A man sat on a huge stone. He held a cheap, wooden cane in one hand, and with his other hand he smoothed out the edge of his tattered, torn up, blood stained travelling cloak. Beside him, a beautiful regal suite lay strewn in the mud, as if this Traveller had cast away a past life.

A breeze shook him slightly and his long white matted hair flung back and for a moment seemed to merge with the wind. He looked up to the sky, his blood shot eyes twitching out of both tiredness and psychological hatred. He screamed until his vocal chords caved in.

The traveller stood up and immediately stumbled, only saving himself with the cane. He hobbled around the old Colosseum; back bent, knees twisted, age prevailing. He snarled at anything that moved, a little rat scurried back into its hovel out of sheer fright from the elderly man that seemed possessed and horrified with the world around him. The Traveller sat again, bored and unable to think what he should do with his life. Before, everything was so easy, everything had fallen into place like planned. Now, the world was a dream - random and unpredictable.

The Traveller placed his head in his hands and tried to cry, but couldn't. There was no sadness, no self pity only sheer and utter humiliation... with a whole lot of anger poured into the emotional melting pond. He clenched a fist until his yellow nails broke into his dry flesh and droplets of raw blood escaped from the wretch that was...

who was he? where was he? These basic life traits escaped him. He just knew he was the Traveller, the walker of worlds. Going from one place to the next and finding only misery.

But was he that? Had it really all boiled down to two simple words? To a life of sheer hate and misery, where he was not some great puppeteer, controlling life itself?

He cracked a smile, his face was monstrous. "Coldstone," he whispered, his voice fragmented and afraid. "I am Coldstone Harshing."

Yuni entered the Colosseum. He saw the shell of a man he recognized as Harshing. He seemed old and broken. Valdez approached cautiously; He knew of Harshing's murderous nature. Wand at the ready in his pocket, just in case, he crept to the psudothrone that Harshing had undoubtedly created. "Harshing?" He called out, his voice echoing throughout the building, "It's your replacement." He didn't know the right words to say. He was replacing the most powerful wizard since the Dark Lord himself. Even though he didn't agree with Harshing's policies, he still respected him.

Harshing looked up, his eyes pulsating with absolute raw hatred. He stood, using his cane for support and moved slowly from his rock and towards the man who had disturbed his misery. He stopped at about 15 metres away and looked the man up and down. He pulled a face of disgust then spat out to one side.

"Filth!" He cried, animal-like. He twisted the end of his cane and pulled, his wand appeared from it (yes like Lucius Malfoys in the films lol). He held it like a broken man, not with the calm stance before. Now he looked like a barbarian playing with a computer for the first time.

He quickly became family with it and played at acting like his former self. It didn't work. The change was irreversible. He had lost all his money, land, property, titles. The plan was in tatters. The master plan that he had spent years perfecting so he could reach the heights of dictator was ruined.

"You come here to mock me when you know that I have lost everything!" He shouted.

Valdez thought quickly. Why had he come? He wanted to tell Harshing that... He didn't know what he wanted to tell Harshing. "I came because... I.. I didn't come come to mock you." He felt his wand in his pocket, "I came because..." He still didn't know He didn't want to get killed, so he knew he had to tell exactly what he wanted to hear. "I came because I think you have a lot of knowledge to impart on somebody... And... I want that somebody to be me." Yuni thought that at the very least, it would keep him alive for another minute so he could think of something to get him out of his current situation...

Harshing was about to say something but then was silenced. Flattery? Harshing smiled slightly, although it seemed to have lost its prestige from his Golden days. He sat back down again and sighed. "They disposed of me, boy, I had built that school into something special, something elite and I was removed without a second thought."

He chewed his tongue. "For the last seven years I had planned the course of the future, I had masterminded a plan that would send me to great heights of power. Sadly... I did not account for his anomaly. I failed to see them turning against me..."

He tapped his wand on his leg then looked at the boy he had been replaced with, He laughed. "Pathetic."

Harshing bolted upright in a flash and sent several bursts of black light at Yuniesky. "Let me test what you are made of!"

