(no subject)

[clumsy_auror]

*Tonks opens her eyes, vision still swimming, and assesses the situation.

Darkened room.

No windows.

One door.

--Bill Weasley leaning against the wall.


She tries to sit up, and a wave of nausea hits her.*

Oh, buggerfuck.

Comments

[clumsy_auror]

Quick as lightening, there's a shower of sparks and an angry red burn on Bill's hand. Tonks flinches.

"Fuck off, Weasley," the Death Eater snarls, more annoyed than unnerved, still. "You're more trouble than you're worth, I'd say, but then again it's not up to me, what happens to you, now is it?"

[thecoolone]

"Why the fuck not?" Bill doesn't touch his hand where it's burnt and he doesn't flinch. He moves forward until he's barely an inch away from the mask. "You have to take orders, like some bloody underling? That's pathetic. That's so fucking pathetic. I wouldn't stand for it for a moment."

If he can hold the Death Eater here and if Tonks can get nearer without attracting attention and the Death Eater doesn't give him a healthy dose of the Cruciatus Curse immediately -- which he won't because he's an underling -- they stand a fairly good chance at disarming this lone Death Eater.

It's a lot of ifs. But any chance is better than none, and any action is better than sitting back and waiting to be tortured.

Or killed.

[clumsy_auror]

Tonks knows exactly what Bill's doing, though she doesn't especially know that it's going to work.

She edges closer. Closer.

[thecoolone]

He sees her out of the corner of his eye: Bill reaches forward and grabs the Death Eater by the mask, forcing it -- him? yes, him -- to focus right here, right now, right where Bill wants him to. His voice is low and steely. "Look, you son of a bitch, if you're going to do something, go ahead and do it now. I'm not interested in being played with. Go ahead, do your worst. Do it. I'm ready. What's the worst you can do, kill me? That makes me useless and it makes you a traitor to your master. So go ahead: I know what happens next. Just try. Just try."

If Tonks can just get close enough, she'll have the end of the Death Eater's wand because the Death Eater is being careless. He's letting himself be manipulated. He's letting himself be distracted.

"What are you waiting for?"

[clumsy_auror]

Closer... closer... thank Merlin there's nothing to trip on (not that you need it says the fond Bernard-voice in her head)...

...And then she reaches up, snake-strike (Crowley oh God) fast and forces the wand out of the Death Eater's grasp, whirling him around and slamming him into the wall, face-first.

Tonks pins him securely, and looks back at Bill as the Death Eater cries out in surprise and struggles to get free.

What the fuck do we do now?

[thecoolone]

You're the Auror. I'm just a bloody curse-breaker. Think, Bill, Think.

Bill does the only thing he can, the only thing within his power: he reaches back and punches the Death Eater hard, right in the jaw.

The Death Eater crumbles to the ground like a broken cookie.

"The door." Bill's eyes are wide, and now his left hand does cover his right: the injury, magical in nature, has never stopped burning. In fact, he's never felt a burn quite like this one and were he not running on pure adrenaline he'd probably drop to his own knees and howl in agony.

[clumsy_auror]

Tonks immediately turns and points the wand at the door. It's not hers, and therefore a little slow to respond, but the door closes.

She turns to Bill, shaking slightly. "Fuck, c'mere." Gingerly, she takes his hand in hers and touches the wand tip to the burn, muttering a healing spell.

[thecoolone]

"Don't worry about me: bind that thing." He nods to the Death Eater on the floor but privately is incredibly grateful for the spell Tonks does on his hand.

Time, time, time: we've just bought ourselves time. If only the time it takes for anyone else to bother to come investigate.

Then a thought hits, and though it's not particularly cheery, it's important. "Tonks... we might not be the only captives. Who else was there, in Hogsmeade -- do you know?"

If there are others, they might be able to join them.

From here on in, he knows, it's pure guts that will lead them. He's never been a soldier before, but he knows there's nothing more potent than trial by fire.

He's a warrior now, like it or not.

[clumsy_auror]

Tonks binds the Death Eater securely with ropes from the wand -- did we just seal our doom? -- and thinks.

"Others from the Ministry. Aurors and MLES officials. But most everyone was up at the match. There were only a handful of us in the village."

She sighs heavily. "Dunno about the villagers, though. Your guess is as good as mine."

[thecoolone]

Bill nods: this is all new territory for him. Last time he was alone and any actions he took couldn't hurt anybody else.

Now there's Tonks to consider.

"What do you suppose is on the other side of the door?" What he wouldn't give just now for a pair of his brothers' extendable ears.

"Do you think we dare? I'm not good at sitting and waiting." Still, he kneels and frisks the Death Eater quickly in vain hopes that he might have Tonks's ring on him as bait.

No such luck. Standing again, he moves to the door and puts his ear to it, listening fervently. He hears nothing.

[clumsy_auror]

"If they're smart? There'll be guards at either end of the corridor. Probably more than one. If they're really smart, there's someone else waiting outside the door. If they're geniuses, they're listening to us right now with a communicator spell."

Tonks smooths her hand over the wall, testing it.

"Well, let's look at it this way -- what happens to us if we stay in here, with him?"

[thecoolone]

"This isn't where I was held last time, Tonks: I've no idea what happens. We can do that, but I'm not good at waiting. We can use him as a shield. We can take the time to see who he is. We can put shielding charms on the door to protect ourselves." He glances from her to the Death Eater on the floor, still out cold.

"Look, love, I don't know what will happen. I'm a curse-breaker, and I only have experience with this type of thing by unhappy coincidence. You're the auror: what does your training tell you?"

[clumsy_auror]

She crosses her arms and looks up at him, her expression frank.

"If they find us here, with him, it's not going to be pretty. If we get out..."

Tonks bites her lip.

"Okay, we've got one wand, and I'm pretty good with hand-to-hand, and you're bloody strong, so."

Taking a deep breath, she spreads her arms wide.

"What d'you think? Wanna give it a go?"

[thecoolone]

It's like breaking into a tomb with all its unknowns: who or what will be guarding it? Animate or inanimate? Spells, glamours, or beasts with fangs? Where are the traps? What are the odds? And where is the backup?

He considers all of this, and then he meets Tonks squarely, studying her eyes.

And he smiles.

"Yes. You take the wand."

I'll take my chances.

"Together?" He reaches his hand to the doorknob.

[clumsy_auror]

Tonks lightly tosses the wand from one hand to the other and back.

She looks ready, and steadily more determined.

"You're on, mate."

With one final grin at each other, Bill opens the door, and the two of them disappear into the hallway.