. It felt good, doing something that was so natural to her. The wind whipped her face, and rain pelted into her eyes. Not exactly ideal weather for a chase.
She caught up to him, her vampire abilities making it easy. She matched him stride for stride and growled under her breath in frustration. His flame aura kept her from going in to directly stop him, and she couldn't trip him for fear of hurting the baby. He was smart. Picking her pace up so she stayed slightly in front of him, she watched for a moment.
His aura wasn't flaring as brightly as it had earlier, Jackie noted. She just needed to wait out his fire aura and she could move in. She didn't think she would have a hard time restraining him. She just couldn't let him get past the wards.
She flinched as he broke through her wall, a little pain running through her. For a second she stood stunned, then her "borrowed" senses from Jackie kicked in. She pushed off the ground with her bare feet and ran after the boy, not far behing her vampire friend.
Various thoughts ran through her mind as they moved--the thoughts of three different minds--but Jackie's fire concern was one that stuck. Jackie couldn't do anything about the fire, or she would get seriously burned. But Stacey could.
Almost without needing to think she snapped her fingers and a wave of water formed in front of her, soaking Henry. Char remained dry, however, with a little help from the element air.
((Nyehhh.))
((Totally forgot I was standing there... coming back now))
Zepha watched in awe at what was happening. It was so terribly intense and horrifying. She gasped as Henry broke through the wall. As he ran past her she realized that he couldn't see her. She took of running as well, dashing through the forest and staying out of eye sight. She didn't know enough spells to do any good but she could run, fast. She ran far enough into the woods that they couldn't see he couldn't see her.
She saw Stacey cover Henry with water and knew this was her chance too help. She ran out in front of him, stopping and staring right at him. At that point in time, she knew that there was no spell that she could preform to stop him. However, she was a distraction. Maybe, if she could get his attention Stacey or Jackie could intervene and do something, anything to save Char.
Gratitude flashed through Jackie towards Stacey. She quickened her pace once more so that she was at in front of and at an angle to Henry and the baby. She was about to leap when she saw another girl standing in her way. She gave the girl a rough shove with her arm, making a mental note to apologize to her later.Then, pushing off the ground with her foot, she sprang at him. It was a perfectly positioned leap. She caught her arms around him, giving the illusion of an embrace before they began to topple sideways with the force of her jump.
Midway to the ground, she twisted her body so that she took all of the impact, sheltering the baby with herself. When they hit the ground, Jackie felt a harsh snap and immediately categorized it as a small rib fracture. No matter, it would heal quickly. Her back was pressed into the soaked ground, covering her hair in mud, and the child was sandwiched in between them; Jackie using one of her arms to stop Henry from crushing it with his weight.
"Should have just given her the baby." She muttered spitefully, still holding him with one hand and shielding the baby with the other, which was slightly difficult to manage from her position.
It all happened so fast. The veil of water, Jackie leaping onto him, him falling down with her still holding onto him. He had been running, pushing himself as fast as he could go. He had to get to that point, or else he would face more than one consequence. He was breathing heavily, mud splattered all over him, as he pushed himself off of Jackie and got back to his feet. He was back to a full sprint, holding Char to his chest. The rain wasn't helping. His fire aura would probably be too weak or even fail because of the great water wall Stacey had made. He needed that extra strength if he wanted to really outrun them.
But there was the point. He just crossed it! Henry could feel it in his body. It was like something was lifted off of him, like a tiny weight. He felt oddly lighter. But they were close, he couldn't concentrate because he was so worried he would be caught. Henry spun around and apparated. But something wasn't right. He appeared several feet away, laying on his back on the ground, eyes closed. Did somebody just shoot him with a spell? He wasn't sure. He was in pain though. He couldn't move.
This kid just wouldn't give up.
Stacey thought he would stay down. It was rare for young people to keep fighting, but Henry jumped up again with the baby. She dashed after him, reaching forward with invisible fingers of magic with her mind. The edge was coming--she could feel it. She had to do something fast, or they would both be gone.
Without really thinking about it, she pushed off the ground with her "borrowed" strength from Jackie. She pushed her incomplete plan out so her friend could see it and hopefully get Char. She leaped and suddenly there was a knife in her hand. The blade gleamed in the rain, which was slowing down. Without hesitating she flung the blade downward towards his thigh. If it hit where she meant it to, he should go down. But there was still the baby. Somehow turning in the air, she was beside the boy, reaching for Sky's baby.
