The End Of Year Ball!

Sofia saw Lucia sending more students into the trophy room then she noticed that she was coming carrying Mr. Williams.

Sofia opened the door and after Lucia comment that she placed him asleep so he wouldn't try to do anything more stupid she decided to stay in the trophy room and watch out for the children. That way no one would get out.

"Don't worry Lucia I will keep them all in here." Sofia looked around and noticed another girl curled up in a ball in the back.

"Lucia do you see that girl over there, she looks like a student, but not one of ours. She looks pretty scared."

Sofia was hoping it wasn't a trap but the girl looked really scared to her.

Lucia nodded at Sofia, thankful that the professor would make sure no one left. Then she looked where Sofia pointed.

"I'm on it," she said calmly, very knowing that it could be a trap.

Lucia charged ruthlessly at the inferi that kept coming. She smacked and broke and maimed the already dead people. She also got some of the living humans, but she didn't kill any of them. She honestly didn't want to kill, but she knew that if it came to it, she would.

Then she got to the person crawled behind a statue. Lucia couldn't decide if it was one of theirs or one of Durmstrang, but she knew that if it was a student, she had to get her or him to the trophy room. If it was an enemy, sneak attacks would be easily shot from there. In either way; she had to get closer.

Drawing up a protection charm for the nth time that day, she walked closer to the person behind the statue. She noticed how scared the girl looked. It was a first year student. Lucia almost growled. She had never felt such fury towards a head of a school before. How could that person fighting Briony honestly be so cruel as to bring with him eleven year old children?!

Lucia almost snapped. Then she sighed and took a deep breath. She didn't release the protection, figuring that now was not the time to be naive. She walked closer to the girl.

"Are you okay?" Lucia asked, concern in her voice, trying to let the girl know that Lucia was not there to harm her.

"All right, I will take care of the Inferi guys. You focus on the Durmstrang Professors. I have been developing a powerful fire charm for quite some time. I am an elemental fire wizard, and a powerful one at that. Well, I think it is time to reveal a charm nobody has seen before. The flames will only harm those I will wish it too so don't worry about it touching you. Intorqueo Cupiditas Incendia!" Horst yelled. He raised his wand above his head and his wand was suddenly wreathed in golden flames, that were tipped with black fire. Quickly the flames grew into a long whip and he started moving his wand in circles, and the whip did the same. Soon there was a circle of twisting flames around him. The spell was strictly Latin for Twisting Greek Fire. Then the flames expanded until they were a ball of golden and black flames with himself in the center of them. The teachers were touched by the flames and so was his body, but they didn't harm him. Those flames only harmed people when he targeted and released the magic. He located every Inferi within his vision. He imagined the flames rolling down his arms and fingers and twisting around each of them, burning them into ashes. He knew it was the most and thickest targets he had ever focused on. Horst knew he would barely be left standing and might even fall unconscious after he released the magic. It would take him a full month or so to recover from this spell. "Flamma, Incinerate!" he yelled, and released the spell. Immediately he fell back into his seat. He was fading in and out of consciousness, when he heard the faint sound of screaming, and then silence.

Juliet knew that she should show up if she wanted to keep her secret agreement with the Hogwarts Headmistress. So she arrived after the fighting had started however she decided to head a few minutes after the fighting had started so she would not be looking like she was there to help start the fight.

Sighing a little she decided to head to the back of the room where she could watch what was going on and only would engage in combat if she was challenged since she was not going to fight only be an observer.

She was surprised to see that there was a professor rushing towards her way. She looked at her and noticed her stress. She tied not to cry and nodded immediately getting up with a wobble. She had to fight, but she knew she'd die the moment they noticed her.

"I'm sorry I couldn't be more helpful" she said.

She tugged Victoria with her not wanting to leave the girl behind and rushed towards the trophy room. .

Lucia wanted to turn to miss McCartney and smile to her, and tell her not to worry. She was only in her first year after all.

But the inferi had stopped her. But looking back at the spot where they had been, Lucia was happy to see that they were no longer there. And by the way that Sofia was smiling, she knew they would be in the trophy room.

Lucia turned her attention back to the girl behind the statue. She seemed too scared to speak. Problem was, Lucia couldn't keep asking her things; she needed to get the people that were now attacking, plus she had to get over to where Horst was. He was knocked out, apparently, and she needed to make sure he'd be all right.

So, against her better judgement, she left the scared girl with an apologetic smile, and made her way forcefully over to Horst.

He seemed to be knocked out, but he was not hurt physically. Lucia sighed contentedly. Then she lifted him by magic and flew him into the trophy room. Then she turned to Sofia.

