There were murdering vampires in their midst. Everything pointed towards that conclusion. The little girl’s corpse – despite Arthur’s thorough training, it had deprived him of sleep for several nights, imagining one of his own girls’ bodies mutilated like that by violence, the elements, and decay -; the bloodpops; and now poor Baudelaire’s murder. Certainly, Arthur had recently come to like the fat restaurant owner less after he had been cheated into taking some Greek stray into his house for a ‘French chef’, but he did not wish such a horrific death on anyone – perhaps one or two people.

Arthur had not slept much since the discovery of the body. He had been put on the case and he was determined to show that rookie Umbridge how a real auror worked. More importantly - from an objective point of view at least – the longer it took to catch that vampire, the more victims he or she would claim. Arthur was determined to solve this case quickly.

Investigating the crime scene had not led to more information than what the coroner could tell him. It was certainly a vampire. Speaking to the witnesses who had last seen Baudelaire, had been more useful. At least the patrons who had last seen Baudelaire had been helpful. Speaking to Baudelaire’s staff, Arthur had come to realize that Mr. Koch could indeed be considered a gem in Baudelaire’s kitchen… in comparison.

The investigation finally pointed to one specific member of the community. It was dusk when Arthur arrived at the caverns where vampires were said to live. His wand was drawn. “Miss Galina! Show yourself! You are under arrest!”

The following 1 user Likes Arthur McPadraic's post:1 user Likes Arthur McPadraic's post
   Ophelia Devine

Even the caverns weren’t immune from the conversation of humans, especially when the talk was about them. It was part of surviving to know what was going on with the humans. When the tides began to turn that was when it was time to disappear into the night. Yet Galina hadn’t. She knew the signs and yet she had stayed. The reasons were twofold. First, Galina was hesitant to leave without Mari having returned. She knew how big the world was and knew that if she left this area then Mari’s hopes of finding her would diminish. As Mari was the only family that Galina had left in the world she could not bring herself to leave. Instead she had only increased her searching for the younger vampire. Second, for the first time in well over a century Galina felt hope. She could sense what the small group of vampires could become if given the chance to thrive. Yet she was aware of how fragile it could all fall apart. With the tides she sensed that might be sooner than she expected. Despite that she remained. For Mari, she promised herself.

Each day she slipped from the caverns into the woods to look out for Mari, to listen to the rumors spreading, and to get some answers. They didn’t know who had killed the wizards, but it wasn’t good for the group of vampires who remained in the caverns.

Returning to the caverns after one such outing Galina was surprised to hear her name. Looking through the woods gave her a view of a gentleman standing, back to her, with a wand. Foolish man, she could easily spring upon him without his realizing it. But there was the matter of his words and his wand.

Galina stepped forward through the tree line, her eyes never leaving the wizard. Her blond hair spilled over her shoulders and her fine dark cloak. “Is there a problem sir?” Galina’s features arranged themselves into a concerned look, eyebrows wrinkling, head tilted to the side slightly as if trying to figure out a problem.

  

---

an amazing bee work of art

Arthur spun round, wand directed at the young woman. He was tense. He had done plenty of arrests before, but always of other wizards and witches. Some of them were powerful, but Arthur was an experienced duelist. Vampires were an entirely different matter. It wasn't merely their actual resistance he was afraid of. It was the very concept of 'vampire' that made his stomach turn.

His eyes narrowed as he took the woman in. She matched the description, but tense as he was, he could not attack an innocent citizen. "Are you Galina?" He asked, wand still raised and all his senses sharp, lest something should sneak up on his from within the caverns.

  

Galina was no fool, she had heard what the man had shouted into the caverns. Knew what he was here for. Although why he might have an idea to arrest her was not something she was privy to. Surely it was a misunderstanding, but she knew too that humans didn’t care about misunderstandings with vampires. In their mind she was as good as guilty to whatever crime he felt she had committed.

Stepping forward she gave him a nod as if a hostess accepting a guest into her home. “I am.” She gave him a smile as well, her mind whirling with possibilities. In her years of surviving in such a life she had had close calls before but knew how to get out of them. “Is there something I can help you with?” She continued, as if she weren’t in the least perturbed by his motives.

  

---

an amazing bee work of art

As soon as she admitted that she was the one he was looking for, he said: "Incarcerous." Cords shot from his wand and, if she did not manage to avoid them, would tie her wrists together, while another cord would wrap around her body, pushing her arms against her body and probably causing her to lose her balance. Arthur wouldn't take any chances with this lot. She was almost certainly a vampire, and a vampire who had committed a brutal murder. He wasn't going to stand her and wait until he ended up like poor Mr. Baudelaire.

  

The man ignored her question, instead he directed her wand at her. She’d seen magic before, knew better than to just stand there and take it. Unlike a human weapon it was something she was wary of, something that could kill her. She did not intend to die today. The moment the words left his mouth she moved quickly to the side, narrowly missing the spell. Why this man wanted to arrest her and how he’d even come to know of her existence became thoughts that faded to the back of her mind. She simply wanted to survive at this point. She moved quickly so she was behind the man’s back near the entrance of the caverns. Clearly evasive but not threatening.

  

---

an amazing bee work of art

Arthur spun round, his wand following her body. "If you resist, I shall have to use force," he called out to her. His voice was authoritative, but the truth was that he was frightened. He had never fought a vampire before, and although rationally, he was quite certain he would win, the thought of fighting such a monster was still intimidating. "You better come quietly."

  

“Aren’t you already?” Galina’s voice quipped looking at his wand meaningfully. If a spell wasn’t force she wasn’t entirely sure what was. She stepped back and to the side as she listened to his order. “And why should I?” Galina called to him, what reason in the world did she have to go quietly for a reason she did not know. If she were to throw her life away she was going to have a very good reason. Simply because a wizard commanded her so did not give her a good reason at all.

