And by morning... (jimothy)

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Vic was planning to see if her siblings had arrived at the winter festival. She hadn't actually checked their plans, though.

She had only been in the village for about ten minutes when she heard people screaming outside the Broomsticks . She ran out, her eyes scowering the crowd for Elaines masked figures... But she saw something worse. Dragons. Seriously? How did they get here? She tried to remember her class and recall what kind of dragons they were... But she was drawing a blank. She liked care of magical creatures but the didn't learn that much about dragons. And what she did learn clearly wasn't enough to identity them on the spot. Where was uncle Charlie when you need him?

"Holy... " she was stunned for a moment. But something clicked when she saw Jim not far off. She ran toward him. "Ludicrous things are happening," she whipped out her wand, "isn't that your specialty?"

@jim

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Jim hadn’t come to the Hogsmeade festival for any particular reason. Many people were running around chasing family members or just having fun but he was just enjoying his leisurely stroll through the festivities. It was nice to people watch without having a destination in mind. Far too much of his time was spent in an office or dealing with paper work in one way or another, he liked the aimlessness of wandering around. It might have seemed strange for a grown man to willingly wander a festival alone on his day off with no plans to meet anyone but here he was. He had already been to a few of the attractions set up. Lost a number of sickles to a few games that he was sure were magically rigged in some way, that or he was just terrible at them. All in all it was a peaceful day for the patents worker.

Suddenly the peaceful background noise of people talking and laughing, even the few screams of children being just a little to loud were gone. It was replaced by more screaming this time from adults and children, it wasn’t the playfully happy kind like before but panicked and scared. Jim had expected this to be some attack, he would blame his luck but that would have been rude to make this about his day off. Yet he soon realized this wasn’t at least obviously related to the Purifiers. No, that was made clear by the black shadows that blocked the sun as they passed, dragons. Large ones at that and while he wasn’t well versed in the breed of dragons it was clear this wasn’t a good sign. There was a moment or two where Jim hoped they just flew on, they could be caught else where away from people. That hope was dashed as they began to circle the village.

While the dragons flew and circle it was one amazing sight, it would have been better if he wasn’t worried and surrounded by scared and panicked individuals. He was lost in what was going on for a moment till he heard someone talking to him. Looking toward the voice he found Vic talking about the situation adding that it was his specialty in a way. “I don’t like how that makes it sound like this is my fault.” Jim explained with a weak laugh as he finally reached for his wand, something he should have done long ago but the wheels in his head were finally turning. He had joined Ouroboros out of the desire to protect people from the Purifiers but dragons were now an even bigger threat. “I’ve never fought off dragons before but I guess there’s a first time for everything.”

@victoire

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He said he didn't like how she made it sound like it was his fault, and his demeanor was entirely more serious than the last time they met, even with that small laugh. She liked it. She shook her head, eyes up on the dragons still, "I more meant it could be your 'fault' in stopping them," she explained, still mostly joking. "Don't worry, I'm here for you -" she said, all joking aside as he mentioned that he had never fought off dragons before. I think few have... the question is, can we fight them off without killing them?" she asked, mostly to herself. She wasn't really about harming the magnificent creatures, but the people in the village were more important to save. There were a lot of parents with children of all ages and the villagers and students on break. She couldn't let them get hurt.

"Come on, let's get a better vantage point," she suggested, moving toward one of the taller buildings in the village - not that ANY were very tall. She moved through the crowds and got inside, starting to climb the stairs to the second floor.

@jim

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Jim had only taken a moment to look toward Vic while she was explaining what she had meant before going back to looking at the dragons. He had a feeling that was what she was getting at but took the awkward uneasy second to make his joke. “One way or another I getting the feeling I’m calling out of work tomorrow.” He muttered as he took a second to wonder what the best course of attack would be here. Jim didn’t know much about dragons yet knew they resisted magic very well. “I appreciate that, I’ve got you back also.” He replied finally looking back to Vic, if he stared anymore up in the air he felt he was going to get dizzy. Vic asked him if there was a way to fight the dragons with out killing them. Jim didn’t have an answer and if he was being honest if it came down to protecting the people or having to kill a dragon he would have to go with the first choice. Even if the idea of possibly killing a dragon seemed unlikely to him and left him feeling uneasy. Still he would be much happier to try and not kill one. “Best bet would be to aim for any soft part with the strongest stunning spell we’ve got, if dragons have a softer spot that is.”

