The Wilborough Helpers Association [IC] [Potterverse]

[Banana-senpai]

[spoili]wip[/spoili]
Although gardening was particularly challenging for Sylvester, he and Michelle made a fairly good team with it. Under her patient and careful instruction, Sylvester managed to get his part of the job done, although she ended up doing much more of the work. He steered clear of the Devil's Snare and they both left the grumpy looking gnomes wherever they were. Michelle excused herself while Sylvester continued with the little creatures. When he had turned to face her, she was gone and he felt stupid.

"See, you guys?" he said to the gnomes with a wistful sigh. "Don't mess the garden much, now. Just stay in the mini-garden I made." He ushered them away to a small and secluded corner of the garden.

Sylvester went back to the shed and arranged the tools in their proper slots. He can do that much, at least. He went outside and stretched, a little exhausted from having to be crumpled into a squatting position for a long time. He flexed his arms and flapped them until they became wings, the rest of his body shrunk and grew feathers until he was back into being an owl. He flew straight up and circled about, admiring the clean look of the garden before flying right back into his room, or attempting to...since his spell earlier also closed his window. He collided on the glass with an obnoxious thud and landed on the bushes on the ground. He recovered, cursing his disobedience to Dorothy and tried again, this time he flew into another room and transformed in midair, landing almost perfectly on his feet, feeling pretty good about himself. He went to his room to tidy up, returning to using magic. Cleaned from dirt, soil and the smell of earth, Sylvester put on a trench coat and took his bag of things to get repaired. He didn't look like the clumsy and weird animal lover but more like a professional magical creatures expert when he put on his father's coat.

He got out in time to see Dorothy opening doors and Michelle coming out of her room, looking tired. "Everyone enjoys garden duty," Dorothy said which made Sylvester nod happily, unaware of her sarcasm."I'll take care of this week's groceries, ma'am." he volunteered, knowing he didn't have much to do anyway.

"Don't forget your bags - I'm looking at you, Sylvester - always very important, even if it's not a mission..." Dorothy must be referring to a past mission where he completely forgot all his tools, but Sylvester was too excited to notice. He looked at his friends and smiled to the new members as Dorothy briefed them about the nearby village. If there was anything he needed, he would drop by Diagon Alley to visit his parents as well, and he didn't exactly like Mary-Anne's strange way of talking to him and calling him things like 'Handsome'. He knew she was just bullying him. What he didn't like even more than her was Portkeys.

After feeling like he was stuffed into a tube and shaken in all directions, a lovely scent filled his nostrils while his eyes adjusted to the warm spring sunlight. He froze when he realized that Amarisse's head was resting comfortably on his shoulders but the dead weight on his body was Luke's. He managed to move again when everyone was on their feet and his image of being a cool expert was gone completely with what was left of his ego.

Dorothy briefly oriented them on their schedule. Emily and Michelle went with her even before Sylvester could get up so he turned to the other three. "I'm buying groceries and dropping by Dervish and Banges. I don't really have much else to do. I'll see you later, I suppose. " Being the eldest and also the one with least solo tasks (Luke and Amarisse sometimes had things to do by themselves), Sylvester took it upon himself to do groceries and repair jobs, hoping it would make up for him breaking most of the things to begin with.

As always, he barely talked to strangers. He had a calm little smile to disguise his inner turmoil. Sometimes, Sylvester gets overly conscious of his words and actions when he's in public. He feels like the smallest mistake would offend people. He dropped off the instruments that needed fixing first. He put the bag on the counter and placed the money bag beside it. "Madame Dorothy would like to have these fixed within the week. She would like you to keep the change, too." Sylvester secretly celebrated not stuttering then he left as quickly as he came. It wasn't the first time he's had to drop a bag of broken things there. He's broken magical instruments of nearly every member that ever joined. He picked up some food and other home necessities at the Magic Neep in the same way. Dorothy usually sent the shop a list so that all that has to be done was to pick them up.

He didn't mind being the earliest, he noticed that it only took him twenty minutes to finish. He walked back by himself, peeking in the package for the third time in a row to make sure the groceries were complete. He peered into some of the shops as he passed them by, smiling at the cheery activity he doesn't see often. He stopped himself from buying absolutely unnecessary Quidditch gear since he hasn't played in years. He walked on, biting his lip thoughtfully as he got to the intersection.

 

[Ythania]

Regardless of what the Helpers were up to, a sudden rumour swept along Hogsmeade like wildfire. "Did you hear?" asked one old witch to the other. "Yes, yes, I did! In the Three Broomsticks too!" the gaunt witch replied, hurrying down the cobbled pathway towards the Three Broomsticks where a gently increasing crowd of people were gathering. Dorothy seemed as peaceful and relaxed as ever as she gently pushed her way through the audience to the front door. A couple of ministry wizards stood guard.

"Table for...I believe seven? Perhaps more. I didn't make a reservation." Dorothy inquired politely. She knew damn well that the two wizards were not part of the bar staff, but the look of shock and then disgust on their faces was oh so delightful. For the greenies, this was most likely their first and freshest example of Dorothy's sass, but the Regulars knew that Dorothy and the Ministry didn't quite see eye to eye anymore. One of the wizards in a thick leather jacket took a step towards Dorothy and held out a commanding hand in front of her.

"Apologies madam, but this establishment is closed until the problem is resolved. Please take your business elsewhere." grunted the ministry wizard curtly. He flinched shortly afterwards, but it was uncertain whether or not this was due to the sudden loud crash and groan from within the tavern, or the icy glare that emanated from the dark and inscrutable eyes of the old woman stood before him. The door burst open (the crowd assembled gasped in unison) as a bruised and teary-faced Madam Rosmerta stumbled out, clutching at her wand with one hand and her elbow with the other.

"Trouble in the kitchen, dearie?" asked Dorothy, leaning to the side and utterly ignoring the flabbergasted ministry wizard who blocked her way. The other wizard seemed much nicer; he tended to Rosmerta's bruises with some quick healing spells and tried to help settle the landlady's nerves by offering her the hip flask that he really shouldn't have when he's on duty. Rosmerta was covered in some form of liquid, which smelt like ale, and several splinters of wood jutted out of her clothes and hair.

"Oh, Dorothy! It's horrible, just horrible!" wailed Rosmerta, sweeping over to the wrinkled woman and taking her shoulders. "Gerald's always been so complacent and kept the cellars clean, but he's gone mad! Someone's done something to him, I know it!" The grumpy ministry wizard rolled his eyes, strolling forward. "Rosmerta, we've checked him over, there's nothing wrong with him," he assured her wearily, perhaps for the umpteenth time since this scene broke out. Rosmerta took on a look of outrage, raising herself to her full height.

"Do you doubt my knowledge when it comes to Gerald, Samson?" she asked threateningly. Dorothy watched the argument nonchalantly, like it was a vaguely interesting tennis match. The wizard known as Samson seemed to shrink ever-so-slightly at the full height, girth, and bust of the voluptuous innkeeper. "He's been cursed, or hexed, I am certain! You just want to k-kill him because he's no longer useful!"

A ripple of mutters and whispers broke out amongst the crowd, condemning the ministry for such ruthlessness. Dorothy had to hide the growing smirk on her face at the melodrama. "If I may be so rude as to interrupt..." she started. A subtle nod from Rosmerta was all she needed as she talked over Samson. "I have a new team of young'uns who need a bit of a trial by fire, why don't we strike up a deal? We'll fix Gerald for you, and then we can have a nice lunch in return."

Rosmerta mulled it over for a few seconds before nodding. As she did so, another crash and a roar ripped through the open door of the Three Broomsticks - a couple of ministry witches were indoors barricading the entrance to the back of the tavern, where the kitchen and the cellars were, by putting up charms and shields. "But for heaven's sake, don't kill him! I need him!" cried Rosmerta, Dorothy held up both hands defensively, putting on that disarmingly sweet old lady smile. "Honestly, you think I'd be able to kill Gerald at this ripe old age? Just leave it to me and my Helpers, we'll sort it right out."

She didn't even need to look behind her, Dorothy knew that the Regulars were attracted to trouble like moths to a flame and would've pressured the impressionable new folk into following. She knew for certain that Michelle and Emily were beside her so she simply called over her shoulder "Alright everyone, get out of your hiding places and into the tavern, we'll talk over a plan once you're all accounted for. Luke, be a dear and make sure we haven't got any stragglers, will you? Thank you sweetie. And, eh, Samson...shouldn't you be dealing with this crowd?" Her speech sounded polite and had the tremble of an elderly woman but the amount of authority and force behind her orders was, at the very least, impressive; at most, almost intimidating. She brushed off the irritated ministry wizard like a particularly large and annoying fly as she shuffled her way into the tavern and took a seat on one of the cushioned bar stools, taking out her bag and rifling through it. The tranquillity on Dorothy's face was sharply juxtaposed by another shuddering bang against the door and the worried glances that the ministry witches outside of it shared.

