birth of the cruel | elaine

[Elaine Lyra Dupree]

The duel was over, even if Diana didn’t know it yet. Still, it amused Elaine to see the girl reach so piteously for her wand. Without a word, she flicked her wand so that Diana’s was in reach. “I didn’t think you’d go down that easily,” she purred, twirling her wand through her fingers. Another flick and the girl was back on solid ground.

She switched her stance, pointing her wand at Diana, a cruel smile playing at her lips. “Round two,” she sang out, and flames erupted from her wand, encircling the two of them in a fiery ring. “Thought it was getting a bit damp down here, time to turn up the heat,” she explained, then shot a spell that erupted right at Diana’s feet, so the girl would have no choice but to back closer to the flames, or retaliate offensively to get her away. She continued to shoot spells not quite at the girl, but just close enough that she would instinctively move away and closer to the fire. “Give up yet?” she called. “I’m happy to accept your defeat at any time. Just say the word.”

diana eoina bainbridge

[diana eoina bainbridge]

lets not forget were all guilty

all three dimensions
polluted by earnest despair

March 15, 2023
Elaine Lyra Dupree

The wand that Diana had so desperately been reaching for suddenly rolled toward her, and she was able to grab it with her fingertips. Elaine was just toying with her now. And before Diana could do anything, she suddenly dropped onto the ground, the wind knocked out of her. She took a moment to breathe again but then remembered that this wasn’t just some bully taunting in the hallway, and she scrambled to her feet. ’Round Two’ and Diana watched as flames flew from Elaine’s wand but not toward her but around them. Like some encircled arena. She was trapped.

A spell cut the stone near her feet, and she jumped back but made sure to avoid the fire. The easiest way was to walk to the side along the edge. Diana tried to think but wasn’t as quick as her classmates. Everything she worked on always required patience and time. The obvious solution was something with water for the fire, but that felt too easy, maybe a smokescreen to buy her some time? Or something like both? Diana thought about how she had been messing with the water-making spell and how it could be so much more. Charms met Transfiguration, which meant that technically you could convert it to any state of matter.

Diana took a few more steps and motioned with her wand for the water-making spell, but with the heat of the fire, she blasted steam in Elaine’s direction. At the right temperature, the steam acted as a thick fog, but steam could also burn, whereas a smokescreen could not. In any other instance, she would have been proud of what she had created, it was what her brain was built for, but right now, she couldn’t give up—not when her family’s safety was at stake.

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[Elaine Lyra Dupree]

Elaine had not expected the steam, and she felt her face burn with the heat before her Shield Charm erected in front of her, keeping her clear from the brunt of it. Impressive, looked like Diana wasn’t going to go down so easily after all. “Nicely done,” she called out, prowling to the outer edge of the flame circle which still encircled them both. It would take more than a water spell to douse those flames after all. “I’m going to have to put aloe on after this,” she commented, more to herself than others. Elaine was a vain girl, and with her beauty who wouldn’t be? She prided her pale, flawless skin tone, and now Diana had marred it. That rather annoyed her.

She knew she could easily throw out an Unforgivable Curse, but it would make this less fun. Her personal favorite form of torture was mental, not physical, but taking control of Diana’s mind would take the fun out of the trial. No, those three were best left as last resorts. Taking a cue from what she believed was Diana’s train of thought, she waved her wand at the smoke hovering over them, watching as it lazily floated down to create a smokescreen where neither girl was particularly visible. Elaine knew how to stay perfectly still; how else would she learn her information if not from eavesdropping? But she studied the smokescreen, and when she saw a shadow she pounced. “Locomotor Mortis” she snapped, the Leg Locking Curse springing from her wand towards the shadowy figure in front of her.

diana eoina bainbridge

[diana eoina bainbridge]

lets not forget were all guilty

all three dimensions
polluted by earnest despair

March 15, 2023
Elaine Lyra Dupree

Diana’s heart was beating so fast it made her tremble, and she focused on keeping her grip on her wand this time. The compliment on her creative spell was more of a taunt than anything. The steam made her surroundings feel stuffy against the heat of the flames around them. But the effects had been temporary. Unfortunately, it didn’t help Diana as she couldn’t get outside the circle to escape. Was escape even an option at this point? She was too afraid to take her eyes off Elaine to check her surroundings but based on the fall through the entrance, there wasn’t exactly a door to walk through.

