out in the open

"if not us, who? if not now, when?" - JFK

[rhyswarrens]

Hatred Never Falters || Rhys & Norwood

[maximillian-norwood-deactivated]

This was fun, Norwood thought, as the two started a dance that involved keeping each other on edge. Either of them could easily cause a real scene at any moment, it was just a matter of a quick incantation and a flick of the wrist. Norwood was sure that Rhys wouldn’t do it, not as long as the children were in the range of watching, but he had surprised him before. Norwood wasn’t interested in being surprised again. He started to put up his wand in a defensive spell at the same time as Rhys cast flipendo. He was too slow, for once, and the spell hit him, knocking him back a few feet down the stone hallway. He clasped his wand in his hand, determined not to lose it. As he came to his feet again, he pointed it toward the dark haired male, laughing as he did so, “Oh come on, Rhys,” he shot out, “Let’s get on with it then!” His wand shot out a quick spell, punctuated by a popping noise, a stinging hex headed for the other male.

[rhyswarrens]

The look of glee on the other man's face was wrong; wrong because Norwood shouldn't be taking any pleasure in Randall's blood staining the stone floors, in the bodies of dead nagas around them, in everything falling apart around them.   Wrong because this was not something to find wonderful, ever.  Rhys shoved those thoughts aside as Norwood recovered from his spell, shooting one of his own towards the former Gryffindor.  A quick shield charm protected him from the High Inquisitor's hex, buying him even more time to think.  "I don't think you're even trying," he taunted, though his voice held an undercurrent of anger.  He flicked his wand, accompanied by a deep growl, shooting off a stinging hex of his own towards the other male.  After all, it wasn't like he could bring the ceiling down on Norwood like he wanted to; Randall and Holden would get hurt if he did.  No, he was limited to simple spells and hexes if he wanted to get rid of Norwood.

[truthdevil]

[cecilycar]

Lend a Hand || Cecily & Rhys

[cecilycar]

“Blood may be pure but that doesn’t mean our lives are,” she responded quickly. Cecily knew he would be wondering why she would be looking for her brother, assuming he lived at home and was a part of the image of their perfect life. She grew a bit antsy, realizing now that he was going to lend no help at all and she wanted nothing more than to leave the situation, but if she left she’d be back where she started with no ideas and no place to start, but she let her annoyance get the best of her and stood her ground, not ready to turn away just yet. “Glad we’re on the same page for something,” she said under his words. Cecily didn’t trust Rhys either, how was she supposed to when she didn’t know him and he her. But she did have some faith in him, faith in him and in Lane that they knew what they were doing and for a moment she had had some ounce of faith that just maybe Rhys would be willing to help someone who was here in support of the same thing, but all too quickly he crushed that idea. “ So who can I thank for that? You?” She asked in an aggravated tone, not even caring if her accusations were correct or not, “and the Ministry wouldn’t be so stupid as to have one copy, but thanks anyway.” She smiled sweetly at him, making a mental promise to herself that she wouldn’t let folks like Rhys stop her. 

[rhyswarrens]

Rhys sighed and looked away from the girl for a moment, exasperated with her vagueness.  All he knew was that apparently her family wasn't as perfect as it seemed in the Daily Prophet, and that she had a brother she needed to be looking for.  And that apparently she hadn't known her brother from his birth, something that surprised him a little.  It wasn't all that unexpected, though, considering just how old the Carroll family was; he could think of a couple reasons a family would go to such lengths to hide a child of theirs.  When she accused him of bombing the Ministry, Rhys bristled, lips tightening into a thin line and eyebrows drawing together thunderously.  He'd gotten in a fight with Lane over what the other man had done in the group's name, and obviously the rumor mill was saying it was Rhys' fault rather than Lane's.  "Believe it or not, no.  Not me," he grumbled, crossing his arms.  "And as far as I know, only the Ministry has a copy of the-" he cut himself off, a thought striking him.  A memory, something he'd seen years ago while sneaking into the Headmistress' office late at night.  "Hogwarts," he blurted, looking back at Cecily.  "There's a copy at Hogwarts."

