Fanfic Challenge #9
Title: The Caradoc Mission
Summary: Emmeline, Marlene and Dorcas are waiting up until the Order members who went to go rescue Caradoc Dearborn return. But when they do return, something is dreadfully wrong.
Characters/Pairings: Emmeline Vance, Marlene McKinnon, Dorcas Meadowes, Alastor Moody, Edgar Bones, Benjy Fenwick, Caradoc Dearborn
Genre: Angst
Rating/Warnings: PG-13; for swearing and violent imagery
Word Count: 1072
"The Dark Sign appeared over the Whiskett house out in Tinworth last night," Emmeline said, looking up from her Daily Prophet. She was sitting in the kitchen of her little flat with Marlene and Dorcas. They were waiting up for Benjy, Edgar Bones, and Auror Moody, who had gone to Knockturn Alley three hours ago, to try and rescue Caradoc Dearborn from the Death Eaters.
Marlene looked up wearily at her. Her eyes were red and had dark circles under them. None of them had been sleeping much lately. "As in Kenneth Whiskett?" Ken had been in Emmeline and Marlene's year at Hogwarts.
"Yes, unfortunately. You know he married a Muggle woman last year. I never met her, of course. I haven't seen Ken since only a couple years after we graduated." It had only been six years ago, but it seemed like a lifetime. The war had just taken a turn for the worse, and the death count was rising steadily. It was the very fall in which Emmeline had joined the Order.
"I heard she was pregnant," Dorcas said. "Oh, tell me it wasn't them!" Dorcas' sister was pregnant, and she was always worried about her, even though she and her husband were living on the Continent now.
"It was," Emmeline confirmed grimly. "All three of them are dead."
Dorcas' hand fluttered above her chest in an odd, involuntary movement, then fell heavily onto the table with a thump.
"When are they going to be back?" Marlene asked, looking at the clock. It was the third time she had asked in the last half hour. Emmeline knew she was scared for Benjy, who had been her on-again-off-again boyfriend since they were 16. They were off-again at the moment, she thought, though it was sometimes difficult to tell the difference.
"Auror Moody said they'd be back before eleven o' clock," Emmeline repeated. It was a quarter after ten o' clock now, and the anxiety in the room had been building.
"I thought they would be back by now, that's all," Marlene said, trying, without much success, to sound indifferent. Dorcas gave her a sympathetic smile, and patted her hand softly. Marlene shrugged, and pulled her hand away, but her lips were thinned and her knee was joggling nervously.
Emmeline frowned, and looked back down at her paper, not sure what to say. Dorcas leaned over and pulled her knitting out of her bag. She looked at it very intently, and took hold of the needles.
Two Cracks ripped through the air in rapid succession, and they all jumped up, and grabbed their wands, their reflexes kicking in.
"It's us!" called Edgar's voice from the living room, followed by some coughing. Still holding their wands, the three women moved towards the living room.
Auror Moody had the body of Caradoc Dearborn clasped firmly in his arms. "He's alive," he said quickly, before they could ask. "But he's been tortured and starved and I think he might have a concussion." He laid Caradoc out on the sofa. His brown face was thinner than she'd ever seen it and he was bleeding from a cut above his right eyebrow.
"Where's Benjy?" Marlene said suddenly. Emmeline looked up, and Edgar and Moody had very grim expressions.
"I'm sorry, lass," said Moody heavily. "He was very brave to the end."
Marlene's face drained of color. She stood there for a moment, seeming to be teetering on the brim of something, before she started bolting towards the door. Edgar grabbed both of her arms, stopping her. "You can't go out there, Marlene. You know it's not safe." She struggled fiercely before collapsing into his arms. He pulled her over to a chair, and helped her sit down, her arms wrapped around her knees and her face down. Her shoulders shook with silent sobs. Edgar frowned and patted her back firmly.
"Dorcas, can you help me with young Caradoc?" Moody said, looking at the Healer, who had begun crying herself.
"Of course, Alastor," she said in a hoarse voice, wiping the tears, and walked over to the couch where Caradoc lay.
