This Farce Ends Here Future Leader

[Yevheniy Kharchenko]

The message and vision from Esme had given Yev enough incentive to act. It was the day before the election, so perhaps not enough time to stop it, but Yevheniy was going to do his damn best to stop it. Yev seemed to be the only one who care, him and his band of merry men. He had been looking for Ioan all day, going to all the places a man pre-election could be. He had to at least warn him, force him to drop out if need be, but just, he needed to tell him. At the very least. It was on his second visit of Brightstone that yev was informed of where Ioan had just been spotted. In every other occasion he tended to just miss the man. Keeping up and finding a quiet occasion to talk with him had proved difficult. He apparated to that spot and saw the man in the glow of the setting sun. The man appeared to be alone, Yevheniy couldn’t spot the auror who seemed to follow him about, maybe this was a private dinner the man was heading to.

”Ioan,” Yev called out as he approached, walking quickly with a purpose but not breaking out into a run. He hoped the man would spare a moment to him, ”Come now, you got a moment for a last minute conversation about how we should vote? Never too late for a chat,” Yevheniy said loudly, trying to get the man to be more alone that he was currently. Separate him more so from any aurors lingering about the place. He was forceful in his tone, a faint air of vodka on his clothes and breath. He knew that Fenris and Arlo were just behind him, following his footsteps over. He just needed to say it quickly, get it out. There was little time to waste. Esme’s vision didn’t indicate when it could happen, but they needed to act now. Get him to quit now. "After all, the future of our world hangs in the balance,"
​

 

[Ioan Finch]

It was the evening before the election and though he knew, or perhaps because he knew, the candidates were being encouraged to remain home for the evening, Ioan had needed a walk, which had turned into a meal. The day had been busy, full of last minute town halls and photo shoots, interviews, and the like. Ioan Finch was not normally a nervous man, but the jitters were there, and more than once he found himself taking a long, slow breath. Ioan had never strayed from his campaign points - that wizards were stronger together and didn't need muggles to improve, that it was the time for an expansion of knowledge and broadening of minds, ideas, and commerce, and that there were areas, such as business, where he felt the people needed to be in charge and not the Ministry. He would make it a point to have the Ministry be in charge of what it needed to and remove the Ministry from areas it needn't be in charge of such as business. As he had throughout the debates, Ioan did not hesitate to disagree with his fellow candidates, and he felt that people like him the more for his honesty and unwillingness to follow the herd. So, a relatively quiet meal had been in order.

Walking well ahead of his assigned Auror and the two extras the Ministry had forced upon him in this last week, Ioan was surprised to hear his name. Throughout the election, he'd been addressed as Mr. Finch, yet still he smiled and turned before seeing who it was. "Sorry, no time. It's the evening before the election. I'm sure you understand" the man replied casually, wondering why in the hell Yevheniy Kharchenko was trying to speak to him. The Scitorari had kept their distance throughout his campaign, not endorsing any candidate in particular, though he clearly expected their vote. Ioan continued to walk, content to ignore the man as he typically had when he hadn't been campaigning. Yevheniy's group were nothing more than thugs in Ioan's eyes, causing more harm to the Scitorari than good. He would have continued down that route had Yevheniy not kept talking, his final statement finally drawing the man's attention. Ioan slowed enough to allow the man to catch up. "We're in quite a rush this evening" he said, a little more loudly than he'd usually talk, hoping to give the younger man indication that there were others with him even if he appeared alone in the area. He didn't respect Yev much but that didn't mean he wanted to see him arrested. That wouldn't do Ioan any good. "It's a simple answer to your question: It'll be a cinch if you vote Finch" he added, using the quite terrible catchphrase his campaign ideas had thought up. "Stay the cause" he added under his breath.

 

[Yevheniy Kharchenko]

Yevheniy, almost unlike himself, wanted to try to get Ioan to see the mistake he was making in all of this. Give him an opportunity to break away from all of it, run away and keep everything. If they lost everything, he would lose the most and it would be his fault. Yevheniy got the impression this wasn't something the candidate worried about, it seemed that Scit leaders certainly thought of themselves and infallible. Yev was willing to admit he thought of himself a little too, but his self-destructive life had always reminded him of how much losing could hurt. Yevheniy kept pace with the taller man, but satisfied when he stopped. He stood in front of the taller and older man, his gaze steeled and an air of frustration on his young features. Yevheniy had one hand in his jacket pocket, where his fingers brushed the wand's wood. He glanced around the man at his statement, "Oh really, where are they?" he spoke loudly too, mimicking how the man had spoke, he could assume that maybe they were about with a disillusionment charm cast upon them, but he wanted to keep this conversation as normal as possible. Well, as normal as he could manage.