[gemma-raleigh]

Bargain || Rhys & Gemma

[gemma-raleigh]

Gemma was a Gryffindor for a reason and she didn’t back down when he towered over her. She would not back down on this; she wouldn’t have him send her home. She knew if he sent her away now, there would be no other place for her to go. She would have to sit in her chair and wait for something to happen, anything, maybe for years. And she was not ready for that.

She knew he was partially right though. If something happened to her she would be a burden for whoever she was on a mission with. And she didn’t want that, she didn’t want to endanger other people, she didn’t want other to have to look out for her or give her some special treatment because of her injury.

“I’m not special, I don’t want to be special or different. It’s jerks like you that make me special, because suddenly they see me differently, treat me differently. Suddenly my injury is all you people see and nothing else I can do or I’m good at matters anymore. Everyone can get immobilized in the field, there’s really not that much of a difference. But I don’t want to put others at risk and I know you have to take that into account. All I’m asking is that you let me prove myself. This is my fight too and I want to help. So don’t send me on missions until you’re sure I can handle it. Let me help Lauren, she needs help and I’m good with healing. It’s what I want to do, be a healer. I still have a lot to learn of course but I’m a quick learner.”

Her heart was beating wildly in her chest, not out of fear or because she was intimidated by Rhys, but she knew this was an important moment; she knew he had the power to just send her away. She didn’t really like the idea to be restricted to the camp and not really join the fight, but at least that way she could do something; and she could stay. She wouldn’t have to go home and sit in that damn chair. At this point she would do everything, promise everything just to be able to stay in the camp.

[rhyswarrens]

It was taking everything Rhys had in him not to just pick this girl up and physically throw her out of the camp.  Not only was she refusing to listen to him as a leader, but she was arguing against him.  Up until now, before his little spot was invaded by all these students, his word had been law.  Now here was some fifteen year old girl thinking she could undermine the authority he'd worked for years to build.  Nothing about this situation was convincing him that she should be allowed to stay.  Suddenly it wasn't just all about her injury, it was about her attempts to overthrow the decision he'd already made, and people were staring.  

"Whether you believe it or not, you are different.  Every single person here is different, and yeah, they can get immobilized in the field.  Problem is - and the thing you aren't seeing - you are much easier to take down than the others I trust in the field," he growled, glaring down at her.  "You are a ticking time bomb, Gemma Raleigh.  All they have to do is wait, or strike in just the right way, and you're down.  I don't care if you want to help at this point; you are not going out in the field and you are not going to fight.  No matter how 'not special' you think you are, you are far too much of a liability and I am not exposing my people to what is definitely a fatal weakness like that.  Ever."

Then she mentioned the idea of restricting her to the camp, unable to leave or fight but still able to do something to help.  Rhys straightened up, leaning a little bit away from the desperate girl in front of him to turn and look at Lauren.  Even if Lauren was only a student, she'd gone above and beyond proving herself as a skilled healer with a sharp mind; he managed to trust her judgement, most of the time.  He raised an eyebrow at the girl, and she nodded.  The leader turned back to Gemma, eyes flaring with anger again. 

"You listen to me, Gemma Raleigh," he started, raising his voice from the quiet firmness it'd been before.  "You are not to leave the boundaries of this camp, unless we have to evacuate for some reason.  And you aren't allowed on a mission of any sort, either for fighting or for providing supplies, until I say otherwise.  I want you here, every day, helping Lauren out with the wounded.  And if I hear any complaints coming from your damn mouth, little girl, don't think that I won't just toss you out and make you fend for yourself."  The man glared at her for a minute longer, before turning on his heel and heading for the door back outside.  