Yuni responded, "You had some great ideals, but you went overboard with them... You went mad with power. They had no choice but to replace you!" Yuni saw what was going to happen so he drew his wand as well. "Power? All those years of being Voldemort's puta, and then everybody else's puta, I should hope that you at least learned something? Maybe it was how to be a subservient bitch. I guess you didn't learn how to expose a situation, because look where we are now. I'm running the school my way. Do you know why your way didn't work? The faculty and the students didn't respect you. They were afraid of you, but that doesn't equate to respect. In fact, I'm sure the only time anyone has ever been respectful to you is when you were second banana to someone more powerful." Yuni couldn't believe what he was saying. He knew for sure that he would die now... It was just a matter of time. "If you want to fight, let's fight!" Yuni had excelled in charms and in dueling in school, and outside of school. But he took one look at the black orbs of death and forgot everything he had ever learned. The light struck him and went through him. Shaking him to his soul. He had no idea what he got himself into...

((I'm going to post Flame and Lycs later, but can't at this moment because going home. Will probably have one up tomorrow, and the other Wednesday. Could be interesting, lol.))

OOC: We'll say that the black light spell drains a person's motivation to live and sends them into a huge depression, almost tugging their soul away. A kind of suicidal feeling....

BIC:

Harshing twisted his wand around his fingers and walked up to Yun and began to circle him. In the past few moments this fool had made some very silly mistakes. Harshing needed to correct him of them. He breathed in the dusty air and prepared to speak. He was so angry with his man his words came out deflated and in bursts, however they still carried the tone of menance from Harshing's previous reign.

"You were very foolish to come here," he said, his voice now a low rasp. "Very. Foolish," he bit his teeth together and knelt down to Yuni's level. "I played the humble servant very well, the loyal vizeer, the simple advisor. It was part of a plan!" His voice was desperate.

"A plan that you could not understand, your mind will not allow it. I had constructed it with perfection, I had allowed for every possibility and I had altered it when sheer luck came my way. I did not count on Potter destroying Voldemort, but when he did What luck I had filling the void of power with sensible politics." He laughed a little, but it had no passion behind it.

"Sometimes dignity is a thing to be sacrificed, boy, for greater power. Sometimes fear is more powerful than respect. And sometimes power and fear unite...and only then can one maintain one's authority. And how does one get power boy?" He paused, his eyes flickering, "Knowledge, pure knowledge."

He held out his wand and touched the tip to Yuni's head. "Legilimens," he muttered and began to attempt to break down the mental barriers, which would have been weakened with the previous curse.

She walked, thinking. Tis was the place she came when she needed to get away, to think alone. The colosseum had been the begining oher recently ended pregnancy. The young boy in her arms, weak yet, for he was but a few days old, depended completely on his mother.

Her lonely soul was torn apart now. She had little to live for but her ambitions, ambitions which were unlikely to come to anything if she were to follow her father's footsteps. No- she wouldn't, she couldn't, she needed success fort he child.

She was completely in her own world when she walked into the same area as her father, and only when she heard his voice did she look up. Finally, someone she could trust, if only a little.

"Dad?"

A tremendous sadness washed over him. He didn't feel like resisting, although he probably could have lasted for quite some time. Death seemed to be marching on, closer to him, All Yuni could think about was his daughter. How would she survive if he died here and now. How would his wife be able to support herself? She had very little practical experience. Yuni didn't believe she should have to work, so he always insisted that she take care of their only child. He allowed Harshing to enter his mind, but only for a moment. He had to try to resist. Love could overcome all. That's what his greatest teacher had always taught him.

He only felt sorry for Harshing. Sorry that he would never understand what what love was... Or maybe he did... Valdez pointed his wand at Flame. "Drop your wand Harshing," Yuni ordered, "Drop your wand if you want your daughter to remain unharmed."

Harshing caught only a glimpse of Valdez's family before being cast out of his mind, interrupted by the presence of another mind and his shouting. He turned to see Flame. He looked at her for a moment... his daughter? He looked straight at Yuni.

