| Details for A Dark Stranger |
| Summary: | Gabrielle visits Mr. Hawthorne to ask about her wand, but the two are interrupted by a mysterious threat. |
| Date: | February 16, 1938 |
| Location: | Hawthorne Wandworks, Hogsmeade |
| Related: | — |
| Characters |
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As the last customer leaves Hawthorne Wandworks, the stout little Mr. Hawthorne himself sees the young man to the door. "Remember, it won't work in your classrooms. So don't go trying any funny business." He chuckles, winking at the departing boy. With a satisfied sigh, he steps back inside, shutting the door behind him and fumbling through his keys.
Gabrielle will timidly walk up behind him "Uh…I'm sorry sir..is it too late to ask you a few questions?" Gabby has on a light jacket, and a sweater over her arm, almost like she was in a hurry.Her scarf is missing, but she is at least wearing a knitted hat. She looks cold.
Hawthorne looks up and around a few times before peering through the glass in the front door. "Oh!" He opens the door again, giving Gabrielle an apologetic look. "I'm afraid I'm closing up for the evening, my dear." He glances between her and the shop a few times, wrestling with himself. "Oh…nevermind that. Come on in. I have a bit of time." He steps aside, opening the door for her with a welcoming smile.
Gabrielle will nod and duck her head as she walks in, clearly nervous. She'll fidget with the palm of her right hand for a moment before speaking, "I..I have a wand that I need looked at. There's something wrong with it." She'll look up to try to see his expression. She does keep try to keep herself nearer the door than not.
Hawthorne shuts the door, keeping the cold out. He steps around behind his counter at the back of the shop. "Oh? Well, that won't do at all. Let's see what can be done about it, shall we?" He smiles cordially, beckoning her toward him. "I don't believe I've seen you in here before, Miss…?" He trails off in that please-fill-in-the-blank way of someone asking for a name.
Gabrielle will hesitantly come forward. This is what she's been terrified about all year…handing over the wand. "Evans…Gabrielle Evans , sir." She'll fumble in her jacket a moment. She's clearly right handed, but is pulling the wand out of her jacket from the right side, which is just odd. It's a short willow wand.
Hawthorne's brow lifts in obvious recognition when she gives her name. But his eyes quickly shift to the wand itself, his head tilting curiously.
Gabrielle jaw tightens slightly. Damn it Ophe. She'll take a deep breath, "It was my mother's."she'll hold the wand out, not pointed at him, for him to look at. It's not quite a hand off though. "I think it may have something in it, that's making it not cast properly…."
Hawthorne nods solemnly. "It could be. Imbued wand enchantments happen to be my specialty. So you've come to the right place, Miss Evans. May I?" He holds out his hand for the wand.
Gabrielle actually pales, and her fingers instinctually tighten on the wand for a moment, "I…it's very important to me…"
Hawthorne smiles warmly. "As it should be. I will not harm it, I promise you. I will only examine it."
It clearly takes an effort for her to hand over the wand, but she will. He may notice the scar on her right palm, still pink, about an inch long. As soon as the wand is out of her hand, she'll start tugging on her right sleeve, a nervous habit. "I thought it had been damaged in the fire all those years ago…but now..There maybe something placed on it…a memory…or a curse?" Gabby's voice is a bit warbley, like she's scared to even be saying this.
Hawthorne takes the wand, holding it delicately by both ends. He lifts it to his eyes, examining the wood closely. "Hm…willow. The charring has been polished out nicely. Barely noticeable anymore. It's true that the fire could have damaged the wand. Though it doesn't look as if the damage was severe enough to reach the core, and the shaft is primarily still intact. Tell me, what sort of trouble has the wand been giving you?"
Gabrielle smiles softly, she worked really hard to polish away any blemishes. Her breathe hitches though when asked what it's doing, "It..backfires, when used. The casting works , but there's a back lash. The stronger the spell, the stronger the backlash." Her right hand twitches, almost like she want to reach out and snatch the wand back, and her left hand stays on her sleeve, pulling it tight. "I don't have a lot of money to pay you…it's more important to know if it's got a memory, than to fix it." She sounds sad, but resigned to this fact.
Hawthorne gives her a saddened look. "Indeed, repairing fire damage is extremely difficult. Though…I'm not entirely convinced the fire is the problem. Now then…a memory. Yes, your friend Miss Summerbee mentioned something about this to me. She is quite concerned for you. I understand that you performed a reading that led you to ask about this. Tell me, what makes you think it could contain a memory?"
Gabrielle nods, although that's not what she wanted to hear. The further away from just fire damage, the closer to Mabel being right. "I…I did a reading…and it was rather, intense…" Merlin, hopefully Oph didn't tell himeverything! "I used a crystal ball…so it's all imagery…but, it was like a wisp of smoke, being sealing with in her wand….and it's important…not to me specifically…It's going to be important." she'll try to read his face, to see if Oph told him of the prophecy, or if he ever believes what she's saying now.