[flyflymay]

[gemma-raleigh]

Bargain || Rhys & Gemma

[gemma-raleigh]

As soon as Lauren pointed at her, a slightly worried look on her face, Gemma became incredibly nervous. Whatever it was the man wanted from her it couldn’t be anything remotely good. And the way he was looking down at her only amplified that feeling. She was pretty sure that it wasn’t a remotely good thing that he knew her name already.

The look he was giving her and the tone of his voice would have been enough to send a lot of people running or cowering in fear, but what really got to her were the words he was saying. Anger boiled up inside of her, how could he judge her without even knowing her? And she stared right back at him.

“You don’t even know me. You have no idea of what I can or cannot do. You just hear the word paraplegic and that’s it, you spend no more thought on it. I’m no more a liability than the other kids here. If you hadn’t noticed, I was injured but I’m not dead. I made it out of the castle alive without anyone’s help. I can fucking take care of myself.”

She didn’t like that Rhys was still staring down on her and got to her feet in one quick and liquid move, so she could look him into the eyes.

“And quite contrary to a lot of other people around here, who simply don’t like the Old Guard or think that it might be a good idea if muggles know about us, I have an actual reason to be here and to fight for that. I won’t back out when things get rough. Because I have actually something to lose or gain here. So you might think this through again, before you call me a liability.”

She was standing directly in front of Rhys glaring at him equally determined than he was. The others in the hut were all staring at them by now, but Gemma didn’t care if they heard or knew. She was aware that in sake of everyone’s safety the others would have to know anyway.

[rhyswarrens]

As soon as she looked up him, Rhys knew she'd be angry about what he was saying.  Who wouldn't be?  But the truth was, he'd take her being angry over her possibly endangering someone's life on a future mission.  And then she opened her mouth and started arguing with him, and Rhys knew he'd have his hands full with this girl.  He let her yell at him about not being a liability despite her paraplegic status, let her berate him about his thought process, even let her stand right in front of him, staring him down.  When she spoke about others' motivations for being here with the Truthbringers, though, Rhys couldn't let her talk any further.  

"Look, Gemma, you aren't the only person who has something to lose here.  You think these people made their choice lightly?  Look around you, little girl.  This isn't some fancy hotel in the middle of London.  Everyone here, every single person, is now a fugitive," he growled, drawing himself up to his full six feet, towering over the blonde girl in front of him.  "It doesn't matter what it is they have to lose - whether it's their home, their family, their fucking broom, for all I care - it's still something to lose.  So don't think just because you won't be able to walk in the Muggle world makes you so damn special, or doesn't make you a liability in my eyes."

He stopped to let that sink in, not giving a damn about how his speech made her feel.  He wasn't here to sugarcoat this and make her happy; this was the real world now, one where no one would be there to correct her mistakes if she cast a spell wrong.  Here, one wrong spell could literally be the difference between life or death, and he wasn't going to watch someone die carrying this idiot to safety.  

"And whether you think so or not, you are a liability.  I don't think you're thinking about what happens if your spell fails during a mission.  Or, if they somehow figure out a way to end the spell allowing you to walk."  His voice was soft, but deadly firm; he wouldn't stop until she realized what a mistake it would be to let her out on missions.  "Someone would either have to stop and fix that, or carry you out of there; using up time they wouldn't have.  Using up energy that could be better spent protecting the others in the group."  Rhys leaned close, eyes boring into hers, and all but hissed at her, "I don't care if you won't back down.  Good on you for that.  What I do care about is your ability to keep moving if I send you on missions, and right now that's something I can't depend on."

[spider-mann]

[gemma-raleigh]

Bargain || Rhys & Gemma

Gemma had to stay in the hut turned hospital for two nights, and on top of that she had to lie still except when she needed to go to the bathroom. Her mood sure wasn’t improving. She wanted to be out of there, she wanted to help, wanted to do something. And instead she was lying on a cot, that wasn’t even remotely comfortable, and could do nothing. Nothing but wait that Lauren came to check on her, or Remy would stop by to interrupt her boredom for a little while. Everyone else was busy, there was so much to do, so of course no one had the time to come for a visit; most people didn’t even know that she was lying here.

