At the Curtain's Call

Spoiler:

Spending time in Knockturn Alley had become a sort of tradition for James the last few weeks. Every thursday, he seemed to find himself in the gloomy street with the dragon pox infected lowlives and the dirty ragged people asking for money. He cursed them away, of course, he hated petty people who couldn't fight to survive. They would all die either way. But the street had been the perfect place to meet possible future allies. James had taken his time and been patient, even when the ones he talked to were so daft he longed to kill them.

Now, however, he'd had enough. It was time to break traditions and do what came next: let the world know his face. He hadn't yet decided how, but improvisation was his middle name. He was feeling murderous. He knew people would have to die. And in Diagon Alley. So he changed his course to the passage that linked the two streets. He was tired of the nasty-looking people in Knockturn Alley. And now, he would never have to venture there again. His plan was set.

Though leaving the street behind, his mood remained foul and murderous. The man in the street had vexed him with his stupidity and filth. Even so, James always had a clear mind and a clear goal. His anger never drove him to do reckless things. After all, he was always reckless. He wasn't like what Voldemort had been. Not at all. That man had killed the people who failed. But if there was one thing James had learned, it was that you should never sow fear into your allies' mind. Just authority and respect. Made it much harder for them to betray you.

Reaching the passage, James smirked. The street ahead was buzzing with life. Good. Never spread fear into the hearts of your allies, but your foes. They ought to fear you. Fear blinded. Panic ruined. And James would be the creator of those emotions. His smirk turned malicious as two shapes took a turn into the passage. Seemed young, both of them. Good. That would also bring hate. But killing them off instantaneously, well, that just was no good sport. James put on a nice face as he plotted in his mind how to kill his prey.

"Are you lost, dearies?" he asked, his face masking his malicious intent.

Lyra liked Christmas, all the family stuff and being off school and Christmas trees and her adorable beanie hat that looked like a Christmas pudding. It was probably mainly seeing Jack and her parents after a boring term of actual work. And receiving really awesome Christmas presents! And buying really awesome Christmas presents. That was why they were in London, more specifically Diagon Alley, for Christmas shopping with all the wizard shops. Also ice-cream. Just because.

Hunter and Lyn were somewhere buying presents for her, so she didn't mind in the slightest that her twin had abandoned her for their git brother. Sweet friendly Lynnie didn't really understand that Hunter was a terrible person like she did. Lyra had wandered off with Jack into Diagon Alley. She wasn't paying much attention to her surroundings as she chatted excitedly about everything she could possibly think of. There was so much to share with her favourite brother. "And me and Lyn were talking about switching houses again, which would be really fun, even though Hufflepuffs can sometimes be boring."

Earlier she'd had some intention of finding Quality Quidditch Supplies to see if she could find something cheap for Hunter. Yeah, she cared about him a lot. But she was hardly going to be able to afford a new broom for him. Now she had led Jack to somewhere unfamiliar, making it look like she knew where she was going. In all fairness, she had at one point, but she'd never been here before. Still, she didn't mention it to Jack and carried on walking. Eventually, she would come across a shop she knew and then she could pretend it was where she had been looking for all along.

It seemed that now they were walking along a less busy part of the street. Where could she have turned wrong? Lyra gritted her teeth and paused for a second. From a short distance away, she could faintly hear the buzz of people talking and shopping. So it must be... back where they had come from? Before she had time to tell her brother and turn back that way, a man had approached them. She should stay to get directions so they could get to the right shop much quicker. He looked friendly. That was a happy friendly smile right there.

And he was clever too, because he had noticed that she was confused and lost. "Lost?" she repeated, laughing a little bit nervously. "No, we're not lost. But... uh, how do you get back to Diagon Alley?" She adjusted her Christmas pudding beanie a bit so it wouldn't fall off her head and looked up at the smiley man.

