Participants:
| Scene Title | Bad Moon |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | The cavalry arrives! Is it in time, though? |
| Location | An abandoned prison cell. |
| Date | 16 Jan 1995 |
| Watch For | N/A |
| Logger | Holly |
January 16th, 1995 — There's a bad moon on the rise, that is, a full moon slated to rise. Time is cutting short and down to the wire. Too short. The sun has gone down and there's not too much time left. Sirius and Tonks were rousting some of Umbridge's goons at the Ministry, trying to get as much information as possible, and the pair finally got some leads taking them to the Welsh countryside. With the abandoned cell clearly guarded from being found, it's taking longer than Sirius likes or has the patience for. Needless to say, it's a very surly Sirius Black who sends out the message to Alistaire and Jack as to where to meet him and Tonks. It's going to be a bad night for who crosses Black, that's easy to see.
—-
There's a loud 'pop', and Jack Noble apparates into existence near where his former Housemate stands. "Where the hell is she?" He eyes the sky, keeping his focus on the moon. He's worried, angry, and nearly twitching with adrenaline. He doesn't often get like this, but when someone who is under his protection is threatened, he gets pretty scary. Eyes drop from the sky and scan the horizon. "Which way, Black?" His manner is much more terse than normal.
—-
Common sense dictates you wait for backup when about to go into a situation where there's countless unknown factors, at least one confirmed 'danger' (if they would just HURRY THE HELL UP it wouldn't be a danger), and many things that could just go wrong. But Tonks isn't patient. She's had to be yanked back by Sirius of all people from going in and storming the castle by herself (Don't worry, Tonks has returned the favor). Jack's apparition just causes her to bounce more from one foot to the other. "Can we /go/ now?" is said to her cousin after Jack's flashed a grin that lacks all sort of humor.
—-
Not far from Jack and Sirius and Tonks, a tall Auror pops into existence neatly and without any additional explosions (this time). Alistaire immediately starts looking around. "Let's not be stupid about this," he remarks on the heels of Tonks' impatience and the obvious desire to start some storming on the parts of Jack and Sirius. Him, the voice of reason. Apocalypse, begun. "What're we facing, Sirius?" he asks in a sensible tone, wanting to get a proper sitrep before said storming is done.
—-
Three shirty Gryffindors and one fierce Hufflepuff makes for a scary team indeed. "We've got one more coming," Sirius growls at Tonks as he looks around. This is the general vicinity they got from the Ministry thug, but still, it's cleverly hidden. "Noble," he greets his housemate tersely, as he looks about attentively, like the dog that is on the hunt. He reaches out again to grab at Tonks's arm to keep her from bolting off. (Again.) When Alistaire shows up, he damn near starts charging off to try and sniff out the exact entrance. "Phoenix," he says with a nod. "Full moon's approaching. We need to find where the cell is hidden. Remus and Holly are being kept together, and if he transforms before we get there, that only spells trouble. The gits that we questioned," which is putting it lightly, "could only give us this general area. We may have been questioning the wrong people, but it seems well hidden by spells. Tonks and I have been scanning since we got here a short while ago."
—-
Jack nods once, quickly, as a greeting to Sirius and then turns to face Alistaire. "Right, but we don't have that much damn time." He shifts his weight from one foot to another, some of the resemblence between himself and his higher-energy sister showing clearly. "There was what? Three aurors or hitwizards watching you when you were in the…" He falls silent, waiting for something to show him which way to go. Time drags by, but the minutes do pass. The moon slowly rises, and Jack sees a glint of something in the distance. "Is that it?" It may be, or it may be some muggle's old truck.
—-
There's a grumble when she's tugged back (and when Alistaire shows up, it seems that Tonks is returning the favor. Seems both have the idea they need to wait, but neither of them want it to apply to themselves). "Sorry," she apologizes for the ten-billionth time (probably not quite an exaggeration) when Sirius commentsa bout the general location. If it wasn't for that damn botched memory charm (which still hasn't fixed itself yet), this could've been done sooner! Alistaire'll be briefed on waht the pair've figured out, though Tonks says it quickly so that Sirius doesn't interrupt and correct her and they ahve (yet another) showing of Barking Blacks. When Jack points otu the moon (head?) light, she frowns. "We need to hurry up," she hisses to Sirius. Yes, send in the raving fugitive maniac in first. There's merits to this, you know.