"N-no. Don't touch...him." Henry was trying to get up, but the weakness in his leg caused him to fall back down. "I can't fail this mission. I was...given..o-one simple task. I can't...fail." Tears were in Henry's eyes as he tried to fight the pain to get up. But it really was no use. Stacey had won.
She ignored him. Char was in her arms in an instant. She stood up and back away, regarding the kid with black eyes. She couldn't help but pity him--he was only a child--but the fact that he had been willing to join the Death Eaters tarnished her opinion of his innocence.
"I can heal that for you if you want." Stacey nodded towards his bleeding leg, where her knife was still burried. "Or I can not. I can help you, I really can." The rain was slowing now, almost stopping. Char was wet. She adjusted him so she had a free hand and snapped her fingers. A dry, warm towel fell from nowhere into her hand. Carefully she started to dry the baby off.
"If you don't want my help I will leave you here. I'll take my knife back, so you can't try to throw it at me or something. You'll bleed for a while. Get weak. You should be fine, though. You know, if you don't pass out somewhere or get attacked by some vamps." Her eyes moved to Jackie. They both knew all too well what creatures were out here. No matter her threats, Stacey would never leave a child out here alone. No matter how powerful the kid was.
Henry was shaking. Partially from the cold, another part from pain and the last from when reality had set in.
He failed his mission. One simple task. To take the baby and get to a hideout. That was it. That was all he had to do. But they had stepped in and ruined his chances of completing the mission.
She would die. They said he could learn how to heal her if he helped them. If Henry joined them, he would learn magic far beyond the ranks of others. He would be taught things nobody but them knew. The strongest magic out there. The only magic that could save his dying mother.
"Why don't you just end me now? Before they do it?" He suggested.
Stacey's penetrating gaze fell back to Henery, her eyes now a piercing blue. His thoughts passed through her mind unwillingly. She didn't want to think about his problems, she just wanted to leave him here and be done with it. She didn't need another kid attatched to her, and surely not one involved with Death Eaters.
But she couldn't just leave him.
"Because I'm not like them," she said softly. "I have killed before, but I am not a killer. I don't kill people that don't deserve to die." She hesitated. "And if I kill you your mother will suffer for sure."
So she had read his thoughts. Oddly enough, Henry didn't feel violated. He felt more...relieved. He had kept his mother's health a secret from pretty much everyone else.
He didn't say anything else. He closed his eyes and let his head fall back into the pile of wet and muddy leaves beneath him, letting the gentle sprinkle of spring rain fall down on his skin.
Jackie pushed herself up from the ground, relief radiating from her body. Stacey was better than she remembered. But there was still the issue of the boy. She was surprised when he was able to push out of her grasp with a desperate strength that seemed to surge through him when he was trying to escape.
The rage and desperation faded from him, she saw. He looked almost peaceful.
With a small breeze, she was over next to them in a second, standing slightly behind and off to the side of Stacey. The baby was clasped tightly in her arms and the look on her face told Jackie she wouldn't be letting go of it any time soon.
So now the question: what to do about Henry? Lightly brushing her friend's mind, she determined that they were on the same train of thought. They couldn't leave him here, no matter how much he seemed to want them to. What do you want to do? She sent towards Stacey's mind, hoping she was coming to something more conclusive than herself.
Gazing down at Henry, Jackie finally spoke. "Are you just going to lay there?" She asked, pausing to wipe mud off of her face. This boy confounded her; confused her in a way she didn't usually face.
Henry looked up at Jackie and brought himself to a sitting position. His leg hurt. A lot. It'd be hard to walk. How long would it be before they hunted him down and punished him for failing this one mission he was given? And he had just joined today. Now he wouldn't be able to save her.
He bit his lip as he brought himself slowly to his feet. He looked down with shame.
Stacey watched him, her eyes getting a faint red tinge. Char nuzzled his little head against her shoulder, sighing a soft cry.
"Listen, I can't stay her with you forever. I can help you, but only if you want me to. I'm not going to drag myself into some Death Eater affair if the only thing you're going to do is try to run away or kill me. I have enough to worry about. But, as my nicer side entails, I can't just leave you here. So do you want my help or not, kid, because I have my own children to take care of, and this young man needs to be returned to his mother."
((Nyeh.))