 

[Jessikka]

Emily peered at Michelle as she decided to join her and Granny Wilber. She offered a sweet smile as Michelle approached. She stopped her strumming as Michelle spoke. Her eyes lit up at the mention of the Harp. "Oh! I've always wanted to play a harp! They're so pretty but there's so many strings... I could never keep up - That's why I'm learning this here Ukelele. Four strings, like the Violin!" Emily spotted that Michelle was feeling a little awkward, but somehow she didn't feel that way herself. She was often nervous but she knew from experience that Michelle was good and nice, so she didn't... Have to feel nervous? It was difficult to explain. "And I just like the happy sound it makes, the ukulele, that is. It's just got such a nice sound to it." she nodded, smiling to herself. Talking and thinking about instruments always made her happy. While she was swept away into her thoughts about music, the sound of Michelle talking again brought her back with a start. "Forgive you? I was just as bad - and I wasn't even employed! Not really, haha! I guess I just assumed we drifted apart and I didn't fancy bothering you. No hard feelings, we both got swept away by the craziness of life but my mum always said: If it's meant to be, you'll find them again." she paused and tapped her chin lightly with a finger. "She was talking about love interests, but I'm sure it applies to friends too!" she smiled at Michelle and, fuelled by excited giddiness, attempted to hug Michelle as ways of patching up the strange distance that had grown between them in their time apart. "Good to see you again, Mishy!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~​

Emily wrung her hands as she followed the path Granny Wilber casually cut through the crowd. Rumours floated above her head, various voices carried upon the winds that tousled her hair. She wasn't sure what they were talking about but whatever it was, Granny Wilber was making a bee-line for it. In fact it was where she'd said they'd meet up for lunch, though somehow she didn't think Granny chose the Three Broomsticks for a nice lunch this time... She peered over her Granny's shoulder at the ministry guards, who to her seemed rather intimidating, though Granny talked to them with ease. She knew that the guards did not bother Dorothy, nor did their attempts at asserting authority over her, Emily peered at the commanding hand that was shoved in Granny Wilber's face. Shortly after the guard flinched away and a woman stumbled out of the establishment. Emily gasped and stepped forward to comfort the woman, though a guard had pulled her aside and began dealing with her wounds. She retracted her hand quickly.

"Trouble in the kitchen dearie?" Dorothy had said. Emily peered at Granny Wilber, stunned at how blasé she was being toward the injured woman. The self same woman began wailing about 'Gerald', another wizard..? Whoever Gerald was, he was causing an issue... Clearly. Emily felt a little bad for the woman but as soon as the ministry guard spoke out of order the woman, Rosmerta, stood tall and looked furious. Even though she was not at the wrong end of Rosmerta's anger, she felt herself shrink back a little. A truly scary sight... - Well that is unless you get Granny Wilber mad. Nothing could compete. Speaking of - Granny spoke up - suggesting what appeared to be a sacrifice to Gerald. Or at least it felt that way. As the only official fighter, she felt a little targeted as Granny Wilber offered them forward to help. Could she even help? What if she was the worst fighter in the helpers? That would be awfully embarrassing... As she stood there and allowed the scared thoughts to buzz in her mind, she blanched and gripped her hands so tight the knuckles went white. The speaking between Granny and Rosmerta flew right over her head, far too distracted by her own thoughts to notice the conversation anyway.

Emily was snapped out her thoughts by Granny's call into the town. She jumped and involuntarily "eep'd" but the snap back to reality was at least slightly more calming than left mulling over all the things that could go wrong. For the crowds sake, who started to mumble things like 'Is she okay?' and 'She looks like she's about to feint...' she straightened up and took a steady breath in. She'd force calmness on herself if it wasn't going to come willingly. She raised her head and followed Granny Wilber inside. As soon as she was out of public view, she stumbled over to the bar and doubled over it. Her hands were shaking, she was worried that she'd signed up for fighting, yet she'd not fought anything -real-. Nothing outside of school walls at least. There it was all controlled, nothing could go wrong but here? She jumped again at the loud bang and a whimper escaped her mouth "Granny - I don't like this.." she mumbled. She felt embarrassed for being so scared but she couldn't help it.

Spotting Granny Wilber shifting through her bag, Emily slung her own bag off her shoulder and onto the bar. Giving herself something to do would calm her... She swung the Ukulele off her back and stuffed it into her bag, popped a mint into her mouth and retrieved a glimmering gold-engraved mahogany wand-box with a clasp. It looked sturdy but even so there were some scratches on the beautiful surface, tarnishing the stunning vine and leaf gold embellishing. She clicked it open and pulled out an 11 inch walnut wood wand, with a sturdy handle decorated witch similar plant-like engravings along the entire length of it. She shoved the box away and looked around, spilled drinks and left food, along with some toppled chairs and tables were scattered around. She shivered, it looked like a post-apocalyptic scene, eerily empty. At least it wasn't quiet, the hum of the crowd was carried inside and the thud of the problem below was ever-present. "I guess... I'm ready."

 

[Kythera]

Hana Beckett - Charms Expert

​

Bags, right... what had she done with her bag? Hana flicked her wand at the stairs. "Accio bag!" she said. A door opened and closed from somewhere above, and a moment later a black leather bag studded with silver spikes drifted toward her. "Ready!" she called, hurrying out back after the rest of the group. She wondered vaguely if Dorothy had a tick as she watched her tap every post on the picket fence as they passed. Listening to Dorothy's speech with a raised eyebrow, she silently agreed that Apparating to Diagon Alley sounded MUCH easier.

At Dorothy's prompt, she reached out and pressed a finger to the football. Almost immediately she felt a yanking from her middle, as if someone had hooked a giant fishhook around her waist and was pulling her forward. They spun and whooshed through the vortex until Hana felt like she was surely going to be sick. Just when she thought she could take it no more, they landed. Hana stumbled back a few steps, but managed to stay on her feet. Most of the others seemed to have toppled over in a pile, though.

Hana's face fell a little at Dorothy's caution about Zonko's, so instead she decided to head to Scrivenshaft's to refill her ink supply. She also found a quill that was spelled to remember what it had written or drawn previously, and repeat it verbatim, and she couldn't resist purchasing it, though it was a bit extravagant. She checked the clock in the square as she left the shop, and saw that she still had a little time before lunch, so she decided to stop by Honeydukes on her way to the Three Broomsticks. It was inside Honeydukes that she became aware of an awful lot of loud whispering. Groups of witches and wizards all over the store were sharing some apparently thrilling gossip. Hana positioned herself close to one group to listen in.

"-got guards outside the doors, won't let anyone in!"

"I walked past earlier and heard a dreadful racket! I could hear Madam Rosmerta screaming from all the way down the street!"

Hana's ears perked up. Trouble at the Three Broomsticks? Perhaps this would be a more interesting lunch after all. She quickly replaced the candies she had been browsing and hurried from the shop, making a beeline for the pub. Dorothy was already there, apparently antagonising the Ministry guards stationed out front. There were loud bangs and growls issuing from inside the pub. Hana squeezed her way through the crowd to stand behind Dorothy just as Madam Rosmerta burst forth from the door. She tried to peek into the tavern before the door slammed shut again, but she couldn't see anything.

She had to stifle a laugh when Dorothy disclaimed any ability to kill Gerald. She was quickly getting the impression that Dorothy COULD do whatever she wanted. Another loud bang from inside wiped the grin from her face. They had serious work to do. And about time, too. "I'm ready, too," she said, voice steady and wand at the ready.​

 

[Boss Megu]

Amarisse gave Hana a bright smile as she arrive, but winced and quickly looked away when the other girl gave her a dark look. Walking away, she sat herself near Madame Wilborough, away from the girl, but still close enough to see the stairs. She dejectedly rubbed the back of her neck as she looked anywhere but the other girl. Emily came in and left just as quickly. A loud thump on made Ama look up in concern and really looked. Ama stared at Sylvester just smiling there, looking not like his usual self. Well, he always tends to wear that white coat of his when he goes out, but Ama couldn't help but look and maybe, well, stare. A fact that Madame Wilborough never lets her down.

She looked away from...well, her staring at Syl, a blush rising from her cheeks and rushed up as Madame did, to grab her bag. How could she forget to bring her bag, she'll never know. Hopefully, no one will notice she was staring at Syl and blushing. She entered her room, the one closest to the stairs and grabbed her bag, featherlight runes were carved into the leather and of course, the wizarding space charm? Spell? Ama still wasn't sure what to call it, but all she knew was her bag had it. Her brother gave it to her on her 22nd day of birth.