—-
Alistaire gives Jack a long hard look and then nods to himself as he pieces together a theory as to why the Noble scion is a hair's breath away from storming this particular bastille. "We'll get them out," he says calmly and steadily. Not a platitude, but firm conviction. When he says it, it's hard not to believe that he'll die before allowing them to fail. "Now, here's the plan…" and he starts sketching out a firmer plan of attack like the professional dark-wizard-stomper that he is… and handsome but arrogant sod, too. "Our best bet is to not bother with pussyfooting around and going all fancy. Just Stun the hell out of anything that moves, ask questions later, and we'll have to gang up on Lupin here shortly," he adds, eyeballing the moon quietly.
Meanwhile…
The light is getting dimmer in the cell now, and the chill is starting to permeate once again, as it has every time the sun's gone down for the past week. Holly's used to it, though she will never like it.
This is the night, too. She really expected Umbridge to do something like tear down the bars between her and Lupin, but they're still up. The door is still locked. Granted, she'll still get to see a werewolf in the throes of madness, but at least she will be safe, and consequently, so will Remus. Currently, she's leaning against the gate, shoulder to Remus, brown eyes watching him. Too much has happened this week. She's so tired. "You gonna be okay?" she asks. There's still some daylight left, so she reaches through the bars for him, to take a hand, to offer comfort.
—-
Lupin takes a few, careful breaths. He had become more and more distracted as the sun began to set. He hasn't spoken for a few hours, wanting to concentrate more on what lay ahead then anything. He's glad for the bars and the wall. He trusts they'll keep her safe. It's not been him he's worried about. He's done this a multitude of times and always returned being able to survive once more. But he was worried about the effect on her. He doesn't know if she'd seen it happen before, but it can't be pleasant for anyone at any time. He slowly takes her hand and looks at her. "I'll be fine, Holly." He chuckles, but there's no humour. "I've done this before. It's just I'm apprehensive with the moon so near…"
—-
"Well, at least we know Umbridge isn't completely heartless," she says. Unless a werewolf can break through steel bars, it's not likely that Remus will be able to get to her. "Y'know, I think it's cool we got to spend time together. I mean, not the best circumstances." She chuckles. It's an almost empty sound, and the sentiment is equally visible in her eyes. She's not getting out of this unaffected, and she might have to face the fact that she'll never sleep again.
She hasn't ever seen a werewolf change, or even a wolf itself, really. She's met a few, though none more than superficially before Remus. He's a nice guy, and he doesn't deserve this. "She's punishing you because you helped me. I'm sorry."
—-
Lupin raises an eyebrow and nods. "Well, I guess so. Though I think just seeing a werewolf transform and gnarl and thrash around is punishment enough. That's probably her thinking too. Or lets hope it is. It'll be scary. No doubt about that." He explains. "Well, I'm glad of this too. Maybe it will help you with more work for werewolf right." He says, trying to be light. "But in all honesty…you're a good person, Holly. Whatever happens, don't forget it. You still have a chance to make a difference in the world." He sighs softly. "Trust me, I don't blame you. This was my choice, I knew the risks I was taking, and I knew this could happen. I took the risk."
—-
The sun slips below the horizon outside, and Holly, giving Lupin an apologetic look, takes her arm back and slips it through the bars. "You're a good person, too, so…"
Holly backs up against the far wall. She's not sure if she really wants to watch or not, but it's almost like trainwreck syndrome. She doesn't really want to witness it, and, under normal circumstances, she wouldn't go out of her way to do so. But she's here, and it'll be near impossible to shut out everything. "I've already gone through three Unforvigables. I don't think there's much more that's gonna get to me."
And then a funny thing happens. The lock on the door separating the two individual cells clicks, and the door slowly swings open.
Back to our heroes…
"Leave Remus to me. I've handled him countless times in the past.. if we can't get there in time." Sirius goes slightly pale about that, not wanting to think of the possibility of being too late. "I'll distract Remus, get Holly out of there. She's not going to be able to defend herself," he says at the quick planning session prompted by Alistaire. As time drags on, Sirius gets more and more impatient and agitated. His best friend is being used in an heinous manner, and against someone who's come to his defense. "Enough of this!" Damned magic, or at least it's obnoxious at times. Time to do things in a slightly old fashioned and mundane way. The man takes off running in the direction Jack points, transforming as he does so. Nose to the wind, it seems they're on the track, seeing as the large black dog picks up speed in that direction, even letting out a howl. The howl could either be to signal Jack, Alistaire and Tonks to follow, or maybe a similar howl to the ones he's given Moony in the past.
