Auror Business

[Nicolas King]

Nicolas reappeared just outside of Napier - the sounds of the ocean behind him as he looked out across the open country in front of him. He turned to his side and saw Martine was standing there, also looking about. "Well, you survived part one: cross-country apparition." Nicolas began, taking his cloak off of his arm and bringing it over himself, slipping his wand into a cloak pocket as he stood in silence. He handed Martine the parchment he'd withdrawn from his cloak earlier and that Scott had given him regarding their assignment for the day. "Most of the Muggles were killed in these areas, which means whoever is killing them likely lives around here - and probably doesn't like muggles on their property, either. Otherwise the killings are just senseless and stupid (not to say they're not stupid)." Nicolas continued to glance about the fields, "Most of the names of known magical residents of this area have been checked and we're fairly certain they're not suspects - their names should be crossed off. There are about two people left on the list and - though there are addresses on that paper - I don't know where either of them lives." Nicolas explained all this without so much as glancing at Martine, his eyes constantly scanning the horizon, his mind working on the puzzle before him even as he explained it to the woman beside him. "So who are we going to check out first? Where are we going from here?"

 

[Martine Laurent]

Martine scanned the paper carefully, her eyes lingering on the two people left who had not been checked out. Would it be too stereotypically female to suggest asking somebody for directions? she thought, glad she had not said that out loud. "Hmmm," she mused, her eyes not leaving the paper. "We search out the addresses, I suppose. They shouldn't be too hard to locate," she began, knowing it was a somewhat feeble suggestion. Her mind whirred, thinking of what they could do. "Or, we could use the names and addresses of those we know, see if they know how to locate the others. Given that it is a small magical community here, the people here are bound to know each other, or at least, someone will know one or both of the people we are searching for, and therefore how to find them, and perhaps give us some information," she continued, thinking out loud. "What do you think?" Martine asked, tearing her eyes away from the paper and looking towards Nicolas.

 

[Nicolas King]

Nicolas smiled as Martine spoke but shook his head. 'This has turned out to be even simpler than I'd hoped' he thought, his eyes still fixed on the horizon and handful of farmhouses that he could view. Out of one such home had come an older woman, staggering forward, visibly angry, with a wand in her left hand. 'I know Death Eaters are nutters - the lot of them - but doing this in broad day light? This one is more than off her rocker.' Nicolas continued his thoughts, now almost entirely having drowned Martine out beside him as he reached for his wand and drew it, speaking up as he began to walk in the direction of the witch who was coming toward them, "I actually think this has become quite a bit simpler than any of that." He stated pointedly, wondering how Martine would react to the situation at hand. It didn't seem dangerous at the moment, no, but it was a tad outrageous and it had the potential to escalate quickly. Whoever it was approaching them was likely a Death Eater - and had probably used the killing curse to slaughter several local muggled - and would probably not hesitate to use such a curse on an auror, especially if she was coming out for an attack in the bright hours of the morning.

 

[Hillary Fruchter]

Hillary had lost it. 'It' being her sound mind, presuming it ever existed. She was a Death Eater, and at one point a very good, calculating, devout follower of the Dark Lord. After his fall she had separated herself from the remainder of the Death Eaters she knew, bringing herself into hiding, ensuring that she didn't go to Azkaban with the rest of her companions. She had lived in secrecy in New Zealand for some time, having little contact with the outside world, masquerading as a muggle - however much that disgusted her she felt it necessary in order to ensure her own survival. She had no friends. Nobody to look after, no close relatives to speak of. She did have a nephew, though. A Death Eater in New Zealand. After some years in hiding she made contact with him and established a relationship, one of the few that she'd had in over thirty years. Then her world cam crashing down around her when he was killed by a muggle.

Can you imagine?! A wizard. A Death Eater. Killed by a muggle. Muggle authorities had told her it was some sort of mugging - he was shot for whatever was on him at the time. How could he have been caught of guard by a muggle? The very thought of muggles repulsed her more than ever before - and now she had a true reason to hate them. That was three months prior.

Ever since then she'd lived in seclusion in her house, rage pent up inside of her and being utterly surrounded by muggles she was bound to explode. One evening a few teenagers from the nearby city came wandering on to her land - shouting, whatever. Unable to bear it, or the thought of them on her land, she walked out of her house and swiftly murdered the lot of them, scattering their bodies away from her home to remove suspicion from her. From then on any muggle that came on to her land she killed - simple as that. It was her revenge. Her service to her nephew.

Hillary staggered closer to the pair approaching her, though her eyesight wasn't what it once was she could tell they were not in muggle garb and one seemed to have a wand very visibly drawn. She shook her head rapidly and raised her wand higher. She had not hidden for so long to be taken now. She assumed they were not Death Eaters, she didn't know, but they didn't seem like Death Eaters - and she felt she had pretty good judgement for such things. "Another step and you're both dead."