"H-how can you possibly help me? I'm branded. They'll find me. I'll probably be dead before my mother will be." Henry said quickly. He was nervous now. He felt uneasy. His eyes were on Char. He sighed. "Take him home. Before they come."
Stacey snorted, putting her free hand on her hip. Again, she looked more like a teenager than an adult. As long as you ignored her red eyes and the aura of power around her.
"The Marks can be removed. Maybe not forever, but at least for a while. The couple this baby came from, they were Death Eaters. They left. They're alive. I... I can help you." Here she started to talk more carefully. Would she really want to associate herself with the Death Eater's plans? She had avoided them so far, which was a pretty big accomplishment for her.
"I'm guessing they put some sort of tag in your mind. So they can find you and track you. Maybe even read your thoughts. I can try to take it out, if you want me to. And as for them coming here now, that's pretty unlikely considering I'm like a big blank spot on any radar. Sorry to disappoint your rescue efforts."
"You...you can do that?" Henry looked at her with the strangest look in his eyes. A slight glimmer of hope maybe? Maybe that was why his mood was so messed up. The tag must have done it.
He didn't want this. He honestly didn't. Henry would never join an organization such as the Death Eaters. But he loved his mother dearly and he would put his life on the line to save hers if he needed to. He didn't want to lose her.
"Please.... Help me."
-What are you getting yourself into, girl?-
She looked down to the baby in her arms, hiding her now grey eyes. She didn't need this. She didn't need this on top of everything else. But... she couldn't just leave him.
With a sigh she adjusted Char and moved a couple steps closer. "If I heal your leg and leave you somewhere safe, can you handle staying there while I return this child to his mother?"
Henry nodded but then shook his head after a pause.
"Forget me and my leg. I don't deserve it. Just take the tag off and I'll take care of myself. Get him home before they get to you." It was probably too soon to try to make up for what he did. But he didn't mean what he did to begin with. He took his wand out from his pocket and pulled up his pant leg to reveal the stab wound. It was pretty deep and bloody. But he would manage. Tapping it slightly, wincing from the tender skin, the wound slowly started to heal. The skin was mending.
Stacey raised an eyebrow, surprised. Not only was he talking back to her, but he was healing himself. With a spell.
"Okay. First, I'm not even going to ask you how you can do that. Second, I am not just going to forget you. I know you don't know me, but I'd like to tell myself that you kids have heard of me and my reputation. If that was the case, however, you would know how incredibly stubborn I am. And actually, I don't like you too much. So I'm going to stay here and bother you until you do what I want you to do."
((Wow, haven't been on in a lil' while. If you guys want me to bud out, ha just lemme know!))
"You know, Stacey, if you want to run that baby back to... Um, whoever he belongs to; I could wait here with Henry." Jackie volunteered, wincing only slightly when Henry revealed his bloody stab wound.
She saw the blood welling up from his leg. Jackie bit her lip and swallowed, her throat suddenly dry and course. A reflex that refused to go away. She had virtually conquered her blood lust, but it was ever present in her mind. It was like a person who tried to repress the urge to flinch when something came flying at their face. The fact that she hadn't eaten for about four days didn't help either.
She moved her eyes away from the healing cut to Henry's face. "If that's ok with you too?" She asked, her voice slightly rasping. Stupid hunger.
Stacey glared down at Henry, not realizing that Jackie's hunger was contributing to her mood. Her eyes were still tinted red.
"I can do that," she answered her friend. "Are you sure you'll be okay?" She added, wondering when Jackie had eaten last. Thoughts of blood and how it tasted were starting to file into her mind and she pushed them away with a hard mental shove. She didn't need those bothering her now.
"But you, had better stay here. There's still a tracker in your mind somewhere, and as soon as I leave it will be visible again. So you can run away and get caputured by them or stay here and let me help you." She raised an eyebrow, eying the kid.
Henry nodded.
"Alright. I'll accept your help. But you better go now. They're going to find out soon that I'm not where I should be and they'll hunt me down. You need to get him to his parents."
The wound was mostly healed now, just a little red and slightly tender. It would still need a little more time. His leg felt a little stiff but that would be alright too.
She gave him a long look, hoping to appear imposing or threatening. Finally she softened her gaze and looked down at the baby in her arms, then to Jackie.
"I need to go. I know you can take care of him. But you, young man, had better stay here. You might have healed that, but I can do plenty worse." With that she turned and with a soft snap disappeared.
((Doo too dooooo.))