.. And Then There Was One.

[Larissa Sedgwick]

Spoiler: Approved

ID # 7295493

Darkness shed over the valleys and mountains, a large, starry shroud covering even the tallest peaks. In a pitch-black village, one house had been silent for a few months and had remained undisturbed.. Until today. Now, a floorboard creaked slightly as the sleeping, pale girl, turned in her slumber. With a near barren house, the girl had been left with no decision but to use the clothes from her trunk as bedding. She had not truly prepared herself for these months alone, independent. One of the windows had been accidentally jammed open and a chill breeze whistled in, sweeping through the house and enveloping the girl. Still, she slept on. Larissa Sedgwick had had a very tiring day..

Larissa had purchased her school books for the next year. She had even had a few galleons left over for an ice-cream. She had no idea what she would be needing for her long journey and the weeks she spent alone in her old home. Larissa had begun her long journey, ice-cream in one hand, trunk handle in the other. Ted was nowhere in sight: Larissa's faithful raven came everywhere with her and he had done since she was twelve. But Larissa had sent Ted on in the hope that there was less chance of her being found- if the raven was seen at her old home then someone would instantly twig where Larissa was.. Providing that her mother had cared enough to put the message around. Well, Larissa doubted that her mother cared for the safety of her daughter but more for her repuation and that she feared branding as a bad mother.. Which, in Larissa's eyes, she deserved only too well.

It was fortunate that Larissa had been left some muggle money in her purse which she decided to use towards a bus fare. She tried to forget the irony of the situation as she stood there, clinging to a bar inside the bus, surrounded by a crowd of sweating muggles. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Larissa was dropped off at the bottom of a huge slope. This was where she would be walking for the next few hours as she had run out of money for the bus. Heaving her drunk up behind her, Larissa was thankful that it was winter. Alright, it may not have been that cold right now, but the cool air soothed her skin after every burn of the sun above. She wished she had some cream to protect her- and it was these thoughts which lead Larissa to spend ten minutes thinking about her mother and it made her wonder whether she was doing the right thing.. "Of course you're doing the right thing!" she hissed aloud to herself, "that woman is poison to you. If you go back to her, she will finish you." Still, all this argument didn't help relax that strange feeling in Larissa's mind.. That sense that something was wrong.. Or was going to be wrong.

Minutes and hours dragged by as Larissa forced herself to continue walking. Her shoes were giving way.. But she couldn't fix them with magic, not here. And so, Larissa traipsed on, a lone warrior in the fierce battle of life. However, after another hour of walking, Larissa was nearing the top of the slope. She sat down with her case, catching her breath and pulling off her shoes. The concrete pavement slab cooled her feet nicely and Larissa gave a great "ah" as she relaxed, lookng up at the starry sky; a street lamp beside her was a much better source of light.. but that would be going off, soon. Larissa stroked her swollen ankles, shaking her head. "But what if I was wrong? What if I can't cope alone?" Yet, the only answers she could come up with, annoyed her. Angrily, she forced her shoes into the front of her trunk and began walking, at a fast pace, much closer to her destination. She was tired. Very tired. And, as Larissa clambered through the open window, into the empty house, she could feel her eyelids slowly closing as the world of dreams swamped her vision..

 

[Larissa Gellantara]

Larissa Gellantara was a woman of fair appearance- something she had inherited from her veela mother. Her parents had disapproved when she had chosen to wed the rather scruffy looking Godric Sedgwick. But they had been in love and love, as they say, conquers all.. It was, perhaps, a pity then that Larissa could not see this when she discovered her daughters diary as she was cleaning her room. She was due to pick up Larissa in half an hour and though they never saw eye to eye, Larissa still felt something for her daughter. Although, she would doubt even this, the moment she found temptation too much and she flicked open the diary to the latest entry, to something which made her blood boil..

Her daughter loved a man twice her age.

Larissa threw down the diary in disgust, her chest rising and falling fast. She would not let her daughter or this man- Mark, get away with this. She cared not whether the feelings were requited, she cared not about how much her interfering could potentially drive her daughter insane. What if somebody found out? What if they knew that her daughter was involved in such a scandal? She would be ridiculed! Larissa would not let that happen. She would not let people point at her and whisper, she would not let them tell her what a failure she was. She left her daughter's room as it was, the diary splayed on the floor, abandoned. Larissa grabbed her coat and, within moments, she was in the car, driving to the pick-up point.

---

Two days later..