—-
Jack listens to Tonks and Alistaire, then nods again, strangely more quiet than normal tonight. When Sirius transforms, he lopes after him, not waiting for the others. "Smell something?" The howl seems to be his reply, though it may not have been. He pulls his wand from his pocket and casts a lumos directing it to the ground, making it appear for all the world like a torch. He continues to run, not really able to keep up with the dog, but moving toward the building. As he does, he notices the moon slowly rising. Dammit.
—-
Alistaire gets a curt nod. It bothers her that injuring Remus is something that might (realistically: will) happen, but she doesn't wibble or wobble. She accepts it as necessary. She wouldn't be in this job as young as she is if she couldn't accept things of such a nature. When Sirius bolts Tonks is quick to follow him. Time is against them it seems, and the distance they have to cross is far too long. The moon's reaching, or might as well have reached, it's apex by now.
—-
"Shoulda brought brooms," mutters Alistaire as he hares after the others, scampering down from their assembly point. His long legs let him keep up with the running dog (ish…), and his wand is already in-hand, ready to Stun anyone and everyone who gets in his way. There's a bit of a cold fury on his face, that anyone in power would do something as horrific as this. He hurtles over a bit of shrubbery that gets in his way rather than divert around it, trainers keeping his footing suitably on the moon-kissed grass. With the moon already over the horizon and nearing its apex, he shakes his head, a grimness creeping over his features, and he mutters, "Poor Jack," under his breath.
—-
Poor anyone who gets in the way of this foursome. The large black dog still has the lead as he charges through the brush, leaping over obstacles and finally reaching where the cells are housed. That keen sense of smell came in handy here, and he doesn't bother changing back as he hurtles straight to where his nose is leading him. Padfoot looks positively rabid, minus the foaming at the mouth, as he charges in.
—-
And into the correct cave enters the Mass Murderer Sirius Black!! A table is setup here in the main entryway, holding a deck of cards that the guards were using to entertain themselves. The guards themselves, dressed in the uniform of the Ministry stand a slight distance from the cells, watching what occurs within. They seem to be taking bets, arguing with each other. "Nah. I say he'll kill 'er. Then Umbridge can claim he's out of control and killed someone and have 'im locked up permanently. Or worse." The second, larger man, shakes his head. "I don't think we should let him kill her. She told us to let him bite her. Not kill her."
—-
Jack keeps following Padfoot, and falls somewhat behind the older auror as he does. He continues to run, though, speed fueled by adrenaline. "Find 'em?" He asks, and then the building comes into view. With a quiet snarl, Jack slows down, becoming completely focused on the space in front of him. He nears the door, cancels his light spell, and steps across the threshold, scanning to see what he can see. He hears the words of the guards, and stuns one without any hesitation.
In the cell, the tension mounts…
Lupin laughs and shakes his head. "The Cruciatus is mighty dreadful, I'll admit. Werewolves can be just as bad, I'm afraid. And quite a bit more scary. Big snouts. Tall. Snarling and bearing their teeth like a wolf." He stops himself there, however. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be talking like that. It could make things worse. I just…" The door swings open. He eyes it suspiciously, with a wary eye. "Well, it seems we were hoping quite wrongly about our Minister, weren't we?"
—-
Yeah. Yeah, that's not a nice picture, especially as she's watching the door swing back and forth on its hinges like a pendulum, before crashing into the bars and remaining wide open.
She feels colder, and it's not just chill provided by the temperature outside. It's like her heart sinks, because there's no safety net anymore. But she'll play it cool for now, because it has to be a mistake. Taking the heavy steel door in her hand, she swings it closed again, but there's no way the lock is clicking back into place. In fact, it's impossible that it opened by accident, given that it's a prison cell door and meant to never open ever.
"Yeah, Cruciatus is bad," she says, leaning against the door now. A werewolf could push it open easily.