Yevheniy had definitely expected for Ioan to walk away, to continue heading in another direction, to make this all the more difficult for him. He had a task at the end of the day. The catchphrase would've caused him to laugh had the second thing not been muttered in addition to it. Stay the cause, how dare he talk of causes. "Stay the cause," Yevheniy spoke between gritted teeth, keeping his voice low. Stay the cause. "Don't you dare lecture me on the cause!" Yev said, his anger barely containing itself, he was tired of being lectured by old men who thought they knew better, who thought they had everything all figured out. Of who scoffed when his group smashed a few things but actively paraded themselves in front of aurors assigned to them. "None this is was ever for the cause. This was always a f#cking ego trip, wasn't it Mr Minister? Yev kept his voice low but his anger pushed through once more, he had to calm down or he'd end up just getting arrested before he could warn him.

He knew that even when he told Ioan about what had been predicted as the outcome of this, but he needed to try anyway, "This whole thing doesn't end well for you. When you fall, the cause falls too," Yevheniy tried to use as few words as possible that would indicate anything, only those who knew would possible understand. In his pocket, he could feel his fingers inch minutely closer to it. "Drop out, there's still time to change what has been seen," Yevheniy didn't know if dropping out would do enough to stop the course of what Esme had seen, he didn't want to say her name but he hoped this man would realise who he could be talking about, the wording of seen. He didn't bother making any threat, if he did, the older man and the lurking possible aurors would stop him because he got any further, he had to be sure that Ioan wouldn't agree to dropping out before he could threaten him.
​

 

[Ioan Finch]

Ioan clenched his jaw as Yevheniy called far more attention to them than he would have liked. He, of course, knew that the Aurors who had been assigned to him were not too far behind. It was a typical outburst for the young leader, and as he continued Ioan remained unsurprised by the man's reaction. He caught a whiff of alcohol and only just managed to refrain from sighing. Drunk. Ioan didn't have time for this and not because he had another event to attend. He was done for the evening. But he had no time for the Scitorari to fall to pieces, not this late in the game. "I'm doing this for our people" he said, his tone still hushed as he was accused of being in this only for himself. It wasn't entirely true. The man had entered the race feeling that he was more equipped than anyone else to succeed and make it this far, and he was right. Thus far, he had managed to elude the Aurors, mostly because he had far fewer skeletons in his closet than several of them. He certainly didn't have a tenth of what someone like Metrophanes had. But it had always been about the Scitorari, more so as the race had progressed and people like Claudia Holland had spoken of promoting muggles. There were perfectly good wizards being shoved in the shadows and the margins of society and she would keep them there in favor of making the muggles a bigger part of society. And people just lapped it up, unwilling to see the damage her ideas would cause.

Ioan continued forward, his steps even though he was eager to be out of Yevheniy's company. The man was irritating at the best of times. He heard the next words spoken by the man, an ominous tone to his words and though Ioan did not pause in his step, the words caused his heart to leap a beat. It took him a moment to figure out why and then he realized. Yevheniy had not said if, he had said when. That simply could not be. "I know anarchy is your specialty but surely you dont want any of the alternatives in charge. Any of them will be our downfall" he stated, having more difficulty keeping his tone hushed as his temper rose. "I am quite excited about the vote tomorrow. Plan to meet my daughter and sister quite early to vote" he declared, this time louder so that anyone around could hear and think he was speaking with a reporter or someone similar. He cut the man a gaze and gave a quick shake of his head. No, he would not drop out. They were so close. He was so close.

 

[Arlo Carson]

To say that it had been a game of tag would have most certainly been an understatement. Time wasn't on their side as Arlo followed his leader in the search for the ministerial candidate. Impatience ran through the mans veins as Yev spoke about the cause, it was irrelevant as to why he was running so much as he had to be stopped. Arlo was only there at this point to provide assistance where he thought he could, and he listened to the men exchange words, eyes narrowing at Ioan at his confidence surrounding tomorrow's vote. Hanging back from the pair as to not create a scene, the aurors that would no doubt be tailing behind somewhere didn't need their attention brought to the exchange any faster than already applicable. Despite the distance, Arlo's hand still remained carefully against his wand in his pocket, they needed all the reassurance they could get.