Larissa sat in the living room, rubbish on the television; she couldn't see it, though, not through the worry blinding her so. Her son, Davmorn, had come to stay for a couple of days so that they could, maybe, find her daughter a little quicker. However, her thoughts of her daughter's whereabouts were disturbed by a knock at the door. Larissa waited to see if Davmorn would answer but, after a moment or two, she realized that he was still hidden away, working on finding this 'Mark' man. So, Larissa lifted her body from the armchair in which she sat, walking to the door and trying to put on a brave face- If something really bad had happened to her daughter then she didn't want the neighbours finding out. When she opened the door, Larissa's face fell and morphed into something quite different..

 

[Markus Schwarz]

She hadn't been responding to his letters. He'd sent letters and Larissa had sent nothing back, so something had to be up. For if Markus Schwarz knew one thing and one thing only, it was that Larissa cared for him as much as he cared for her. For her not to respond...well, there was something definately up. And while Mark wanted to go running about, brandishing his wand and cursing left right and centre until he found her, he knew he had to deal with this calmly and logically. He had never been one for intensive logic, that was more Johannes's expertise. But Mark wasn't stupid, and so he could narrow his options down to two.

1. Larissa is dead.
2. Larissa's mother has something to do with this.

Now, Mark flat out refused to believe the first option, so in his eyes, it had to be that vile b!tch of a mother of hers. He hadn't even met the woman but he loathed her, despised what she did to her only daughter. Larissa seemed confident and all, but she was under severe oppression from a muggle-loving fool. Well. Mark had to do something about that. So with a crack, Mark apparated to her place, ready to confront her mother and be reunited with Larissa once more.

Wand in hand, Mark knocked on the door, his face emotionless. It took a few moments, but someone finally answered - that wicked woman who called herself a mother. "Where is she?" he asked, not bothering with idle chatter. "Where is Larissa!" he exclaimed, his voice getting slightly louder. He wasn't willing to cause a scene. Not yet, anyway. He just wanted to find her and take her well away from here.

 

[Larissa Gellantara]

She hadn't expected to see the man at the door but instantly, she knew who he was. This was Mark. The very same Mark that her daughter had declared her love for in her diary. Larissa clenched her fists. "She's not here." she hissed, clenching her teeth. "You are not welcome here- get out!" Larissa pushed the door, trying to shut it on Mark. More than a year ago, Larissa had unknowingly welcomed a Death Eater into her home, had wed him. She had been stupid not to recognize him for what he was but now he was rotting in Azkaban where he belonged and Larissa had tried to resume a normal life once more. Still, with all her knowledge of Death Eaters, she had managed to fail to recognize Mark as one and as such a dangerous man.

Of course, Larissa had been telling the truth when she had stated that her daughter wasn't at home but the way in which she had said it was a cause for disbelief.. And the way she tried to close the door, the way she had tried to get rid of Mark.. Well, in her daughter's words, she had brought it upon herself.

 

[Markus Schwarz]

"I'm damn well not leaving until I see her!" Mark cried, holding the door open with his might. At 6'4" and muscular, he was quite strong, and could no doubt hold off the infernal woman. "Are you hiding her from me? Tell me!" He didn't quite believe her, couldn't believe the idiot. Glaring, he shoved the door and let himself in to the house, holding his wand out. "Don't you dare make a movement, you hear me?" He bolted up the stairs, frantically looking in all the rooms until he found Larissa's...but there was no trace of her. With a roar of anguish, Mark stomped back down the stairs, ready to confront her mother once more. Surely she knew something and simply wasn't telling him. Well, he'd drag it out of her one way or another.

 

[Larissa Gellantara]

Larissa was forced aside as Mark opened the door. She could only watch as he ran upstairs, invading her house. Well, now he was in here, she would have to sort this herself.. She ran to the lounge and grabbed her wand, holding it out in front of her as Mark ran back down the stairs. She wasn't shaking. She wasn't afraid. But Larissa only didn't fear him because she didn't know what he was truly capable of. "Leave my house!" She barked the command, backing further into the lounge, wand aimed at the man. "Leave or I'll.. I'll.." Dare she? Dare she attack him? In her ignorance, Larissa shot a stunning spell towards him. She watched as the red light bolted in his direction but just missed. Now she was in for it. She swallowed, feeling the pressure rising. Her move had cost her a lot, she just knew it.

