The Red Queen's Labyrinth Group 8

Word Count Reducio 756

Action Reducio Casting Flipendo (rolled a 9+7=16 but no need to roll if you don't want to, Tina.

Stats/Abilities Reducio Stamina: 4 Evasion: 6 Strength: 5 Wisdom: 8 Arcane Power: 5 Accuracy: 7

Interacting With: Reducio @Tina Carille

DidoTesTinaAngel Jada Felix

OOC note:

Reducio

1) At this point in the school year, Dido is not thinking at all clearly about people (especially Ravenclaws) and while everything said is true in her own belief, she is often very wrong/skewed.
2) I spent too long writing this and now can't tell if it's ok or really really bad lol

A smile full of bitter triumph stretched across Dido’s features as the sweet noise of the gate crashing down reached her ears. Without turning, she listened to the Red Queen’s shrieks, a noise which, if it had occurred earlier in the evening, may have shaken Dido from her anger and let her spin around to join the others in exultation. As it was, her grin barely widened with the final shrill shout. Dido stared at each of her teammates in turn, imagining lasers or some similar righteous power boring into them. She had done it. Not them. And least of all that Ravenclaw.

Turning back to face the now-demolished gate, Dido let her gaze drop down to the ground and the new layer of dust that rested over the stones. Taking a step forward, she noticed the same dust coating her trousers alongside streaks of dirt from her frantic search for rocks. She brushed them down fiercely, each miniature dust cloud reminding her of that very first lesson in Hogwarts, the pain of standing with only faint red sparkles in clouds from her wand forcing itself to the front of her mind. That image inevitably shifted into one of the next lessons, Dido’s partner sending his pillows hurtling backwards, Dido only succeeding in nudging it over. Instinctively, her hand darted towards the wand in her pocket, anxious to prove she was better. Dido pulled it back down, walking slowly with her hands by her sides.

As the group began to make their way out of the labyrinth, Dido heard Tina celebrate their victory with the painfully pitched exclamation, “Oh my god we’re done!”. Dido grit her teeth, the action somehow a relief on her relatively new molars which were otherwise being slowly ground down. At the insufferable girl’s next patronising cry of excitement, saying, “Finally! Thanks Dido!”, she let out a slow exhalation of fury, the flush of anger hiding the embarrassed redness on her cheeks. Though she still walked in front of the Ravenclaw, Dido could imagine Tina’s smug grin searing into her back, forcing her to walk forwards. The picture didn’t alleviate anything, but it certainly fuelled her steps, each foot digging into the ground as she moved.

Leading the way past the gatehouse and into the warm rays of light, Dido squeezed her eyes shut briefly before opening them to take in their new surroundings. A beautifully decorated throne room of sorts, six separate golden thrones before them. The falling red petals could have been just as beautiful, they certainly were theoretically as romantically perfect, but, as several falling near Dido invariably made its way into her mouth, as much as she tried to spit them out, the effect was diminished. As Dido finally wiped her hand across her face, removing a petal which had ended up in her hair, just in her periphery, Tina chose to finish speaking, apologising rapidly.

“No no no! I was just zoned out, Dido. That was great!”

That was great?

Who did she think she was? Some kind of mentor-figure? Teacher? Role model?

Dido turned on the girl, slowly, the bubbling anger choosing this moment to slow its burning, to simmer instead. Cold dark eyes met Tina’s own almost-amber brown. They narrowed, almost imperceptibly, as, simultaneously, her eye brows raised in faux-surprise.

“Was I really? Was that great?” she asked, a heightened pitch betraying her insincerity, “You were great too, Tina. With your little spells. Did you even think to try anything else?”

Dido paused momentarily but didn’t let the Ravenclaw respond before she spoke again, in a far colder and lower tone, “Because they did nothing.” Dido looked across the others in their group before locking eyes with Tina again and continuing, “I got the gate down. Me. Me, who wanted to go down the wrong path. Me, who was scared of gnomes. Me, who had no dignity to lose,” Dido spat Tina’s earlier words back in the girl’s face while her right hand edged further towards her wand, “And I did it without magic!”

The words were quick, spilling from her mouth and pulling the next sentence down with it.Her hand was fast too as, while she spoke, her wand appeared in her hand raised in front of her. Her voice raised.

“But if you’re so desperate for me to cast a spell-“

In that Defence against the Dark Arts lesson, Dido had struggled. Even failed. But she had practised.

“Flipendo!”