Holly could panic. In fact, it would be anyone's/ reaction to this situation, but she doesn't. So, she's going to die, and Umbridge'll make it look like an accident, no doubt. 'But they were separated, I swear! How tragic!' Bah.
Letting go of the door, which once again swings open, she heads for the closed door out of the cell, and bangs on it with two closed fists. "Hello! We need some help in here!"
—-
Lupin walks slowly up to the door and tries to close it as well, even attempting to use wordless, wandless magic to lock it as he would normally do. That doesn't work either. "I'm afraid it's quite open…" He closes his eyes. "Why now…" He leans against the door. The time is near at hand. "It's no use, Holly. They won't answer you. They'll turn the other cheek, pretend they can't hear you. Or at least…that what I imagine they'll do." He gazes toward her. "Holly…whatever happens tonight, I ask that you forgive me. And know that it isn't really me that is doing it, but the monster within. I…sorry for everything that's no doubt going to happen." Oh, she could die. But she may not. Some human part of him may prevent that from happening, hopefully. But another fate is just as possible. It's a curse worse than death in most people's opinions.
—-
Several colourful metaphors go through Holly's mind, and none of them are remotely related to forgiveness. She knows Remus is right, but she can't take this as calmly as he seems to be doing. Her hands are shaking, and it's just… one of the most annoying things in the world to her right at this moment, so the panic that's welling up inside her leads her to hit that door again. Yell for help again, but there's nothing. No one comes, and she knows no one's going to. But she sees this playing out, and…
Honestly, she hopes she does die. It's one thing to fight for the rights of people who are unfortunate enough to have this illness. It's another thing entirely to want to be one of them. It's an ugly thought, and the lawyer feels guilty as soon as she has it.
Another good punch is aimed at the door before, defeated, she backs away from it. "…God," she mutters. "How can you be so calm?" Her hands nervously weave through her hair, and she eyes the barred window above them with the thought that maybe the openings between said bars are large enough for her to slip through. "How— How long do you have? Can you help me get up there?"
—-
Lupin lets out a scoffing laugh. "Calm? Oh no…I don't feel calm. I'm worried. But…but I've faced fates much worse than death. I've played such games as these so many times…I can't even count. And I've been around werewolf packs too many times during the full moon for my liking. But no…calm is one thing I shall never be, not underneath my demeanour, when it comes to people being endangered. Especially if it's me doing the endangering." Oh, Remus Lupin does feel just the same as everyone else. He's just better at not letting it show if he chooses. As soon as she asks how long he has, the full moon comes out into full view. Lupin backs away from the door frame and his eyes widen. The transformation is taking place. Lupin feels himself stretching, transforming. Mutating into something he fears in his nightmares. He looks toward the full moon…something he fears to such a degree, that a bogart takes this form when near him. With a final stop, he is now a big, tall, werewolf. "Ar…ar…AROOOOOOO!" This werewolf version of Lupin howls out toward the moon.
—-
Not long, then.
It's kind of horrifying to watch - not like the transformation of an Animagus, or some small, helpless animal being transfigured into some common household item. This looks painful, and Holly… Well, Holly's busy on the other side of the gate hyperventilating herself into some sort of panic. The howl that hits her ears sounds like an echo - something far away. Thankfully, she has the barest amount of sense left, and launches herself at the door again in an attempt to hold it closed. Digging her feet into the stone floor, she leans on it with all one-hundred and thirty pounds. If there's a God, that'll be enough.
Of course, the big, giant werewolf on the other side of the door is making her shake, and she can't help looking at it - him. Remus Lupin. Friend, someone who's been there for her since they were caught in Hogsmeade. "I forgive you, okay? I forgive you," she squeaks out, though she's already breathless, and she's about to cry any second.
—-
Another howl erupts from were-Lupin before he starts sniffing and looking around. He growls and paces about the cell. He doesn't like it, obviously. His growls become more and more menacing as he peers about. WEREWOLF NO LIKE CAGE! He roars and his head twitches and jerks to look at Holly. He'd not bothered with her yet since she didn't provide much of a threat…that and she was standing (mostly) still. The big, lanky Lupin werewolf makes his way over slowly and sniffs at her. For a brief second, it almost seems like there may be a moment of recognition, but that's lost quickly once more. He roars and swipes at the door, strong enough to send Holly flying backwards if she isn't holding on tight.