She quickly ran back out, moving away as Madame Wilborough trudge infront of her door, along bringing Michelle and Emily. She blinked at the sight and quickly followed, standing behind the group. She watched with a slight smile as Madame tapped the fences with her wand. Turning her head just so, she was able to see the rune carvings that would be invisible to those who wouldn't know they were there. But they were simply to add power to the wards that existed, the heart of the wards were only privy to Madame, despite her being their resident Curse Breaker. But Ama understands. These were hard times, if ever she was captured (magic forbid), she wouldn't want to endanger the others but giving such information, not everyone was adept at the mind arts, after all.

She listened with half an ear to what Madame was saying about the village nearby and when Mary-Anne was mentioned, her blood boiled uncontrollably. She didn't understand why. Mary-Anne was one of the few females that didn't seem to be intimidated or oddly frustrated at her. They got along fairly well too, when she went there the first time, or the times she went alone. But ever since she accompanied Syl, since he didn't want to go alone, after his first visit there, she started to absolutely detest the girl. There was absolutely no due cause. The only reason that her traitorous mind could come up with, is that she didn't appreciate how bold the other girl was her affections for Syl. Which made no bloody sense! It wasn't like she was jealous or anything! Pardon the language.

Huffing at herself, she nearly got lost in thought as Madame urged them to grab ahold of the football. She quickly reached out, finding herself across Syl, and a weird pulling sensation grabbed ahold of her and since she was able to grab the portkey at the last moment, she found herself on stomach with a loud, "Oof!". Her head cradled by Syl's body. She quickly got up, wincing at the pain from the landing that seemed to situate from every on her body. This quickly reminded her that they were suddenly lacking healers in their group. A fact that they should rectify soon.

Ama brushed all the dirt and imaginary dirt that found itself on her body and shoo-ed Luke off Syl and dragged Sylvester up, with a glare at the Luke for taking so long. And Ama was frustrated at herself. The only magical transportation she was bad at was the broom or the Knight Bus. To think she messed up her landing in front of the greenies too. Ama wanted to rage or blow something up, but Hogsmeade regulated magic. So, she couldn't go wild. Breathing in and out, Ama tried to calm herself.

Amarisse listened to Madame Wilborough as she explained their schedule and shrugged. She didn't really need anything and she had just mailed her brother her missing potion's ingredients. It wasn't as if she could simply steal them from Luke. They weren't common potion ingredients anyway. Pickled weasel? Luke definitely didn't have them in stock. It was expensive, after all, to pickle a weasel.

Ama supposes she could head to Tomes and Scrolls, to see if they her shipment of parchment and new warding book arrived yet, but quickly dismissed it. Ama shook her head and sighed. They usually send her a catalogue of anything new, or owl her that it's ready. There wasn't a need to scare the shop keepers. She was known for her beauty and her temper. She took off in one direction, leaving the rest to scramble on what to do. She'll meet Syl in Magic Neep in a few, she always found herself making sure he didn't do anything strange anyway. Plus, she just needed to collect herself. She'll be Amarisse the not-angry if she just found something to do.

As she walked around, she smiled at the festive feel of Hogsmeade and found herself moving towards Honeydukes, her anger mostly gone. Shrugging, she entered the sweets shop and took a basket, certainly glad that it wasn't filled with Hogwart students. She could shop in peace without aggravating her temper. Ama grabbed a few of her favourite sweets; such as Sugar Mice, Pepper Imps, Glacial Snow Flakes and Sugar Quills, she also made sure to grab more than a few of the chocolate frogs, Hocus Pocus Pops and Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans for everyone to share. It didn't look like it, but she had an apparent sweet tooth. If it weren't enough, she could always rush back after lunch, maybe with a few of the greenies in tow.

Smiling at the thought, she paid and rushed out quickly, realising it took her longer than usual. Walking her way to Magic Neep, she heard people talking about the Three Broomsticks, a sort of commotion was occurring. Narrowing her eyes, she couldn't abandon her curiosity and decided Sylvester was a grown man older than her, he would be fine. With that, she turned around and walked towards the pub. Along the middle of the intersection, she saw Syl in his white coat, apparently, thinking about him summoned him for real.

Rolling her eyes at him, she grabbed him by hand as she passed. "Hello, Syl," she greeted as she began to pull him towards the Three Broomsticks, not stopping from her graceful stride. "Something curious is happening at the Three Broomsticks. Hurry, Madame might be awaiting~" She added and smiled as she saw Madame Wilborough, who was beginning to enter the establishment. It looked like she was right! There was something happening, and dear Madame looks to have gotten in. How lovely!

She smiled at Syl, turning to look at him slightly. "Syl, darling. Adventure afoot!" She told him, giggling but as she approached the establishment to follow, she got stopped by an auror. "I'm afraid that civilians aren't allowed in." He told her, but he looked faintly distracted. Raising a perfect brow, she let go of Syl's hand to flick her hair from her shoulder with an unimpressed frown, unknowingly releasing her allure. "Madame Wilborough is in there. I need to be in there with her. She's my boss. Who is charge of---" She told the auror, stopped and rolled her eyes at his glazed look. Giving him a disgusted look, she huffed walked in haughtily, meeting no resistance this time as he nodded cheerfully, letting them in with problem. "Disgusting pig." she muttered as she entered, giving a short nod to Rosmerta, who was looking at her in amused confusion.

Ama saw a flash of blue, she smiled. It looks like Hana made it in too. "Syl, come on." She called as she entered the establishment. "Don't dwaddle." She added, just in time to hear Emily and Hana saying they were ready. Ama smiled at the two girls sat on chair close by Madame, folded her legs like the lady she was, and casually flicked her wand out of the holster with practice ease and smirked. "Hello, Madame. You know I was born ready." She greeted, agreeing with the two girls. "Where do you need us?" she asked for Luke, Syl and herself. They weren't new, after all. Madame made the plans based on all their strengths. Luke, Sylvester and herself were getting to be a fairly good team.

Looking at the others, Ama smirked. This was a good bonding experience. Often times, learning to act like a team was all in field experience. Which was good, as Ama was hard to befriend in normal circumstances anyway, maybe with this, they could become closer.

Amarisse narrowed her eyes as she heard groaning and some rattle and crashes, turning her attention the general location of the noise. It looks like it wasn't such a peaceful day after all. Hopefully, the lack of healers in their group wouldn't hurt them at all.

Wincing at a fairly loud crash, Ama discarded the lack of healers. She didn't think they'd get out without getting dirty, at all, and she couldn't do a the cleaning charm. She was starting to regret changing. Yeck.

 

[You]

Upon changing, Dorothy had announced it was time to leave, so Luke quickly grabbed his bag. He had decided the trip to Hogsmeade might make a good chance to try out the Vigilance Tonic he'd worked on. And with the state of the world these days, there was no telling what the Helpers might get involved in any time they left the cottage.

A hint of a smirk formed on his mouth as he caught Ama staring at Syl, again. He wasn't typically good at catching things like that, but once it had been pointed out to him, he often caught Ama showing her... fascination with Syl. He'd never dream of bringing it up to her though. The resulting conversation might end with the cottage in flames. And of course, he felt telling Syl would only make the guy more awkward. Still, with three new girls around, maybe one of them would be better equipped to broach that topic.

He let his mind wander a bit as Dorothy filled in the newcomers on entering and leaving the cottage, as well as the refresher on Portkey use. He couldn't help but be concerned by the use of a football, however. He knew for a fact that as a Muggle child, he would have gladly picked up such a thing and taken it home. But what could he do, increasing awareness of Muggle culture was a battle for another day. He took the ball along with everyone else, and following the familiar pulling sensation, found himself tripping over the leg of someone who hadn't made the journey quite so easily. With an annoyed grunt, he lifted his mass off the rest of the group. "Sorry..." he muttered, more irritated than anything.

Once everyone had regained their bearings, they split up, everyone going off to take care of individual errands. Luke was at a loss, seeing as he didn't have any pressing errands. He wandered into J. Pippin's out of habit and spent a few minutes browsing through the various potion ingredients on display. J. Pippin's typically had a smaller selection than going to Diagon Alley, but he'd found that what they did have in stock was usually just a bit fresher. Eventually he exited the shop, and wandered into the town square. The ongoing festival seemed like the perfect opportunity to try out the Vigilance Tonic. He sat on a bench near a group of musicians and slipped a small vial about the size of his thumb out of his pocket.