Harshing laughed and stepped back a little, his wand still trained on Yuni's chest. "By the time you try to hurt her I could kill you and you would have no chance of resistance. My logic dictates that you will in fact not use a spell on an innocent Hogwart's student. You are a weak family man, you would never hurt her."

Harshing was throwing all his eggs in one basket, playing the confident card. He looked at Flame. Would he really care? Some part of him nagged at his conscience. "Please torture her by all means,,,it will prepare her for the big wide world."

But Harshing didn't use a spell on Yuni he just let the silence unfold, unsure of what to do but keep talking.

Yuni said, "I don't think you know me Harshing. I will do whatever it takes to protect my family. I would have thought some of the same loyalties would lie somewhere within you. I'm dead anyways, you just haven't killed me yet..." He wondered if he was getting through to him. If he wasn't going to live, what was the point in allowing Harshing's daughter to live? He couldn't believe Harshing would give him the opportunity to attack his daughter. Harshing would rather watch his daughter be harmed than to allow everyone to leave alive... His wand still at the ready, he spoke to Harshing, "We can both leave here, our families intact..." There had to be something human left in him, "Or else your family will be one member short, and so will mine..." He awaited Harshing's answer, not looking at him. If he dropped his wand, he knew it would be over, if he heard no such thing, he was dead.

"I reject your kind offer," he mocked and walked forward. "I will make you an offer however: you can drop you wand like a sensible young man and we can discuss your future together, and of course how to rebuilt my plan to ensure the safety of Britain. "I will not surrender my only weapon, it is you who has to make the choice, not I." Harshing casually span his wand in his hands, all the time planning a head. What if the fool did attack Flame? He was praying on a sheer miracle that his reflexes would be able to do something... at the moment - he could think of nothing other than to keep up the facade that he had all the cards.

"My future as what? Your puppet? I'd rather die. I will not compromise my position by being in cahoots with you." Both of them knew that Valdez probably wouldn't do anything... "What's your goal through all of this Harshing?" Yuni asked, ready to cause harm to Flame at any moment or to escape if necessary.

Harshing's smile turned into a frown. he was about to recite a monologue, he mustered the needed energy to do this. To explain his plan required him to explain his world view.


"Imagine a world where there are no imperfections - a world filled with perfect Wizards, all wearing the same robes, all able to perform the best of spells, all producing good, pure offspring.

Imagine a child that does not scream at you and cause distress but simply obeys its parents and its nation. Imagine the child growing into a strong Wizard. Imagine millions of these perfect vessels.

Imagine a Britain where Wizards do not fear Muggles, where we do not try to hide and sacrifice our identity to "blend in." Imagine a place where muggles are slaves, the engine behind lives of beauty and culture of the greatest breed that nature ever concocted: The Wizard.

Imagine the world answering to one Master. It is a perfect World. It is my vision."

He stopped speaking for a while, it was his vision. he had never explained it before.

"To distil perfection," he spat out again, "We must sacrifice certain liberties, freedoms, loved ones. We must cut around the fatty lump of meat until we are left with but the tender muscle. My plan was not a short term journey, but a long one - a long and endless journey of forming a new world where Wizards are Masters, and not the idiot muggles.

I had planned the future of the Wizarding World for some time, I had overcome certain obstacles in the plan - Wittle, a major flaw, and also Potter, he wrecked the plans considerabley. Over the years the Plan has been altered, changed to suit the needs. But always this goal has been the same. It is in tatters at the moment but it can be corrected Valdez."

He squinted as light burned in his eyes. "You may think you know best, you have your own ways but you do not. I have studied this for most of my life - I know the path which we must take. I ask you, no - BEG you now to listen to me, and allow me, through you, to continue the great plan."

Flame watched the men, intriuged how she had become a part of this. here she was, trying to relax and then, as if nothing had changed, she was dragged into an argument of her father's. She watched him with cold grey eyes, and yet hidden within them was a strong and irresistable love, unconditional. She would do anything for that man, anything, but she didn't want to die.