—-
It really is like being in a room with the monster of your nightmares. But as one eye continues watching him - the other is shut tightly, as if she can't decide whether she wants to watch or not - she can see what she thinks might be recognition. It's encouraging. "Remus— " She starts. And that's when the werewolf attacks the door.
Since she'd been leaning on it, concentrating on keeping it closed, Holly never imagined she'd have to hold onto it. So when the door suddenly flies open, the woman does, indeed, fly backward, her feet lifting from the ground brifly before she lands on her shoulder on the stone floor, scraping it to hell and dislocating it. Ow, that hurt, though she's already trying to reorient herself and get back to her feet. She stands a much better chance if she's standing. Still, it seems like she's trying to stand up in a pool of mud. The pain is making her sluggish.
—-
"Grrrr..grrrrrrrah!" The menacing werewolf advances on Holly. If she doesn't scramble out of the way, he'll most likely make a swipe at her again, sending her flying once more. While a man, Lupin is a strong dualist…while werewolf, strong weightlifter.
—-
Holly doesn't have her wand, but she's not entirely helpless. People who are under duress seem to be able to do fairly amazing things. Unfortunately, her scope is limited. The second swipe catches her across the chest, and not only succeeds in knocking her off her feet, but it also opens some deep gashes there, as well. While the werewolf is recovering from the most recent blow, she crawls under the hairy arm. "Remus, it's Holly," she says, voice shaking as she scrambles again through the door. She can't do this all night.
This time, she has to pull the door closed, but she's not sure how to keep her hands on the bars without getting them eaten. Maybe he'll have trouble figuring out that he'll have to pull it open? How smart are werewolves when they're changed? With the door closed, she backs away into the corner of the cell, trying to make herself as small as possible once there, uttering a painful shout when she discovers that that shoulder doesn't lend to curling up in a little ball.
—-
Lupin roars mightily, walking around in circles for a few minutes. Finally he crashes through the door, however, catching Holly's scent once more. He bounds as best he can without hitting the ceiling and crashes down. This time, he goes for the leg, just to assure she doesn't escape. In the process, his strength could very well break the leg. Once he's got her pinned down, he bites. He bites enough to infect her with lycanthropy, or the curse that goes along with turning into a werewolf.
—-
Holly doesn't actually expect the werewolf to barrel right through the door. The only thing she can really do when he does so, though, is put her arms up in front of her face in an attempt to protect herself. Though when a large animal fractures all the bones in your lower leg, you're going to feel it, and so the arms come down toward it, and the screaming starts well before the teeth clamp around her ribs. At this point, she doesn't even consider the fact that she's been infected; the pain is so great that she'd very much just like for it to end in one way or another. Her hands reach for the beast's chest, and she tries to push him off of her.
—-
No amount of pushing will get this animal away. He growls deeply, stopping biting. He swipes, to stop her from moving. After all, it does no good for something you're trying to eat to move. It makes it harder to eat it, after all.
—-
It's hard to hear with all the growling, but the swipe succeeds in snapping her forearm. Luckily - if there can be any luck to this - it's the same one with the dislocated shoulder.
At first, Holly tried to think of the wolf as another side of Remus Lupin. She doesn't seem him that way anymore, though, and somewhere in the back of her mind, she knows that this is going to be her now. Considering it is out of the question, though, since she's currently fighting just to stay alive.
She sobs, the tears in her eyes making it hard to distinguish the features of the wolf that's trying to tear her apart. Yet the moon shines in his eyes, and that's what she goes for. The fingers of the arm that isn't totally messed up will attempt to press into those eyes. Maybe the pain will cause him to reconsider trying to make a meal out of her.
—-
If sobbing could make a werewolf reconsider eating someone or something, this would be the werewolf it would affect. Unfortunately, however, it doesn't make a difference. Remus Lupin, or rather the werewolf that he has become, doesn't seem to notice or care. The werewolf swipes with both arms this time, with enough strength to lift Holly off the ground and throw her a few feet.
—-
Aaand Holly's flying through the air again. This has become a regular occurance tonight, and it's only a few minutes in. It makes her wonder how many more times this is going to happen. Or perhaps this will be the last she'll remember, because the blood loss and trauma is starting to make her a little light-headed and dizzy. Hitting the ground like a sack of bricks, she lies on her stomach, one arm folded under her at a wrong angle that she doesn't care enough about to fix at the moment. Staring dumbly ahead, she waits for Remus to finish it.
