juliet-douglas - Tumblr blog

[juliet-douglas]

Wonderful, and you teach...Care of Magical Creatures? It certainly is an engaging class. There is no wonder why the children are so well-behaved. One misstep, one ignored instruction and you could be gravely injured.

Yeah you know i try, but at this point I thin they're just doing it by themselves! I hear other teachers complain and complain about the lack of participation and i just praise the lord i teach a class kids like. 

[juliet-douglas]

Sometimes you just have to hammer into their heads that not turning in their homework will only result in trouble for both parties.

Im always surprised and happy at the amounts of kids who turn in the homework for this class. 

[juliet-douglas]

I'm glad we could come to an understanding, Ms. Blair. This was certainly a nice talk. You should be going now. We will keep in contact and I suppose I will see you around the castle?

The Beginning || Private

I am your humble servant, Miss Juliet. No one even suspects me here. I’ve got them all to think I’m some happy sappy Hufflepuff who is grieving for her brother. Hell, I even tricked the sorting hat into putting me into the least threatening house. I won’t get caught. You can count on me. 

[juliet-douglas]

The consequences for abetting my plans and getting caught would be disasterous, but the rewards if we succeed will be far greater than any power or materials your could ever imagine. You will, of course, also help me weed out those who refuse to help with the cause and pick those who you think deserve to join this elite society.

The Beginning || Private

Of course, Miss Juliet. I believe what it boils down to is power. Absolute power for you. And what sort of family member would I be if I didn’t help you. 

[juliet-douglas]

Excellent, you'll do nicely. Now if you would please sign this contract. Terms of confidentiality, rewards, all the legal messes need to be sorted out first. What you will be doing, Ms. Blair, is spying on your peers for me. I'm sure you have a vague notion of my goals?

The Beginning || Private

I haven’t done much, I’ve mainly been keeping a low profile. But I am the greatest Witch in the Blair family in generations. And I dare say I may be the second strongest in the Douglas family….next to you of course….Just tell me what you want done, and I will do it.

[juliet-douglas]

That is...if you are up for it. How do I know your father wasn't just waxing on about your abilities? What have you done that could possibly count as a triumph for the Purebloods and a demonstration of your capability?

The Beginning || Private

Then you must know why I’m here, Miss Juliet. 

[juliet-douglas]

Come on in, my dear. You must be Natalia Blair. I've heard a lot about you from your father.

The Beginning || Private

Um….Professor Douglas..May I speak with you in your office? It’s fairly important. 

[juliet-douglas]

“Oh this is just too precious! The little cub pretending to be a lion,” she scoffed, sending another Diffindo at him, this time slicing open his chest. His threats were useless and the hopeless desperation in his eyes showed it, “How will you be able to hunt when you can barely move? And furthermore, I know you, Davis. You and everyone you care for will be done for if you even try to face me in a duel. I can beat you with both my hands tied behind my back and then some. It really is pitiful for a Slytherin to have so little potential in…well…everything,” she aimed at his arm, “Flagrate!”

As the fiery strokes bit into his skin, she gave him four lacerations, mockingly forming the appearance of a snake. The marks on his arm glowed with the magical residue. His words stirred a deep anger within her, the only outward sign being a vicious gleam in her eye. She had to stay calm, stay in control. “A tribute to your house, to remind you of where your loyalties should lie. Those people were never innocent, Davis. They are guilty of contaminating Wizarding magic and tradition with not only their filthy blood, but also their cursed culture. For your treasonous words, I have half a mind to end your life here,” she then stopped, savoring the moment, “but then what’s the fun in that?”

She released him from the spell and he fell to the ground in a loud thud and a crack. Juliet smiled contentedly; he deserved a few broken bones. “I will not kill you, Davis, because if I do, you’ll be a martyr, the tragic Slytherin who died fighting for the Mudbloods. No, instead, you will be left here, wishing you were dead and found weeks later with heavy evidence pointing to one of your closest friends. You will not die, Davis, but you’ll be wishing you were dead and healed, never to be the same again. And dying in your later life, believing that a dear friend attacked you. Darling, you won’t even remember me.”