The following 1 user Likes Galina's post:1 user Likes Galina's post
   Ophelia Devine

---

an amazing bee work of art

He held his wand aimed at her, never losing focus. He was determined to use all this against her on the long run. She put him in serious danger here, forcing him to stay so long in a place with other vampire scum. "I am arresting you on suspicion of the murder of Jean-Claude Baudelaire." Every one of his muscles were tense as he watched her, waiting to strike if she should choose to attack. Meanwhile, he paid attention to every sound. He did not want her pals sneaking up on his from behind.

  

Galina had murdered before - many times. Many more than she wished to count, or even contemplate. Yet it was a simple matter of her existence. She did not know their names, sometimes she didn’t even know their faces, it should have come as no surprise then that she might have committed such an act. However, Galina was certain that whoever this Baudelaire was, she had not been the cause of his demise.

It had been a long time since she hunted near the vicinities of the magical towns, Hogsmeade and Irvingly. She had learned to survive and to try and pursue her hopes of a life here by hunting way beyond the bounds of the magical communities. Yet it was clearly the magical community who felt she had been the one to do such a thing.

Galina continued the conversation as if it were only a tête over tea. “And what makes you believe I am the cause of Mr. Baudelaire’s death?” Besides the obvious, she thought. After all vampires made good scapegoats, it was something that she had tried to explain to Lyra when explaining why the young vampire’s plan would never succeed. Wizards and humans turned too quickly on those they thought different from them. The unrest of a few summers ago was returning to show this and certainly the vampire community would not be immune from the wrath, especially if the killings continued.

  

---

an amazing bee work of art

Arthur's patience was wearing thin. It wasn't her who should be asking questions. And certainly not in a place like this. "Incarcerous!" was his only reply. Once again ropes sprung from his wand and flung themselves at her body.

  

Galina’s mind was still trying to puzzle out why this man might think her guilty of the crime. If she had been the one who committed such a crime she would have covered her tracks. Mari might not have…. Mari. It couldn’t be that her sister had returned and not told her, Galina couldn’t believe that Mari would be that upset with her.

Despite her thoughts the gentleman did not appear inclined to enlighten her. The words that tumbled out of the man’s mouth gave her enough warning to dash to the side again. She simply wanted answers and she wasn’t going to go without at least an attempt at defending herself. Or attempting to escape. But if Mari was nearby she needed answers. “Am I the only vampire you can locate, is that why you have decided I committed this crime?” Her tone was full of bitter weight, years of fear from humans made it easy to see where this might go.

  

---

an amazing bee work of art

"Miss Galina! You are only getting yourself into more trouble, defying the law. I must insist you come quietly." Although if she was guilty, it was hard to be in more trouble. Yet Arthur was desperate to leave this place. At least the more she resisted, the more guilty she seemed, and they could hopefully lock her up quickly and put this whole horrible affair behind them. "Stupefy!"

  

There wasn’t a chance that Galina would come quietly. Not when she wasn’t guilty. Except for that small sliver of thought that perhaps this was really about Mari. It was a small enough sliver that Galina didn’t move fast enough when the next spell was cast and found herself immobilized.

Panic coursed through her bones as she tried to move her hands, her arms, anything, only to find every effort completely useless. Calm down. She tried to tell herself as she settled for glaring at the man, wondering if the look of ice even could happen with this spell. She knew she had had reason to be wary of the witches and wizards. Knew she had been right in this regard. She should have left when Mari begged her too, yet she had allowed hope to blind her. She was no better than Lyra with her ideals and her hopes of a world that would never change.

  

---

an amazing bee work of art

Arthur sighed a sigh of relief when the woman was hit and froze. At least he could make his way out of here. His preference would have been to apparate her out of here, straight to the Ministry, but with her not working along, and now immobilized, the chance of splinching was too great. Instead, he had ordered several portkeys to be set up in the nearby woods, where no one else came anyway - or nobody had business coming - and they were activated at different times. He slowly walked over to the paralyzed woman and checked his pocket watch. He did not speak to her, or look at her face, but - as if dealing with a random object he had to move - he pointed his wand and said: "wingardium leviosa", and he started walking, her frozen body floating ahead of him. They reached the portkey soon, and Arthur checked his pocket watch again. "This could have gone smoother..." he muttered at her, without looking.

  

Despite the amount of languages that Galina had learned the words that came from the man’s mouth were complete gibberish to her. But from the wave of the wand in his hand she was quite certain it was magic. What else could this man do to her? She hadn’t being immobilized, hated wasn’t quite the right word. Spikes of fear coursed through her as her feet lifted from the ground and she floated through the air. She had to think rationally, panicking would do her no good.

As the woods passed her of their own accord she forced herself to calm down. The second she could even begin to feel something in her arms, legs, jaw, she would ready herself to spring into action. Hopefully that would before he lit her on fire, some small terrified part of her whispered seditious against the calm in the back of her mind. This was what she got for letting a weakness come into her life. From being preoccupied.

She was so concerned with her current predicament that when she found herself coming to a stop she almost missed the man’s words. Yes, it could have gone smoother - if the man had bothered to give her a reason, to not just jump to conclusions. Then again, he must have some reason, he had known her name and so few did. She wasn’t registered at the ministry and she kept much to herself. How had the ministry even come to know of her? The only possible answer was Lyra or Mari. But Mari would never betray her. Lyra might. But if Mari were responsible and someone put two and two together…. Yes, this could have gone smoother. She could have fled, could have searched for answers on her own. But she had been arrogant in thinking she could cowe this man into telling her his reasons. She knew better, the angry thought had her attempting to flex her muscles again, to spring from this trap, but she remained firmly frozen in place.

  

---

an amazing bee work of art