All this talking was such a waste of time and effort, and as every second passed in front of them it felt as though they were closer to losing everything they had. Arlo didn't care who won the election, but it couldn't be Finch. Whether or not Yev could get it through the mans thick skull however was a different story. Arlo had little experience with members of the Scitorari outside his own acquaintances, but surely one man's poor visions were worth sacrificing for the survival of their own kind. The tension in the air was fierce as Arlo held his nerve, it had to be done correctly.​

 

[Fenris Lancaster]

The anarchists weren't really like the other members of the Scitorari. Almost a group of their own, with how each interacted with each other. So, it was almost ironic that it was the anarcho-magicians who were actively trying to stop the Scitorari from being taken down, while the rest did nothing. Content in their fantasies that Finch would win, and change the world, Fenris could only assume. It was all a load of bull. Fenris, Yevheniy, Arlo, they all knew the truth of how it would all go down, how unrealistic this plan was from the get go. They'd lost enough people to the Ministry already, and weren't learning from their mistakes.

Fenris wasn't about to pretend to know the first thing about divination, or seers, or prophecies. Seers ran in his blood, but neither he nor his siblings had any kind of prophetic capability, so he'd not bothered attempting to learn any of it. If he didn't come from a background where seers were present, he may have thought it was all wishy-washy and not believed in any of it, but what Esme was predicting made sense to him. The rest of the Scitorari just needed to see that sense before they messed everything up for everyone else. Fenris couldn't have cared less for its members individually - means to an end, in most cases, but the Sciotrari as a cause presented so many opportunities to the young wizard, and that was being threatened. He had to join the other two in trying to fix it before it was too late.

His arms folded across his chest, Fenris stood idly behind Yev as he tried to speak to Ioan, a slight sneer on his features when the older man tried to dismiss them. He could only scoff at the mention of the alternatives being the groups downfall. For Minister candidates, most of them looked fragile. Which of them would be a threat? The healer? The cat-lover? The muggle-lover? There were better off dealing with one of them if they became minister, rather than risking the danger Finch was putting them into, a rik already foretold to end far from their favour. Fenris wasn't exactly averse to danger, but that wasn't the kind of fight he thought he could win, if they were all exposed.

 

[Yevheniy Kharchenko]

There was only a small shred within Yevheniy that thought that this man had ever done this for the cause. Maybe a tiny part of the man cared about their cause, but he'd grown comfortable, too confident and of course unable to contain his ego. "You'd be as useless a leader for all of New Zealand as you are to your own little group," the last part of what he'd said was spoken more quietly, a small frustration at this man growing, he didn't understand what was at stake here, it was much bigger than some election. Their group was threatened like he'd always believed it would be with someone with such a high position in their little group to be seeking the highest position in the corrupt government. He'd always been for tearing it down completely than infiltrating like the other leaders seemed to be. Yev thought they were too comfortable in their own lives to ever put anything at risk, believe too firmly that their confidence would hide them from scrutiny if they got too close. His group didn't function as much in the shadows but they did sit back on their loins.

"As if you're better than the alternatives! Our loyalties lie to the cause not to you," Yevheniy spat back. He knew that the other scits looked down upon him and his sect, but there was no doubt that Yev's own loyalties lay with the Scits, he'd joined young and created his own group from the ashes of another. He was loyal to their cause, it wasn't his fault that they were more proactive in how they went about things. His loyalty was not the one to be questioned now, he was doing this for them, even if they never found out about it. Ioan was the one who had questionable loyalties to the cause. "You will be our downfall," the man insisted angrily clear in his voice as he stepped forward towards the taller man, unafraid of meeting his gaze hardened and angry. There was a look of a fight in Yev's gaze, a little desperation to protect them and a willing to do anything for it. His hands flexed and the wand in his pocket had found its way into one of his hand, as he clenched both tightly, "We don't know when it'll happen, but it's going to happen. The only way to prevent it is to drop out. If are doing this for our people, then don't let this go any further,"

Yevheniy glanced behind him to Arlo and Fenris, giving them a look to trying to beckon them forward. The problem with the visions was they didn't know when they would take place, how soon it would be or if it was far in the future, how much time there would be to stop that future from coming to light, but Yev doubted that Ioan would ever listen to him and actually do what he was telling him to. Yevheniy returned his gaze to the man and took another step towards him, ready for a fight, his voice dropped as low and threateningly as he could, "Drop out Ioan. I won't ask you again,"
​