Spoiler:

Though Jack would never admit it to any of his siblings, he'd been looking forward to Christmas ever since the end of summer, just so that he could see them again. Sure, Jack had plenty of friends, and at first their time away from home didn't seem so bad. But by now, it had become pretty boring, and Jack found himself counting the days until they were to return. He'd accidentally let some of his excitement radiate off of him when they'd shown up on the platform by allowing an uncharacteristically huge grin to slip onto his face - he'd even hugged Lyra so enthusiastically that he ended up lifting her up off the ground and spinning her in a circle.

Since they were already in London to pick up Hunter and the twins, they went ahead and decided to make a quick trip to Diagon Alley while they were there. It made sense, since they lived so far away from London to begin with, and Jack was in a good enough mood to walk along amicably with his family as they neared the pub through which they would enter the long stretch of shops. Since it seemed like everyone had their own Christmas shopping to do, most likely for each other, they all split off into their own directions once they stepped out into the cobblestone road filled with bustling, oddly dressed people.

Jack glanced toward his brother, wondering if he was still in his moody phase and if he should walk with him and discuss all of his stupid life problems - but Hunter still seemed completely normal. Happy, even. And Lyn had already started dragging him away with her. So Jack just gave him a shrug and a grin, which Hunter mirrored, and turned to follow Lyra in a different direction, pushing past a few people wearing weird hats in order to catch up.

Before long, she was talking his ear off, and he was more than happy to listen. "You guys could probably get away with it," he agreed. "Except don't you think the Hufflepuffs would notice when quiet, timid little Lyn started bossing them all around?" he joked, laughing. He knew most people couldn't get away with that statement without getting told off - but there were benefits to being on Lyra's good side. Very few people were truly on her good side - probably just himself and Lyn. Hunter was somewhere in the middle, and then probably only because he was family.

Jack wasn't sure how long they'd been talking, and wasn't really paying attention to where they were going. He wouldn't know where he was even if he had been paying attention. And Lyra seemed to know where she was going. It wasn't until a voice interrupted them, asking if they were lost, that Jack realized the passage stretching ahead of them was a little darker and much more desolate - though he could still hear the chatter of people coming from somewhere behind him.

He frowned as Lyra answered the man. She was lost. He knew his sister - too proud to admit she'd lost her way, but too smart to not ask for directions. He shot her a look before turning his gaze onto the man who'd spoken to them. He wasn't sure if it was the way he was dressed, or the damp feel of the area, or the fact that there was nobody else around, but an uneasy feeling rose in Jack's stomach and he instantly rose a hand to rest casually, but protectively, on Lyra's shoulder. "Actually, Lyra, we should probably be heading back to meet mum now. She'll be worried, he lied."Come on," he said, tugging her confidently in the opposite direction of which they came. In truth, he had no idea how to find his way back, but he'd feel better retracing their steps than staying in some deserted alley with some stranger.

James smiled as the girl said that she wasn't lost, but then asked for directions. He was about to respond when the boy put a hand on the girl's shoulder. Ah, protective. It was easy to see that the girl was indeed his little sister, he'd seen that at once, but the fact that the boy was overprotective only made James more set on murder. He smirked at the boy. Ah, the mom-card, always so transparent. TransPARENT. Hm, fitting word.

"Ah, I'm sure she is," he said, his voice now dragging a bit, and not quite as nice as before, his smile slowly going from a nice smile to a smirk. "And the way back is the way you came from," James added, the tone only growing more eerie and cold. He always figured that tarnished safety was the best way to go. "Also, I'm sad to say that your mother has good reason to worry." With that, James had his wand out, and in a quick motion he threw the kids into the brick wall.

