Who Goes There?

12:34 PM


"Are these times contagious
I've never been this bored before
Is this the prize I've waited for

"Now as the hours passing
There's nothing left here to ensure
I long to find the messenger"

It was more of the 'ol round and round, and for the last 10 minutes Kerry had been soft singing the "Run" and gaining a great deal more understanding of the song with each passing take. Not that he was bored, but with his ass growing more numb with each passing moment he began to wonder if he was doing any real good.

Of course you are, numbnuts, he thought. You are helping out, so stop thinking that you aren't--

The and Emma did another beauty pass over the Great Hall. The clouds had been coming in the last 30 minutes and everything was taking on a predominate gray. And the temperature had dropped maybe a couple of degrees--or the wind pick up, he wasn't sure which--but at least his flying gear was keeping him cozy.

Seeing the west side of the Hall made him think of the hospital, and that made him think of Annie. He figured by now she was probably pretty proficient with more than a few of the spells they'd been given, and maybe now she was sitting and having something to eat. Or she's neck deep in the calming draught, Kerry thought, and Nurse Coraline is brewing up a new batch.

He truly, truly, truly hoped that Annie was okay--'cause Kerry was gonna feel like an idiot if, after he few more hours of patrol with Emma, he discovered she's been a nervous wreck the whole time--

Emma found it fun to fly wit Kerry. Though he didn't say much to her, she found that most of the time he was talking to himself. Not only talking, but singing. She didn't think it was getting out to anyone else over the "headset" because no one was saying anything about her, but Emma got that since she was flying close to him she was the only other person hearing what Kerry was saying.

She'd considered telling him that he was carrying, but Emma found the monologs and songs entertaining. And he's gonna get real embarrassed if I say something, she thought, and right now she didn't want that to happen. It wasn't that she wanted to be entertained, but... she figured he might get angry if he knew she was listening.

They approached the stables and the owlery, and Emma wondered how her owl Libby was doing. She'd see her just yesterday and spent about 20 minutes feeding her meat and brushing her feathers, which was something she seemed to like. The owlery looked locked up--just like us, all closed in. Only with the owls it's to keep them in, and with us it's to keep things out--

Suddenly she spotted something out of the corner of her eye. To her right... and just over the wall. There was something like a flash... and then again. Quick like. And then--

"Kerry!" she shouted, but he was already slowing up, his head turning in the same direction....

Even before Emma broke protocol by going off-sign and calling him by name, Kerry had already seen the activity on the wall--correction, on the shield. He saw a couple of flash pops in the air and instantly slow, looking for other activity--

"This is Starbuck!" he called, his voice rising as the adrenalin started to flow. "We have activity due east of the Gwydion Manor--" And then he caught two more flashes-- "Inside! Tree line, 35 meters from wall, due east Gwydion Manor!"

He was at a full hover, abeam the Owlery, 60 meters up, watching two people who may or may not have been smoking, looking like they were trying to shake off a beating . . ..

Isis, sitting on her own Cleansweep hovering high above the center of the school, heard the call and turned towards that section of the wall. Gwydion Manor, heh? No problem.

"Got it, Starbuck," she said, not bothering to identify herself--mostly because she hated the call sign Vickie gave her.

Pointing her wand towards that section of the wall Isis said, "Kelanar, they're yours. Take them."

Picture this, if you will...

Two Death Eater jags just happen to get through the shield, lucky as hell they haven't been blasted into atoms ... and even so, these jags are feeling like they got the beatdown of all time and they're trying to shake off the massive pain--not to mention they're literally smoking 'cause they should be dead, you know?

And one of these assclowns gets their wand out 'cause he thinks he hears something, and just as he's turning around to face the wall--

Well, he never gets to look at the wall, 'cause right then 975 kilogram of big-assed, pissed-off stone gargoyle that came leaping out of the wall slams into him and crushes his worthless ass under his body.

And, right after that, Death Eater 2--who ain't the best wand in the box--he just stand there, still shaking off the magical beatdown, while the gargoyle named Kelanar--named so because ... you know, just 'cause--reaches out and slaps this fool hard, sending him flying into the nearest oak at about 60 kilometers per hour, where he gives a perfect demonstration of why humans--and I'm being kind calling a Death Eater "human"--don't handle unprotected impact injuries very well.

Oh, and Kalanar chews on him a little just in case ... you know ... before jumping back into its spot inside the wall.

And for the record, both bad guys take a ton of damage.

Get it? Ton? Hahahahaha! I crack my Shit up!

I love the smell of Death Eaters in the noonday sun. Smells like ... dead assholes.

Kerry watched with a combination of amazement and slight repulsion something huge leapt out of the wall and killed both the intruders, crushing one and smacking and . . . chewing on the other. Whoa--that was . . . Was he looking for the word, "Impressive"?

Just then he received an incoming call--

Victoria saw the brooms hovering near the scene of the call in. Her immediate feeling was to chastise, but thought getting a situation report was better than ripping them in front of everyone.

"Starbuck, Selene: do we have joy?" Despite being a little pissed at the 1st Years, she smiling a little thinking, Lets see if my nuggets get that, and figuring one would--

Kerry saw three people apparate into the area, looking like they were ready for something heavy as Professor Salomon asked for a report. "Roger, Night Witch," he replied. "All joy; two bad guys splashed." He looked to his left to Emma, who had a hugely puzzled look on her face. "Continuing patrol. Out."

He motioned for Emma to follow and pushed his Nimbus forward--

Emma tried to follow the quick conversation between Profess--um, "Night Witch" and "Starbuck" and couldn't follow a single word. "Ker--hey, Starbuck!" When he turned his head towards her, she asked, "How do you know what she was saying? How do you know what to say?" She simultaneously shook her head and shrugged. "I don't get any of that!"

Kerry almost laughed aloud. "It's not that hard, Selene," he said. "But it really helps if you spend some time hanging out at the Alter of the Big G--" He winked at her. "It makes everything a lot easier."

Emma almost gasped aloud. "I--um--" She just didn't know what to make of Kerry. I don't get him! she thought. He's not only sorta spooky, but he doesn't make any darn sense at times! She snorted. I don't know what that Annie sees in him, really.

"You can be kinda strange sometimes, Ke--Starbuck," she finally said in a sort of "I'm sorry to be saying this" voice.

Kerry did laugh aloud, and loved the expression that crossed Emma's face the moment he did. Oh, Emma, he thought, you would crap your pants if I told you what I really know about what's going on in Hogwarts, and how I know it.

Instead he nodded. "You don't know just how strange, Selene," he said. As he turned his action back to the shield and wall, he added, "And thank for remembering my call sign."

Victoria wasn't the only one in a forgiving mood today.