"McCartney and Rossmund is inside now, right?" she asked.

Then she went back to the fighting, not having given up on the scared girl yet. She was soon over there again, trying to comfort her without asking her questions that she needed to answer eventually.

Victoria was felt like she was in a trance. One minute her and Tess were talking and the next thing she knew there were spells flying and lots of shouting. She was new to the wizarding world, but of course she'd heard what they could do. Seeing it in action, though, was quite different. Before she knew what was happening, Tess grabbed her and pulled her under their table.

She saw Tess grab her wand and moved to do the same. She would have made her dress easier to work in as well, but didn't have time before a teacher bounded over to them, shouting for them to get to the trophy room. Just as they were about to run for it, she saw Humphrey get shot with a spell. She didn't know what it was but he looked really hurt. A part of her wanted to stay and help him, but she knew the professor would do way more than she could.

They ran towards Prof. Slytherin, dodging spells, and then on to the trophy room. When they were in she leaned on the nearest wall for a second, trying to catch her breath.

Airen moved to stand by Charlotte. He saw her looking weak. He grasped his sword firmly. He walked to stand by them. Quickly, he pointed his sword at Victor. He uttered a quick 'Congelati Scudo' (frozen shield). A wall of 5-foot thick ice erupted between them and Victor. He turned to the girls. The shield wouldn't hold for long.

"It won't hold for long. Now's not the time to be heroes. Let's go!" he shouted above all the clamor around them. He grasped both girls hands and dragged them away to the trophy room. He was thankful that he put some extra juice in his Cheetah speed spell. He looked at parker who was just standing there. Realizing that he hadn't spelled him. He quickly stopped.

"Cheetah i piedi (Cheetah's feet)," he said again pointing his wand at the boy's feet. "Run!" he said to Parker. He said the Frozen Sheild spell again. As they ran to the trophy room, he quickly put up five more shields like the first one. He put a few at each junction to throw off their pursuer. When he saw the door to the trophy room, he pushed with all his might into his feet. The four students burst through the door.

(OOC: Hope there wasn't any much God-modding. I'll start a new thread in the trophy room. Feel free to join.)

((OOC: This is a message from medic Lucia Henley's griffin patronus to Jaqui and all other staff on Hogwarts))

"If help is needed or anyone is hurt, message the medic by sending your patronus to her."

When Horst Sollmann regained consciousness he was in the seat he had been standing above when he cast Intorqueo Cupiditas Incendia. He thought he had been successful. He looked around at the destruction left by the battle. Almost all of the fighting had moved elsewhere. There were just a few mice fighting over the blood on the ground. Disturbed by the image, he pushed himself up and looked to see if anybody was left who he could ask what had happened. He woke up just before Lucia's Patronus message had arrived in the hall. He listened to it and then walked as fast as he could out of the Great Hall. There was not much great left about the hall though, after the battle had torn through the room. He exited, and turned toward the dungeons. He hadn't been down since his last Potions class roughly seventeen years ago. He was extremely weary, and only managed a slightly fast walk out of the hall.

Jadzia had followed the rest of her fellow professors into the great hall. All around her, chaos ensued. It wasn't the most organized battle she'd ever been in but so far, they were gaining. Their targets were solely the hogwarts professors, and it seemed that the majority of the students had cleared quickly. Jadzia dodged a stray curse as she headed for the main doors. It wouldn't be long before reinforcements were called, and they needed all the time they could get. The Doctor was still locked in a vicious duel with the headmistress, their primary target.

Waving her wand, Jadzia started incanting in a long stream of latin. The great hall doors slammed shut and started glowing. If everything went well, her wards would buy them enough time for success before any backup would gain entrance into the hall.

Cain had decided that even though he might be alone in the realms of the centaurs, he would try and do something to help the student sof the school he didn't want any innocent blood to be spilt and he was definately not going to let the school fall to anybody, regardless of heritage.

Swiftly he galloped up to the school from the forest, his twin swords strapped to each of his flanks and as soon as he reached the entrance to the school he paused, steps, that's slightly problematic.

Gritting his teeth his legs jarred as he tried to get up the steps and eventually he reached the top, and drawing one of his swords began to look for any Germans that needed to be dispatched immediately seeing Professor Romain duelling what he presumed was a mentally ill German woman.

Turning his attention to the doors Cain rammed them and found them locked, cursing slightly he continued to ram them, his shoulder growing sore, yet he had no magic to contribute as such.