He stared at the bright green liquid. Of course he had experience with its effects. His first tests were always at the cottage, with all the Helpers aware of what was going on in case of mistakes. But this particular potion demanded a field test. Being able to hear a turning of pages, a leaky faucet, the murmuring of gnomes outside, and the owls ruffling their feather from inside a quiet house was useful but quite different from using the potion in a public setting. He uncorked the vial, and the liquid bubbled slightly. He downed half of the liquid.
Roughly five seconds later, the whole world suddenly grew ten times louder. The musicians in particular seemed to be playing inside of his ear. Luke shut his eyes, as he cringed at the overwhelming sensation. As suddenly as it had happened, it quieted down once more to a more manageable level. He opened his eyes to find that his eyesight wads a just a bit clearer too. The sun was a little bright for him, and he found himself wishing he'd brought sunglasses. The lovely scent of the flowers also reached his nose. His mind adjusted to the sensations and Luke could now hear just about every conversation in the square. If he liked, he could pick out the words of any particular person. Tempting as it was to listen in on more than a passing word, Luke was well aware of the questionable legality and morality of such a thing. Instead he jumped from conversation to conversation, merely catching a word at a time. He then focused on the musicians.
Luke wasn't a very musical person. He could enjoy a good tune, but to actually break down music or produce any himself was not his strong suit. But now, he could clearly pick out each individual instrument. Where he usually heard the ensemble as a whole, he could now isolate each string of the fiddle. Yes, he thought, this will definitely come in handy. It was then that some of the murmurs picked up. Within the crowd he could see looks of concern and curiosity. Something about the Three Broomsticks. With a sigh, Luke got up. He was sure he'd find Dorothy already there.

As he walked to the pub, the murmurs grew more excitable. Before long, his enhances ears could pick up crashing coming from inside the pub down the street, followed by Madam Rosmerta's cries. At this he picked up the pace, as it seemed this was more than just some dispute between patrons as he'd assumed. Luke walked up to the pub just as Dorothy was talking her way past a guard, apparently from the Ministry.

"Alright everyone, get out of your hiding places and into the tavern, we'll talk over a plan once you're all accounted for. Luke, be a dear and make sure we haven't got any stragglers, will you? Thank you sweetie. And, eh, Samson...shouldn't you be dealing with this crowd?"

Luke was a bit taken aback as she seemed to know the moment he walked up. Nothing about that woman should surprise him anymore. He turned his eye to the crowd to search for the rest of the helpers. Michelle and Emily had already followed inside. Luke waited at the door for the rest of the group, only to see Hana already going in. He momentarily observed Samson's efforts to control the crowd. He then spotted Ama. Luke was pleased to see she was leading Syl. They should have no trouble getting in. Drawing his wand, he walked in calmly but carefully. The smell of ale was strong, or at least it was to Luke. The smell was drifting in from Rosmerta as well as a few of the stool and booths, only interrupted by the scent of Ama's perfume when she'd walked in. When there's weren't loud crashed in the back room, he could hear the worried panting of the Ministry witches as well as the movement of objects as everyone looked through their bags. He looked at his own bag, but wasn't entirely sure if any of his potions would be necessary. He still wasn't entirely sure what was going on. Something to calm, the greenies perhaps? But no, it seemed they were handling themselves well. Emily seemed shaken up but was doing considerably better than some of their former greenies. "Ready."

 

[Ythania]

Dorothy exhaled slowly, shutting her eyes. She didn't want it to be this way, she wanted to introduce the greenies on her own terms - nice and slowly. Despite her supposed nonchalance about the ordeal, the fact there were so many rookies around, no proper healer, and her own granddaughter present for this mission...it put the old woman on edge. The familiar thrill of adrenaline sparked up in her chest and she was invigorated by its presence, like the sight of an old friend on the horizon. She turned to Emily as the young girl jumped and whimpered in fear and placed both hands on her shoulders, leaning in so her face was level with Emily's. "Emily, look at me." There was another crash and a roar as the cellar door bent horribly under the weight of an impact, somehow (probably magically) bouncing back into place on its hinges, holding Gerald within the inky darkness. "NOTHING in there is going to kill you. You've got professionals by your side. Just do what I tell you to, and you'll be fine." Dorothy raised her voice, addressing Hana and Michelle this time as well. "I hope you all heard that. I've met Gerald on several occasions; he's not as scary as it sounds."

And then suddenly the old lady façade seemed to peel away, something new took Dorothy's place, and it became clear why the regulars call her madam Dorothy. This wasn't the sweet old lady at the cottage, this was...power. Restrained and controlled, yes, but still undeniably ferocious and all-consuming - a great beast of authority, hiding her aggression until the moment arrived where she had to get her talons dirty once more. "The moment we open that cellar door, you do exactly as I tell you without question. By all means, work to your strengths and show some initiative, but if I tell you to stop, you stop. If I tell you to get out and leave me in there, you start moving. I will NOT repeat myself. Do I make myself clear?" snapped Dorothy, her dark eyes turning cold and calculating in the face of danger. She did not wait for a response - the expressions on her Helpers was a suitable answer. Dorothy leant over and squeezed Emily's hand, her voice levelling out, the monster within the woman receding ever so slightly to offer some comfort before the battle. "I'll keep you all safe, dearies."

"Gerald is Rosmerta's pet ghoul...usually pretty docile, ghouls. Not very pretty though. It's odd that such a creature's gone feral, and even odder that it's gone mad during one of the busiest days in Hogsmeade..." Dorothy trailed off, lips pursing as she thought. She shook her head. "Anywho, feral ghouls aren't that much of a problem. Their teeth are pretty blunt but they're used to crunching up mice and rats so...keep your fingers out of his jaws. It's their strength and speed you need to look out for. Just keep him away from you and be quick on your feet. I suggest using the stupefying spell to daze him before trying something more complex, just so you're sure he won't jump out of the way." Dorothy turned towards the door, seemingly impatient to get going. Perhaps she's hungry and wants her lunch.

The witches moved out of the way when Dorothy brushed them aside, as she did before to Samson outside. Dorothy placed her ear to the lock and waited several times before - "alohomora" - the door clicked and slid open.

For Boss Megu

Dorothy allowed the others to go in first, but a gentle grip on Amarisse's hand prevented her from entering for a moment. Dorothy leant in, her voice nothing more than a breath. "When the beast is subdued, I want you to check him for any curses, hexes, or jinxes whilst I distract the others. Ghouls don't just go feral on their own."

Image by Todor Vladev​
Mission 0.5: Under the Three Broomsticks
​

The cellar's opening chamber was strewn with broken ale barrels and shrapnel, the smell of alcohol so thick and stifling that it pressed against the mind like a dull ache. "Nobody light a candle," advised Dorothy cheerily as her wand tip lightened up into a soft pale blue glow. "Luckily, ghouls aren't very good at hearing, but their sense of sight isn't something to scoff about. So nobody else brighten up their wands, if you would." Dorothy made her way down the steps carefully, then across the thick stone tiles, splashing in the booze. The cellar was much bigger than the tavern itself - or perhaps the fact it was separated into several large corridors of barrels and crates made it seem bigger than it really was. Gerald could be heard at the other end of the cellar, past a bend in the corridor...it wasn't a ghoulish noise. It was-...gurgling and frothing, as if it was trying to make grunts and moans with a mouthful of water. Dorothy placed a hand over her wand tip, aside from the little cracks of light between her fingers the group were plunged into darkness. "Spread out amongst the corridors. On my signal, you all perform the Lumos Maxima charm - or just the Lumos charm, just make some light - and we'll blind Gerald. That'll give me enough time to light the lanterns on the walls so we're not fumbling around in the dark."

Dorothy sent out the Regulars first, pointing them to the corridors closer to Gerald and then strategically placing Michelle, Hana and Emily on the furthest corridors. She made sure that each greenie was on their own; this would be a trial by fire for them. As you leave the pale glow of Dorothy's light, the barrels and crates are your only guide across the beer-soaked tiles, groping in the dark at these wooden walls. The shuffling grunts and snarls reverberated across the basement, making Gerald sound as if he was mere feet away from you. The silence was deafening - whenever the beast stopped making noise you are left with your own breathing, your heart thumping, your feet splashing.

There was an incredibly long pause. Dorothy frowned. What the hell?

Suddenly, a thick hand reached out in the gloom and grabbed Sylvester's ankle, pulling sharply. An ear-splitting roar tore through the cellar, flecking spittle onto Sylvester's face. "fuckit-NOW!" cried Dorothy over the holler.​

 

[Kythera]

Hana Beckett - Charms Expert

​

They followed Dorothy inside the pub, and watched apprehensively as the cellar door bulged out and then bounced back into shape, as if it were made of rubber. Hana raised an eyebrow, wondering who or what exactly Gerald was. She was beginning to feel that familiar fluttering in her stomach whenever she faced an unknown situation. She swallowed hard, twice, trying to will her heart to stop racing and her brain to be calm. As soon as the fluttering reached her head she knew she would be useless. Thoughts would just race aimlessly through her head, crashing into one another, banging against her skull, bringing her no helpful ideas or thoughts.

She bit her lip and forced herself to concentrate on Dorothy's words. A pet ghoul? That didn't sound so bad... ghouls were a nuisance, sure, but generally harmless. Could a ghoul alone really be causing all that noise and damage? She heard another loud crash as she looked back toward the cellar door. Strength, right... it certainly sounded strong. Hana's nails dug into her palm as Dorothy unlocked the cellar door. Her other hand felt clammy as it gripped her wand tightly.