Merlin, was this it then? Before she could react, smoke filled her vision, and she suppressed the instant urge to cough. Her lungs burned, as did her eyes, but she had to be ready. Diana moved slowly to the side, eyes frequently scanning for any sign of a person. And then she heard someone yell to her left. ’Shit’. And through the smoke, Diana could see the bright red light of the spell, which gave away Elaine’s position. She quickly shifted her wand and cast the first spell that came to mind. ”Confringo”. Through the smoke, Diana could hardly aim where it went, and as she felt her legs snap, she fell forward as the momentum of the curse pushed her legs back. Maybe a shield charm would have been a better idea, but Diana was so scared that she simply reacted. When Diana fell, the wind had been knocked out of her, but she pushed herself up to check her surroundings. Quickly she caste the counter-curse but remained where she was.

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[Elaine Lyra Dupree]

Elaine saw the spell hit its’ target, but the little Ravenclaw had another trick up her sleeve. She dodged and rolled out of the way, stamping out the flames that were licking her robes as she drew too close to the outer edge of the circle. She could barely make out a figure on the ground, but she wasn’t sure if Diana had performed the countercurse yet.

Before she had been toying with the girl, but now Elaine was thoroughly annoyed. First the girl had the nerve to eavesdrop on a private conversation, then tried to hide from her, and now had ruined this perfectly nice set of Hogwarts robes. Time to end this. She eradicated the smoke and drew her wand in a circle. The flames extinguished and a wall of ice sprang up, encircling Diana where she lay; the only way out was directly in front of where Elaine stood. “I wouldn’t try escaping this if I were you, at least…not until I’ve had my say,” she said silkily. Her eyes never left Diana’s as she prowled even closer. “We can end this now by your own surrender, or we can end it after I’ve broken every bone in your body. Your choice,” she told her, then stood still. She pointed her wand directly at Diana, leaning her head to one side. “Should I start with a finger, or a toe?” she purred, slowly moving her wand so it first pointed at Diana’s hands, then her feet.

diana eoina bainbridge

[diana eoina bainbridge]

lets not forget were all guilty

all three dimensions
polluted by earnest despair

March 15, 2023
Elaine Lyra Dupree

Diana had no clue if she’d hit Elaine. For all she knew, her spell had gone completely over her head. A wasted opportunity. She cursed herself for not protecting herself instead. She was still a target even with the counter-curse and her legs free. A sitting duck inside a circle of flames she couldn’t escape from. But then, all at once, the smoke cleared. Elaine made it look so easy, as if that was an option for her in the first place. Then why hadn’t she done it then? Even Diana could see that she was being toyed with. Just poked and prodded but inside a cage.

And the flames cleared, but she heard a loud noise close to her, and instinctively Diana covered her head with her hands with a small yelp. Elaine might have done something to the ceiling or maybe the ground. It was loud, but then she felt cold. An icy chill crept up her spine, and she saw why when she moved her hands and opened her eyes. Ice. A wall of ice encircled her and Elaine right in front. So her end would be with ice rather than fire. That was quite the plot twist.

She trembled not only with fear but out of fear. The adrenaline coursing through her system made it impossible to hold her wand steady. From the show of events today and that conversation Diana had accidentally overheard, the threat of broken bones was real. Could the human body even survive such a thing? And what then? Elaine would happily leave her down here or worse. But then she thought of the terms. If Elaine won, she would wipe Diana’s memory of the event. Was it too naïve to think it was true at all now? But Diana couldn’t win. She never stood a chance. She immediately thought of her family. They had no idea what she’d gotten wrapped up in.

Her hand loosened, so her hand let go of the wand and lay flat on top of it. ”Okay.” She spoke quietly as she stared at the floor. Leaving her wand on the floor, she sat back on her haunches. ”I—I surrender…” She had barely any strength left in her voice. Tears began to stream slowly down her face. Merlin, what had she gotten herself into? ”You said…you said you would make me forget what I saw if you won.” A life blissfully unaware of this duel and what she saw the other day sounded like the ultimate peace.