With a casual flick of her wrist, she muttered the spell. “Obliviate.”

Red-Handed Crime || Landon&Juliet

[juliet-douglas]

Juliet rolled her eyes, "My office, of course. I'd rather avoid the eavesdroppers that frequent Hogsmeade. I swear these students are becoming far too inquisitive.” When outside her office, the witch felt constantly on edge, as if her mind was on battle-action mode 24/7. She knew the works her hands created, the regime that was slowly crumbling under her growing army. Who was she to say that there may not be others? Trust was an illusion to her, only a method to gain favor and information until the source runs dry. Taking for granted the trust and security in anybody, in any location, could lead to her downfall, hence, her paranoia. Even if these students fit the criteria, their loyalties could easily change in a heartbeat. “Anything else I should know about Miss Delevigne?"”

“Oh no, I don’t want to overburden you. I think I can take care of McCune’s publicity problem. A few people in the media owe me a few favors. Not to mention, there will be certain events happening soon that would require a…ah…thorough report. Layered with propaganda and reassurances of course. As for more students, we’ll concentrate on those two for now.”

If they chose to expand their forces too soon, the results would not be desirable. She preferred a small army, considerably low in numbers but formidable and versatile in ability. Juliet had considered broadening her recruitment to international proportions, but her plans were not advancing at a satisfactory pace. Such an idea would have to be considered far later on in her takeover. But the teachers…she knew that several students were staying on as TAs. It would be harder to get rid of them considering that the entire community was on red alert. “We’ll have to deal with the teachers later. Perhaps if we’re lucky, they’ll resign out of fear of their lives. That should be all for now. You can go.”

Welcome Home || Nick & Juliet

Nick arched an eyebrow at her input. He was just a tad surprised that Juliet was supportive of recruiting students. “At this rate, the entire Hogwarts staff will be sleeping with the fishes and we’ll have a student army. This school is as good as ours," he said with a laugh. That was part of the plan, anyways. To infiltrate Hogwarts and establish power within the school system. They were exceeding expectations by far. “I’ll get all three of us an appointment for tea. We can invite Oliver Aurafaux, too. Would you rather it be in the safety of your office or in that little tea shop in Hogsmeade?" Nick wasn’t sure if McCune had wanted a child army in the first place, but he was sure that the Minister would not object to more followers. McCune was only the figurehead, anyways. It wasn’t like he did anything. He just inspired their ideas. If it weren’t for Nick and Juliet, he would be nothing.

"Okay, so I’ve organized this week’s agenda for myself. Let’s see, I’ve got to kill the Miller sisters, get rid of Fischer, get the public to like McCune again, arrange tea with Iris and Oliver, and… That’s all, yeah?" Nick cracked his knuckles. It was going to be a long week. But he enjoyed working, especially when it involved murder. He wasn’t sure how he’d solve the McCune issue, though. It was tough to get people to like someone they hated so much. He’d only dealt with the opposite in the past. There were many people whose reputations he had trashed without them knowing. It was how he had risen to the top when he had gone to school. He could leak a fake story to the press to get the public back on McCune’s side, or pull some strings to make him seem like the good guy, or work some black magic and convince the entire wizarding community that they liked McCune. It was a tough task, but Nick would get it done.

"Are there any other students you’d like to mention before I go? I’ve got to stop by McGonagall’s office before supper." Nick supposed that most of the Slytherin House would be willing to stand behind them, and maybe a few Ravenclaws. Those were the Houses that turned out the most dark wizards. Slytherin was full of cold, detached sadists and Ravenclaw was full of messed up, oddball sociopaths. “I doubt any teachers would be willing to stand behind us. Not even Langston. He’s a blood traitor, albeit no one suspects it."

[juliet-douglas]

Gotcha. The cruel smirk on her face widened as the scratchy voice weakly challenged her. The simplicity of this duel--if one were generous enough to even call it one--was laughable at this point. "Retraho!"