As they descended the dark stairs the smell of liquor hit them like a wave. Hana scrunched up her nose, suddenly feeling dizzy and discombobulated from the fumes. She realized when she stepped down the last step to the cellar floor with a distinct "sploosh" that the ghoul's crashing and banging had freed quite a bit of alcohol from its containers. She could hear a strange gurgling noise across the cellar, and realized after a moment that it was Gerald. But ghouls don't gurgle, do they? This mission was getting stranger by the minute.

At Dorothy's instruction, Hana drifted to the far wall and crept up the corridor, one hand brushing along the piles of kegs to guide her through the pitch darkness. Her breath was coming fast now, and her heart thudded so loudly in her ears she thought for sure even the ghoul would hear it. She had just begun to wonder why Gerald had gone so silent when a ferocious roar split through the cellar, the kegs beneath her fingers shivering with reverberations of the sound. "fuckit-NOW!" Hana felt a moment of panic, and reacted instinctively. "Lumos Maxima!" she screamed, aiming her wand in the direction from which the roar was echoing. She could now see Sylvester hanging upside down about 6 feet off the ground, one ankle clamped firmly in the ghoul's grasp. Hana stood in frozen shock, staring slack-jawed at Gerald. He was huge. By far the biggest ghoul she had ever seen. He looked half-troll or something he was so enormous.

Whether the light was enough to blind him, or Sylvester managed to escape, the beast dropped him, and Hana could hear him scrambling and splashing around on the booze-soaked floor. What was she supposed to do next? Her brain stretched and scrabbled, trying to remember or cling on to any coherent thought. Finally an echo of Dorothy's voice penetrated the madness - "I suggest using the stupefying spell to daze him before trying something more complex, just so you're sure he won't jump out of the way." "STUPEFY!" she cried, but at that same moment Gerald swung a lumbering fist in her direction, and she leapt back out of the way, her spell bouncing off the cellar wall. He was so big she doubted one stunner would even do any damage. "All at once!" she yelled, hoping the other Helpers could even hear her over the ruckus Gerald was making. "Stunning spells on three! One - two - STUPEFY!" Her spell hit, and she thought she saw one or two others, while a few of the rest flew over Gerald's head or widely to the side. The spells that hit him didn't seem to help much, though. Gerald stopped, stumbled, wavered from side-to-side for a minute clutching his head, then simply shook himself all over like a wet dog and continued harrying after Sylvester.

Okay, stunning wasn't working. What else? Her brain raced madly through 7 years of schooling, thinking up wildly unhelpful spells as she struggled to keep Gerald in sight without getting in the range of his swinging arms. Summoning? No, definitely not, she didn't want him closer. Banishing? Well where would he go, outside? That'd be even worse. Bubble-head? Where on earth did that even come from?? She banged on her head with her free hand, muttering under her breath, "Focus! Concentrate! Con... Confuse!" It could work. She peeked around the barrels again, aimed her wand at Gerald, and cried, "Confundo!" Gerald stopped in his tracks, and Hana smiled, thinking for one pleasant moment that it had worked. Then the ghoul unleashed the loudest roar yet, and seemed to enter some kind of berserking frenzy, crashing around the cellar even more energetically than before.

"Well shit," Hana said, backing further away from the beast. Time for brute force! "Wingardium Leviosa!" she said, flicking her wand at the top barrel of ale. It flew toward Gerald, but he ducked, and it crashed into the cellar wall. Again! The next barrel swooped in lower, and clocked Sylvester right in the back of the head. Hana winced and bit her lip. "Sorry Syl!" she called, her voice quavering a bit. Okay maybe the barrels had been a terrible idea. What now?​

 

[Banana-senpai]

While Sylvester let Amarisse drag him about, his thoughts were on the groceries in his arms. A commotion in a magical neighborhood meant they would have to step in to help, and he was pretty excited to work with the greenies. But he was responsible for the groceries and it was high on his priority list.

Listening in to the conversation, Sylvester didn't quite understand what they were dealing with. "What's a gerund again?" he asked no one in particular. He did hear the word from somewhere but he never paid any real attention to it. If it was a creature he didn't know, he would have to improvise based on past experiences. Groceries in his arms and a curious look on his face, he followed the group, lingering at the back. As Dorothy talked to Emily, Sylvester enchanted the groceries, turning them into coins and packing them neatly in his handkerchief before tucking it in his bag. He offered a hand to take Amarisse's bag as well and he smiled reassuringly to Emily. "You're a professional too, you'll do fine."

"Gerald is Rosmerta's pet ghoul." Dorothy explained. Sylvester sighed in relief, nodding. At least he knew what they were dealing with now, and it wasn't too bad. "Usually pretty docile, ghouls. Not very pretty though. It's odd that such a creature's gone feral, and even odder that it's gone mad during one of the busiest days in Hogsmeade..."

Sylvester gave Amarisse a look. He wondered if she would know something about it. Dorothy was right, ghouls were mostly harmless, like overgrown gnomes. Even if Gerald was a big ghoul, it shouldn't be a reason for him to be aggressive. He listened to the rest of her instructions, wondering what the stupefying spell was but decided not to ask. One of the reasons he didn't do well in Charms was that he mismatched the spells he learned when he traveled with his parents, some of which are in other languages.

"The moment we open that cellar door, you do exactly as I tell you without question. By all means, work to your strengths and show some initiative, but if I tell you to stop, you stop. If I tell you to get out and leave me in there, you start moving. I will NOT repeat myself. Do I make myself clear?" Sylvester nodded. He felt a little nervous now that Dorothy had recited "the rule". While the Association had house rules and what-not, the regulars knew that there was one rule that was the most important: do as she says. There would be no questioning, second-guessing nor back-up plan initiating, specially if Dorothy tells them to save themselves. He has only ever seen her do it once in his first year but whatever happened that day, everyone was saved and no one knew how Dorothy did it.

He followed Dorothy into the cellar, wincing at the strong smell of alcohol. He often used scents to identify creatures and their activities but he could smell nothing but alcohol and damp wood. Perhaps it drank some? Sylvester wondered, recalling a similar case in the past. He took out his wand, ready to light it but Dorothy warned them. "Nobody light a candle. Luckily, ghouls aren't very good at hearing, but their sense of sight isn't something to scoff about. So nobody else brighten up their wands, if you would."

Instead, Sylvester put his wand tip on the side of his head. He whispered a spell that sharpened the senses. Able to see, hear and smell a little better, he opened his mouth to say where he saw an oddly shaped shadow, but Dorothy spoke first. "Spread out amongst the corridors. On my signal, you all perform the Lumos Maxima charm - or just the Lumos charm, just make some light - and we'll blind Gerald. That'll give me enough time to light the lanterns on the walls so we're not fumbling around in the dark."

He nodded, assuming that Dorothy already knew where the ghoul was lurking. Sylvester followed the shadow's movements still with his wand on his head to keep the spell active, ready to break it and perform the needed charm. He watched the shadow closely, carefully approaching it until he was able to make out Gerald's beady eyes and big arms. Hardly daring to turn his eyes away, he tried to warn Dorothy.

"Ma'me-AAAAA!"

The next thing he knew was that he was hanging upside down all of a sudden. His spell broke so suddenly that his senses were numbed for a moment and he was blinded by blue light. There was a spatter of translucent goo all over him including his eyes. The sounds were all muffled as he wiped off the liquid from his face.

"All at once!" he finally heard someone say. "At once?!" Sylvester echoed, readying his wand hand, only noticing then that it was empty. "Wait-!"

"Stunning spells on three! One-two-STUPEFY!"

Jets of red light came from everywhere and both Gerald and Sylvester ducked away as best as they could. He yelped when his ankle hurt sharply from the sudden jerk of Gerald's arm. The ghoul swung Sylvester like a weapon toward the Helpers, narrowly missing Luke. He did know, despite or because of the blood rushing to his head, that they needed Gerald to be awake to diagnose what provoked him, or else he'd be stunned and they only postpone the issue. He attempted to explain this, but he could only yell, "No, no! Petrify him! Petrify-! AAAAAH!"

The pain in his ankle gave him an idea and he concentrated to turn his leg into a slippery slug like appendage. Gerald lost his grip and Sylvester fell into a pained heap on the floor with another yelp.

He got up and hurriedly crawled to his wand. He jumped up the moment he got it in his hand, ignoring the pain of his dislocated ankle. "We need to petrify him first! We won't know what's troubling him if he's stunned! Petrifictus-!"

Whump.

Sylvester was defeated by Hana's projectile barrel, the impact making him turn his skin blue and his hair violet. He collapsed on a puddle of beer with a pathetic little splash, looking like a giant pixie before fading to normal.

 

[DANAsaur]

Michelle blushed furiously as Emily suddenly hugged her, her cheeks flushed and red out of surprise. She couldn't help but get flustered since she was caught off guard but a soft smile slowly showed on her pink lips. She was beyond ecstatic that they're friends again! They can now continue their friendship and maybe be best friends once again! "Same here, Em. I'm so happy we patched things up."