 

[Ioan Finch]

Ioan didn't bother to dignify Yevheniy's statement about his ability as a leader with a comment or reaction. He knew the work that he had been doing for his group and for the Scitorari as a whole was valuable and important. Yevheniy was a child who had never grown into a man, continuing to allow his frustrations and temper to lead him. This was his opinion of the majority of the people within his little group. They had no skills or talents to share with the group, simply relying on brute force to accomplish...well, nothing. Instead, Ioan looked off, his eyes on the passersby in the not so far distance.

He scoffed at the man's next words, his eyes returning to the man. Clearly, there was no reason to continue this discussion any longer if Yevheniy believed any of the others to be an alternative that would aid the Scitorari in the long run. Cade would have anyone caught in the next decade put to death or worse, Holland would probably sentence them to time with muggles, and who knew what Tannon or Kozlov would do. The fact that the latter two had laid back in the race did not lead him to believe they had no ideas. Rather, it made him believe they didn't want to share them, and mystery and surprise were rarely good in his eyes. "This is ridiculous. I am not asking for your loyalty" you idiot he added silently, "I am asking for your votes." He could see Yevheniy's company and directed his words at them as much as he directed them at Yevheniy, wondering why the man needed his lackeys to deliver such a ridiculous request. All had gone well thus far. He had no reason to believe that wouldn't continue. Ioan saw the wand in Yev's hand and cocked his head slightly. "Do the others know about this? You need to relax. In a day, I'll be in the Ministry, and we will celebrate." His own wand was still stowed in his pocket. He didn't truly believe that the man would use his.

Ioan continued to stand his ground even as Yevheniy took another step closer, wand in his hand. He towered over the other man, and even if he hadn't, he would not be bullied into dropping out of the race. Besides, had this been of any real concern, Eustacia and Jacqueline and Collineus would have been here as well. The fact that they weren't was telling. "I've already told you no. I get that it's a difficult word for you to understand, Yevheniy, so I'll say it slower if you need me to" he replied, his hand finally moving towards his own wand. He didn't want to attack another Scitorari member, not when there were so many people who were actually enemies. There was no need to make enemies of each other.

 

[Jesiah Howell]

Howell was looking forward to the end of the election, which also meant the end of his assignment in shadowing the candidates for Minister of Magic. The closer the voting had drawn, the more anxious the man was about it finally being over and done with, so that he could resume his regular work. While what he was doing now was just as important, it felt somewhat stagnant after a point, as if he wasn't making any progress, since there may not have even been progress to make. They had done well in exposing Metrophanes, Howell's last candidate he was tasked to both investigate and protect, and it had been a major victory after so long with no real leads on the Scitorari, but while he had been a criminal intent on tearing down the foundations of the Ministry, that didn't mean the rest of the candidates were the same. They were genuine people, running in an effort to make the wizarding world a better place, safe and secure from both the outside world and themselves. It was this fact, that there may not be anything left to investigate, that made the assignment feel stagnant. Tailing innocent people, while necessary, still felt like it was a waste of time, when he could have been out actively hunting real criminals. But these people needed to be protected until the threat to their safety was passed, and since there was no way to tell if, or when they'd come to any danger, Howell and the others would just have to keep doing what they were doing.

Finch did not make the job any easier, with the distance he put between himself and his detail. Howell didn't intend to hover over the man's shoulder, but he still needed to keep an eye on him. Unfortunately, there had been a little too much space between the candidate and the aurors. By the time Jesiah closed the distance, he took notice of Ioan's interaction with some youths. They didn't appear too friendly, which in itself was concerning, but it only went further downhill after one took hold of his wand, and the hostility cranked up. With a turn, Howell closed the remaining distance, a pop in the air sounding as he apparated beside Finch, his own wand now in hand. "I'd advise putting your wand away, sir." The auror warned the closest of the three men. "Is everything alright here, Mr Finch?" It was obviously not alright, but with any luck the situation could de-escalate before it took a wrong turn. From the distance he'd been, it was hard to say with any certainty what was going on, but he intended to find out.
​

 

[Domhnall Graeme]

After the interrogation job, Domhnall figured that his part in the elections was over and then he would return to his regular job of keeping the country safe from criminals. The head of the Auror office, however, had different plans for him, and once again he found himself in the company of Howell - this time as additional support to make sure that nothing bad would happen to their assigned candidate. Domhnall didn't mind doing jobs like this one, in fact, found it much more interesting to do since he had never done something like this before back in England. He was glad to see that the Aurors seemed to trust him, as he was still the newcomer to the office.