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[Elaine Lyra Dupree]

Elaine stood over Diana, a triumphant smile on her face. The girl had surrendered, and reminded the Slytherin of their deal. “True, I did say I would make you forget what you saw if I won…” she mused. She was still looking at Diana with a smile on her face, though it had turned contemplative. She tilted her head to one side, studying the pitiful creature in front of her. Diana had shown courage and relatively decent skill for a witch her age, and she knew the girl to be a Metamorphmagus - she had seen her hair change colors randomly throughout the six years the twin Bainbridge girls had been at Hogwarts. Her eyes flickered over to Desiree, who was watching her with a curious expression on her face. Desi had assumed, she could see, that Elaine would simply get rid of Diana once she’d won the duel, which she had deemed inevitable. While the latter was quite true, Elaine had not intended on killing the witch, which would have caused even more upheaval at the school. At this point in time, it was…ill advised to draw any more attention to herself.

“I could modify your memory here and now. You will forget what you saw with the Mudblood Johnson, and the subsequent duel following it. You would go about your days in blissful ignorance of what happened these past few hours.” Elaine paused. “You would then not realize any responsibility you may bear if any of your siblings happen to get in my way.” Her upper lip curled; she had made no promises regarding Diana’s family if ELAINE had won, only if Diana had. “However, I see potential in you Diana. If you join me, I will ensure your family, siblings and parents included, remain safe and out of harms way. Though-” she paused again, eyes glinting malevolently. “If one foolishly chooses to challenge me one on one, I will show them no mercy.” She fell silent, her eyes never leaving Dianas. It was the girls turn to speak now, and Elaine waited for her response.

diana eoina bainbridge

[diana eoina bainbridge]

lets not forget were all guilty

all three dimensions
polluted by earnest despair

March 15, 2023
Elaine Lyra Dupree

Diana’s face became flushed, and her breath caught in her throat. That smile—that smirk was frightening. And now she knew why. The tears that had left her before were nothing to what welled in her eyes now. They felt hot, and her eyes burned. All that smoke and fire left her nose, lungs, and eyes irritated. Everything in Diana wanted to protest, to argue with Elaine. How was that fair? A deal was a deal, wasn’t it? But after everything that had just happened, Diana knew that challenging her would increase the chance that Elaine would likely kill her and harm her family.

Her face felt wet, Diana felt defeated, but more than that, she felt angry. Angry at herself for being in the wrong place and time. Angry that she couldn’t defend herself, let alone her family. Her hair grew dark, much like the dread that overtook her. ’Potential.’ What did that even mean? Diana kept staring at the floor in front of her. A weight grew on her shoulders. The heavy realization that she really didn't have a choice, did she? And as that conclusion settled in her mind, she sniffled as her hair shifted to a faded gray. Diana could forget, but then Elaine would find Dustin or one of her sisters. He played Quidditch. Staging an accident would be easy for the older girl.

At least this way, she was aware and could do something. Diana didn’t know what she would agree to, but it seemed the only way. ’Fuck.’ She at least wasn’t worried one of the Bainbridges would try to be a hero. That wasn’t who they were. Their skills lay elsewhere. So, slowly Diana nodded her head. After a moment, she looked back at Elaine, whose eyes had been ready for hers. ”J-Just leave them alone…and I’ll do whatever you want…” Diana wondered if she should tell Cara and just make her promise not to try anything or try to fix it because of the risk. Wrapping her arms around herself she just felt cold from the ice but also just cold.

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[Elaine Lyra Dupree]

Elaine just watched, curious, as Diana dealt with this inner turmoil. Well, partially inner; the girls’ Metamorphmagus ability gave some indications as to where her head was currently at. Finally she spoke the words Elaine had been waiting for, more or less at least. She clucked her tongue at Diana’s shivering, and she waved her hand. A blanket appeared and draped itself over her shoulders. “You’re no use to me if you die of hypothermia first,” she explained lazily. She gestured over her shoulder, and Desiree stepped forward, pulling out her wand.

“Oh do not trouble yourself Diana. Desi has no intention of hurting you right now,” Elaine added, noting that the re-appearance of her friend would have likely terrified the girl further. “She is just our Bonder,” she explained. She extended her hand and gripped Diana’s forearm, pulling her upright. Her grip on the forearm stayed firm and Desiree stood between them, wand pointed directly at their hands. “I can’t have you accidentally warning someone Diana. I’m afraid this is the only way I have found effective at keeping people…quiet.” Elaines’ eyes glinted malevolently as she turned her gaze towards her friend. “Desiree, let’s begin,” she instructed. She turned back to Diana.