Michelle then looked around and suddenly noticed the time. "Oh dear.." she whispered, realizing what time it is. She needs to go now! "Oh dear. Oh dear. Oh dear. I'm afraid I must go. I have some shopping to do! I've only been here last Christmas so I feel obligated to see what's new! Besides, if I don't leave now I won't be able to get to the Three broomsticks for lunch! I best be going! I'll see you later, okay?"

The black haired girl hurriedly walked away from her friend and started looking at the shops, checking each and every window to see if there's something new in store. Michelle wouldn't admit it but she has an obsession with shopping. She hides it fairly well especially since she acts so ladylike and has a purse with extension charm. No one knows how she developed such an obsession but she just had it. She first went to Scrivenshaft's Quill shop to buy a pastel pink quick quote quill and a lot of parchment. She's planning on making a journal and the parchment was on sale so she had to buy it! She went next to Tomes and Scrolls to buy a book before going to Honeydukes to buy chocolates. She would love to go the hairdressing salon across Honeydukes but sadly, when she looked at the time it was nearly lunch!

Michelle followed the stone path towards The Three Broomsticks, quickly noticing that there was quite a buzz around her. She can hear faint whispers from the witches and wizards and couldn't help to eavesdrop. It seems like it has something to do with her destination. The botanist shrugged it off at first but when she arrived at the three broomsticks, she gasped. Something is definitely going on around her. But what is it? Why is there a crowd around the inn and why are there ministry wizards standing guard? She tried to look for Madam Dorothy or anyone from the association and luckily, she saw them. She quickly made her way towards them and stood beside Emily, giving her a smile before whispering "What's going on?"

She didn't get to hear Emily's answer when she suddenly heard a shuddering bang against the door. Michelle has no idea what's going on but she's sure as Merlin it's something bad. She can see Emily shaking and soon whimpering. She couldn't help but feel scared as well. Whatever they're going to face, she knew in her gut that it's something scary. Good thing, Madam Dorothy helped Emily to calm down, resulting for Michelle to calm down as well.

Her long black hair fell down and cascaded down her back in waves, a few strands flying down her face as she pulled out her wand from her hair. She wasn't used to letting her hair down but she didn't have a choice, She needed her wand.. even if she doesn't really know why. I am so not going shopping next time! she screamed in her thoughts, hating how she feels like an idiot right now. What in wizard's world is happening?! Why are the tables toppled over? JUST WHAT IS HAPPENING?!?!?

Michelle held her twelve and a half elm wood wand with a phoenix feather core, her knuckles almost turning white at how hard she's clutching it. By the looks of everyone around her, something definitely bad is going to happen. She can hear the rest telling that they're ready! Ready? For what? She started to internally panic from how tense and how scary the atmosphere is. Will there be a fight? Because if there is she definitely won't survive. I'm a botanist for Merlin's sake! Sure I can do some defensive spells and a good Stupefy but the rest is about plants! Oh, merlin. What did I get myself into?

Her fright only got worse by what Madam Dorothy said: The moment they open the cellar door, they must do exactly what Madam told them without question. Stop if she tells them to stop and leave her when she tells them. Such daunting words shook Michelle to the core but its nothing compared to what Madam Dorothy said next. That they are going to face a ghoul. Michelle is no genius when it comes to magical creatures but she's certain that ghouls are somewhat sinister..when it becomes feral of course.

Her grip on her wand tightened as they began to descend down the cellar, her knuckles almost turning white. The smell of ale and the sight of broken barrels almost made her faint but she went on. She cannot be a coward right now. She's a Ward for Merlin's sake! One of the powerful magical families! She. Cannot. Be. A. Coward.

She continued to follow the group but nearly pissed her knickers when Madam Dorothy spoke up again to give instructions. She didn't realize that she was so scared that it made her jumpy! She then listened intently to the instructions and took each word by heart. One wrong move and it could send them to their doom. "Corridors. Lumos Maxima. Got it.." she mumbled before going at the furthest corridor that was assigned to her near some sort of a makeshift bar. Such place immediately made her thoughts and imagination run wild. What if the ghoul was near me? behind me? What if it's hiding behind the bar? What if-, She didn't have the chance to finish her thoughts when she suddenly heard Madam Dorothy giving the order.

"L-LUMOS MAXIMUS!!!" Michelle shouted on top of her lungs out of panic, quickly realizing that she cast the wrong spell. Fear and guilt clenched her heart as she tried to cast the spell again but it was too late! Sylvester was already taken by the freakishly huge ghoul! She tried to regain herself when Hana ordered them to cast a stunning spell but Michelle failed miserably! She aimed without thinking and completely missed the target!

"Oh Merlin. Oh, Merlin. I CAN'T TAKE THIS ANYMORE!!!!" the botanist shouted, tears cascading down her face as she reached her breaking point. It was too much for her! The fright, the panic. EVERYTHING. She was having a panic attack. A meltdown that she just crouched down and covered her ears like a little kid. She was so busy wailing and crying that she didn't notice that Sylvester was now free and her shouting caused the ghoul to target her!

Loud footsteps neared her that when she turned around, she screamed once more. The ghoul was just standing right in front of her! Its beady eyes staring at it bared its teeth. The ghoul tried to grab her but adrenaline and panic made her quick. She quickly crawled away from the ghoul and hid behind the bar, crawling even more when the ghoul started smashing. "AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!"​

 

[Jessikka]

Emily nodded quickly as Granny Wilber grabbed her shoulders and calmed her down. She felt at least a little better. She gazed around the room at the others. This would be her first fight with them, she just hoped they were good fighters, too. Surely Granny wouldn't expect her to fight not only for herself but for everyone else too? No they were capable. They had to be. She peered to Sylvester as he approached by her shoulder, catching the tail end of his reassuring smile. Somehow this interaction was different before. Maybe because there was something much scarier beneath her than Sylvester, it was actually comforting to hear. She smiled meekly "Thanks." she replied and listened idly to her Grandmother, who sounded pretty serious about the whole ordeal. Though the rules for fighting were to be expected she still made a mental note of them before following the group of people into the Cellar.

Immediately, Emily was hit with a pungent wave of bitter alcohol fumes. She wrinkled her nose in a sort of wince as Granny Wilber joked about. As she descended the stairs she could feel the vibrations through the very stone she was on. As soon as the cellar came properly into view she noted the area, long corridors of barrels, lining every wall and organised into neat rows. She peered to Granny Wilber as she spoke up again, dishing out orders, an action plan. She glanced to the corridor she was sent to. Way in the furthest corner of the room, though she noted that at least Michelle was somewhat nearby.

Emily spared one glance over her shoulder. Everyone had already disappeared, going to where they were ordered to go, any trace of another wizard being in the room was non-existent, everyone keeping deathly quiet. Aside from the rumble of Gerald, it was deathly quiet. So quiet, in fact, that she could hear the gentle rustle of her hair sliding in front of her shoulder. Her breath was forcefully steady and measured, she could feel her nails dig hard into her hand, but not vividly. It was as if she was experiencing this from a distance, watching herself. A sudden crash from Gerald fixed this quickly. Suddenly she was reminded of where she was. Now she became hypersensitive to her surroundings. Everything felt sharper, looked brighter, sounded louder. She finally got into her position, in the distant corner of the room. She scanned her surroundings, though everything was as expected. Just long lined of barrels and piled alcohol at her feet, making the bases of her shoes wet. The silence stretched out, she could hear the gentle dripping of a leaky barrel somewhere in the cellar.

Though the quiet was appreciated, even Emily could notice something was wrong with it. Suddenly she heard a scream, and then Granny Wilber cry out. She had a brief moment of panic and looked to her wand. She turned her eyes away and called out "Lumos Maxima!" and as expected a bright flash of light exuded from her wand. She heard Hana's order for a Stupefy, but she couldn't even locate the ghoul, so casting that spell was out of question. She attempted to weave around the corridors of barrels so that she could find Gerald. Sadly that was exactly what happened. Having missed the whole interaction between Gerald and Sylvester, Emily sadly missed out on viewing just how powerful he was, so when she appeared behind the ghoul as it began terrorising Michelle, she was forced to think fast. She'd heard Sylvester cry out about petrification. What was the spell again? Petrificus Totalus? She furrowed her brow, hesitating. What if she missed and hit Michelle? What if it worked? Then Gerald would just topple over. And then which way? On whom? At Michelle's scream, she acted out. There was nothing else she could do.

"Petrificus Totalus!"

Emily held her eyes shut as she was pushed back by the explosion of magic that leapt from her wand, she dug her toes into the ground as she slid back then drew her wand away, opening her eyes to check the effects curiously.