What a sad way to go. James had always learned that when you wander, you need to keep your feet. James wandered a lot, but not all who wander are lost. He never was. And even if he got lost, he always felt safe, because there was no one worse than him. He was the bad guy, and bad guys felt safe, because he had no rules. He looked at the kids as they scrambled and looked frightened. Good. They ought to be scared. He would kill them. However, he also knew that stories only lived with survivors. Whispers were spread through survivors. So he might have to spare one of them. The question was who. He'd see who had the most fight in them soon, and then he'd see. He was guessing the boy would draw his wand quickly enough. But the girl could still surprise.

[Sorry for the god modding, if it's not all right, I'll change it]

Lyra shot a half-joking glare at Jack. That was mean, but it was so true. Well, it would be if she wasn't going to hide her bossy, loud nature from the Hufflepuffs. "I'm such a good actress, though!" she protested. Before she had gone to Hogwarts, she had gone to that drama club in the village. And been the best actress there. She was just amazing at BECOMING the character and all that shit. "I could EASILY imitate Lyn for a little bit!" After that little bit of time, she would probably give up and demand they swapped back.

Jack didn't seem to like the look of the man, even though he was smiley. And that was fair enough. Her brother was clever, more streetwise than her, so she would go along with him based off that fact. Despite knowing that their mum wouldn't want them back for ages yet and she wouldn't worry about them as long as they were together. "Yeah, kay." Lyra took a step in that direction, following Jack back to where they had come from. Made sense.

But then the smiley man was talking again and from looking at him, she could see that he wasn't so smiley anymore. In fact, he didn't look friendly at all. And his tone of voice was different, now filled with malice. "I..." she began, but trailed off when he said that their mother had good reason to worry. That meant they were in danger and he was probably going to kill them. Her immediate thought was that they could make a run for it, but suddenly they were being thrown through the air at a brick wall. Ouch. It had probably looked dramatic, like in her cool muggle action movies, but it hurt a lot more than in those films.

There was a moment when she just sat there, stunned. Then she realised she wasn't going to have a hope of defending herself against this man, who was apparently good at magic, without her wand. Even though the few spells she knew didn't seem useful in this situation, they might be able to serve as a distraction do that she and Jack could run. The wand was somewhere in her bag. Shit. The bottom of her bag. Hurriedly, she rustled through the stuff in there until she finally found her wand and yanked it out to hold up.

It would be unfortunate to die here. Lyra hadn't said goodbye to Lyn and Hunter and the animals, done her OWLs, bungee jumped, anything really. That was why it was so important they escape soon, before he could blast them with that Avada Kedavra spell.

EVELYN!!!:

The man continued to talk as Jack began to lead Lyra away, and his tone had definitely lost its friendly, helpful sound. A slight chill running down his spine at the malice that had crept into the man's voice, he lengthened his stride - he clearly didn't mean well. When the man said that their mother should be worried, Jack glanced uneasily over his shoulder and yanked hard on Lyra's arm to make her keep up with him - there was no reason to pretend they weren't trying to escape his presence anymore.

But before they even made it a few more strides away, Jack felt himself being pulled in a different direction. "What the - " It was a strange feeling, to be thrown by an invisible force, and he didn't realize that he was being slammed into a wall until he actually hit it. "Argh!" he groaned as his body collided with the solid brick. He slid to the ground, wincing as a jolt of pain seared through his left arm when he tried to bend his elbow- it must have taken the brunt of the collision. That definitely wouldn't help.

It only took him a moment to gather himself, his focus quickly turning to the man who had attacked them. It wouldn't do them any good to sit there in pain and wait for him to attack them again. His good hand reached behind him to grip the pocket-knife that he always carried in his back pocket, keeping it behind his back. It was for farm-related purposes - Jack never thought for a moment when he bought it for a bargain at the marked that he'd ever be resorting to it for self defense.

A quick glance at Lyra confused him - she was digging hurriedly through her bag. What the hell could she possibly be looking for at a time like this? When his eyes returned to the man, and the long, thin wand that he was holding in his hand, it instantly clicked. She was looking for her wand! The thing the man had used to throw them through the air. The thing she might be able to use to defend herself against him. The one thing that Jack didn't have. And all of a sudden, the realization of how much danger they were actually in rushed over him.