There wasn’t much of a where to start when it came to protecting people from Dragons from Jim’s point of view. Still Vic suggested they get a better vantage point and started moving toward a slightly taller than the rest of the buildings at Hogsmeade. “Ladies first still applies even in a dragon attack.” He added as he followed her through the panicked crowd and into the building. They started to climb the stairs and while they did there was a loud crash all around them. What he did notice was large bits of the ceiling coming down. “Protego,” shouted with a wave of his wand as the wood and other things hit the invisible barrier around them and bounced down to the first floor.

@victoire

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Jim noted that either way he would be calling out of work tomorrow. "I'm sure most people will be, hopefully not because they're in the hospital, but..." on the other hand, though, even more people would be working harder tomorrow to figure out how this happened. Vic wished she knew about dragons reserves and areas a little better so she could gauge where these guys came from. They wouldn't just randomly do this right? It had to be Elaine. Vic was always suspicious of Elaine when anything strange happened, though, so it wasn't like she had any logical explanation for this theory.

He said he had her back also, and that was definitely nice to hear. Then he suggested that they stun the softer parts of a dragon, assuming they had softer spots. Vic knew she should know this, where the best place to his a dragon was. "I'm sure inside the mouth is a good bet, you just have to wait for them to open it?" she suggested, unsure of herself. Vic didn't like being unsure of herself.

She was happy to go first, lady or not. But as they climbed the stairs it seemed a dragon was above them or the building was hit by a spell because ceiling parts began to fall. She stopped in her tracks, leaning back and reaching her free arm behind her until it found Jims shoulder. He cast a protective spell and she grinned, "good thinking," she complimented. She released him and climbed the stairs yet again, even if it was crumbling. She reached the door at the top but before she could swing it open it busted off it's hinges, blowing toward her. She ducked, even though there was a protective barrier.

@jim

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Jim nodded as Vic commented on him saying he would be off tomorrow. Explaining a number of people might also and hopefully not just because they were in the hospital. Jim on the other hand was more of a realist on the matter. He could hope no one got hurt but if someone had to get hurt it was better they end up in the hospital than someplace far worse, like in the ground. Still now wasn’t the time to think about the worse case scenario. He did know for sure that there was going to be one hell of a meeting with Ouroboros after all this. ”The hospital is better than the alternative. Still I guess that’s what we’ll be here for, damage control.” 

Vic explained about hitting a dragon in the mouth, which was for sure bound to be softer than the outside. Problem was getting them to open their mouth. It wasn’t like it was ever opened for something friendly when they were attacking something. It was either to roar, breath fire or bite. ”I don’t recommend standing right in front of one while it opens its mouth though.” Jim commented as the idea was sound, problem was if they decided to breath fire while someone waited to aim into their mouth. ”Yet if we can get one when it’s just roaring or not aiming right at us it’s a good plan,” Jim added.

In all the commotion of the building shaking Vic grabbed his shoulder for support, Jim had the railing. Which in a building that left like it was falling apart didn’t seem as sturdy as normal. Still the barrier worked and after she complimented him they continued up the stairs. “If we’re going to be fighting off dragons I would hate to think we ended up being defended by bits of ceiling.” Jim said with another weak laugh like before, he liked to use comedy to try and ease situations even if he wasn’t doing it intentionally here. Vic reaches for the door and moments from touching it the door burst from the wall and toward them. Vic ducked and out of instinct Jim did the same putting an arm over her head as if that would have done something to a flying door. Luckily he had kept the barrier up and it just flew above them and down the stairs. “I guess we got our vantage point,” Jim said standing up and letting go of Vic. The room or what was left of it had a massive hole where the wall and ceiling should have been. 