 

[Boss Megu]

Amarisse followed them the group towards the door near the basement with a sneer on her face. She was half-veela and being this close to the door, she could already smell the scent of liquor. She barely drank because of this reason, instantly wishing she could cast the bubble head charm on herself. She walked in front Sylvester and half-smiled to herself when she remembered that he took her bag, like a gentleman. He mumbled a question, most likely to himself, Ama nearly turned around to ask him to repeat himself, but chose not to when Madame Wilborough began to lay down the rules. Once or twice, she caught herself nodding. There was a reason why Madame is the authority on things. Amarisse only listened to those who deserve it, after all.

While listening, Ama caught Syl's curious look, raising a perfect brow at him but wasn't quite able to question him about it as they started to walk in. She fell behind behind Luke and momentarily paused as Madame gently held her hand. Looking at her employer from the corner of her eye, Ama turned serious as the older lady gave her an instruction meant for her ears only, "When the beast is subdued, I want you to check him for any curses, hexes, or jinxes whilst I distract the others. Ghouls don't just go feral on their own." Giving a subtle nod, Ama continued forward, walking as she didn't stop. Right then, she glanced around for anything out of place.

She racked her brain for any form of possible jinx or hex, curses, or heck, even a botched rune ward, that could possibly set Gerald the Ghoul off. There weren't many possibilities. For one, jinxes and hexes were tough to cast on creatures (a fact that she knew full well when her own Slytherin housemates attempted to on her when her heritage came out in Hogwarts, and Syl's usual discussion on random thing's), and even if it did work, the effect wouldn't have been this strong.

Amarisse listened with half an ear to Madame's description of ghouls and to cast Lumos Maxima. She rolled her eyes as she positioned herself at the corner most of the corridor, near the wall, and wrinkled her nose in distaste as her Gregorian Dragon Hide Boots were wet from the liquor that had managed to flood the floor slightly. Rolling her eyes, she shook her head. Madame Wilborough has seemed to forget that she CANNOT use the Lumos Charm. It CONSTANTLY backfires on her, in every occasion. Syl was at the corridor near hers and Ama blinked as a hand seemingly came out of the darkness.

She opened her mouth to scream a warning, but it was too late. A large inhumane screech flung out of the monstrous ghoul that was holding Sylvester upside down. Amarisse stared at it in shock, not having encountered one this large before. "fuckit-NOW!" Madame yelled and Hana released a great Lumos Maxima, however, it was also headed in her direction, effectively blinding her too. "Verdamt!" She cursed as she ducked to blink out the spots in her eyes.

Feeling a shift in the atmosphere, Ama blinked out the last of the black spots as she heard Hana yell out."Stupefy! It clearly missed as there was a fizzle sound hitting a wall or a casket. "Stunning spells on three! One - two - STUPEFY!" Hana instructed, and Ama barely got to raise her arm as Gerald was hit, and gave a louder screech soon after. As Hana called out another spell, Amarisse could feel her temper rising. Even if she barely passed her Charms, she still Confundus wasn't going to help matters! "Oh for the love of magic, THAT'S NOT GOING TO HELP!" Ama screeched in the chaos, though her voice not reaching everyone, as it came out more of chirping screech than a human voice.

Then their brilliant charms expert began to throw the caskets. Of course that would work! Amarisse ducked low as one of the barrels that the ghoul evaded went straight to her, and since she was close to the wall, the liquor splashed her, head to toe. Amarisse froze in shock and indignation as the cold liquid seemed through her clothes. But her anger left her when she saw Syl clonked on the head by one of the barrels. Ama began to gape, opening and closing her mouth that sight. Amarisse found herself unable to process. What was with that comedic scene?! Was she supposed to laugh, scream or feel angry?! Syl's reaction itself made Amarisse want to laugh, but if she did, she'd turn hysterical.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!" Ama jumped to action at the sound, rushing to Sylvester's side as she heard Mishy scream. Amarisse didn't know why but that sound made her the angriest, over Syl being used as a rag doll, over Hana's brilliant strategic use of the Levitating Charm and over her own inaction. For some reason, that fear gripped scream tugged at her heart and Ama saw red. The type she knew she was reaching into her veela. The veela deep in her reacted to that scream and Ama found herself obeying. She attempted to pull Syl up, but found that herself pulling his boot off instead. Letting a small "UGH!", she decided to drag him instead towards Luke, angry and frustrated, she glared at Luke. "Luke, watch him." She instructed, her instructions accompanied with slight chirping. The unstated "or else" lingered. She turned back to the scene as she saw Emily raise her wand and cast, "Petrificus Totalus!"

Amarisse rushed forward instantly, her eyes never leaving the ghoul as she steadied the younger girl, mindful of the fact she was doused in liquor. Crooning at the girl, Ama knew that it would work for a few precious seconds. Emily was magically strong, Ama knew, but a ghoul of that size, it needed at least 2 or 3 people to subdue. But still, it was still very impressive.

"Michelle!" She barked, a strange croon after the name could be heard, oddly soft for her tone. "MOVE!" She cried as Gerald began to twitch. Amarisse felt weird and knew instinctively that she sprouted feathers again. Removing her hands from the Emily's shoulders, she turned around. "Cover your ears!" She called out, looking at Syl, knowing he would understand what she planned to do, if he wasn't well, dazzed. "Do it," she screeched as the Ghoul began to lumber around and roared at them. Ama's eyes never left it, hoping Mishy listened and moved away.

She opened her mouth and SCREECHED! That's right. Amarisse screeched at it, loud, irritating high-pitched and it warned him that he wasn't the only creature around. Ama's mouth had turned slightly beaked form and her face and arms and neck were covered in feathers, her hands were slightly sharp; near claw-like, but no wings. If her veela form frightened or startled the newbies, then Ama will explain later. Being a veela was not something she was embarrassed about, and she paid no heed to their reaction, her eyes were only for the ghoul.

Ama was focused now, her tunnel-vision in effect. Gerald looked startled and in that moment, Ama saw him hesitating. She quickly cast a spell, while he was distracted. That one spell that all curse-breakers swore on, the one that would tell her if he was under some influence or curse. Her attention momentarily left the creature as she saw it light up for everyone in a dark black hue. The affliction came to Ama like a slap on the face. She knew what was wrong with Gerald.

Ama turned to look at the other Helpers, her eyes wide in recognition. Gerald was a under a curse, the foulest dark magic there was! "He's under the Infensus cur----" she attempted to tell them and was cut short as the ghoul screamed while rushing forward and threw her away with one arm. Ama screamed and hit the end of the hall with a loud THUD! She groaned in pain and realised that she was yet again covered in liquor when she fell.

"Sometimes hate this job..." she muttered as her eyes flashed in anger and slowly got up, clutching her right torso in pain. Nothing seemed broken, but it hurt and definitely bruised. Gritting her teeth, Ama released a hiss of pain. They needed a healer and not the make shift one that Luke was. A proper one, with actual healer training.

Amarisse raised her wand, ready and alert. She doesn't see the ghoul but that didn't mean it wasn't around. She tried to remember what the curse did and sneered in distaste. The Infensus Curse was horrible. It twisted a person, in this case creature, and removes all emotions but anger and aggression. It was considered one of the darker curses since it does nothing but turn the one caught in the spell into nothing more than a mindless beast, one almost like a werewolf.

A loud roar alerted her to it's presence. Her anger no longer on the beast, but on the person who cast the spell. Why though? For what purpose? Gerald was nothing special, unless... Narrowing her eyes, it made Ama realise that perhaps Gerald was a distraction?

Amarisse huffed, sparks flying as she tried to move off the cask. It fizzled before it touched the flammable solution on the floor. Staring at ground, Ama made a clicking sound in irritation as she saw sparks fly. If they fix it soon, she was going to cause a fire in her anger, and she really, really didn't want to burn down The Three Broomsticks. Madame Wilborough's lecture was not something she wanted to listen to during lunch.

"Bugger..." she cursed as she tried to walk towards the action.

 

[Ythania]

All hell broke loose.

Dorothy didn't expect anything less from a group of greenies, but she was admittedly disappointed with Sylvester and Amarisse's performances. The lights went on immediately after the Lumos spells were executed, putting Gerald into detailed clarity - he was just as hulking and ugly as he was smelly. Sylvester hung like a dying fish, flopping around - did he drop his wand? - until a barrel hit him square in the back of the head as he tried to recuperate. Dorothy winced. She had found a space on top of one of the towering shelves to sit back and watch the ordeal play out, completely ignored by the scrabbling witches and wizards below who were more than occupied with Gerald. Michelle broke down into tears which attracted Gerald's attention, and Dorothy looked away as she sought out Amarisse in all of the chaos. Something made her head whip back to the action, however, as Emily casted her first spell in front of the others.