 

[Markus Schwarz]

Oh, she dared try to stun him? She obviously didn't know what she was dealing with here. If Mark wasn't so shaken, he would've scoffed at her feeble attempts to stop him. Pointing his wand at her, he stared daggers in to her eyes, his expression unmoving. "Tell me where she is." His voice was low, but that did not last for long. "Tell me!" he shouted, firing off a small blast from his wand in order to knock her over. It wouldn't do to have her in a standing position. No, Mark was a Death Eater, and he didn't fight fair. The more power he could have over her, the better. Seeing her knocked to the floor, Mark casually stepped over to her, planting a foot on her chest. "Well. If you haven't got anything for me...have I got something for you. Why don't I give you a little taste of what it feels like to have an infernal wretch hide your love away from you. What it feels like to be so crushed by an overbearing fool of a mother. Oh, who am I kidding. Little taste? I want to see you in as much pain as I could possibly inflict." His handsome features twisting in to a smirk, Mark raised his wand, ready to torture the woman to within an inch of her life. Only then would he give her the mercy of death.

 

[Davmorn Sedgwick]

Davmorn had been in the room behind the fireplace, listening to a set of magical headphones as he wrote out some more guide sheets: He was due to be starting at University, soon, but he needed to get all his guides for the course sorted out, all his plans made prior the day. University had appealed to him in the sense that he could leave this muggle bar job he currently had and could get a better one, paying much more money. He was midway through dragging the pink highlighter pen over a sentence when one of his headphones popped out of his ear. Davmorn grumbled as he leant off his chair to pick it up- But it was in these moments that he heard such a commotion. Plucking the other headphone from his ear and grabbing his wand, Davmorn walked cautiously to the back of the fireplace, tapping it with his wand and opening it. He didn't like what he could see; his mother, on the ground, defenseless and some man- That man, about to harm her.

"No!" Davmorn shouted, darting from the fireplace and shooting a spell at the man which, momentarily, knocked him backwards. Davmorn ran to his mother, standing between her and the man. "Don't you dare!" he threatened, wand fixed on this man. Of course, he was shaking and it was this which was the main giveaway as to his true bravery. He was only a couple of inches shorter than the man but this man was far more experienced in magic than Davmorn.

 

[Markus Schwarz]

An interloper? Larissa's brother, it seemed. How dare he get involved in this? This was clearly between Mark and Larissa Sr. and he had no place in it. The idiot was shaking, almost like he'd never pointed a wand at another man before. Mark was tempted to laugh in his face. "You've never done this before, have you?" Mark drawled as he got back in to position and drew himself up to his full height. "If that were a gun, you'd still have the safety on it. This is how it's done. Avada Kedavra!" A jet of green light shot at the man, but Mark didn't much care to see him die. No, his attention was back on that woman, the one who was keeping his love away from him.

 

[Davmorn Sedgwick]

Davmorn had not anticipated an attack so soon. Still, he had managed to send out a shield- but too late. The shield protected his mother who was on her knees, grabbing her wand as she stood up. But, as the world slowed down, that green light hurtled towards him, Davmorn knew what was about to happen. He drew a deep breath, bracing himself.. But the breath was only half drawn as the curse hit him squarely in the chest. In that one moment, Davmorn stopped. He just stopped being, dropping weakly to the ground, his legs crumpling beneath him. There was an echoing, dull thud as his head hit the floor. This innocent young man with so much potential, so much love to give, had lost it all. Now he lay there, silently on the ground. Dead.

 

[Larissa Gellantara]

Larissa had been forced to the floor, her wand had rolled away. But then, her son had run out of nowhere to protect her. She just had time to grab her wand, to push herself onto her knees before she too, became weak. She had seen what happened. It was a moment before Larissa realized that her son's shield charm had failed at protecting them both and though she was alive and unharmed, her son had, in a way, taken the 'bullet' for her. And now he lay there, lifeless on the ground. His eyes were pale and he was still. It was like a dagger to her heart. She wanted to swear, she wanted to curse, she desperately wanted to kill Mark, to make sure he suffered and lost his life.. But she couldn't. Her mind became dull and void of thought as she knelt there, her wand dropping from her hand once again and rolling across the floor. Larissa just watched her son laying still on the ground. She felt so numb. And then, after managing to move on hand to gently close son's eyes, to stroke his cheek, she looked up at Mark. His soul would have been ripped by this killing. Larissa could have forced herself to stand up, to clutch her wand and to fight but why bother? Her son was dead. The child she loved. There was nothing left for her in this world. And, with pleading eyes, she sealed her fate. "Kill me."