This wasn't just some normal person who had attacked them. It wasn't someone that Jack could fend off by being stronger or faster. A normal lunatic was one thing - they could run, as long as they were faster. If this was a normal man, Jack could probably take him in a fight if it came down to it - long enough that they could get away at least. But they couldn't fight this man, and they couldn't run from him. Because he wasn't bound by the normal laws of physics. And Jack was. At this realization, his grip on the knife behind his back felt useless - what good would a dull, four inch pocket knife do against someone who could slam them into a wall from five yards away?

Despite his growing feeling of hopelessness, Jack took a step forward around Lyra, so that he was between the man and his sister. If he could buy her enough time to find her wand, maybe they still had a chance of escaping. He didn't even consider the possibility that the man was enough of a psychopath that Jack's protective stance might only make Lyra more of a target. "What the hell do you want with us?" he asked boldly, the question half-serious and half a distraction, hoping to hold the man's attention for at least a few moments. "Who are you?" Behind him, he heard the rustling of Lyra's bag cease. He hoped that meant she found what she was looking for, but he didn't dare take his eyes from the man to look.

Ah, desperation and frustration. James had to contain a happy smile while watching them scramble to their feet, trying to get their bearings straight, trying to establish what had just happened. He could enlighten them. He had thrown them against a wall. And he was planning on killing one of them. But games were only fun when the players didn't know the rules. Confusion was simply one of the best things. Confusion was human's enemy. It was the root that spread out and grew desperation fruits and frustration berries. And they were the second and third most juicy fruit in the world. The first was fear. Smelling fear was second nature to James, and these two teens were oozing of it.

The girl was rustling through her stuff. The guy had positioned himself in front of her, taking a defensive stance. Seems he was the overprotective one, like James had predicted. However, he was not drawing his wand like the girl most likely was. A guy his age wouldn't be walking along Diagon Alley without his wand in his pocket. Guys who were protective, even in the slightest, always had their wands on them. James' smirk widened considerably. Well, at least now he knew who to spare. Mudbloods or not, James didn't give a shit. But muggles... Now that was something entirely different. Perhaps he was even a squib. That would be the most pathetic. Not that it truly mattered. There was no difference between a muggle and a squib.

"What I want with you?" James asked, looking at the kid as if he was stupid. "Why, I want to kill you," he deadpanned as if it was the most obvious and reasonable thing in the world. "And I suppose it's only fair for my victims to know my name. James Morgenstern, at your service," James said, taking a mock bow in their general direction. And then the girl had her wand up. James raised an eyebrow. "Only your brother who's a muggle then?" he asked, guessing on muggle, as it was the more likely of the two. He then sent a non-verbal spell at the girl's wrist, a cutting spell, which would probably make her lose her grip on the wand, if it hit the target.

James then stopped and pointed his wand threateningly at the boy. With or without wand, the girl was no match for him. "However, I am not a completely horrible person," James said, putting on his pleasant tone again, this time a bit more childish, "I am prepared to make you a deal. One life for the other." The last three words came out as a vicious sneer and he looked expectantly on, his wand at the ready for any childish tricks either one of them could concoct.

Lyra didn’t like the look the man was giving Jack. Just because the question sounded slightly stupid in this situation, it wasn’t acceptable for him to give her brother that look. Or maybe it didn’t matter - they were going to die, why care? “Why do you want to kill us?” she chipped in. “Don’t you think it’s a bit weak to kill… children?” She wasn’t a child, but she was probably quite an easy target. Or victim, as he put it. She scowled. You could hardly expect a murderer to be polite and kind, but this was just patronising.