He looked around the street they were walking in, checking every corner to make sure everything was safe. After exposing Metrophanes, Domhnall was sure the Scitorari would retaliate by taking one of them. He could be wrong about the peculiar group of course but didn't want to take any risks. He noticed that the distance between them and their assigned candidate grew ever so slightly, though continued to follow him at a slow pace. In his opinion, they shouldn't have allowed such a distance between them and Ioan but he trusted Howell enough to do as he was told and leave at least some distance between them. He looked up when Jesiah noticed that three people had joined Ioan, and like him turned around on the spot, vanishing only to reappear next to the candidate moments later. His wand in his hand, Domhnall kept his eyes on the two behind the man Ioan was having a conversation with. He didn't trust the situation they found themselves in but was sure that the Aurors were up for it if things would go south. He remained quiet, his eyes fixed on the two men still.

 

[Yevheniy Kharchenko]

Yevheniy's eyes narrowed as Ioan questioned whether or not anyone else knew, as if feeling taunted at the idea that people would listen to him, which no one ever did. They didn't listen to proof or reason, when it was coming from him. It didn't matter at all if the person who had foreseen it was someone who had respect within their little group, it didn't carry enough weight for people to be taking this seriously, nor did it appear that people thought it could happen, Ioan was smart he wouldn't let something like this happen, he would be safe when he got into office. Yev and his little group had been the only ones who hadn't believed it, nor did he think that this man would appreciate if he got into office but then their group still weren't him or his plans. Yevheniy couldn't help feel like this would be lost, there was convincing a man who was already so certain that he'd win. Yevheniy hoped that they could persuade him, but truly without the back up of the other sects they continued to look like the disorganised children that they weren't. "You could celebrate all you want, but it won't last," Yevheniy retorted.

Yevheniy didn't particularly like the man's tone in telling him no, nor the implication of what he was saying. The older man was very taller than Yev was, but he was hardly intimidated by the elder. He would've spoken back, but it appeared that this interaction with the candidate with his wand out was enough to finally attract the lurking aurors. Yev was glad to see at only two of them so far, and wondered how many more might be lurking about, or if they had tried to contact anyone to let them know that something was happening. He was sure that with his two they could take all of these men. He was surprised when one of them approached advising him to put his own wand away, "Don't tell me what to do, I'm just having a friendly private chat with Mr. Finch," Yevheniy didn't lower his wand at all, and kept his gaze very much on the older man, "They might be protecting you now but that won't last," he seemed to raise his wand, very clearly ready for a fight, poised to send a first spell, his free hand clench tightly in case he needed to throw a punch, "I won't hesitate," he spoke lower this time, trying to ensure that only Ioan could hear but sure the aurors heard it too.
​

 

[Ioan Finch]

Being trailed by one auror had been bad enough, though he had settled into a routine. Though it could never have become normal to him, it had been quite regular in its schedule. It had allowed him to learn the distance he could travel without being pursued. In these last days of the campaign, his detail had tripled, each auror more serious and annoying than the last. Ioan had ignored the spares, addressing only the auror he'd had from the beginning when he had to address them at all. They were performing a function, not here to be his friends. Though he was learning that his friends were also not here for that either.

As the noise settled, Ioan knew the aurors had finally caught up to him. "Yes, this young man still seems to be struggling with which way to vote. I was letting him know there's only one way" he added, his eyes still on Yev. He was not looking at the man who had asked the question because it would require him turning his back, and he didn't trust Yev or any of his men enough to do that. "But I think we've got him all sorted now" he added. "So there's really no need for wands, is there?" he asked, hoping Yevheniy truly wasn't this stupid. At best, he would now be on the aurors radar as potentially hostile to a candidate. At worst, they'd end up arrested and he'd be forced to sentence them when he became minister. He would be unable to go light on them, not when the were witnesses to whatever this was. He placed his own wand away to prove his point. "We should be off now gentleman. I've got a busy day tomorrow."