Lauren had been pretty angry with her that she hadn’t come to see her sooner and Gemma was sure the only reason she had to stay two nights was so Lauren could teach her a lesson. Gemma liked the former headgirl anyway, she knew what she was doing and she had her patched up quickly. And she was easy to talk to, if she had the time to talk, because a lot of people were injured way worse than Gemma. So Gemma spent actually a lot of her time watching Lauren do healer things. There wasn’t much else she could do and she always wanted to be a healer herself, so this was a chance she wouldn’t pass up.

And she decided that this was the place she wanted to be, as long as she wasn’t confined to a bed at least. She could learn lots of useful things from Lauren and be a help around her. Lauren was already a gifted healer, but she wouldn’t be able to do it all on her own.

But then on her second day something unexpected happened. Rhys Warrens himself entered the hut and he was obviously looking for someone. Because he went straight to Lauren who then pointed at … her.

[rhyswarrens]

Having so many students chattering and hanging around what used to be Rhys' solitary spot in the middle of nowhere was unnerving for the man, and ended up making him all the moodier for it.  He didn't like being around people, let alone the sheer amount that had followed him and Lane out to the highlands to hide from both the nagas and the wizards of the Old Guard.  So, other than occasionally popping into his former cabin to check on some of the more seriously wounded - like Randall and the young boy he'd defended - Rhys was usually found patrolling the borders he'd set up as soon as the first group had arrived, strengthening the wards and making sure no one had followed them.  

That's where the professor found him, stalking through the forest next to the campsite muttering spells under his breath as he went.  The smaller, more timid man cleared his throat, and Rhys whipped around with his wand leveled at the professor's chest.  After a moment, however, he lowered it; the man wasn't a threat to him, and it looked like he just wanted to talk about something.  Why, Rhys didn't know, but he'd listen in case it was something important.  Which, as it turned out, it was; the professor had come to inform him of a possible liability to the Truthbringers in case they needed to run or escape the clutches of the Old Guard.  He also told Rhys where to find this girl; he'd passed by her on every trip to check up on Randall in the cabin.  

This girl was going to be a liability, even if she did have a spell that would allow her to walk.  What happened if that spell failed while she was on a mission?  She'd just slow them down by forcing someone to either cast the spell again, or even carry the girl.  And so it was that he found himself entering the cabin again, this time looking for an injured girl rather than Randall or the young Gryffindor.  He asked the Hufflepuff who'd been running the field infirmary where this girl was, making his way over to the bed she'd pointed to with a frown already on his face.

"Gemma Raleigh," he stated, crossing his arms and glaring down at the blonde girl.  In an even darker voice, he continued, "You're a paraplegic.  Which makes you a liability to us if we need to run."  He knew he was being overly blunt, but he wasn't about to sugarcoat her situation for her.  

[sinrosetros]

[cecilycar]

Lend a Hand || Cecily & Rhys

[cecilycar]

Cecily watched as he held his wand up again, taking a slow step back, “Look, I hardly talk to my mother and when I do it’s letters from her telling me more than the papers allow and asking how I am doing… Plus I doubt she’ll be talking to me much since I’m on your side, not hers.” Cecily didn’t mean to sound as forceful as she did. She just wanted to get her point across, but then maybe force was the only way to get this guy to understand. She let out a small sigh as he lowered his wand and looked up at him, seeing that her request caught a bit of his attention. “The Ministry wasn’t completely destroyed,” she said, mimicking his tone, “I just want to know if you can find out if they’re still there. And if they are then either get them for me or tell me how to do it myself. I just want to find my brother, okay?” Cecily didn’t think he’d go for it, he’d already shown that he didn’t care, he pulled his wand on a defenseless seventeen year old in fear of her family who is no where near them. All he cared about was his cause and she was ready to turn away in defeat. 