The bushes and foliage hiding her opponent retracted. A quick Levicorpus had him floating in the air, upside down and unable to retaliate. Peering past the mud-splattered face, Juliet recognized the nosy student. Landon Davis, a sixth year Slytherin. He was a black sheep in both his family and his house; too kind to be a snake, but too ambitious to be a lion.

She circled him, her cold voice brittle and scornful. “Mr. Davis, I would have thought that a Slytherin would have more finesse in eavesdropping. Frankly, I’m quite surprised at your display of that ridiculous bravado only a Gryffindor would have. A shame to your house legacy, boy. Did your elders never teach you the elusive concept of common sense? You should never challenge your betters. As for me being a devil,” she smirked, “well, you’re absolutely right. Now let’s see what makes you tick, shall we?”

Her triumphant smirk narrowed into something more sinister, something utterly monstrous. “Diffindo!”

A Dark spell would have been more satisfying. The power behind those curses was exhilarating, a surge of adrenaline and magic in its unadulterated form that provided bliss unlike any other. Unfortunately, the usage of these spells would be an automatic red alert, especially within the Forbidden Forest, so she settled for the second best. It wasn’t too bad. When used on human flesh, the Severing Charm surpassed the Cruciatus in terms of damage. The physical scarring was the perk, but the psychological trauma was what she was really aiming for.

A drop of blood from the steady stream landed on her hand, the crimson curlicue tracing out a path on her skin. A spark in her eyes. Like a shark, the sight of life’s liquid was a welcome one, a sight that preceded the metaphorical feast. And she was starved.

Red-Handed Crime || Landon&Juliet

[juliet-douglas]

A bright glow pulsed from behind the foliage. Triumphant, Juliet looked around, assessing her situation. There was no question to what must be done: once the sneak was caught, he or she would have to be Obliviated at least. In the worst case scenario, their death would be arranged.

Well, perhaps not the worst, she thought, the feral animal inside her already howling for blood. With a flick of her wand, she cast a perimeter, a magical barrier cutting off her and her victim from the rest of the forest within a 25 meter radius. There was a sudden snap and a loud curse. Juliet's head snapped up, eyes trained on the rustling leaves. The spy was still here. Excellent.

A direct attack would be ideal. If her adversary was a Gryffindor, better yet, a Gryffindor student, that made it all the more satisfactory. It would be a pity if she had to kill off a Ravenclaw or a Slytherin. Such cunning and intellect could have possibly been utilized to further her movement. Hufflepuffs weren't even worth mentioning; they were not a threat nor a real asset. At any rate, she was long overdue for a fight and her wand hand twitched with anticipation. Wand pointed at the wild brush, she cast a few spells, silent of course. In quick succession, a Petrificus Totalus, an Expelliarmus, and a Stupefy flew towards the supposed location of her target.

Red-Handed Crime || Landon&Juliet

[juliet-douglas]

Red-Handed Crime || Landon&Juliet

"Fools!" Juliet growled as she trekked through the Forbidden Forest, "Give them one simple task and even then they'll screw it up."

Just two days prior, she had told a few of McCune's men to relocate the "missing" people to a cabin well-hidden in the depths of the forest. Not only did the imbeciles almost lose all the prisoners, but they had inadvertently knocked down the cabin, trapping everyone in a pile of rubble. McCune received the distress signal only a few hours ago and she had been sent to fix the cabin, rescue the men, and knock out the prisoners for the next transfer. So far, she had accomplished all of the above, but those men have yet to face their punishment. Hardwicke's wand in her hand, she set forth to do so.

She stopped exactly at a gnarled stump. The reddish light of sunset bled through the dense layer of branches and leaves overhead. It was almost time. Three simultaneous cracks accompanied by a flash signaled arrival by Apparition. Juliet allowed them enough time to take a step forward before she hissed, "Crucio!"

She smiled as the shrill screaming started. Her good mood didn't last for long, their disheveled appearances reminding her of her original intent: punishment. "Idiots! McCune may forgive such incompetence, but I don't deal with such stupidity. They were bound, gagged, and unconscious. All it takes to reveal the cabin is a simple spell that a first year could perform. Yet you caused a whole lot of trouble and wasted my time, time that I could have used in better endeavors!"