Emmeline stood between them, feeling quite helpless. After a moment, she walked over to Marlene and Edgar, and looked at him. "What happened?"
"We managed to get Caradoc out of the basement of the place they were keeping him, in Knockturn Alley, but Evan Rosier and the Lestranges were waiting for us on the stairs. We managed to get the fight out onto the street, both sides throwing curses. Rabastan... he hit Benjy with a Blasting Curse. I- I, there was nothing we could do." He hung his head, and his own shoulders shook slightly. "I'm sorry."
"Is that when you Apparated back here?"
"No," he said, looking up again. "I- I wanted to avenge Benjy. I managed to hit Rabastan with a Cutting Curse on his arm, but then more Death Eaters started appearing. That bastard Travers and Snape, and some others. That's when we Apparated back here."
Marlene rose her head, and looked at them. "I'm going to fucking kill those bastards. I'm going to string them up by their guts and send their bloody heads to You-Know-Who himself. You think he takes the mail?" She laughed, a sound remarkably devoid of all humor.
Emmeline frowned. "Don't do anything reckless. I know you're a powerful witch, Marlene, and you're one of the best duelers in the Order, but you shouldn't go off after Death Eaters on your own, or without a plan."
Marlene gave another hollow laugh, and didn't answer. Emmeline exchanged a worried glance with Edgar.
"He's going to be all right," Dorcas said, from over where she sat next to Caradoc. "He'll be just fine, thank God." Her voice was full of a particularly desperate relief.
"That's wonderful," Emmeline said, sincerely but without her full attention. She was focused on Marlene, whose eyes were red-rimmed and wet, but fierce. "Marlene, please be careful," she implored her. There was sick feeling settling in her stomach, and she felt very afraid for her friend. Marlene was the epitome of a Gryffindor, courageous and full of righteous anger.
"I'll be careful," Marlene said. "But I won't rest until they're dead, or I am. You can depend on that."
"I have no doubt of it," Emmeline said quietly. "I can only hope that it is them, and not you."
1072/30 = 35.7 = 36 +5 = 41 points for Hufflepuff!
Fi//Hufflepuff
Summary: Emmeline, Marlene and Dorcas are waiting up until the Order members who went to go rescue Caradoc Dearborn return. But when they do return, something is dreadfully wrong.
Characters/Pairings: Emmeline Vance, Marlene McKinnon, Dorcas Meadowes, Alastor Moody, Edgar Bones, Benjy Fenwick, Caradoc Dearborn
Genre: Angst
Rating/Warnings: PG-13; for swearing and violent imagery
Word Count: 1072
"The Dark Sign appeared over the Whiskett house out in Tinworth last night," Emmeline said, looking up from her Daily Prophet. She was sitting in the kitchen of her little flat with Marlene and Dorcas. They were waiting up for Benjy, Edgar Bones, and Auror Moody, who had gone to Knockturn Alley three hours ago, to try and rescue Caradoc Dearborn from the Death Eaters.
Marlene looked up wearily at her. Her eyes were red and had dark circles under them. None of them had been sleeping much lately. "As in Kenneth Whiskett?" Ken had been in Emmeline and Marlene's year at Hogwarts.
"Yes, unfortunately. You know he married a Muggle woman last year. I never met her, of course. I haven't seen Ken since only a couple years after we graduated." It had only been six years ago, but it seemed like a lifetime. The war had just taken a turn for the worse, and the death count was rising steadily. It was the very fall in which Emmeline had joined the Order.
"I heard she was pregnant," Dorcas said. "Oh, tell me it wasn't them!" Dorcas' sister was pregnant, and she was always worried about her, even though she and her husband were living on the Continent now.
"It was," Emmeline confirmed grimly. "All three of them are dead."
Dorcas' hand fluttered above her chest in an odd, involuntary movement, then fell heavily onto the table with a thump.
"When are they going to be back?" Marlene asked, looking at the clock. It was the third time she had asked in the last half hour. Emmeline knew she was scared for Benjy, who had been her on-again-off-again boyfriend since they were 16. They were off-again at the moment, she thought, though it was sometimes difficult to tell the difference.