She cradled the young, unnamed boy to her chest and tears streaked her pale face already. She could see what was happpening. Someone here was not going to walk away. Someone who mattered to her, or someone who did not, did it matter? She'd seen death, but never had she thought she would be dragged into it somehow.

She couldn't stand to just stand and watch, so she pretended that it wasn't happened, and looked at her father calmly.

"I want you to meet... Your grandson." she stuttered. She was sure Harshuing was going to flip.

Yuni's fear turned to courage. He knew he was going to live. Harshing wouldn't dare allow him to kill both his daughter and his grandson would he? Legacy seemed to be synonymous with success to Harshing. "Your ideals are flawed Harshing. Your world of forcing wizards to breed only with wizards will result in deformities; both mental and physical. You will create a world full of squibs. I know that you don't understand, but in my culture, marrying your cousin is like marrying your sister... Verdad?" He was suprised. Harshing really didn't love his daughter. He allowed her to be threatened with death and didn't flinch. He wished he could apologize to her. He didn't mean to catch her up in a hostage situation. Was he no better than a terrorist? Did it all really come down to this? How he wished he could apologize to this girl and her baby. He couldn't show weakness to Harshing. Strength was keeping weakness hidden. "Domination need not be forceful. One must allow captives to believe they are making their own decision and that their opinions matter..."

Grandson? Harshing shivered, then convulsed, his wand quivering in his hand. He had lost the plot now, not know how or why Flame was saying such things. How could he have not known she was pregnant? How could such a simple thing escaped the Great Coldstone Harshing's notice. He had truly lost control now, he started to breath quickly and shake his head. His eyes started to pulsate.

He turned to Flame. He was about to ask who's it was but he had already answered his question: The Grand Sentinus, the evil dark lord of years previous. That baby was a threat to humanity. "Flame, you must kill it at once!" He roared, tears now flooding down his face.

The wind howled.

"Flame, kill it now..." he begged, his voice losing all the arrogance he had before. He pointed his wand at the child. "Av..." he could not say it. Something sinister and pathetic had developed, a normal person would call it a conscience.

He brought his hand to his head. "Avvv.." Tears ran into his mouth.

This was it. He had failed. He brought the wand to his head and backed away, jumping onto a huge block.

"

Flame stared at Harshing, stared as he tried to kill the child and shook her head. "Don't kill him. He can't help who his father was, he can't change that, but he doesn't have to be like his father. Help me keep him right in the head... Please?" Flame was scared of going through this alone, scared of what it would be like to be abandoned with noone in the world who cared. Noone did care, who would, she was Flame- a nasty piece of work at times, with no respect for anyone- or very few people. Harshing made for a rock and Flame ran after him, grabbing his robe sleeves. He wouldn't want her dead, she'd seen it in his eyes, he did care, as she cared for him.

"Would you do that? Leave me to cope alone, for if you did he would certainly turn out like his father. I can't be responsible for that so... Don't do it- i can't cope alone anymore."

Flame pointed her wand at the child in her arms. "I'll try to kill it, but I've tried everything, it refuses to die. Nothing works on it, it always survives." She told her fatehr, wand pointed at it

"Avada Kedavra" a flash of green as the spell was cast, yet no death was left behind, the child still moved, and laughed.and acted as if nothing had happened. Flame stared at her fatehr. "Please... Help... I left because I was scared, There was nothing anyone could do, and you- I thought you would have killed me."

Yuni looked distraught. It seemed he wasn't going to die, and he wasn't going to have to kill anyone. He chuckled to himself when Flame asked Harshing to 'help keep her baby right in the head'. Couldn't she see that Harshing wasn't exactly mentally stable? Some people had skewed ideas about the spectrum of sanity. Harshing and apparently his daughter were two such people. Did Yuni want Harshing dead? He wouldn't wish that on anyone. He knew deep down, Harshing was a coward who only did what would cause him to be feared. He had confused fear with respect.

What was happening?