 

[Fenris Lancaster]

Fenris felt that the danger could not have been any clearer, that Ioan was willfully ignoring what they were trying to tell him, in favour of his selfish dream to become the Minister of Magic. Could they really have hinted any more strongly? Fenris was no stranger to doing anything for his own gain, regardless of the consequences it had for anyone else, but this was an entirely different case. The predicted outcome of Finches actions wouldn't just bring down the Scitorari, it would bring the Potions leader down, too. It was delusional to think otherwise. In the Lancaster family, there was a saying, a reference to the fact that in chess, the pawn would always go first. It was also the pawn who could infiltrate enemy lines, and promote to a Queen upon reaching its end. By then, wiping out the enemy was simple. Ioan was no pawn. He had too much knowledge in his area, and too much information on the Scitorari and its members to be crossing enemy lines, no matter how sneaky he thought he was.

The situation was getting nowhere fast, and the appearance of a few aurors did not make it any better. At this rate, Finch would walk away from the whole ordeal without heeding their warning, and then he'd be caught, just as Esme had predicted, and they'd all take a hit. Fenris wasn't about to let his future be decided by some careless old man. "You're not going anywhere, candidate. We aren't done talking." The wizard finally spoke up, intending to remind the man that he wasn't the Minister, not yet, nor would he ever be if the prophecy came to pass. They couldn't allow him to walk away now, and risk everything, but with the aurors by his side it appeared that was the most likely outcome. If they were going to really talk and convince the man of what would happen, there was only one thing to do. "Expulso!" Fenris incanted, wand slipping from the sleeve of his jacket as he uncrossed his arms, its tip pointed toward the closest of the aurors, who had appeared ready to step in front of Yevheniy.

 

[Jesiah Howell]

No one said being an auror was an easy job. Howell had been doing it long enough to encounter all varieties of people, so he barely batted an eye as the more vocal of the men spoke back to him, not only ignoring his warning, but also blatantly threatening their assigned candidate. The auror couldn't be sure what kind of shady business Finch had gotten himself into, or whether these three were just a group of displeased thugs targetting a candidate whos views they disagreed with, but Jesiah wasn't about to stand idly by and allow his charge to come to any harm. Finch may have been ready to leave, but the younger man he had spoken the most to appeared ready to fight him, judging by the angling of his wand, and the whitening of his knuckles in his free hand. There was no telling what kind of curse he might think to throw the candidates way. Howell had warned him once already, and since he'd ignored that warning, he could face the consequences of his actions.

The auror moved to step forward and disarm the youth, but was surprised when one of his mates intercepted with a blasting curse. Howell shielded with a raise of his arm, the magical resistance of his dragonhide brace defending him from the spells effects. His wand hand lined up beneath his raised arm, and the auror fired back with a stunning spell, a flash of red light jetting toward the brunette. They needed to get Finch out of here, and quickly.
​

 

[Yevheniy Kharchenko]

With every fiber of his being Yevheniy was growing to hate Ioan, there was no reason to not consider caution when they were faced with such high stakes in an election. There was no reason to not be cautious. Yevheniy could admit that he wasn't always the most cautious person, but he always tried his best. The man was frustrated and he was getting more and more frustrated by it. The anarchist would do what he needed to. He would fight this man and the aurors too. He was beginning to be itching for a fight, and he knew that Ioan's attitude would bring that. If Yev had thought he was frustrated by the whole situation to begin with then he was really frustrated now. Ioan wasn't listening and the aurors would force them to act. He didn't want to, he knew there would be many repercussions for their actions, more so than just possibly being arrested.​

Yevheniy just knew that he needed to act, especially when the candidate began to make as though he would be walking away. Yevheniy had his wand out and ready, though an Auror stood between him and the candidate. He was getting ready to cast a spell towards him when he was was beaten to it. Yevheniy ignored the interaction and rushed towards the candidate, "You're not going anywhere," he said casting a quick stupefy spell towards the candidate, he could have his guys focus on the aurors, they could these desk jockeys. Yevheniy did this first spell, he could see that Fenris too was casting a spell, he decided that he would focus all of his attention on Ioan, though he first sent a spell towards the auror. Yevheniy didn't care if his spell hit the auror, and instead just focused his attention on the candidate, he muttered "Obliviate" under his breath very quietly and focused on making sure the candidate would never be able to tell anyone about his dealings in the scits.​

 

[Ioan Finch]

Putting away his wand was not one of Ioan Finch's best ideas, and he really should have known better with the people before him. But he had not expected that one of the men would dare to outright attack an Auror with no cause, with nothing to gain from the moment. Because there was nothing to gain in this moment. Everything was at the Scitorari's fingertips, at his fingertips, and they all only needed to hang on just a moment longer. The man was sure he had done well enough to garner the votes for a seat in the Ministry's highest levels, and then they could figure everything else out. Hell, he would even sit and listen to the ridiculous vision Yevheniy seemed to be referencing even if he knew the frivolity of it, given that none of the other leaders had come forward to speak to him about it.