[rhyswarrens]

Rhys frowned, just listening to the girl talk.  Even though her tone was beyond disrespectful, Rhys could tell that she was genuinely driven by this need to find the birth records.  He didn't understand why - they were at the start of a damn war, who cared about the birth records from a specific year at this point? - but something about this girl caught his attention.  It wasn't just that she was a Carroll, it was more the fact that she had the gall to stand up and throw his words right back in his face.  "Just about destroyed," he retorted, crossing his arms and squaring off to face her.  Then she dropped the bombshell; she was looking for her brother.  "Your brother?" he asked, tone disbelieving.  "Why do you want to find your - why do you need to find your brother?"  Her belief that he'd do that much for someone he barely knew, let alone trusted, was unfounded and ridiculous, but the fact that she was going to do it with or without his help was still clear.  "Look, I don't trust you-" he started, blunt as always, "-but the records are usually found near the Minister's office.  Which, for your information, is destroyed."

[captainthoechlin-blog]

[cecilycar]

Lend a Hand || Cecily & Rhys

[cecilycar]

As Rhys turned and drew his wand Cecily let out a gasp as she quickly stepped back, fear written across her face as she began rethinking her decision on going to him for this. The tone of his voice as he said her mother’s name gave her the impression that the Carroll name wouldn’t be welcomed around here and she wondered how’d she’d ever get people to trust her if they got the wrong idea about her being on the opposite side of her parents. “Yes, Gwendoline Carroll is my mother,” she said with some uncertainty, wondering if this was something she should admit to. The last thing Cecily wanted was for her name to hold her back from achieving anything on this side and she couldn’t stop herself from fidgeting in her place as she worried about what Rhys would think of her, now that he knew who she was, and the wand pointed at her wasn’t helping. “I have no contact with her at all,” she said quickly, trying to separate herself from her mother before he got the wrong idea. “I was wondering if you could possibly get ahold of the birth records from a certain year… or if you know how I could go about getting them myself. I’m looking for someone.” 

[rhyswarrens]

Rhys lowered his wand once he noticed the girl was nervous, but didn't put it away just yet.  Even if she seemed genuinely surprised by his reaction, she still might be planning something of her own.  His eyes narrowed as she confirmed what he'd been wondering; one of the leaders of the Old Guard was, indeed, her mother, which automatically made this girl extremely dangerous.  "Just because you don't have contact with her now doesn't mean you won't later on," he said quietly, wand starting to raise again.  The man froze, however, when she started going on about birth records and looking for someone.  Why would this girl want to be looking for someone?  From what he heard, the Carroll's had everything they wanted, so why did this girl need to find the birth records for a certain year?  "Those are at the Ministry," he started, raising an eyebrow as he finally lowered his wand.  "The destroyed Ministry."

[rhyswarrens]

Hatred Never Falters || Rhys & Norwood

[maximillian-norwood-deactivated]

Norwood was well aware of the reason Rhys was pushing him and it gave him a certain delight to see him protecting the other fugitives. Maybe this wasn’t the time to finish his work on Randall. The boy looked like he was knocking on death’s door as it was and the ginger was overly dramatic in his obvious care for him. If the boy made it through, Norwood was sure he could think up more interesting plans than using curses on him in an office. The world was his oyster now, after all.  He was concentrating on sending the birds flying when Rhys shot out a disarming spell, which Norwood almost took. His wand wavered in his hand but he managed to catch it. “That all you got, Warrens?” he asked, his tongue lapping over his lips, taking joy in the altercation. He moved his wand then, pointing it toward the students at the floor, practically daring the other male to push him. “Wouldn’t want the innocent students to get hurt, would you?” he mused, although innocent sure as hell didn’t fit Randall or his little boyfriend, not in Norwood’s mind.