It's clear enough that at least some of this is known to Mr. Hawthorne. But there is still that twinkle of curiosity in his eyes. "A wisp of smoke…yes, yes, of course. Extracted memories do have a rather wispy appearance. But…sealed in the wand? Interesting. Did you divination suggest what this memory might contain?"
Gabrielle takes a deep breathe, and nods, . She didn't even think of extracted memories! Where has her head been? she'll shrug, "It's what the divination implied. In the wand." She pales again, and will take a moment to look down at the scar on her hand before going back to the wand in Mr. Hawthorne's hands. She'll simple answer, "Yes. Something bad."
Hawthorne nods, newfound concern showing in his features. "I see. Then it is of the utmost importance that we draw the memory out. We must know what it contains. My dear, would you consent to leaving the wand with me? If it truly is cursed, I suspect the curse was intended to deter efforts to extract the memory. It may take some time for me to identify and remove the curse."
Gabrielle 's eyes dart around the room. She's not comfortable with this idea, that's apparent. "If…if it was used in front of you, could you tell? About if there's curse, anyway…"
Hawthorne's face lines with worry. "I would not wish you to bring harm to yourself. Besides, it would not tell me how to remove-…" He cuts himself off as the doorchime jingles, looking toward the door and blinking repeatedly in surprise. A hooded figure in a tattered cloak looms in the doorway. "No," Hawthorne breathes. "Gabrielle, run!" he commands, gesturing to the door leading deeper into his home. In a flash, the wandmaker's wand is in his hand, thrusting toward the stranger. "Stupefy!"
But as quick as Hawthorne is, the stranger is quicker. His own wand appears from under his cloak, and a deep voice intones, "Protego!" The light from Hawthorne's wand strikes the Shield Charm, rebounding and striking the old man square in the chest, sending him toppling to the floor behind the counter. Then that menacing dark hood shifts toward Gabrielle.
Oh, damn you Lucian…Dueling club doesn't cover this! Gabby quickly fumbles out her own wand, and already starting backwards towards the door will shakily cast "Accio Wand" and her mother's wand start to come towards her from the counter where Mr. Hawthorne dropped it. She'll have her left hand out to catch it, trying to move as quickly as she can away from the hooded figure.
The dark figure lifts his wand toward Gabrielle as he strides forward. No…not toward Gabrielle. Toward the door she is headed for. "Colloportus!" There is a loud clack as the door locks up tight. "Now…give me the wand, and I'll let you live."
Gabrielle 's eyes are wide and she'll glance around the room, desparatly looking for anything that could help. She'll try to move around towards the counter, trying to put something between herself and the scary man. "Please….don't do this…" she's glancing around, trying to buy to to think of something…
The dark man follows Gabrielle with his wand. "Last chance, Gabrielle Evans," he says calmly. "The wand, or your life. I won't ask again."
Following Gabrielle was not something he did on a regular basis. He's not one of THOSE guys, who can't take a break-up. No, if anything, Jackson Jacob Potter Junior has been quite the opposite. Still information was to be relayed, and he had spotted Gabrielle moving towards the wandshop. When she entered, followed by a dark man, Jackson really thought nothing of it. Plenty of weirdos in the Wizarding world. To each their own, as long as their own didn't get on anything Jackson owned.
Something troubles Jackson though, but he can't quite put his finger on it until realization crosses his face. The heart beating around his neck is pounding like a freight train. Troubled, Jackson approaches the door of the wand shop, drawing his own wand, to take a look inside. He watches the momentary interplay between the stranger and Gabrielle before he turns the corner, pointing his wand towards Callus, "Silencio!" A bright flash of light emits from his wand, arching towards the man!
Gabrielle 's cringes a bit..he knows her name. This is beyond bad. She's shaking but will start to look down to the second wand in her hands. As she looks up, Jackson's in the door and casting and she'll raise her wand wand and cast as well, "Stupefy!" She's not a dueler…and while it's close, the ragged figure is able to block her weak attempt. She'll start to move, hopefully Hawthorn is safe unconscious, towards the only way out now…towards Jackson and the front door.
The Silencing Charm from Jackson catches the tall, dark man by surprise. But he isn't helpless, even without his voice. Gabrielle's Stunning Spell is deflected with a simple swipe of his wand. He whirls as she moves to slip past him, causing his hood to slip back partially, revealing his hard features and the snarl on his lips. Light flashes from his wand toward Gabrielle as he unleashes a silent Stunning Spell of his own.