The world blurred into blackness with only three figures semi-opaque: Flame, the b*****d and Valdez. They were white blobs in Harshing's darkened vision. As he moved his head the blobs blurred even more - it was the effect of extreme drunkenness, in and out of reality. The three looked like angels. Harshing could smell or see nothing else. But he could feel a cold wooden edge grating on the side of his head, the magic quivering inside its core. He could hear his heart throbbing the stillness - throb, throb, throb. And the wand whizzed. It was a kind of discordant symphony. Throb. Whiz. Throb. Whiz.

And, Harshing breathed out. He was a simple man again - it was the obvious truth. And he felt sick in the base of his stomach, not just a casual illness but a real gut-cancer thrashing inside his innards. Could he go on? The white angels weren't helping, they just seemed to be screaming like babies. He felt his cloak flutter around his ankles.

Then it became clear what he must do, it was laughably obvious in fact. It was so simple, so full of genius yet also gut wrenchingly funny. As the world became vivid again he laughed out loud as if he had been told the funniest joke of all time. His voice was twinged with wickedness, his eyes now darker - full of a plan. He vanished then reappeared next to Flame.

He lunged for the baby , grabbing it with all his might and wrestling it from her hands. He stepped back a little with the baby in his arms and winked at Valdez before apparating away.


OOC: If that last bit is not ok just say, I just thought it worked better as a piece of writing to god a little there.

What was she emant to do? She had thought her father only wanted to hold his grandson, she had given him up- willingly, almost. She'd let him get hold of the child, she thought he was just going to cradle it, agree to help her, but instead Harshing disapparated- with her child. She stood, blinking, ran a hand through her hair then sighed, turning on the closest perosn- her headmaster.

"Why didn't you stop him?" she demanded. "He stole my child! My baby!"

Yuni looked at Flame in astonishment. He couldn't believe what had just happened. "Miss, I am so sorry..." He really was, "About this whole thing... I hope you can understand my place... It was my family's well being as well as mine... I will always choose my family..." He paused, looking around at the empty coliseum. What had happened? He replayed it several times in his mine. Then finally he spoke. "I had no idea what he was going to do... You father is a crazy man. Nearly impossible to read, with nearly limitless talents." He didn't know what to say. "I will help you find your baby." He said after another long while... "I'll help you..."

Flame stared at him and shook her head. "You worship him, yet you'd deny it if ever you were asked, I can see that, I know I'm right." She may have seemed big-headed but she didn't care. Then she sighed. "But how are we going to get it back? We don't even know where he went!"

"Respect is different than worship, niña. I respect your father, but worship him? Never." He spat on the ground to show his disgust. "It's true we don't know where he is... Because I don't know where he is. But I bet you do, or at the very least, have some idea." Yuni felt a single tear well up in his eye. "I'm sorry," He apoligized profusely, "I can't imagine losing a child..."

Flame stared at him. "My father is worthy of much respect, if only he could get over those impulsive moments he has, where he does something completely rash." she sighed. "But at least he is not a complete monster, not like Sentinus was." Once again she sighed. "He tries to make things right but... He just doesn't do it right. Like now, he took the child to try and help me, I think, but he did it wrong, he shouldn't have done it like that."

Flame walked and sat where Harshing had been stood minutes before. "I don't know where he's gone... I have no idea. I idn't grow up with him, never had much time to et to know him... But he's still my dad, I still love him."

Yuni bit his tongue. He didn't want to argue any longer. "If you have no idea, I have a solution that is time consuming..." He silently summoned one of his many owls. "We will see where the owl goes, and what he brings back. Point me!" He bellowed, the wand spun several times and pointed North. His owl flew in that direction... "Now we wait..."

OOC: Adam, if you would like to post here, it would be apreciated

The owl came back hours later with a perfect piece of parchment with a purple ribbon tied around it:



To those concerned,

Sorry I could not stay for our little party, but several things came up that I simply could not miss. I have moved far away to reform the plan, but I will be active Mister Valdez. I shall move like a shadow among the simply degenerates of society and I shall spill limitless blood for the sake of vengeance and enjoyment.