[rhyswarrens]

Rhys bared his teeth in a wordless snarl when Norwood held onto his wand.  The move had been a slightly desperate one; he'd known all along that the man wouldn't be disarmed by something as simple as a mere Expelliarmus.  What it really was was an attempt to keep the other man off balance, keep him on his toes as Rhys tried to think through his options.  When the Ministry official pointed his wand at Randall instead of at him, Rhys stepped forward again, wand leveled at Norwood's chest.  "You know that's not all I have, Max," he commented, frowning in concentration as he moved even closer to the other man.  He could hear the Hufflepuff behind him whispering sweet nothings into Randall's hair, and shook his head.  "Flipendo!" he shouted, flicking his wand as he did so.  Hopefully he'd hit the other man and knock him away, at least for a little bit.  "I told you, leave him alone," Rhys growled, advancing on Norwood once again, his free hand clenched into a fist.

[cecilycar]

Lend a Hand || Cecily & Rhys

Cecily stood up from her sleeping bag and stepped out of the stuffy tent and into the fresh air, she had been thinking all day about where to start and finally made a decision. She started walking around the grounds, looking around groups of people and glancing in any open tents hoping to find the scruffy man that was Rhys Warrens. He was the one in charge of this whole ordeal and she was hoping that he could possibly lend a helping hand, or at least point her in the right direction. Cecily didn’t expect much, hearing talk about the man and how he didn’t take a liking to other people, let alone helping them, she still thought it wouldn’t hurt to ask. The worse that could happen was that he’d say no, if that at all. She turned a corner around of group of tents when she spotted the tall figure ahead, quickening her pace a bit to catch up.  “Rhys Warrens,” she called as she stopped just behind him, “I’m Cecily Carroll… can I ask you a question-or favor?” She stared up at the man, hoping that now was an okay time for him to be bothered by some pathetic student.

[rhyswarrens]

Rhys had been extremely busy that morning, especially now that he had students and teachers invading his normally peaceful hiding spot in the highlands.  He hadn't even been able to escape to his cabin, seeing as that had been taken over by the seriously injured, like Randall and the young boy he'd been protecting.  The sixth year hadn't woken up yet, and though Rhys wouldn't admit it even to Lane, the man was worried.  Which was why he found himself pacing the perimeter of the field of tents and hammocks that had been set up, strengthening the wards that would at least try to keep them hidden from Norwood and his followers.  He wasn't expecting anyone to come up behind him, so when a young woman's voice called out his name, he whirled, wand pointed straight at her and a dark frown on his face.  "Carroll... as in Gwendoline Carroll's daughter?" he asked, distrust colouring every word.  "What do you want?"  If the girl was really who he thought she was, Rhys knew he had to be careful.  She might be passing on everything he said to the Old Guard.

[rhyswarrens]

Wayward Son || Rhys & Holden

[holdenanders-deactivated2014092]

Holden shot off the spell and waited. He wasn’t sure that he expected anything of it but he wasn’t sure he didn’t either. The idea that he could lose Randall weighed heavy on him and it wasn’t something he was willing to accept. There had to be an answer. He’d shoot out every healing spell he’d ever heard if he had to – but Randall wasn’t allowed to die today. After everything they’d been through with the Ministry and the basilisks, Holden couldn’t even fathom what might happen. It couldn’t. It was surreal to begin with. Amelia was his friend and she’d left him bleeding out all over the hallways, a casualty of a war.

Because that’s what this was now. It was a war. It was a war between students. It was a war between adults somewhere out in the world. The entire landscape was falling apart and Holden could not lose the one thing that made him sane. The mere thought had a horrible shudder run through him.

He’d watched as his patronus had ran off into the hallways and out the door. He wasn’t sure who would see it, if anyone. He was still amazed that his Shetland pony patronus had manifested as anything but. His patronus was Randall’s now and it was fitting but it was also heartbreaking. No, this would not be the day his dark haired angel laid down his life for someone else. Today would be the day he was the hero he kept saying he wasn’t.