"Auror Moody said they'd be back before eleven o' clock," Emmeline repeated. It was a quarter after ten o' clock now, and the anxiety in the room had been building.
"I thought they would be back by now, that's all," Marlene said, trying, without much success, to sound indifferent. Dorcas gave her a sympathetic smile, and patted her hand softly. Marlene shrugged, and pulled her hand away, but her lips were thinned and her knee was joggling nervously.
Emmeline frowned, and looked back down at her paper, not sure what to say. Dorcas leaned over and pulled her knitting out of her bag. She looked at it very intently, and took hold of the needles.
Two Cracks ripped through the air in rapid succession, and they all jumped up, and grabbed their wands, their reflexes kicking in.
"It's us!" called Edgar's voice from the living room, followed by some coughing. Still holding their wands, the three women moved towards the living room.
Auror Moody had the body of Caradoc Dearborn clasped firmly in his arms. "He's alive," he said quickly, before they could ask. "But he's been tortured and starved and I think he might have a concussion." He laid Caradoc out on the sofa. His brown face was thinner than she'd ever seen it and he was bleeding from a cut above his right eyebrow.
"Where's Benjy?" Marlene said suddenly. Emmeline looked up, and Edgar and Moody had very grim expressions.
"I'm sorry, lass," said Moody heavily. "He was very brave to the end."
Marlene's face drained of color. She stood there for a moment, seeming to be teetering on the brim of something, before she started bolting towards the door. Edgar grabbed both of her arms, stopping her. "You can't go out there, Marlene. You know it's not safe." She struggled fiercely before collapsing into his arms. He pulled her over to a chair, and helped her sit down, her arms wrapped around her knees and her face down. Her shoulders shook with silent sobs. Edgar frowned and patted her back firmly.
"Dorcas, can you help me with young Caradoc?" Moody said, looking at the Healer, who had begun crying herself.
"Of course, Alastor," she said in a hoarse voice, wiping the tears, and walked over to the couch where Caradoc lay.
Emmeline stood between them, feeling quite helpless. After a moment, she walked over to Marlene and Edgar, and looked at him. "What happened?"
"We managed to get Caradoc out of the basement of the place they were keeping him, in Knockturn Alley, but Evan Rosier and the Lestranges were waiting for us on the stairs. We managed to get the fight out onto the street, both sides throwing curses. Rabastan... he hit Benjy with a Blasting Curse. I- I, there was nothing we could do." He hung his head, and his own shoulders shook slightly. "I'm sorry."
"Is that when you Apparated back here?"
"No," he said, looking up again. "I- I wanted to avenge Benjy. I managed to hit Rabastan with a Cutting Curse on his arm, but then more Death Eaters started appearing. That bastard Travers and Snape, and some others. That's when we Apparated back here."
Marlene rose her head, and looked at them. "I'm going to fucking kill those bastards. I'm going to string them up by their guts and send their bloody heads to You-Know-Who himself. You think he takes the mail?" She laughed, a sound remarkably devoid of all humor.
Emmeline frowned. "Don't do anything reckless. I know you're a powerful witch, Marlene, and you're one of the best duelers in the Order, but you shouldn't go off after Death Eaters on your own, or without a plan."
Marlene gave another hollow laugh, and didn't answer. Emmeline exchanged a worried glance with Edgar.
"He's going to be all right," Dorcas said, from over where she sat next to Caradoc. "He'll be just fine, thank God." Her voice was full of a particularly desperate relief.
"That's wonderful," Emmeline said, sincerely but without her full attention. She was focused on Marlene, whose eyes were red-rimmed and wet, but fierce. "Marlene, please be careful," she implored her. There was sick feeling settling in her stomach, and she felt very afraid for her friend. Marlene was the epitome of a Gryffindor, courageous and full of righteous anger.
"I'll be careful," Marlene said. "But I won't rest until they're dead, or I am. You can depend on that."
"I have no doubt of it," Emmeline said quietly. "I can only hope that it is them, and not you."
1072/30 = 35.7 = 36 +5 = 41 points for Hufflepuff!
Fi//Hufflepuff