After Dark, Fri, 14 June, '94 —High Street, Alley near The Florist Potts

Black sheep, cryin' those rebel tears
It's a battle to survive these lonely years
Black sheep, you live up to your name
You've been told for way too long that you're the one to blame

Anne's escape from her room was simple, thanks to a harmonious alignment with Mum's work schedule (which is just another reason to love astronomy). She knew her maps well and relished how easy it was to figure out the patterns of the city watch. It also made her want to be an auror twice as much to make sure someone actually patrolled the streets.

Waiting, her wand in hand, Anne smirked when her absolute dolt of a rival arrived. "Took your time there. What've you got, girl?"

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Charley Goode

  

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MJ about made me cry with this one!
Thread Log | Help Anne Blame the DJ

The urchin wore her eyes wide in the shadows, and it came away as she stepped close to her opponent. The older girl, horseface and all, had actually shown up. It surprised her, but that void where bitterness might have appeared was quickly filled by her desire for satisfaction. No one was about to get away with insulting her or Missus Crouch's shop, not the least of which some snobbish Slytherin.

With her wand already in hand, Charley looked up and down the girl. "Really did show yer face, eh? Guess you en't so scared. An' now ya know I en't a liar, neither!"

Charley promised she would show and she had. There were no idle threats in her world, and no broken promises when sealed properly. Not that she expected ol' Horseface to understand proper when it came to the streets. Then again, as she glanced behind the girl, maybe there was some hope. "No second? Good. I only wanna do this the once."

Her face cracked open with a grin, lopsided and toothy, in the Slytherin's direction. Maybe not enough to catch her off-balance, but maybe just enough to make her think twice. Then the urchin raised her wand and called out, "Expelliarmus!"

If she could just catch the girl unawares, and unarmed, this would be a short match.

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Anne laughed, fully meaning her boast when she said, "I don't need a second to handle you, child."

Waiting, her wand in hand, Anne smirked when Charley tried her hand. Smirking, Anne raised her wand, "Nice try, dolt. Protego. Expelliarmus! "

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Charley Goode

  

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MJ about made me cry with this one!
Thread Log | Help Anne Blame the DJ

When Charley sat in on the women's duels this summer, she was baffled by their performances. Everything seemed so orderly to her, so civilized. It was nothing like the way she had been taught to fight, with her words first and then her fists. Then came the wand, and the urchin had never used hers in the way she witnessed fully-grown witches doing. She couldn't imagine being so polite or clean in a real duel.

The wand kept the urchin from running headlong into the horsefaced girl and knocking her to the ground, but only just. When the shield went up, it was expected but still left her feeling deprived. She had to be faster next time, maybe even waiting first. Like her next spell had been, one that Charley didn't think was exactly a spell that would hurt anyone in a duel. Not one that she'd copied from Mrs. Mann, who still wanted her to do all the grueling work manually around the shop.

It was, however, going to make things wet.

"Aqua eructo!"

Charley was actually surprised to see the flick of the wand again from the Slytherin girl, whose muffled spell careened toward her just as the jet of water erupted from her own wand. The two forces hit in a spray of magic and water, and whatever spell had been coming her way was dampened —literally— by the urchin's own.

"That's bleedin' rude, castin' two in a row!" she cried, scrunching together the freckles and splashed water on her face into a blurry, orange mess. Nevermind that the older girl was doing exactly what Charley herself had decided was a better play in a real, scrappy, on-the-streets duel. "Diffindo!"

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Anne glared, her hair and clothing now soaked through, "That's called being smart, you runt."

Anne's temper flared at the next spell coming her direction. Fine, the brat wanted to play; Anne was ready to deliver. She was not one to be tested. "Protego. Expelliarmus. Aguamenti! "Anne whipped her wand, every action a slash and attack.

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Charley Goode

  

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MJ about made me cry with this one!
Thread Log | Help Anne Blame the DJ

There were plenty of things Charley didn't like about herself. Her unruly curls, the amount of freckles on her face, being kicked out of Hogwarts after just a year, and not knowing where her family was anymore. She could tolerate most of that, she could even handle the way everyone treated her like nothing better than gutter trash. But it took just a single word from the snobby girl to set the urchin's hands into fists and make her leave magic behind.

Only she could call herself small.

She rushed at the horsefaced girl, who was moving her wand as fast as the eye could follow. Charley didn't even try, not when her spell was deflected. Not when the wand flew out of her hand. And not when the last spell hit her square in the chest, though she really should have.

Charley ran straight into the spray of water that came at her, forcing her to a standstill for a single, momentary second. It might have offered her clarity, or a chance to reflect. All the urchin did in that second was to scowl into the water, before it launched her into the air and exchanged her rage for a shriek.

When the water dripping down her face brought the urchin back to the present, she didn't even feel like making a face at it. She just sat there for a moment, crumpled up among the broken pieces of whatever had broken her crash landing, looking out at the Slytherin girl who had claimed the victory from her. Charley just turned away, the slime of a wet braid trailing against her face, she had lost her cap somewhere in the flight but hadn't the heart to look for it now.