The hero Holden knew he was, had always known he was. The hero he deserved to be praised for when all was said and done.

Holden wasn’t looking up when Rhys showed up, his head was down and he was whispering sweet nothings into a body that was no longer replying. Blood soaked Randall’s t-shirt and his face was a colour that reminded Holden of nothing good. This wasn’t happening. It could not be happening. Not now, not ever. Not after Holden had admitted every last dream he’d had for their future. He couldn’t give it all up.

That’s when Holden heard someone speaking and looked up, his eyes filled with tears. He was confused for a moment and then he realized who he was looking at. “You,” he said, not realizing that the male was trying to help until he took a moment to pull one of his hands up, brushing it through his hair. It was a nervous tic and one that wasn’t endearing right now. His hands were coated in Randall’s blood and flecks of it painted his already auburn hair as he brushed his hands through it.

“Help him?” he asked, in a tone that conveyed the fact that he wasn’t sure he wanted his help. At the same time, he wasn’t about to sit here and be so stubborn the one person he loved was threatened because of it. “It was – she cast – I’d never heard of it before but I’ll never forget the words she said.”

He breathed out, staring down at Randall’s face as he spoke, pretending he was speaking the words to him, not Rhys. Not the man who was the cause of all of this. The man who had caused Randall to be taken into custody to begin with.

“Sectumsempra,” he mouthed, “That’s what she – she said,” he finished. “So can you help him?” he asked, a pleading tone taking over as he looked up finally, his blue eyes tinged in red. “Because he needs help now. He’s – he’s not going to –“ he said, not even able to finish speaking before tears overtook him again.

[rhyswarrens]

It wasn't hard to tell that they had to act fast to do anything to help Randall; everything about him was ringing alarm bells in Rhys' head, from the extremely laboured breathing to the sickly pale colour of his skin.  However, the boy holding the injured Gryffindor seemed too far gone in shock and tears to do much to help him save the boy in front of them.  He seemed to be whispering something to Randall, something too quiet to be audible other than a murmuring noise, but already Rhys was picking up clues as to who this kid might be.  Obviously, considering he'd stayed with Randall after the boy had passed out, the boy cared for the Gryffindor quite a bit.  Not to mention, now that Rhys was scrutinizing the Hufflepuff, the clearly visible hickey high up on the boy's neck, just under his ear.  He let out a rough sigh, settling back on his heels as he knelt in the slowly growing pool of Randall's blood.  Now, on top of dealing with an already stressful situation, he also had to deal with a seriously emotional... boyfriend?  Whatever this boy was to Randall, he supposed.

Then the Hufflepuff looked up, pinning Rhys with tear-filled blue eyes, and he realized the boy knew exactly who he was and how he knew Randall.  He could see it in the way distrust flared up in his eyes as soon as the confusion had disappeared, and honestly, Rhys wasn't that surprised.  The Ministry and the Daily Prophet had done a wonderful job of painting him as a horrible, dangerous man who'd attack with no warning or provocation, when it was really pretty far from the truth.  So he understood that the boy wouldn't exactly trust him, especially with Randall in the state he was now.  Rhys watched as the boy reached up and stroked a bloody hand through his own hair, slicking it back with the red liquid, just nodding.  As the boy struggled to remember what spell had been used on Randall, Rhys pulled his wand out, running through the few healing spells he did know as he looked over the crumpled body of the boy he'd never admit he respected.