“Diana Bainbridge, do you swear your undying loyalty to me, Elaine Lyra Dupree?”

diana eoina bainbridge

[diana eoina bainbridge]

lets not forget were all guilty

all three dimensions
polluted by earnest despair

March 15, 2023
Elaine Lyra Dupree

Diana was aware of the blanket draping her shoulders but didn’t feel anything. Only the shivering from the cold and trembling from emotion vibrated through her. It was like some sick dream. Would she wake up and wonder what the hell that was about? What in Merlin’s name had caused such a nightmare? Perhaps they had too many sweets before bed, as their mother always warned them. And to think Elaine wasn’t alone. How many more of her crowd littered their student body? How many ended up in unfortunate situations just as she was or others like Ethan were as well?

’Bonder’, Diana suddenly looked up at Elaine with wide eyes that darkened to black along with her hair. Her lip trembled so much that she couldn’t even protest when pulled upright. Elaine’s hand was somehow colder than the ice that previously caged her. So cold and inhuman. Like something Diana would have read in some obscure Defense Against the Dark Arts book.

’Diana Bainbridge, do you swear your undying loyalty to me, Elaine Lyra Dupree?’

Diana stared at their hands, tears silently falling down her face. This was it, wasn’t it? Maybe it would’ve been better had this chamber caved in on them, or at least Diana—but then her siblings would remain exposed. There was nothing to do but concede defeat. She let her hand grasp Elaine’s forearm, and her eyes and hair remained dark. ”I do.”

[ wrap up? ]

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[Elaine Lyra Dupree]

“Accio,” Elaine called cooly, and Diana’s wand, just out of the girls’ reach, zipped up into her hand. She twirled it through her fingers, her own wand still trained on the upside down Ravenclaw. “Oak?” she queried, testing the pliancy of the wand. “Quite bendy Diana, I could just snap it so easily…” she trailed off. She bent the wand a little further, but not enough to splinter anything before pocketing it. Liberacorpus! She thought, and Diana was released from the spell.

“Do you yield, Diana Bainbridge? I’ll tell you what, I’m in a good mood today, so I’ll be gracious.” Elaine paused, walking slowly up to the form on the floor and crossing her arms. “I won’t be wiping your memory today.” she let that sink in for a few moments, a slow grin spreading across her face. “However, I obviously cannot have you going around blabbing my secrets, so I am altering the deal. You will swear your allegiance to me, here and now, and not only will I let you go, I will swear that your family will not be touched by my hand. All you need to do is make an Unbreakable Vow.” Elaine doubted Diana knew much, if anything, about Unbreakable Vows. But Elaine knew plenty - and she knew if you broke them, you died. She didn’t need to hurt Diana’s family personally. If the girl acted up, she had alternative options. So she stared down at her, waiting for Diana to make this very important decision.

diana eoina bainbridge

[diana eoina bainbridge]

lets not forget were all guilty

all three dimensions
polluted by earnest despair

March 15, 2023
Elaine Lyra Dupree

Merlin—Diana’s heart pounded fiercely against her ribcage. Threatening to break the bones in this cold. This was not the same panic as getting a bad grade or finding herself in trouble with the librarian or her head of house. This was entirely different. Very quickly, the situation turned into one of real life and the kind of things they didn’t prepare you for in Hogwarts classes. How in Merlin’s name would a three-foot essay in Charms have prepared Diana for this? All her random knowledge and intelligence, and she’d been so easily cornered. Like a human backing a mouse into a corner.

Free of spells but without a wand, Diana only stared at Elaine with big eyes full of tears. There was no escape, not even the escape of liberated memories. Normally, one would want to protest altering a deal—but at this point, she was afraid to speak as it would put her family at risk. So, what choice did Diana have? ”A vow?” Diana exclaimed, eyes growing even wider. She had read about those in the same book that held that chapter on inferi. Oh boy, Diana had really done it now. Closing her mouth, she swallowed hard, but it felt like her heart had leaped into her throat. ”And my family will be safe?” Diana asked after a pause. That was all she could hope for at this point. Nodding her head slowly, Diana agreed. ”Okay…”

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