 

[Markus Schwarz]

He'd already killed the boy, now he rounded on the mother, prepared to kill her. Though as he looked in to her eyes, he very nearly faltered. He saw the despair, the hopelessness, the loss. He very nearly lowered his wand in sympathy and ran out the door. But no, he remained strong. Perhaps it was all a veneer on her part. An act, just like everything else in her life. Mark knew that Larissa hated everything about her mother, and Mark, naturally, hated her too. Naturally, he was disgusted with himself for feeling the slightest twinge of sympathy for her. "You really don't know where she is, do you?" he whispered. He would've tortured her more, cast the Cruciatus curse...but no. He just couldn't bring himself to do it. That suffering, that despair, he'd seen it before. And he didn't really have the heart to make it worse.

It was no wonder Clara always said he was too weak to be a Death Eater.

"Avada Kedavra." Simple, nothing more. Larissa's mother had to die, for her daughter's sake, and Mark thought about how much he wanted Larissa to be happy and how much he wanted this woman dead as he cast the spell - but at the same time, he knew he was merely doing what the woman wanted. A quick, painless death. He turned as the spell hit, not wanting to stay a moment longer, before quickly apparating away. All he wanted to do now was find Larissa. She had to know what happened. And, on a whim, the first place he chose to look was her old home. Luckily for Mark, she'd given him directions in the past. He had a feeling she might be there.

 

[Larissa Sedgwick]

The house was icily cold, the window still jammed open. All the cupboards were bare and a re-packed trunk rested by the front door. Larissa's breath was visible in the cold as she lay slumped against a kitchen counter, starving, cold and alone. She was completely unaware of all that had just happened, of her mother's final breaths before, she too, keeled over, one hand on her son. Larissa didn't know that she was an orphan and that it was the end of an era, those problems out of the way. She couldn't know all this as she remained there, her thoughts on Hogwarts, on food, on Mark..

But even in this state, Larissa couldn't fail to hear the sound of someone apparating. Maybe her mother had come to find her? Maybe it was Andros- the cousin she almost had sympathy for.. Or she would have if he hadn't kept on at her to grow up and be an auror. She didn't want to be an auror. She wanted to be a Death Eater like Mark, her hero.

Larissa forced herself onto her legs, standing up with the help of the counter, she walked to kitchen door. And there she saw him, the man she desperately wished to see. But something was wrong. She was woman enough to see that. "Mark?" She whispered, "What.. What's happened?" She walked to him, her stomach empty, her thoughts still mostly on food. Now, she stood before him, looking up to his eyes, a puzzled look on her face.

 

[Markus Schwarz]

Mark breathed a sigh of relief when he saw her, finally saw her again. For a moment, he could say nothing, he simply reached out and put his arms around her, as though he needed to reassure himself. In a way, he did. He'd been terrified that something had happened to her, for one. On the other hand, he'd also just killed her mother and brother. Killing people wasn't easy. Even for a Death Eater, it was still a terrible thing, to take a life. Perhaps he was just weaker than the others. But although he knew it was for the best, he still found it hard to cope with murdering. "Larissa...meine leibe..." he muttered, planting soft kisses on to the top of her head.

"I..." How was he supposed to say this? Breaking away slightly - but keeping his hands on her, after all, she looked so fragile, as though she'd fall over at any moment, something he'd have to help with - he took a deep breath, staring straight in to her eyes. "Your problems. They are over, I think." With this, he leaned in closer, his lips right next to her ear. "I killed them. Your mother, she is dead. By my hand. Your brother too. He got in my way."

 

[Larissa Sedgwick]

Larissa was happy to be in Mark's arms again, his kisses were of great comfort to her and she reached her arms around him, also, holding him close to her. But then, he broke away slightly. She looked up at him, her eyes so confused, so worried about her Mark. But nothing could prepare her for what he said next, not even that momentary look in his eyes.

She didn't really know what to say or do: Was she glad that her mother was dead at long last? Was she upset? She had never really wished for her brother to die but he had probably tried to play the hero, tried to save their mother. Their mother had been an evil woman and she had never cared for Larissa. And there were so many things that Larissa wanted to ask Mark, but couldn't. She had become numb. When her father had died.. Well, that was different. She had liked him. She was sure that she hated her mother. Still, everything was so jumbled up inside of her, she barely knew which way was up. Finally, Larissa decided on what to do and she pulled Mark close to her, the only person she had left in the world.

As she held him close to her, hearts both beating for each other to feel, she knew one thing for certain; Mark was one she loved, the one who had saved her from her controlling mother. She was free at last. Her pale hands gripping his clothes, she managed to breath a few words to him. "Take me home, Mark."