 

[Martine Laurent]

Martine looked up, surprised. Of course, she didn't let her surprise show. That was a sign of weakness, and in a situation like this, any weakness or vulnerability shown was a dangerous mistake. "Quite simple, I see," she whispered, reaching for her wand and drawing it. Martine hoped she would not have to use it, but she knew that was quite foolish. This woman was evidently mad, and Martine would have to be on her guard, ready to defend herself as necessary. "Madam," Martine stated, calmly and evenly. "Lower your wand, if you please. If you would be so kind as to co-operate with us, this will all be over with no trouble." Except for you, of course, you will be on your way to Azkaban, old lady, she added internally, but chose not to say it. Standing her ground, Martine showed no emotion, waiting to see what the woman would do. She was glad to have Nicolas by her side, too - Martine wasn't quite sure what she would do if he wasn't there. Disapparate quickly away and bury herself in paperwork, she supposed.

 

[Nicolas King]

Nicolas glanced about him as the woman made her threat. No obstacles. Nothing to throw between himself and Martine and the slightly insane Death Eater opposite them. If she cast the killing curse - that was it, it'd all be up to physically dodging the spell. he sighed and adjusted his wand in his hand, pointing it even more directly at the woman now as Martine spoke. 'Yes, let's talk about wands in an open field near muggles. I like it. Nicolas thought, though it didn't much matter what they discussed, they all already had drawn wands and it seemed that in good time spells would be flying. "Killing us would do you more harm than good, actually." Nicolas pointed out as he took the one step closer that the woman had warned against, hoping his words would catch her interest. "Your suspicions are right, we're from the Ministry of Magic, and if we don't come back today (with or without you) then somebody's going to come here looking for us. Then they'll find you, too. I'll assure you of this: Aurors cease to be lenient when they know you've already killed one of us. At that point they just go in for the kill, too. I don't imagine that was your plan for today. To die."

 

[Hillary Fruchter]

Hillary almost cackled at the words of the woman opposite her. How foolish did this lady think she was? A small, nasally, laugh escaped her as she pointed her wand directly at the young woman opposite her, "I don't even know why you're here and you're trying to have me put down my one defense against you two - who are both trespassing? I don't think so." Hillary inhaled deeply, preparing to cast a spell in Martine's direction as the man spoke then stepped forward - his words caught her ear and his actions changed the aim of her wand, from the woman to the man as he spoke.

His words made sense, sure, they were logical, and they were truthful enough, she knew that. "Tell me," She began, a clever smile curling its way on to her face, "Would you rather die, knowing you took two of the enemy with you, or surrender and spend the remainder of your life in a prison where you can never feel any sense of happiness ever again? Or perhaps worse: have your soul sucked from you. If anything, you've convinced me that I should kill you both." As Hillary said this she stepped forward and flicked her wand quickly, she'd start off simple, trying to have things more evenly matched between the three of them, before she'd try anything else. "Expelliarmus!"

 

[Martine Laurent]

Martine nearly swore, but she knew better than to do so. She was a graduate of Beauxbatons, after all, and deportment was something they taught alongside magic. But she knew she had to change her tactics in this situation. Words were not going to do the job. They would have to use force. But an all-out offensive would not do, either. What do I do? she thought, quickly trying to get a handle of the situation and work out how to deal with it. Martine's gaze flickered between Nicolas and the old woman, who were essentially engaged in a battle of wits.
Suspecting Nicolas could deal with the spell thrown at him well enough, Martine decided to counter it. "Expelliarmus," she said, quietly, swishing and flicking her wand towards the woman. The woman was old, and mad. Without her wand, she would pose much less of a threat. Martine only hoped it worked. Her mind buzzed, strategies and plans formulating for different outcomes.

 

[Nicolas King]

Nicolas nodded as Hillary spoke, she had a valid point. He would rather die and take a handful of Death Eaters with him then let them capture him. He supposed it was true for anybody in any war-like situation. As the woman ended brought her speaking to a close Nicolas could feel that she was going to try something. Within the next moment a spell was flying toward him and with a second's hesitation he blocked the spell with Protego, having noted that Martine had taken the offensive against the woman while she was focusing on him. That wasn't what he had expected of her. He shrugged his surprise off and spaced himself away from Martine, but closer to the woman. As the woman turned her attention to Martine Nicolas cast his spell "Incarcerous" he hoped this spell would hit the woman and that they could return to the Ministry. He enjoyed being the field to paperwork, yes, but fighting an old woman was still not the epitome of being an Auror, that was for certain.

 

[Hillary Fruchter]

Hillary twisted her wand quickly to her defense and blocked the spell the woman had aimed toward her. Her lip twitching, having in glee and half in fury, she started toward the woman, her wand pointed upward, toward the woman's neck. Hillary laughed a little bit, now entirely focused on Martine and nearly forgetting about Nicolas. "One down...." She began as Nicolas' spell came at her from the side, binding her in thick ropes and leaving her laying on the ground, helpless. Immeadiatly she began to curse at the top of her lungs, squirming as much as she could to escape, but the more she struggled the tighter the ropes became. Slowly she calmed herself down and just lay on the ground, in the ropes, wallowing in her defeat. She certainly wasn't young anymore, she pondered why she'd even tried what she had. Two young, trained, aurors against an old Death Eater woman who couldn't even face the world around her except with extreme fear anymore.