Keiba was scared. More scared than she had ever been in her life. There were spells and curses everywhere, all over her head. She climbed to all fours, blood trickling down her arm and a pain in her left leg. Keiba wasn't really sure what had happened; all she remembered was a humongous bang, then dust and debris everywhere, but she couldn't see anyone else because a giant lump of stone had landed on top of her, crushing her leg and giving her minor cuts and bruises.

It hadn't been a long knockout, for only five minutes later she regained consciousness. Finally she was able to shift the rock enough to get it off her leg. Healer Henley was instructing students to get to the trophy room. Limping, Keiba made her way there and collapsed on the floor, exhausted and in pain. She'd felt worse, but it still really hurt.

Lucia ran into the Great Hall, having summoned a lot of fury to herself. She burned and trashed and ripped the inferi that came in her way, and stunned, blasted or disarmed the people coming in her way.

She made it to the trophy room quickly enough and saw Ms. Namid lying there. She also saw the horrible battle going on between Sofia and the man there. She clenched her teeth, and dived for Ms. Namid.

"Come with me," she said, and picked the girl up bridal style, but still having her wand free to shoot hexes and curses.

"We're going to the Slytherin common room," Lucia said, trying to smile at the girl, but the fury pumping in Lucia's head was so much that she couldn't focus clearly.

She kept shooting curses at the inferi. She got so tired of it. Why wouldn't this war just end? What did they want that was bad enough to kill or maim or fatally injure eleven year old children?

Lucia growled lowly, but quickly stopped herself. She didn't want to scare Ms. Namid either. So she just kept running to the entrance hall.

When she got there, she heard a strange sound from the doors. She could see Richard and that crazy ass bitch fighting. She wondered if the person knocking the door was a kind one or a cruel one. Could she take the chance? Lucia grit her teeth.

She put Ms. Namid down right next to the doors, smiling softly to her. She then readied her wand and unlocked the doors, which shot open. Lucia was shocked when she saw the centaur. He wasn't one of those Lucia knew, and she instantly wondered if he was on their side or the others.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Lucia asked pointing her wand at him.

She quickly swooped up Ms. Namid again as well, wanting to make sure she was safe from inferi or other wizards.

Keiba felt herself be pulled up, out of the warfare in the trophy room that she barely realised was raging. Healer Henley was carrying her out of the room, shooting curses left and right. She vaguely registered her saying that they were going to the Slytherin common room.

Suddenly they stopped. Keiba's head spun as she stood up. Miss Henley unlocked the great doors and there stood a great blonde centaur on the other side. She blinked and Keiba was once again being held in the safer arms of the school healer. her leg was throbbing still, but it didn't really do much. Her dress was torn, she was covered in dust and stinging scratches, but she couldn't care less.

She was really trying her hardest to stay awake and focus, she gave it all she had, but she could feel that sleep was too enticing and her body was giving in to the temptation. Keiba resisted as best she could, managing to keep her eyes open a little bit longer.

Cain turned and drew his sword on the witch who was pointing a wand at him, he narrowed his eyes and then saw the child, she must be a member of Hogwarts staff if she was protecting her, so he respectfully bowed low on his front legs.

"I am Cain. I am friend not foe. I'm attempting to open the door yet it is barred with magic."

Scowling he looked at the child. She seemed badly hurt and it made his anger boil over inside of him, it was cruelty to have such pain inflicted on someone so innocent.

"I am at your service, ma'am." he nodded "Tell me what to do and I shall do it."

Cain? That name rung a bell. Where had she heard it before? Deciding not to think more about it, she lowered her wand and thought about what he could do.

Lucia realized then that she was extremely tired and lacked energy to fight any more than she already had, after she had healed so many people. She looked at Cain.

"Would you please walk with me to the dungeons? I don't think I have enough energy to hold onto Ms. Namid much longer," she said, "Not if I have the intentions of healing her as well."

Then she tried to smile up at him. "By the way, my name is Lucia, and I'm the deputy head, healer and gamekeeper at Hogwarts," she said softly, not wanting to come off as a impolite person, not even in battle.

Cain smiled softly and knelt down to take the child from the human female, she looked worn out, and he was new, fresh and had not yet been in battle with anybody, hopefully however this would change.

Placing the younger female on his back, Cain encouraged her to hold on.

"Ensure your grip is tight, little one."

Frowning, Cain decided to hold the girl instead and he cradled her in his arms, resting her head against his chest, his leather tunic stopping any direct contact.

"Sleep little one, you are safe with us here."

He turned his attention to the woman, Lucia, he knew of her name but had never met her, his herd being one for shunning him and humans they were rarely spoken of.

"I know of you. My father spoke of you once. It is a pleasure to meet you, I apologise for the cowardice of my herd, but you know their distrust of humans."