There was a very specific reason as to why Dorothy had put her into the fighter category. Even a simple petrifying spell such as Petrificus Totalus was altered by her unique affinity for magic - there was a woosh of air from the recoil that bodily pushed the young girl backwards as the spell seemed to rip through the air, colliding into Gerald with such force that the behemoth was not only frozen solid but keeled backwards immediately with a resounding thud and the smell of singed ghoul fur. Amarisse knew what to do as she approached, becoming increasingly agitated in the chaos. Even with such a ferocious impact, the spell had no lasting durability on Gerald, who had just began to recover when Amarisse rent the air with an ear-splitting scream.

The vela side had taken over almost entirely and Dorothy watched keenly for the wayward sparks that would cause an explosion if left unchecked. Her eyes narrowed in disappointment because she knew what had triggered the transformation...her gaze slipped to Luke and Sylvester briefly. This problem had to be rectified immediately. Her attention was once again brought back to Amarisse as she labelled the Infensus Curse. The old woman pursed her lips; the time for games was over.

"Immobulus."

The spell was barely seen, a faint blue haze surrounding Gerald and lifting him harmlessly into the air, slowing his movements down until he stopped entirely. "Incarcerous," continued Dorothy quietly as thick chains sprang out of her wand and coiled around Gerald like iron serpents, fully restraining him. The little old lady hopped down from her perch and strolled right up to the snarling ghoul, inspecting him closely for a few moments before turning to her Helpers with a smile. "I-...think there's room for improvement, but a good effort nonetheless. Hana," she turned to look at the crop of blue hair, "On a proper mission we tend to keep collateral damage to a minimum. I'll be taking that out of your monthly wage. It's nice to see Luke is already tending to Sylvester..." with a nod towards the end corridor and the unconscious Sylvester, Dorothy turned towards Amarisse. "Please remove the curse from Gerald, we'll talk about your behaviour later." finally, she strolled over to the tremulous, crying form of Michelle on the ground.

With a little grunt, Dorothy forced her old bones to settle down into a seated position on the beer-soaked floor. A calloused palm reached out and gently rubbed Michelle's arm as she waited patiently for the shuddering to subside before talking. Her voice had lost all its previous authority; now Dorothy held the elderly warble of a fond old woman again. "Mishy, Mishy dearest...deep breaths, that's it. It's okay. See? You're not even hurt. Look at me. No, no-...come on now, let's take a look at you." The quiet reassurances went on for several minutes as Dorothy tended to the poor girl, and once she was certain that Michelle was listening, she started one of her famous little pep talks. "Gerald was a very dangerous beast to go against as your first mission, Michelle. You'll learn so many spells by the time you have to face something like Gerald that you'll laugh when I tell you what to do, it'll be so easy. You don't believe me? If Sylvester wasn't knocked out, he would've had this sorted in no time. He knew what to do - that's why he told you to cast a petrifying spell. And Amarisse went straight for the ghoul when she heard you were in trouble." Dorothy leant in and wrapped her arms around Michelle, giving her a hug and letting her cry the rest of her fright away. "No Helper will leave you defenceless, not if they can help it. That's why we work in a team. You were never in any danger in the first place, not with us around. You learn, that's what this is all about."

She helped Michelle to her feet then looked around at the others. "Go on ahead, dearies...I'll clean this mess up." Dorothy waved them away as she started to repair the broken crates and evaporate the booze. An invisible force seemed to tug the Helpers up the stairs and out of her way whilst she worked, and in the final moments before the cellar door locked shut behind them, one could've almost saw another pensive frown creep onto Dorothy's features as she approached the restrained Gerald.

The Next Day...

​

Dorothy finished reading The Daily Prophet ("MORE MUGGLE FAMILIES MISSING - MINISTRY 'BAFFLED'!") on the reading corner in the dining room. It was early afternoon, and with yesterday's events still fresh in the mind of the Helpers, she had allowed them to truly settle in after chores were completed. It was a breezy, overcast Monday afternoon and the Helpers had generally wandered about to do their own thing, catching up on their own studies, training, tackling the garden...whatever it was that the young whippersnappers got up to in their free time. For a while, it almost seemed like Dorothy was going to let them have the day off.

Truth be told, she actually held off on calling them in for a mission purely so she could finish the Sudoku on the back of the Prophet. Now that was out of the way, she reached into a small box and pulled out three opened envelopes. "Everyone, please come and meet me in the dining room when you are ready!" she called out, her voice managing to resonate clearly throughout the entire property regardless of where her Helpers were hidden. Dorothy smiled at them as they entered one by one, before gesturing to the three envelopes before them.

"I thought I'd pick some nice and simple tasks after yesterday's debacle, just to calm your nerves. We get these requests in droves; so much so that in the yesteryears of the W.H.A I used to let some of the Regulars go off and complete them on their own for a little extra pocket money, when we weren't busy with our own missions." Dorothy smiled sadly as she exhaled a wistful sigh. "Now that it's just those three, I've put priority on making sure you greenies learn as many tips and tricks as possible. So again...I'd like to stress that they're there to help you and you should ask if you need a hand with anything." With a flick of her wand, Dorothy pulled up a chair and pushed the envelopes towards the gathered Helpers. "Horklumps, Doxies and Gnomes; remarkably easy to handle if you know how. Usually we get two types of request when it comes to these simple pest problems; either the wizarding family in question is too poor at their charms to fix it themselves, or the infestation has become too large for them to handle. No possible way of getting hurt, and a few Doxy bites never killed anyone. So take your pick, and we'll go on the majority vote."​

 

[Banana-senpai]

A lump on Sylvester's head was all that's left of the previous day's accident, although he had been disoriented when he had come to. Dorothy must have done something to fix him up since he was hit hard, so dazed he almost looked Confunded. Today he was much better, finally able to straighten up his thoughts.

At Dorothy's advice, Sylvester had dropped by Luke's room to ask for a potion that would help his skull and ankle heal. He had taken the potion in one gulp and grimaced, his hair turned a shocking acid green. Nevertheless, he thanked Luke and decided to see Amarisse.

The look on her face didn't tell Sylvester anything about how bedraggled he looked, like a clown who went to sleep with his get-up on. He came by to ask about what happened to the ghoul and learned of the mess that Dorothy had to clean up. Except for a small patch, Sylvester's hair turned pink with his embarrassment. Some parts went blue without him noticing, too busy being disappointed in himself.

Pink and green haired Sylvester then went to say hello to Michelle. He was worried about her after Amarisse told him what happened. He came to ask if she was doing alright and reassured her that missions don't always go awry and that Gerald's case was an unusual one. He gave her three seeds of a Quesnelia testudo that his mother had sent him a few days earlier. He told Michelle that it was an indoor plant of sorts that his mother wanted him to grow but he didn't know how. Excited to see her let it bloom, parts of his hair brightened to orange and yellow.

When Sylvester saw Hana, he grinned and assured her that he was alright. He said she had done a good job by acting immediately and told her the same thing with Michelle, that Gerald's case was not an everyday thing. He stayed for a moment to help with her chores and asked why part of her hair is constantly blue. It may have taken a while but once he understood, there was a stripe of purple in his hair.

Sylvester congratulated Emily for her quick action and tried not to appear to fascinated at her room. He thanked her for listening to his suggestion and stayed for a while to talk about the mission. Finally noticing the state of his hair color, he laughed heartily and quickly apologized. He admitted to having a slight difficulty with controlling his hair color and even more so with the lump on his head and the dull throb of his recovering ankle.

He was leaving to get something in his room when he heard Dorothy call them. With his ankle still injured, he was one of the last ones who came, sporting rainbow colored hair.

"I thought I'd pick some nice and simple tasks after yesterday's debacle, just to calm your nerves. We get these requests in droves; so much so that in the yesteryears of the W.H.A I used to let some of the Regulars go off and complete them on their own for a little extra pocket money, when we weren't busy with our own missions." She explained and Sylvester smiled a little, remembering his past missions fondly. Dorothy went on to express the importance of helping the greenies and showed three mission requests.

"Horklumps, Doxies and Gnomes; remarkably easy to handle if you know how. Usually we get two types of request when it comes to these simple pest problems; either the wizarding family in question is too poor at their charms to fix it themselves, or the infestation has become too large for them to handle." Dorothy continued. Sylvester nodded eagerly. Of the three regulars, he had the most mundane little tasks more often, since beasts required their whole group.

"No possible way of getting hurt, and a few Doxy bites never killed anyone. So take your pick, and we'll go on the majority vote." finished Dorothy and Sylvester immediately raised his hand. "A year ago, I used one pest problem to solve another. We could use the Gnomes to rid the Horklumps. Gnomes aren't so dangerous and can be put away easily." He looked at the others. "Two in one! It'll be easy!"

He suddenly realized how handling a large number of Gnomes can be quite a problem and moving them could be an even larger issue. "I mean, I suppose we can plan first, that way working together won't result in anything...too difficult. And Doxies aren't that bad once they can't move. I'm sure we can handle it together, some to make sure the Gnomes take on the Horklumps, some to make sure to get rid of the Gnomes."