To make our game a little more fun I would recommend you strengthen the defenses around Hogwarts as I shall be making a little visit in the months to follow.

CLA Harshing



On the other side of the page there was an invisible letter that only someone related to the Harshing's can read.



Flame,

Sorry I took off, I have the baby it is in safe hands. More on that later.

You must contact Lycs Anima at Hogwarts and tell him to meet me in Hogsmeade at midnight tomorrow.

Yours, Coldstone
x

Flame read the letter and smirked, then looked back at the headmaster, hoping he had not seen. "What does it say, sir?" she asked, trying to still look worried, and knowing she had to speak to the transfiguraton professor soon. It seemed that Harshing had a plan.

Yuni quickly scanned the letter. Instantly, he had a brilliant plan. If Flame was at the school, Harshing would not attack it. "I've got a plan," He said looking at her ominously, "You are going to have to cooperated with me. You must do what I say, when I say it and not ask questions... You best listen to me if you want your baby to live..." Yuni touched his wand to the paper and it burst into flames. It was time to defend the castle.

Flame stared at him and gritted teeth. He was so incredibly annoying. "If I want my baby to live! Like you have the power to ensure that! You're just using me... I won't allow it, I won't!" she screamed at him, annoyed. She knew the baby was safe, her father had said so and she trusted him. "The baby will be fine... It's... Your protecting yourself from him because he said he'd attack the castle and he would never hurt me."

Yuni smiled... "Quite frankly corazon, I'm not worried about Harshing," He said, calling her bluff, "I think that we should return to school. I'm sure if your father is half the man he claims to be, he will return your baby to you... But then again, he is a coward, isn't he? Leaving safety and security for power through war, or just being the most qualified after he kills or imprisons someone... Isn't that right?" It was worthless trying to talk to her. "You father is a coward. A powerful man, but a coward nonetheless."

Flame shook her head. "You're useless, you are. You don't know anything about how this power thing do you? Or about my father? Deep down he has good at heart, he just goes the wrong way about it. He's the one who revealed Sentinus for what he was, the one who persuaded me to challenge him. I am the reason he lost the elder wand, who made him lose his power. Do you not understand me?" Then she sighed. "Maybe your right- school could be a good thing."

"Of course," Yuni said sarcastically, "How could I be so short sighted... A man, no I won't even say that, a little boy who has a magic stick and thinks it's okay to torture defenseless children... Not to mention kidnapping, several murders, and... " He couldn't say it... He wondered why this girl, who looked nothing like the man she called father, thought she was his daughter. Clearly she wasn't... "He's just using you to get what he wants isn't he..." Yuni suspected some abuse, but didn't want to say anything... He would keep his cards in his hand... He knew he had some use for this later...

ooc: She is his biological daughter from Bellatrix Lestrange for bother believed they were going to die and so thought they'd get a taste of what it felt like to give themselves to the enemy. Of course, neither was killed and Flame is the result of that encounter. Her parents despised each other before Bellatrix was killed and passed on everything to Flame. From what I can gather Flame inherited more from her father in terms of power (which she describes as 'an animal' in our topic with Gen in the office) and hair colour, for Harshing had black hair when he was younger. Another family member is Lycs Anima, my transfig professor. Just so you know, for future reference.

ic: Flae stared at the man and shook her head, turning away from him and walking away a little, obviously disgusted by his lack of understanding,. She clenched and unclenched her fists, trying to keep herself calm and was glad she hadn't took hold of her wand, for who knew what would happen if she did.

"When you go through an upbringing like his and mine you learn to understand his actions. We are taught very differently to the scum which are halfblood or, worse, mudblood. In our world, things take a completely different perspective. He'll have his reason for the kidnappings, after all I asked him for help and god knows what Mel did to upset him, but I'm sure she upset him, she's good at upsetting people." Then she turned to face him again, eyes alight. "And, just to clear any doubts you may have, I am Harshing's. If I wasn't I wouldn't be able to find and operate one of my fathers finest works- Room 101."