"Smart, my arse. Yer jes a slatterny git."

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Anne scoffed, not remotely impressed by what the urchin had shown her. "I just gave you the bath you needed and now you're going to answer my questions."

Anne kept her wand raised, ready for the soaking girl to strike again. "Now why aren't you at Hogwarts and how do you have a wand?"

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Charley Goode

  

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MJ about made me cry with this one!
Thread Log | Help Anne Blame the DJ

Charley watched, her eyes narrowed until they were mere dots, the older girl approach. The angry part of her, still alive, wanted desperately to kick at the girl's shins. She resisted, if only to keep her own desperation from her enemy. It would earn her another attack, no doubt, and brand the urchin as truly unremarkable. Even on the lips of the horsefaced girl, that felt too heavy to handle tonight.

She pulled herself to ungainly feet, taking another step until they were steady underneath her. Charley tipped her chin up, not caring how wet it was, or how her clothes clung to her body. There was nothing she had to prove anymore to this git. "Yer the one with my wand," she pointed out shortly, and held out her hand, "An' if ya think I'm givin' up my whole tale, yer dead wrong."

They were hollow words, echoing in an otherwise-empty alley, but they still felt good to say.

"How'd ya think I got a wand? I got magic, like everyone in this bleedin' town." Charley folded her arms, thinking a bit too bitterly about it. Hogsmeade wasn't a bad town, she had seen worse. Far worse. Being reminded by someone snobbier and better off wasn't exactly the best way to cheer her up, though. "En't rich 'nuff for bein' here by choice, an' not to leave neither."

Or make her talk.

"You work out the rest."

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Anne crossed her arms over her chest, a wand in each hand. The implication was clear: you're no threat to me. Anne just looked the girl over, her face a frown of disdain; internally, Anne was at a standstill. This brat had annoyed her for the last time and needed to be punished, fact. Fact 2: It was summer, but it blasted cold night if you were soaked through. To dry or not to dry?

Anne delayed her decision, and her heart gave an ugly tug. Anne knew that some students were too poor for Hogwarts. It had happened to Alice Dawson and it broke Anne's heart, but at least Anne was around through her fifth year. The idea of not coming back before? The possibility hadn't seemed real to Anne. While the Moonys had their challenges, her parents had always seen her fed, clothed, and loved. Education had always been a way for her parents to show their love to her and Ned. Whether it was the fault of her parents or not, Anne didn't want more details than that.
But, damn it all, yes, she did. "You're going to answer five questions and then you get your wand back. Tell me true: What's your name? How old are you? How many years you had at Hogwarts, and what was your house? And I'll know if you're lying."

Anne trusted her gut, but her gut didn't know what to make of this situation. The whole thing struck her as horribly unfair, if the girl was being honest. Which brought Anne to the heart of her test,"Last question what's your wand made of? You know or you stole it."

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Charley Goode

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   Charley Goode

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MJ about made me cry with this one!
Thread Log | Help Anne Blame the DJ

The street urchin didn't care for losing, and even less so when she was the one who picked the fight. She'd had to, anyway, there was no backing down after being insulted and pushed around by some bystander to the heart of Hogsmeade. Charley could give some small thanks to give that she had picked an alleyway to hold this duel, away from the hours and prying eyes of High Street. No one had to know that some horsefaced girl had bested her here in the dark. Even if their spells had attracted some attention, there had been no peeping faces yet, and Charley was sure she could slink away with her reputation intact.

It was only Mrs. Mann who would know how much she had truly failed if she came back without her wand.

She glared at the snooty Slytherin, sniffing at the stench of arrogance that rolled off her. Usually, Charley could smell that arrogance from a block away. It was the Potts' shop, it had to be, spewing out noxious fumes when it sensed an enemy nearby. That was the only way the urchin could have failed to sniff out this trap before falling into it. She'd need more wits about her next time she was nearby.

"What're ya, a professor now or summat?" Charley asked it as soon as ol' Horseface called out an exact number of the questions she'd be asking, a notion so silly it was worth laughing at. A laugh that died in her throat while she eyed her wand instead. The disgruntled urchin didn't feel like answering any more questions, not even those she had answered already. Except that it meant her wand back this time. Charley scowled at the prospect, but she didn't have a choice.

"Fine," she said, and nearly spat again. That had riled up her opponent enough to make it worth doing again at some point. Just not yet. "Name's Charley, an' I turn fourteen this summer. That 'nuff?" Charley stared back at ol' Horseface for a few moments, who looked to be taking her question count far too seriously. "Was in Gryffindor, too, the one year I did at Hogwarts. What else?"

Oh right, the wand.

"Who bothers with what wands're made of, anyhow? That one's mine an' it never wasn't." The urchin shoved her arm toward the other girl again, an indignant motion that spelled her own impatience. "What'm I s'posed ta do, dress in robes an' prance around a bit for ya? Tell ya stories 'bout all the marks on it? Feel that little notch in the holder, yeah? Shall I go on 'bout what I had for breakfast that day or summat?"