@victoire

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Jim said the hospital was better than the alternative, and Vic nodded rapidly, "damage control, definitely. Guess there's no point focusing on sides on this one," she pointed out. Not that she considered Ouroboros her enemy, but she certainly didn't think they were entirely on the same side. This wasn't the time to even be thinking about that, of course. Dragons attacking and all.

Jim agreed about hitting a dragon in the mouth if they could time it right and not be right in the line of fire, no pun intended. The literal line of fire. "If one of us could distract it, get it to open it's mouth, the other could take a shot?" she suggested.

Jim commented as to how he'd hate being defeated by bits of ceiling, Vic gave a small laugh - half heartedly. "Yeah, that would be a really sad story," she agreed. When the door flew off the wall, Vic didn't notice at first that Jim tried to shield her with his arm. He said they had their vantage point and she tried to catch her breath, looking up at the massive hole and then back down toward Jim, "I guess it's ladies first," she suggested, turning back toward the gaping whole and moving toward it.

Once she made it to the opening she caught site of why the wall had burst apart. A dragon on the building next door was swinging it's tale madly in their direction.

@jim

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Vic pointed out how there wasn’t much need to worry about who was on what side. “Not unless you want to see which side is going to take down more dragons.” Jim said with a moment of sarcasm as he didn’t see the need to worry about who was fighting for what reason right now. All that mattered was keeping people self. ”We all might have slightly different goals and ways of getting them achieved but at the end of the day we’re just trying to keep people safe and stop the bad guys. In this case the bad guys just happen to be huge angry dragons.” Jim would have thankfully traded the dragons for purifiers which was a horrible thought to prefer seeing them. Still it wouldn’t take multiple stunning spells to knock a person out.

Again Vic made a good suggestion, the only problem Jim could find with it was the problem they already had. This was dragons they were dealing with. Nothing was bound to be that easy with something like that. ”Curse this natural ability to be distracting at times like this.” Jim replied as he was willing to be the one to keep a dragons a attention. As little as he wanted to be that person, someone would need to be and it might as well be him. Even if Vic was a leader of one of the factions that used to be the order and an ex-minister, he felt more comfortable being the target than her.

Jim nodded while Vic agreed with him that being defeated by falling bits from the house would be both a disappointing way to go and story. “Yeah I don’t need to be part of the head line, ex-minister and some guy hurt by a roof while dragons attacked.” Jim joked moments before he might have been able to change that to attacked by a door. Vic copied him from before saying ladies first as she went into what Jim believed used to be a bed room. It was hard to tell at this point. Everything inside looked destroyed or was probably missing. “By all means, in times like this the last thing I want to be is rude,” he said sarcastically joking for a moment.

Following Vic into the room it was clear to see why there was a massive hole in it as a tail kept going back and forth. There was a dragon sitting on the building next to them and if they hadn’t been attacking Hogsmeade being this close to one might have been an amazing sight. “Sooo...” he paused for a moment, still frozen in what was just going on. “Okay so I’ll go on one side of the massive hole and distract it.” Jim explained while it honestly possibly sounded more like a question in his unsure tone at the moment. “I’ll say mean things about it’s mom or something and you wait on the other side hidden as best you can till it opens its mouth.”

@victoire

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He suggested they could see which side could take down more dragons. "If this was more of a planned event then I might take you up on that," she replied. She nodded as he went on, "I guess that's a fair point. A good place to start," she agreed. Victoire knew that when it all came down to it they'd be on the same side, fighting evil. 

For now it was just... complicated.

Jim listened to her idea about distracting, though, and basically volunteered. She frowned at him, but she knew she was a good duelist and therefore should be the one taking the shot. He agreed that they'd be quite the headline if they were crushed by a roof, and she managed a short laugh. He did let her go first, and she did - moving slowly.