 

[Nicolas King]

As the ropes bound the woman Nicolas slipped his wand back into his robe pocket and looked over toward Martine. He smiled kindly, pondering what she could possibly be thinking, before he spoke. "Are you alright?" He enquired, staring down toward the woman who was still writhing on the ground. Once Martine had replied he looked back to her, "So, who is this - according to that piece of parchment?" He asked, wanting to wrap up the case and hopefully get back to the office in time for some lunch and with plenty of time to complete the paperwork that there was bound to be to go with this case.

 

[Martine Laurent]

Martine nodded, slowly. "I am fine. I suppose I just need to get in more practice," she said, a little ruefully. Honestly, Martine felt that she had been a tad useless on this case. Still, the more she went out on fieldwork, the better she would become. The best way to learn was by doing and she was glad she finally had the chance to experience a field assignment. Martine pulled out the piece of parchment, and looked carefully at the two names left. "Hillary Fruchter," she stated. The other person on the list was male. Carefully, she stepped towards the woman, not willing to get too close, but knowing that while she was bound by ropes, she could not really do any harm.

 

[Nicolas King]

"We could all use a little more practise so long as Scott's in charge." Nicolas stated in an off-hand fashion, not realizing what he was saying but not caring once he had realized it. He didn't figure Martine would be the kind to go tell Scott that he'd been bad mouthed. "Hillary Fruchter." Nicolas repeated, approaching the woman, then kneeling down beside her, "Well then, Ms. Fruchter, we'll transport you back to the Ministry where we have a nice cell for you in the Wizengamot chambers. See, even if we can't prove - and you don't admit that - you killed all those muggles, we can still prove that you attacked, and tried to kill, two ministry officials. Then I'm sure you'll have a nice little tattoo on your arm, just to help the proceedings along." Nicolas smirked at this last thought. The Dark Mark seemed like an incredibly stupid tradition to continue among newer Death Eaters. It gave them away, instantly, and now this woman, who'd likely been a Death Eater her whole life, would also be paying for having the tattoo on her.

Nicolas stood back up and smiled warmly toward Martine, "I'm glad you volunteered to come today." He started matter-of-factly. "Sorry it wasn't quite as exciting as you might've hoped, but at least you weren't killed." He winked at this last statement and looked dow toward the woman on the ground who, if she had had her way, would have killed them both.

 

[Martine Laurent]

Martine suppressed a snort of laughter at Nicolas's statement. It was true, it seemed that the job of an Auror was more related to paperwork than actual fieldwork. Paperwork was important, of course, but in Martine's eyes it wasn't quite as important than getting out there and catching the criminals. She sobered up quickly, though, seeing Nicolas approach the old woman to speak to her. Martine wondered if they should check her wand to see what spells were previously cast, but she figured she would leave that for the Wizengamot, if they deemed it necessary. Nicolas was right, the woman would at least be charged for attacking two ministry officials. And the Dark Mark was a dead giveaway.

Martine returned the smile that Nicolas showed to her. "You are glad? Why is that?" she asked, innocently. "Trust me, this was much more exciting than paperwork," she grinned, winking right back at him. "I suppose it is back to the Ministry, then?" she asked, putting her wand away and looking around, making sure there were no spectators.

 

[Nicolas King]

Nicolas' gaze had been wandering about the countryside, looking to see if anybody was watching, or coming their way. Surely two people standing over an elderly woman who was tied up in ropes couldn't look good. His gaze returned to Martine as she spoke, "Why am I glad?" he mused aloud, "Well, my day is always more exciting and enjoyable when I get to rescue a damsel in distress." Nicolas a quite smirk came across Nicolas' face as he said this - Martine was very attractive, and though there was a visible age difference between them he felt comfortable around her and felt as though she returned his attraction.

Looking back down to the woman between them Nicolas nodded, "Yes, we should be getting back to the Ministry soon."

 

[Martine Laurent]

Martine couldn't help but grin, despite the slight blush rising in her cheeks. A damsel in distress, she thought. I don't think I was in that much distress. Still, it was nice to be complimented, especially by such an attractive man as Nicolas. "Oh, yes, rescuing. Thank you for saving me," she said, quietly. Truthfully, when the woman had her wand pointed at her neck, she hadn't been completely sure of what she would have done. If Nicolas hadn't cast Incarcerous at that moment, Martine probably would have frozen in panic. I really do have a lot to learn. "I do not know what I would have done without you there," she admitted. "I suppose I owe you for saving me," she added, with a sly wink, before grabbing hold of the woman and quickly disapparating back to the Ministry of Magic.

 

[Nicolas King]

The Aurors Save The Day Again