As the Auror and Scitorari member engaged in a battle, Ioan fumbled for his wand. He could certainly protect himself if need be, but he had never been a dueler. A potions expert didn't need to be. Still, he managed by some miracle to not get hit by a spell that was shot, though not at him it was close enough that he could smell it. Finally with his wand out, Ioan turned ready to throw up a quick shield charm so he could move and apparate away when he was hit square in the chest by a spell. The candidate fell first to his knees and then flat on his stomach, his wand dropping from his grip and rolling away as the others continued to fight around him. Unconscious, he didn't even feel the next spell cast at him.

 

[Fenris Lancaster]

The auror may have blocked Fenris' spell, but the remnants of the blast that weren't absorbed were still enough to push the scitorari wizard back. He stumbled, trying desperately to regain his footing as the jet of red light narrowly whizzed past his shoulder, just a hair's breadth away from completely stunning him. His right foot found solid ground first, stabilising him before he could fall to the ground, and the wizard quickly fired back with a few hastily muttered incantations, attempting to take out any of the aurors he could with whatever was dangerous enough to come to mind. It was a mess of lights and loud bangs, but through it all he could make out that Yevheniy was close to Finch, which was perfect. He couldn't hear what, if anything, was being said, but he trusted his leader to take care of the candidate as soon as possible, whether that was by taking him away or otherwise. Until what needed to be done was done, they just needed to hold out against the aur-

"Protego!" Fenris barely managed to say in time, summoning a shield to defend him from an incoming spell that had slipped through his barrage of attacks. It was difficult to see which spells were his and which weren't in the cascade of magical lights that filled his vision, as well as who the spells were being directed at, but Fenris didn't have the time to stop and assess. The chance to take down some aurors had his heart pumping. This was exactly what he'd been looking for since day one, an opportunity to fight the Ministries dogs firsthand. There was too much talk in the Scitorari and not enough action - this was it. This was what they needed. Ioan had gone down nearby, dead or alive, there was no telling in the heat of the moment. The younger wizard was too busy trying to make sure he didn't join him to determine which of the two was the case.

 

[Jesiah Howell]

They'd failed in their mission to protect Ioan Finch. Amongst the chaos of spells shot back and forth between the aurors and the youths, the candidate for Minister of Magic fell. With three against three, defending their charge was difficult. Howell was stuck in a constant exchange of hexes and curses, trying to simultaneously attack and defend from everything coming his way, unable to solely rely on the protections woven into his uniform. His own spells collided with the enemies, sending jets of light sparking left and right. It was difficult to tell who they were coming from, or who they were headed toward, so when Finch went down, an additional sense of dread shivered down Jesiah's spine. He couldn't tell what spell had hit the man, or whos it had been. It could have been one of the kids, but it was just as likely to have come from the aurors.

Finally, one of Howells spells broke through the barrage and made contact with the first wizard to attack them, effectively immobilising him. With one down, taking care of the other two became a much easier job, and the aurors were able to get a handle on a situation that should not have been able to escalate this far. Howell still hadn't the faintest idea as to why the fight had broken out in the first place, or who the younger wizards were to Finch, but they were quickly disarmed and incapacitated. They'd get to the bottom of this, Howell was sure. Of course this had to happen the day before the election, of all days.

Three aurors, and three criminals. Each man could be taken into the Ministry to be detained without a problem, but there was still Finch to deal with. With no idea as to what kind of magic he'd been hit with, it was critical he be looked over immediately, and preferably without too much publicity. "Expecto Patronum." Jesiah incanted, summoning forth an ethereal bear from his wand tip. The misty creature vanished quickly, to call for another in the auror department to come assist with the transportation of the criminals, while Howell tended to Finch. The man was unconscious, but to the aurors relief, still breathing. With some effort, he helped the prone man up to a better position, and disapparated with him to the best place he could think of to get the help he needed.