She looked back over at him when he started with "sooo" and raised an eyebrow. He suggested going to the other side of the whole, saying mean things about it's mom or whatever. She reached over and clasped his bicep with her hand. "Jim, be careful," she said in all seriousness. She liked his jokes, sure, but she had to get into game mode.

She gave his arm a squeeze and slipped away, moving to a spot where she could be hidden....

@jim

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“I wouldn’t rule out this being a planned event.” Jim said as the smallest of serious tones were in his voice. He couldn’t imagine this many dragons just left their refuge with no one noticing. “Problem is by who but that can wait till things stop biting and breathing fire.” Jim added as Vic explained he made a good point. He’d have to remind a coworker that the ex minister of magic said that to him. If he lived that is, it was funny but not worth coming back as a ghost. “I will say, I didn’t sign up thinking I’d be fighting off dragon.”

After explaining that they were going through with the distraction plan Jim felt a little unsure of himself. He was brave or at least he thought he was, he had been a Gryffindor for whatever reason. He was in Ouroboros to protect people too and had fought a few times. Yet there hadn’t been enough times where this being brave trait was actually tested. Victoire grabbed his arm for a moment and told him to be careful and Jim just smiled. There was a number of jokes he probably could have thought of but now wasn’t the time. “Of course, drinks are on you after this though.” Still he found something to add.

She took her place on the other side of the room and was hidden well enough now. Victoire would be safe there if anything happened on his side of the room which was reassuring in a way. Now came the hard part of getting the dragons attention and well, living. The dragon just kept swinging it’s tail looking around breathing fire ever so often. “Heyyy! Over here!” Jim tried a simple shout but compared to all the other noise it didn’t really catch its attention.

“Okay, fine.” He muttered to himself as he picked up two of the bricks from the wall that were not just laying around. He threw the first one and it hit it right in the top of the head. Now it was looking over and Jim cursed his good aim for a moment. He finally threw the second one and it hit it more in the chest this time. Either way it was now looking at Jim and not happy. It started to open its mouth either to roar or breath fire, he hoped for the roar but got his wand ready.

@victoire

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Jim said that it could in fact be a planned event, which got Vic thinking. What if it was? The gears started turning, but she had to deal with the problem at hand first. The dragon that was facing off with them. Or rather, was about to face off with them. She smiled at his next comment, "I think from now on just assume you're signing on for anything," she suggested, "that way you'll never be surprised."

He said drinks were on her after this and she grinned, "anything you want," she promised.

Once they were separated, she started to think about what he said. About this being planned. She kept having to remind herself to look up and stay focused, she had to take care of this dragon first or Jim could be seriously hur- then the dragon turned toward the distraction, it's mouth opening.

Vic aimed her wand, whispering a spell and a giant piece of the ceiling lifted above her before flying toward the dragon and lodging right in it's throat. The dragon struggled, managing to cough it out, but while it was distracted Vic sent another rock which manage to smack the side of it's head. The dragon swayed on the rooftops, before collapsing due to the head trauma and the struggle to breath from the piece before.

Thankfully, it's chest still rose and fell. It was unconscious. That may not last long, though.

She spun to face Jim, but didn't see him. "Jim? Jim!? JIM?" she called, rushing over to where he had been standing.

@jim

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Jim nodded as Vic suggest he just be signed up for anything and right now it seemed like the case. That way he wouldn’t be surprised when something came up. “How about almost anything, if one of those giant spiders from the forbidden forest decided to show up that can be someone else’s job.” Jim replied in a joking tone and it was indeed funny in a way. Right now he was willing to fight off dragons but he couldn’t stand spiders. All the legs and eyes... just everything about them gave him the creeps. It had been that way for as long as he could remember.

“It all depends on how bad things go down. The worse it gets the more drinks will be needed.” If she was indeed buying he wouldn’t say no but that was something for much later anyway. Either way he was going to need a drink after all this.