—-
The werewolf bounds over to the woman in one jump. He swipes her once more. It flips her over.
And the rescuers arrive…
Little Tonksie is light on her feet. Probably has something to do with that insane training regime she refers to every now and then. She, unlike Jack, doesn't slow down, mainly because she knows Sirius isn't. Jack's stunning spell gets launched and it almost seems as Tonks is chasing the stream of red light. Her wand flashes and the words 'Petrificus Totalus' get launched at another man who is standing up. Luck be with them, he'll just seize up and fall over, hopefully hitting his head on the wall.
—-
Given he's so close to Sirius, Alistaire heard every word the guards said, including the name of the one responsible. It's enough to be admissible in court as a confession and an implication against the rampaging pink horror. He follows Tonks' spell with a bit of his own insurance. "STUPEFY!" and doesn't bother slowing down either. And his shout is loud enough to have been heard on the moon, if anyone's paying attention.
—-
Letting out a snarl, Padfoot charges in past Jack, ignoring the guards and goes straight for the door to the cell. The familiar scent of werewolf is like an assault on his sense of smell in this form, despite it's familiarity. He stops at the door, paws skidding on the flooring as he catches his balance. There, he waits, and not very patiently, for the others to get there. The element of surprise can only last for so long, and he needs to be ready to charge in through the door after Remus, leaving the others free to help Holly.
—-
The two guards drop like lead. They didn't stand a chance. They were too busy watching the 'entertainment'. However, they were not the only guards. Back further down to the side, in a tunnel, three more guards come running out, wands at the ready. Each of them casts a Protego, then immediately begins firing off their own loud spells. "STUPEFY! Expelliarmus!" And one is aimed at the raging dog. A special Stupefy. Just for him.
—-
The sight inside the cell… Isn't pleasant.
Remus has already gotten to Holly. Though the cell is divided in two, the barred door separating the two halves has been hit so hard that it's bent and hanging by the hinges. There's also blood all over the place - mostly in the corner farthest from the door, but also in a small stream leading to where Holly is now.
Lying on her back, she's looking almost blankly up at the werewolf atop her, who's pinning her down and most likely just about to tear her apart. Really, she doesn't care at this point, because, after all, she can't fight it, and she doesn't much want to prolong the inevitable. She just didn't think she'd die by being mauled by a werewolf. Lesson unlearned, by the way. At least she can take comfort in the fact that she's some sort of martyr.
—-
After he's shot the stunner at the guard, he follows Padfoot down the hall. He doesn't even wait to see if his spell hit. Sirius has found them, and Jack needs to get in there. When the guards start casting stunners at them, Jack dodges, nearly getting hit by one of the red beams. Adrenaline powers the stunner he sends back. He's not holding anything back. There isn't enough time to cast a shield to protect Sirius now, so he just watches, hoping the dog will be able to avoid all the 'special attention.'
—-
Did someone say shield? The moment there's spells flying down the hall Tonks is hitting dirt. Oh hey, they need the door open? You guys better duck because Tonks is sitting up and waving her wand from the door to the guards over there. "Reducto!" Hopefully the 'yanking' motion of the wand will direct the door's explosion towards the guards and not at everyone else. It's worked before, so hey. And let's see Protego protect from that. "Sirius!" Don't frag with the guards, get in there and make it safe for the rest of them. And tonks hasn't even peeked yet!
—-
Alistaire ducks as a Stunner goes flying over his head, but doesn't lose his wand, aiming a shield spell in between anything incoming between Sirius and the Ministry goons. He doesn't try to stop Jack, he'd probably be doing the same thing if it was his sister in there. Without waiting to see if Tonks is successful, he shouts, "STUPEFY!!!", his wand aimed at the hole made by the door, aimed around Jack's hurtling form, of course, toward the werewolf.