Suddenly, she froze. A Silencing Spell. Consumed by rage, she had forgotten to put one up. Someone could have heard. Someone could have seen her. Juliet immediately stopped, casting a quick Stupefy on the men.

"Homenum Revelio," she breathed out quietly, watching the tiny wisp of light drift off into the forest.

[juliet-douglas]

Juliet Douglas → Teacher Assistant → Deputy Head and Transfiguration → Former Ravenclaw → Age 25 →Taken

“It is better to be feared than loved, if not both” –Niccolo Machiavelli

Background →

Juliet was born the only daughter of Jane and Matthew Douglas; the former a borderline purist and the other a half-blood romantic. There was not much known about Juliet’s home life that indicated that she was anything but another witch with potential in the Ministry. The Douglas family was not very reputed and only recently gained entry into pureblood circles. Early into the First War, Matthew was killed by a member of the Order in a case of mistaken identity. Distraught at the death of her husband and fueled by rage towards her husband’s murderer, Jane raised Juliet with discipline enough to rival even the most prestigious pureblood fanatics. Juliet blossomed under her mother’s strictness as a severe girl, often coming off as apathetic and cold.

When accepted at Hogwarts, she proved to be a Hatstall: pureblood indoctrination versus a voracious need to simply just know, Slytherin against Ravenclaw. Ultimately, Ravenclaw won out. Even within the more tolerant walls of the eagles, Juliet was still ridiculed by Muggleborns and Half-bloods alike for her name, her habits, and her mother. Hate festered within her, a burning revulsion for these “dirty-blooded” bullies slowly manifested into a vendetta. Once out of school, Juliet seized a powerful Ministry position in the midst of the rebuilding of the Wizarding World. She slowly gained rapport in the community, her pureblood beliefs disregarded as obedience to the law and overshadowed by her “pleasant” personality. Earning a position as the Assistant Head of the Department of Law Enforcement, Juliet basically worked a desk job, slyly picking off any of her enemies through “misplaced” alibis and even utilizing Dark magic.

Her Ministry career came to a halt when sought by family friend Orestes McCune, a closet pureblood fanatic who wanted to complete the Dark Lord’s work in a more underlying manner. Juliet first participated in this secret movement by coaxing Kingsley Shacklebolt, current Minister, to resign his post and offer in to McCune; of course, when she said “coaxing”, there really were a few spells used. A little before the Triwizard Games announcement, Juliet attained a post at Hogwarts as a Teacher’s Assistant to Minerva McGonagall, Headmistress and Transfiguration professor at the school, as a spy for McCune. However, Juliet is not to be mistaken as another lackey in the dangerous power play. Behind her willingness to help a fellow purist was the insatiable lust for total dominion and retribution towards her foes once and for all.  

Polyjuice Potion →

Either McGonagall or Hermione Granger; both would be excellent use to help McCune’s (and her own) plan proceed

Mirror or Erised →

Nothing less than a pureblood Wizarding World with Juliet Douglas as their One and Only Queen

Boggart →

Underneath her darkness and fanaticism, she holds the common fear of failing, of being human; the thought of being fallible, anything less than a Napoleonic genius, was incomprehensible to her and reflected in her Boggart

Amortentia →

The flowery smell of amaryllis vanilla, the smell of her own perfume

Endgames/Ships →

None

Friends with →

Businesslike friendships with McCune and Marcus Fischer 

Birthday →

November 5th

Face Claim →

Anne Hathaway

[juliet-douglas]

"It shouldn't be much of a problem," Juliet said dismissively, "I'll just arrange for a few press conferences. Of course, all of them will have to be planned down to the smallest detail. We'll have a few of our people planted among the reporters to make McCune look better and in control. However, with all the chaos going on in the Ministry, we might have to arrange some sort of benefit or a ball to ease tensions. Remind me, do we have one of our people in the Daily Prophet?"