“Yeah,” she shrugged. “But that doesn’t matter, even if we were both purebloods you’d probably kill us.” Because he hadn’t exactly asked them for their blood status before he threw them against a wall. Then there was a sharp pain in her wrist and she instinctively dropped her wand, only to watch it roll away down the street slowly. Oh well. It wasn’t going to help her anyway, against a wizard who could do stuff like this. “Sorry,” she mouthed to Jack, not sure if he would actually see it. There was probably no chance of escape now. If there had been the slimmest chance while she still had her wand in her hand.

When he pointed the wand directly at Jack, she held her breath. But then the patronising friendly tone was back and she blinked. “Sure you’re not,” she murmured under her breath. Well maybe he wasn’t. Sort of. So maybe there was a chance of escape. For one of them. Although, it was almost as cruel to let one of them go. One of them would have to go back to their family and explain how they had let the other be murdered by some evil wizard. And they had to live without the other person, which would be the hardest thing. Ever. That was why Lyra wanted to be the one to get killed, partly because she was a coward and partly because Jack meant the world to her and she was sure he could do something awesome with his life.

She turned to her brother. “You should let him kill me,” she whispered. “Think about it, all I do is make scrambled eggs, but they actually need you!” She didn’t want to sound like one of the stupid annoying sacrifice-making girls in the muggle movies. But she needed to convey to Jack the good, valid reasons that didn’t involve how he was the best VanDerberg and soppy stuff that he wouldn’t listen to. “YEAH KILL ME,” she decided loudly.

The way the man said that he was going to kill them - it sent a chill down Jack's spine. He wasn't sure why. It wasn't as though he couldn't have figured as much from everything that had happened. But hearing the man say it so calmly - as though he was simply stating a fact - made it far too real in Jack's mind. His eyes flickered over to Lyra as she went on to ask the same question resonating through his own mind - why? What would it prove? As the man introduced himself, Jack snorted incredulously. "Yes, that makes it much better," he retorted, his gaze constantly shifting between the man and his sister. Jack being a muggle or not, James Morgenstern wouldn't get as far as killing her if he could help it.

While Lyra retorted to the man's comment about Jack being a muggle, Jack's mind was racing. There had to be a way to escape this situation. Or at least, to make sure that Lyra escaped. James clearly had an obnoxious advantage - he was a wizard, and clearly a powerful one. But he was still human. And Jack did still have his knife. If he could only get close enough - but his thoughts were cut short by a clattering sound behind him. Lyra's wand had fallen. He glanced at her wrist in concern, but knew he couldn't worry about something so miniscule now. He saw her mouthed apology, but just gave her a minute shake of his head in return. It wasn't going to make a difference.

Then, James was talking again, and Jack couldn't help listening intently, even though whatever he was saying didn't matter. But when the man offered up a proposition, Jack's eyes widened in surprise. He wanted one of them to give up their life to let the other live - well, that wasn't exactly true. He wanted one of them to watch the other die, and live with the guilt for the rest of their lives. The thought was repulsive - disgusting, to the point that Jack thought he could vomit. The most severe form of torture. But it couldn't end that way. There must be another way out of this.

Lyra apparently didn't think so. Jack felt his heart catch in his chest as Lyra started pointing out the reasons that it should be her. He stared at her, eyes wide, and for a moment he didn't respond. Still training his eyes on James every half-second or so, he replied quickly. "Like hell," he said angrily, not bothering to stay quiet. It wasn't like the man wouldn't be able to hear them either way. "Besides, who says he's even telling the truth? He could kill one of us and then go right on and kill the other." Lyra couldn't really be that ridiculous, could she? There had to be another way - and if there wasn't, at least they'd gone down with a fight.

But apparently, Lyra really was that ridiculous. Panic rose in Jack's chest when she shouted out again that James should kill her. "No!" Jack shouted, sweeping his sister back with one of his arms, but not offering himself up either. He wouldn't play this man's games. "You stay the hell away from her," he growled. And then, deciding that this moment was as good as any - he might not get another chance - Jack pulled the hand holding his knife back and launched it in the direction of the man. It would be a miracle if it even went straight, let alone caught James off guard enough to hit it's target. But it was all Jack could do - the last bit of hope they had for escape.