—-
Oh no you don't! Snarling, jaws snapping, Padfoot nimbly dodges the stunning spell thrown his way, and gets just a /little/ cocky in the thrill of a fight, and is hit by Expelliarmus. Seeing as he doesn't have any weapons on him in this form, he's knocked back against the wall by the door to Holly and Remus's cell. He lets out a yelp as he shakes off the effects of the impact. Damn guards, you'll get yours.. but later, once this situation is dealt with! Letting out a growl, he rights himself back up onto all fours, then charges into the cell, hurtling for a flying tackle against Moony. He's also not afraid to use his teeth and claws along with his weight. This is nothing personal, this is something he's done many, many times, but not to drive his friend off of a person.
—-
These guards are no idiots. They see the black dog. They know who the black dog is. With one shouted command, all attacks are now turned on Sirius. All three of them turn their wands, and in unison, use the strongest command at their disposal. Only, one of them is hit with a reducto, and splats all over the other two. The commands are not as strong as they might have been, but the words are clear, none-the-less. "AVADA KEDAVRA!!"
—-
Right behind Sirius, Jack storms into the cell, moving to Holly, seeing the blood and seeing red. It takes him several precious seconds before he gains enough control of himself that he can move toward her and scoop her up into his arms. He notices her leg, but the adrenaline 'flight' response has him scurrying away, heading straight toward the door, only to dodge a green light. "Damnit!" Jack screams as he jostles the woman in his arms. That's gonna hurt. He steps to the side, having no hands to fire any offensive spells at the attackers. "Knock 'em out!"
—-
The moment that spell's name is uttered, the moment she realizes the target, Tonks lets out a noise that seems both horrified and pissed. "Stupefy" is shouted with such conviction that one would think that if she threw an Unforgivable right then it'd definitely hit her mark. Somehow in the same instance, a boot is soaring through the air, aiming to hit the other guard as well. DO NOT MESS WITH HER FAMILY YOU BASTARDS.
—-
In her current state, Holly doesn't realise at first that there's anyone here for her, though being picked up really hurts. Wide brown eyes focus briefly on Jack before they fall away. This is what happens with extreme blood loss and shock.
—-
In her current state, Holly doesn't realise at first that there's anyone here for her, though being picked up really hurts. Wide brown eyes focus briefly on Jack before they fall away. This is what happens with extreme blood loss and shock.
—-
The use of an Unforgivable is just one more nail in Umbridge's coffin, as far as Alistaire is concerned. He's the Auror, and he's keeping tabs on all the breaches of Ministry law and protocol and simple ethics for later reference. He can't stop the green jet of light, but he can ensure it doesn't hit its target, flicking his wand and causing a simple tripping jinx to fly out toward Sirius and Remus. And then he bolts toward the Ministry goons, his fist curled into a ball, but shouting, "STUPEFY!!!" once more, very loudly, and /quite/ furiously.
—-
Sirius narrowly misses one of the Killing Curses thrown his way, it's only his continuous scuffle with Moony that's saved him from being hit. Alistaire's jinx saving him from the second. Were he not trying to 'herd' his best friend back, due to his furry little problem, he might be panicking about the close shave. (Idiots, there's about to be a loose werewolf!) He rolls away from Moony, snarling, and jaws snapping at the werewolf. As Moony lunges, Padfoot darts to the side, barking madly, and knowing that his friend is too far gone to be communicated with. He doesn't even afford himself the luxury of missing Prongs's assistance in this situation, there's just no time for that. Padfoot then lunges for Moony, aiming for his side, and isn't afraid to bite either. Anything to keep the werewolf's focus on him and away from the others.
—-
When Holly falls unconscious in his arms, something snaps in Jack, and he runs toward the door. There'd better not be anybody in his way, or they'll be flattened by strong man running through them. He's past caring about his environment beyond avoiding any color beam of light aimed his direction. He is completely focused on the mouth of the cave and getting her to safety. He barrels through, narrowly avoiding downed bodies, though he does accidentally step on one guy's hand. Whoops. That causes him to jostle Holly a little more, and he growls again in frustration. He hits the cool air and slows down, continuing to run toward the apparition point. They'd talked about St. Mungos, although the thought makes him horribly uncomfortable. It's not safe, but it's necessary.
—-
Killing curse? Dementor's Kiss? Death sentence either way. Who can help it if the lines have blurred? Maybe it's just more disturbing that the Ministry Goons are so skillful at casting this one. With shots fired at both of them, one goes down immediately. The other, well, he managed to get off a Protego that was of little use. He was still thrown against the wall of the tunnel, and slumps to the ground unconscious. All spells have stopped flying. Insert eerie silence filled only with the sound of snarling animals.