"Sectumsempra?" he asked, the name of the spell vaguely familiar, as he glanced up at the Hufflepuff with a raised eyebrow.  He'd heard the name of the spell once before, he was sure of it.  And he'd looked up the counter to it as well, it was just a matter of remembering it.  He was cut off from remembering it, however, when the boy in front of him burst into a fresh wave of sobs again.  The man watched with widened eyes, nodding slightly at the boy's request as he frantically racked his mind for the incantation that would heal Randall's wounds and calm the distraught boy in front of him.  "Look-" he started, making eye contact with the Hufflepuff, "-before I can fix this I gotta take a closer look at this whole thing, yeah?"  He waved a hand in Randall's direction, hoping the other boy would understand what he meant.  That said, Rhys moved closer and tried to lift the unconscious Gryffindor away from the ginger haired boy, grunting with the effort as the teary-eyed Hufflepuff fought against the movement.  "Calm down," Rhys grumbled, persisting against the boy's struggles even as a nearly inaudible whimper fell from Randall's lips.  "I'm just trying to help, calm down."

Once Randall was lying flat on the ground, blood soaking into his hair and getting all over his arms, Rhys knew he had to come up with the counter and fast.  That's when it clicked in the back of his mind - he'd come upon the spell and its counter in a book he and Lane had been reading years ago, when they first became friends.  Quickly pointing his wand at the boy's bloody, mangled chest, Rhys almost breathed the incantation, clinging to the hope that he'd remembered the right one.  "Vulnera Sanentur," he said, watching as the bleeding eased and stopped.  He repeated it, remembering something about how it needed to be repeated over and over again - this time, the skin began to stitch itself together, the gashes starting to close.  Randall made another quiet noise, and Rhys' eyes flickered up to take in the boy's face to make sure he was still unconscious.  The only change, however, was his breathing; it slowly eased off as the wounds closed, deepening into the slow, even breaths associated with unconsciousness.  

A sigh escaped the man then, and he looked back over at the boy still kneeling on the ground.  "He should be fine now," he informed the Hufflepuff, placing his wand back in his pocket.  "Look, what's your name, kid?  You know who I am, but, well, I don't know you."

[rhyswarrens]

Hatred Never Falters || Rhys & Norwood

[maximillian-norwood-deactivated]

Maximillian watched the male in his evident discomfort. The sight of it was refreshing. They’d spent weeks, months, looking for the male and while Maximillian had no doubt he was off hiding in some bit of forest like the animal he clearly was – they hadn’t found him and that part miffed the slightly shorter had managed to give them the slip. “Not real surprised,” he managed to say, his wand held up in front of him. “You seem to enjoy causing chaos, Rhys Warrens.” When Rhys spit out Maximillian’s first name and not just that but a nickname, the male felt a flicker of anger shoot through him. “You don’t get to use that name,” he spat out, his wand flourishing in the air in a quick motion. A spell flew out of his wand, a simple stinging spell that he shot toward the dark haired male’s face. He knew Rhys was waiting for it and immediately shot out another, this one headed for his chest. “I’m Mr. Norwood to you, son.” The spell shot a stream of birds from his wand which were set to attack the male on the chest. It was a signature move, one connected to his patronus. Even in battle, Norwood was the type to be classy, not messy and random.

[rhyswarrens]

Rhys felt his grin widen as Norwood got angry, a split second before it fell away to be replaced by a set, focused look.  He flicked his wand almost at the same time as the other man did, though his spell wasn't offensive.  "Who does get to use that name, then?" he growled, before swatting at the birds flying at his chest with his free hand.  It wasn't like they hurt or anything, they were just extremely annoying and hard to ignore.  Finally, exasperated by their tiny beaks, Rhys shot a spell at the birds themselves, a gust of wind aimed at just getting them away from him.  The birds taken care of, he turned his attention back to the man in front of him, running through his repertoire of spells in the back of his mind.  As much as he wanted to seriously injure the man, all he really needed to do was keep Norwood at bay until he could think of some way to get Randall out so he could finish healing him.  Finally, he settled on the simplest spell he could think of, shooting it straight at the animagus' wand in an attempt to knock it out of the man's hand.

[suchasugarcube-deactivated20140]