But his face fell, his heart nearly beating out of his chest, when he realized that a miracle was far too much to hope for.

James tilted his head to the side in a thoughtful manner. "Perhaps you are right. Killing children is no challenge at all. Basically - well, you might even call it - child's play." His eyes twinkled maliciously as he took one step closer to them. He stopped and his left hand dragged through his hair. "However, killing children is also the one who gets more attention. I kill a fifty year old man, and it will have the front page for a couple of days, a week tops. Now children, that will be a nasty topic for months," James said. Not that he cared. Not at all. He just needed people to feel his lack of sentiment.

A snort escaped James. He looked at the girl. She was rather feisty for someone who was moments away from getting murdered. Normally, they would be begging by now. "Of course it wouldn't matter. I don't care about blood. If you're magical, you're magical, and that's that. However, this little boy is not even that," James dragged, a new smirk on his lips, adding in his thoughts that this fact made his decision much easier. James had no thoughts about blood, but he preferred people with magic. Muggles were boring. They were fun for a while when they were still mesmerized by his magic, but after a while, they got boring. It was the same story.

The spell hit the girl's arm and the wand flew out of her hand, clanking against the cold concrete. She looked pathetic now, mouthing a sorry and giving an apologetic look at her brother. It almost made James change his mind. He watched on as they started arguing about who would die. It didn't last long, but it didn't matter anyways. They'd never decide. They were both probably too self-righteous for that. James had decided who he'd let live and who he'd let die. It was just a game, and they were playing by his rules. He was slightly amused that they thought they would get to decide who would live.

And then the girl was shouting to kill her. James looked on, still amused, when the guy pulled her behind him. Well, well. He did a shake of his head when the boy yelled to stay away from her. His eyes distracted for a moment, he just saw the sharp movement in the corner of his eyes and a knife flying towards him. James didn't even have to move. His wand instantly slowed the knife down and he caught it between his fingers. "Tsk, tsk," he said, giving him the look a parent would give the kid with the hand in the cookie jar. "Nice try, kiddo, but not good enough," he drawled, "If only you had magic."

James straightened up, feeling his playful mood leaving him. He was getting bored. He tilted his head a bit backwards, looking at the children. "How many people does it take to deliver a message?" he asked. His stanze changed and his hand stretched out, his wand aimed directly at Jack's chest. "Just ... one." His eyes crossing over at the little girl before looking straight back at the guy. "Avada Kedavra"

The sinking feeling in Jack's stomach deepened as he saw the ease with which the man brushed off Jack's attack. A shaky breath left him as his knife slowed in the air, as though it had been flung through a hanging pool of water, and wound up in the man's hand. That was it. Jack had received one chance to catch the man off guard - once chance to save them - and he had failed. If only he had magic. The words struck him with a sense of irony, because despite his siblings' gifts, he had never wished that he had also inherited their magical abilities. He was perfectly happy with his life, and the things he could do with only his hands.

But now, he realized just how unfair the world truly was. How doomed those people were, who - like him - couldn't defend themselves with a swish of their hand, when there were those out there who could destroy lives with just a few words? What chance did they stand? Their fates were determined only by the choices of those more powerful than them - because if enough wizards were evil like this one, who would ever be able to stop them? But at the moment, it didn't seem like the entire world was really being threatened. The only lives in jeopardy now were his and his sister's, who he was sure to keep behind him.

Suddenly, the man's demeanor seemed to change. He was playing with them before. But it seemed that he'd managed to bore himself, and now he was lifting his wand, until it was aiming directly at Jack's chest. Strangely enough, this didn't add to Jack's dread - perhaps because, despite seeing what the man could do, it was still hard to wrap his mind around the fact that the wand in the man's hand was actually a deadly weapon. It looked so thin and fragile and completely unremarkable. Just a stick - one that could be broken in two as easily as a pencil. Though Jack knew what it could do - what it would do - his body simply didn't react properly.