—-
Lupin is effectively tripped by a spell. He growls deeply, definitely angry. As Sirius lunges at him and bites into his side, he yowls and swipes along his side.
—-
Don't worry Jack. It was Tonks who said St Mungo's was safe. And if anyone gets in the way of Andromeda Black for treating a patient, well, it's their own damn fault. The moment that there's no opposition from the guards (and Jack's gotten out of the damn way, RUN FORREST RUN), Tonks, sans a boot, hobbles into the cell. The sight causes her to pause. The werewolf's name doesn't quite make it from her lips. She knew, of course. But /seeing it/? Another matter. Reality sets in quickly enough, and there's no hesitation about whether or not she's going to hurt him. "Stupefy!" So, uh, how many stuns does it take to down a werwolf? Anyone know?
—-
At least two. And two there are, skillfully aimed at Lupin, the second cast from Alistaire once he'd ensured that they wouldn't be bothered by the Ministry just yet. Leaving Jack to properly rescue his lady love, their immediate focus is getting Lupin under control… preferably before more of Alistaire's colleagues, well-meaning but wrong-headed, show up.
—-
A high pitched yelp of pain is heard from Padfoot as he's swiped aside by Lupin. He hits the floor with a *smack* and lays there for a few moments that feels like an eternity to him before he gets back up. Head shaking, he leaps again at the werewolf, undeterred from the task at hand. Teeth bared, he goes for another round, ready to bite, annoy, and to drive into the path of the stunning spells.
—-
Lupin yelps as he's hit by a couple of stunning spells. Way to make him even more angry, guys! He roars. "Arooo! Ar arrrrooo!" And being bit once more isn't helping either. And their rolling and rolling. He tries to reach around again, but just barely misses.
—-
Jack reaches the apparition point and 'pops' out, reappearing in the alleyway beside St. Mungo's. They have specific instructions, and Jack stops, inhaling, trying to calm down before he has to step into the building and find Tonks' mother. Eventually, though, his heart is calm enough, and he does so, entrusting her into the Healer's care. However, he refuses to leave her side, stubbornly waiting as close as decency and bureacracy will allow.
—-
"Again," she mumbles to herself, though Alisaire certainly doesn't need to be told twice, the awesome vet that he is and all. This second one is a bit harder to cast, apparently, though only just. The hesitation's a second or three longer, Alistaire's likely firing first, but the follow up Stun is cast all the same. If two couldn't do the job, than perhaps three will, and four'll just be for the road.
And don't worry Jack. Andromeda's good people. AFter all, would you get in the way of a Slytherin Mediwitch from the House of Black? (though, rest assured, Tonks'll be hearing from her mother. she wasn't warned she'd be expecting a /Werewolf Bite Victim/. That goes for you too, Sirius. Kids these days!)
—-
Alistaire isn't one to shirk away from duties he doesn't like, and he takes no pleasure in repeating his Stunner at Lupin as many times as necessary. He grimly keeps an eye on Lupin's proximity to both himself and to Tonks, as they're both in danger of getting bitten by this rampaging werewolf. "Sorry," he murmurs quietly, "I'm so sorry." Whether it's to Lupin or the departed Jack is another story.
—-
Sirius doesn't care that he's having to duck and dodge the stunning spells fired from Alistaire and Tonks. He doesn't even care that he's taking quite a few hits from Remus either. It's happened before, but hopefully this is the last time. There's already going to be Hell to pay for this incident. Something that /never/ should have happened, and Sirius's blood is boiling over this. He hasn't been this angry since Pettigrew betrayed them all. There's no apology on this animagus's part. There are people who should be sorry, and if he has his way, they WILL be.
—-
Once Remus is finally stunned unconscious, Sirius transforms, the bruising coming along for the ride. A mix of rage and concern for his friend mingle on his face as he helps Tonks and Alistaire with hurrying Lupin from the cell best they can. It's a matter of time before back-up arrives and it's just a good idea to be gone from the scene.
Grimmauld Place is suggested and agreed upon as a place to keep Moony overnight. Stunning spells are continuously used until morning to keep Lupin in check.
Thank you to Angelina for helping NPC!