Jim had his wand ready for whatever the dragon might do now that it was staring right at him. Luckily Vic took that moment to throw a large portion of the roof into its face. Which stopped it from roaring or breathing fire. Jim thought this just might work for a moment as she proceeded to hit it again with another large piece of the building. It started to sway only as the floor Jim was standing on did the same. He hadn’t noticed just how weak the part of the room he had been standing on was till now as it started to give way. The dragon was going down but so was he. There were plenty of spells that would help a wizard slow down or not get hurt by a fall but as he came crashing down for he first floor he couldn’t remember a one or had the time to.

Within seconds he was on the hard wooden floor of the first floor. Nothing soft to break his fall, just more wood and brick. As much as he was worried about what might be wrong with him not having Vic within sight as she was possibly fighting off a dragon was more worrying. Yet luckily he heard her calling his name which was a reassuring sign. “Yeah! Don’t worry about me I took the quick way down.” He yelled back toward the second floor. Taking a moment to figure out what had happened to him it didn’t take long. His arm hurt to move even slightly along with just the pain from fall just falling in general. There was also a stabbing in his leg which he didn’t even want to look at right now. “I think I’m going to have retire from fighting dragons for a bit.” He thought out loud.

@victoire

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Jim said that he wasn't willing to fight any large spiders and she couldn't help but chuckle at that. "I didn't peg you at the type to be scared of a few spindly legs," she teased. Even in a moment like this Jim was easy to talk to, and she liked that. He said his drinks after this would depend on how bad things got here and she nodded, "hopefully we don't need the expensive stuff, I am unemployed after all," she joked. She had plenty of money for now.

But then they were separated and the plan took place, and she was running over to the spot Jim had been, calling his name. She finally came to a halt as she almost fell straight into a hole in the floor. She bent down to her knees, hands clasping the edge of the hole as she looked down where she heard his voice coming from. She spotted him and she winced - his arm was definitely busted and his leg was obviously bleeding. He said something else too, about retiring, but she was too busy taking in his wounds from her perch above him. "Yeah, don't move Jim. I'll get hel-" she paused because just then the message came to her by a small patronus whisper, glowing bright next to her ear.

The Purifiers were attacking Azkaban... did they sic the dragons on Hogsmeade? As a distraction? Vic waved the Patronus aside and sighed, looking down at Jim again, "Jim I have to go," she said, her voice cracking a bit, "I'll be back as soon as I can. Just - be careful, please," she said, "I'll be back," she promised before apparating on the spot.

@jim
(feel free to post one last reaction if you want or this can be the end!)

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Jim laughed along as Vic teased him for a moment about being scared of spiders. Which is something he expected but it wasn’t that hidden of a secret, not after he freaked out at work because there was some on his desk. Just thinking of it now gave him the creeps for a moment. “You would think that, willing to take on dragons but more than happy to let someone else deal with spiders.” He replied with a laugh as it was an odd situation. Vic replied to his comment about drinks and he nodded. “Fine, We’ll get you a job and then get the expensive stuff, now we both have a reason to get out of here alive and safe.”

There wasn’t much Jim could do from the hole and first floor he found himself in besides look up toward where he fell from. Vic was there now and that was reassuring in a way as she didn’t appear hurt in any way. She told him not to move and she would get help before getting distracted. He was worried for a moment that it might have been another dragon. All he could do for the moment was hope it wasn’t that as she disappeared from view for a second. It wasn’t like he could move anyway. He could attempt it but he wasn’t going to be fast and it might end up bleeding more in the end.

Vic appeared again and explained that she had to go and that she would be back. “Go, I’ll be fine and other people need help more I’m sure.” He yelled back as she apparated to where ever. Probably to help someone else being attacked by dragons he assumed. Jim just laid back where he was, it wasn’t comfortable at all but he didn’t have much of a choice. As he contemplated just what to do next. He’d be fine where he was but was worried about everyone else outside that he could have helped and Vic as well.

@victoire
(End)