If she didn't get that wand back soon, Charley was bound to take more drastic action. With her hands now close enough to grab at the other girl, it didn't matter what spells were thrown her way, they would both be hurting and that would be good enough.

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Anne didn't trust the urchin, but there was something so pathetic in this scene that not even Anne wanted to comment. She had difficulty believing someone could forget the details of their wand. Anne's wand was like an extension of her arm; of course, she knew everything about it.

Anne considered her options and decided that going with her gut was still the best option. The urchin passed the first of her tests, but that was all. Tossing the girl's wand behind her, Anne motioned with her chin. "Pick it up and block me." Anne counted to five and raised her wand, more water coming the girl's way.

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Charley Goode

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   Charley Goode

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MJ about made me cry with this one!
Thread Log | Help Anne Blame the DJ

Whatever made some people act like they were her betters, Charley couldn't work it out. She had seen the horsefaced girl's clothing in the daylight, it might not be threadbare but it wasn't nice. Not in the nice sense of someone with money, someone who couldn't care less about a street urchin. Or someone who cared just enough to step on her, like all the other insects trying desperately to overrun High Street. Not that this insect was about to let it happen to her.

Charley had her sights dead set on the other girl's ankles, it was now or never.

And then she found herself leaping forward to catch the wand that was so carelessly tossed her way. Charley turned it over for a moment, inspecting the wood for any new damage. Her nose wrinkled in disgust for a moment, clinging to a wand and magic that she still barely knew. The Slytherin had dispatched her easily, going at her again was just asking for punishment.

"Or What?" the urchin snapped back at the challenge, but she knew the answer already. She even knew what spell was being asked of her, and it was yet another reminder of her haphazard learning. What hadn't been taught to her in school was still held back from her by Mrs. Mann, who thought that conjuring a working shield charm was far less important than controlling the stream of a a water spell.

Just as her snobby opponent turned around, Charley grinned with a new idea. She put her back to the wall, already learning not to make herself an object of flight again. Then she raised her wand and flicked it, "Expelliarmus!"

This time, the urchin was sure, it would catch the other girl by surprise.

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Anne was almost impressed by this Charley girl actually engaging. Anne expected rocks, but was ready for magic just the same. "Protego." She snapped calmly, four years of DADA and Dueling Club giving her a practiced confidence.

"Not bad. Try Protego. Block me. Expelliarmus!"

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Charley Goode

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   Charley Goode

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MJ about made me cry with this one!
Thread Log | Help Anne Blame the DJ

No wand landed in her waiting hand, and if that wasn't bad enough, the horsefaced girl was trying to grade her. That would teach Charley not to taunt someone with a bad idea, the last thing she needed was someone else to give her lessons. Besides, she wasn't supposed to be listening to a Slytherin, was she? The erstwhile Gryffindor remembered enough to know that they were meant to be enemies.

Just like she was with anyone who might choose the Potts' shop over hers.

"Try shuttin' yer—!" The urchin bit her lip, letting the last word hang. She hated all this ordering about. Do this, try that. It wasn't like the older girl actually wanted her to succeed, anyway. Probably just wanting more ways to laugh at her, or stand in judgement over her again. Charley didn't much like giving ol' Horseface the satisfaction, though she could already see her moving to cast another spell.

"Protego!" Charley called, and moved her wand the way the other girl had. She really tried, no matter how little it might matter. Like always, the spell fizzled after a few seconds. The urchin thought she had actually made something this time, a brief flicker of protection between her and the enemy.

And in the next moment, the wand was snatched from her hand once more.

The urchin was quick to issue her own demands this time, "Give it back!"

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   Anne Moony

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She was enjoying this too much, but this sort of teaching was fun. As far as Anne was concerned, this would have made her a better duelist. She’d have to recommend this to Professor Lissington during the year.

Anne was surprised to see the urchin actually produce a shield. Anne grinned as she caught the girl’s wand. With a smirk, she took a large step back, “Then summon it. The spell’s Accio. Say it and mean it.”

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The following 1 user Likes Anne Moony's post:1 user Likes Anne Moony's post
   Charley Goode

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MJ about made me cry with this one!
Thread Log | Help Anne Blame the DJ

Charley's jaw hung open at the latest command from ol' Horseface. This girl was off her rocker. She'd absolutely cracked. She needed her head examined, that was the only real lesson here. Professor Daft and her kleptomaniac daftness ruled the night, and it was only because she held the urchin's wand that Charley didn't give up and walk away.

"Summon it with what? Got a clue?" Charley was baffled, and her face laid it plain. Her lips closed together, but she just shook her head. It was hard to be angry at the mad girl anymore, but she did need her wand back. "How 'bout on Merlin's tits? Accio, you loony!"

By this point, it was too late and the urchin too tired to last much longer. A laugh burst out of her, finding the whole affair too funny to treat it seriously much longer.

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