As Gabrielle goes down to a stupefy spell, Jackson's teeth grit and a low roar builds quickly in his chest to a shout. The shout coalesces into words. Those words are, in turn, coupled with a wand motion. Now Jackson is a duelist, though he doesn't make as much of it as some. When he utters the word 'stupefy', it is well within the realm of normality to expect something to happen. Not in this case, however. He knows, just by the flick of the wrist of his defensive spell, that this man is no ordinary duelist. As light arcs towards his opponent, it flies on Jackson's prayers.
Gabrielle 's never been hit with a stupefy, and as the spell catches her in the side, her eyes roll. She hears a yell, but can not distinguish the words as she goes unconscious and hits the floor with a thud.
Perhaps the stranger didn't count on Jackson being a skilled duelist. Maybe it was the Silencing Charm hampering his own spellwork. Or maybe it was the raw emotion behind Jackson's spell that shattered through the dark man's Shield Charm, blasting him across the room. He strikes the shop counter, and slumps to the floor, stunned.
Jackson blinks as his spell hits and tosses Gabrielle's attacker across the store. He glances down towards his wand, a shocked expression on his face. Gabrielle in the corner of his eye causes Jackson to jump slightly. Reaching down, he presses two fingers to Gabrielle's neck, feeling for a pulse. He sighs as he does detect a pulse. He points his wand towards Gabrielle, calling out, "Rennervate!" He then stands, looking around and then spotting Hawthorne. Pointing his wand again, Jackson repeats the spell.
Gabrielle 's eyes flutter open with a groan. She'll gasp and jerk up . She's breathing shallowly, an will quickly look to see where she is even. She's half expecting to be chained to a wall, so finding herself on Hawthorne's floor. She'll make a small whimper noise after seeing her attacker on the floor, and will reach down to retrieve her two wands that are laying on the ground, "Are you ok?" she'll worriedly ask Jackson.
Hawthorne groans from behind the counter. "Ooooh, my head…wh-…Miss Evans? Where are you?" With a pained hiss, the little wandmaker pushes himself to his feet and steps out from behind the counter, taking stock of the situation. His eyes widen at Callus laying limp on the floor. "Good gracious! Wh-…my boy? Did you do this?" He blinks in surprised at Jackson."
Jackson glances towards Gabrielle, nodding his head, "I'm fine." He offers her his hand to help her regain her feet as he looks towards Hawthorne, "Sorry for the mess. This overbearing arse didn't leave me much choice in the matter, sir." He turns his eyes cautiously towards the man on the floor, "Are you capable enough to secure him until help arrives?"
After a moment, Gabby will switch her wands to her right hand and let Jackson help her up with her left. She's trembling and will not let go of his hand till he does. She'll look to Hawthorne, "Are you ok sir?…Who is that?" She'll look to the unconscious stranger, afraid.
Hawthorne nods, lifting a hand reassuringly at Gabrielle. "I'm fine, dear. Just a bit sore from the Stunning Spell." He looks ruefully down a the man on the floor. "His name is Callus Vengal…and I promise you, he won't be alone. We need to leave. Immediately." He beckons the children toward the rear door. Finding it locked, he applies a quick charm, "Alohomora," and it clicks open. "Come, before the others arrive."
Jackson enters the shop fully, closing the door behind him. He points his wand towards the door and utters, "Calloportus!" He turns towards Gabby and smirks, "Closed for the day." He then brushes Gabrielle forward, "Go! I need my hands free to duel." He then adds emphatically, "GO!"
Jackson then, of course, follows them by bringing up the rear.
Maybe it's the emotional shock, or maybe it's still lingering effects from the stupefy spell, but Gabby doesn't really move till Jacks urges her. She'll tuck her mother's wand in her jacket for safe keeping, and will hurry as fast as she can after Mr.Hawthorne.
The door leads into the little house that serves as Oran Hawthorne's home. It's a quaint, modest affair. He pauses as, through the sealed door, the sound of several loud CRACKS penetrates. "Oh dear…I counted at least five. We cannot fight the Vengals. I must get the two of you to safety. Come, hold my arms."
With his wand leveled towards the sealed door, Jackson continues to backpedal, ready to strike with his wand at a moment's notice. When they are instructed to grab Hawthorne's arm, Jackson nods first to Gabrielle, and then takes the arm as well with his non-wand hand.
Gabrielle swallows and nods, she's in way over her head. She'll take Hawthorne's arm with her left, making sure that Jacks is as well.
"Hold on tight," Mr. Hawthorne instructs. "If you've never Apparated before…this may feel a bit strange." The creak of floorboards can be heard on the other side of the door, accompanied by a shadow cast underneath. Oran doesn't wait any longer, and with a soft SNAP, the trio turn on the spot, and vanish.