She was shifted over from the school nurse to the centaur at the doorway, and Keiba felt despair engulf her when she realised that it would take too much effort to hold on. Fortunately, Cain seemed to sense that it would be difficult and instead carried her. As soon as Keiba heard Cain encourage her to sleep, she felt her eyes drift close and she couldn't help but fall asleep, gratefully letting it take over.

Lucia smiled tiredly when Cain took Ms. Namid from her and, after trying to have her on his back, cradled her in his arms. Her smile grew soft when he soothed her to fall asleep.

He then looked at her.

"I know of you. My father spoke of you once. It is a pleasure to meet you, I apologise for the cowardice of my herd, but you know their distrust of humans."

Lucia was surprised. She knew now that Cain had to be the son of the leader of the centaurs. She had heard of him someplace else, but she just couldn't remember where. She was also surprised by the fact that he had heard about her. She knew for a fact that centaurs rarely spoke of humans. Though it might seem a tad shallow, Lucia was flattered by it.

She smiled when he talked about their cowardice. "I suppose you are right, and know how little they have trusted us humans. But they have had every reason to, considering how they were treated once upon a time," Lucia said with a sigh.

Then she started walking towards the dungeons, snapping the head of a few inferi trying to eat her. She was mentally disturbed by the inferi that man had sent at her still.

Cain began to walk carefully over all of the rubble from the various fights that had ensued around this area, many of them still continuing, it was truly sad that people, creatures, felt the need to destroy each other, it made his heart tug, it contrasted against the simple innocence of the child asleep in his arms.

Hoping there would be no more stairs Cain grimaced when there were and took a deep breath, beginning to move down them slowly but surely.

"Stairs. What an inconvenient invention I must say." he frowned.

With a small smile Cain thought on what Lucia had said, it was true that humans were cruel to them and often still were but hanging to prejudice was no way to evolve.

"Hate must be let go of lest it take you over and begin to dominate your mind, my fellow centaurs are blinded by hatred of humanity and this cannot see it's beauty like I can. The comfort you seek from each other, the unity, even now."

Lucia couldn't help but let out a small laugh.

"Yup, it would be harder for you to walk them, indeed," she said with a smile that for once wasn't forced.

She kept walking down the stairs and she then reached the place where she had put up the first barrier. She waved her wand so that it would be possible for both Cain and Ms. Namid to walk through.

Lucia looked up at Cain when he talked about the centaurs. She blinked. "You're abnormally clever. Even for a centaur," she said smilingly.

She completely agreed with him, but she had never really thought of it before. She had simply never let hatred enter her body. Ever. But when he said it like that, it sounded so real and much more true. When they reached the last defense, Lucia stopped and looked at him. She didn't want him to go back to the fight, but she knew that they needed all the help the people upstairs could get.

"I can take her for the rest of the way," Lucia said, looking at the sleeping girl in his arms.

She then looked up at him with serene eyes. "Would you do me a favor?" she asked him.

When Lucia said he was clever, Cain couldn't help but blush, and he ducked his head in an effort not to be embarrassed about this too much, he was almost never complimented, especially not on his mind.

He looked up once his blush was under control and he smiled sheepishly at the human woman.

"Thank you. Loneliness provides wisdom. Yet I would rather be simple and be accepted as such."

Lucian said she could take her the rest of the way Cain smiled and nodded at her, waiting for her to be ready before slipping the young girl child into her arms once more.

"Here, please take care of her, I know you will. What is this request? I will do my best to adhere to it."

Lucia frowned slightly. He was right. Loneliness provided wisdom.

"Well then, let's say you're smart enough, and you can be my friend," Lucia said with a gentle smile.

She then took Ms. Namid from him, and smiled at him.

"My request... Well, it's a bit out of two. One: Don't get yourself hurt or killed. Two: Please slash as many of those gruesome inferi as you possibly can," Lucia said honestly.

She then smiled up at him.

"I'm glad I have met you, Cain. You really are something special," she said solemnly.

Then she turned and walked down to the Slytherin common room.

Cain smiled softly and found his heart swelling with a happiness it hadn't held in a long time, bowing once more to Lucia he couldn't help but let out a laugh of pure happiness.

"Very well, my friend. I shall make sure I lose no brain cells while fighting this match, you have my word."

Knowing now that his target was Inferi and also to help rescue as many students as possible, he thought their safety was more important than his own, and they were in a way.

"I will try Lucia, if you promise to take care of yourself, make sure you are not hurt also."

Cain straightened up and moved towards the steps, charging up them.