The moment the man spoke, however, Jack's skin crawled and his breath caught in his throat. Because he knew what the question implied. And he knew the answer. How many people did it take to deliver a message? One. One person. Lyra. Lyra, who was still behind him. Lyra, who Jack remained poised defensively in front of, despite the danger that he was staring directly in the face. And then the man spoke once more, and Jack knew that this wasn't conversation. This was a spell - and he knew that there was no escaping from this one if it hit him. A green light began to release from the man's wand, but refusing to give up, he tried to figure out a way out. Could he dodge it? But then, a thought hit him.

His chest swelled with emotion as the realization dawned on him - crawled through his veins like poison. Because Lyra was directly behind him It was deliberately where he had wanted her - where he had placed her. But now, he realized that he'd given himself no escape. Because if he dodged the spell, it would hit his sister. His little sister, who followed him around and made scrambled eggs for breakfast and made him smile far more than any other person in the world could manage to do, ever. His sister, who deserved far more than to die here, in this cold, dark alley in the face of some cruel psychopath. And he knew that he couldn't bear to see her hurt, let alone allow her to be reduced to nothingness in this one moment.

Though it only took less than a moment, the light seemed to approach in slow motion. It felt as though he had days to move out of the way, if he wanted to. But he cared far too much for Lyra to be such a coward. Of course he was afraid, in that moment. He was terrified. Panic rose in his chest with every one hundredth of a second - but from the moment that he had realized, it had never even been a question. So he took a deep, shaking breath, forced himself to meet the man's eyes defiantly and then -

Nothing.

Publicity? He was killing children for publicity? If he planned on killing more people, wouldn’t it be much easier to keep a low profile so that there weren’t constantly people chasing him down? Even this man wouldn’t do so well against a huge pack of scary wizard cops. She sent him a look of pure, bitter hatred. Didn’t he understand that the two of them had friends, family, people who cared about them? That killing them would actually have an impact on others? And make those people sad? Obviously he didn’t care, but she didn’t understand why not.

Lyra sighed at Jack’s quick objection. “Yes, well if we take that chance at least ONE of us might actually stay alive,” she hissed. And by one of them, she meant Jack. Obviously. But as usual, she had done something stupid and reckless, even though she knew her brother would never let her be the one to die. He was probably right, though. They were probably both going to die. And even though she was meant to be that brave bold Gryffindor, she was thinking about giving up and accepting it. There was no chance of survival. Well, there was. But she didn’t want to be the one left. And she planned on getting her way.

She ended up a couple of feet behind Jack. And then she saw him with a blade. Since when did he carry around a knife? Oh well, if it could help, great. But predictably, James used his magic to stop it before it came anywhere near him. If only Jack had magic. Only then did this whole thing really sink in. The reality that her brother was almost dead. And that she might be almost dead too. And she was too petrified with the shock to think seriously about doing something. What could they even do? Nothing.

“Please,” she whispered pathetically, as though it would make any difference to the inevitable events to come. James might not have even heard that, it being so quiet, but she didn’t repeat herself - because he was saying those words, the spell from that DADA book. Those strange, innocent-sounding words which in actual fact had such a terrible lasting effect. Lyra let out a strange, squeaky cry when she saw the spell hit him. Jack, who didn’t deserve to die. Who had so much more to do for the world.

Her brother was motionless on the ground, all the life sucked out of him. By that monster of a man, who deserved nothing better than death in the same way as Jack. She took a few steps forward towards Jack before falling down onto her knees next to him. Completely ignoring the man, if he was still there, she leant over and stared at his face. And tears ran down her cheeks as she remembered what an amazing, wonderful person he was. Had been. Whatever. The point was, he was dead and it was completely her fault.