Juliet knew more than most the importance of a public image. To be frank, her naiveté in this area was what killed her chance at a likeable reputation. While she had salvaged some pleasantries at her Ministry job, the impression she left as a cold, apathetic introvert during her Hogwarts years was unchangeable. It made her all the more a suspect. Thank goodness Nickolas came on board, all charm and smiles when in public, but actually almost as twisted and sadistic as herself. Speaking of twisted and sadistic, the thoughtful looked turned into one of ugly bitterness. Julie Hardwicke: Head of Ravenclaw, school Salutatorian, and Juliet’s childhood nemesis. Memories of the cruel words, the group hexes in the bathroom, the rumors spread around about Juliet’s heritage…“Hardwicke has had it coming for years now,” her eyes glowed with a certain hate in remembrance of the blonde witch, “She will experience suffering beyond comprehension, you can bet your life on it.”

A student. To be frank, Juliet despised students for many reasons, some that were beyond even her understanding. She supposed there was some latent hate from her schoolgirl days, but as of last week, it was more about their incompetency, their inability to act maturely when needed. However, if Nickolas was willing to offer the name of this girl, she must be worth something. “Her accent? Never mind, just arrange a meeting with her, all three of us. I’ll evaluate her then. Plus, procuring her file shouldn’t be too hard. And while we’re on the topic of protégés, I have a suggestion to make. Oliver Aurafaux, a seventh year Slytherin. Good background with pure, magical blood, likeable enough in the school hierarchy, but he’s true to our cause. I spoke to his parents under the guise of an ex-Death Eater last summer, their whole family seemed rather receptive to McCune’s goals.”

Welcome Home || Nick & Juliet

Nickolas grinned. “You know I don’t like to deal with the petty office work. I’ll get rid of Fischer and take care of the Millers. I’ll get somebody back at the office to pull some strings and get McCune off the press. It’ll be a piece of cake.” Nick already knew how he was going to get rid of the Miller sisters. He’d been thinking about it since he read their names on the hit list. But for Jason Fischer, he wasn’t sure. Nickolas always hated disposing of his coworkers. He’d known Jason for as long as he’d known Juliet. Still, he favored Juliet over Jason. That was one thing he wished he could grasp: the cold and distanced personality of Juliet. It was ideal for a killer. “And I expect you’ll be getting rid of Julie Hardwicke? Make it extra painful. I’ve always hated that bitch.” 

Emma Bennette was just a child. Nick didn’t much like killing children. It was different. It felt odd. Nick blamed it on his connection to his childhood. He wished deep down that he still retained the innocence of his youth. No, that life was dead and gone. He was Nickolas Gardner now, Undersecretary to the Minister and an assassin. He pressed his lips together. “Penelope Bennette won’t know what hit her. She may as well be dead, what with the despair that’s going to hit her full on.” Nick knew how it felt to lose a loved one. His parents had been killed when he was young. But, that did not mean he was sympathetic about that topic. It was quite the opposite. He felt that everyone should have to go through that pain; to know what it feels like to be hurting so deep that you cannot function properly. He especially felt that muggleborns and blood traitors should have to experience that feeling. They deserved it. They were the cretin of the Wizarding World.

“Oh yes, I had forgotten about the staff meeting. They’re so easily forgettable. Though, sometimes, but not often, they go well.” He shrugged. Nick was a field worker. He hated doing small, office-type jobs. Remembering something else, he said: “Oh yeah. There’s one more thing I’d like to mention to you. A student, whom I talked with earlier. Her name is Iris Delevigne, I believe? Anyhow, I think she could be a valuable asset to us. She has a strong work ethic and if we give her incentive, she could do some productive things. She’s a Hufflepuff, but she’s very intelligent. She’s definitely worth talking to.” Nick knew how Juliet hated the students, because she thought they were petulant fools. But he knew Iris was no petulant fool. “But, uh, you might have some fun deciphering her accent.”

[juliet-douglas]

Juliet shook her head. "You're right. I'll worry about him later. McCune'll definitely make him pay for acting so thoughtlessly. Anyways," she pulled out a folder from her bag and tossed it onto the desk. It contained copious amounts of data and report after report, "as I was saying, there have been major oppositions to McCune's campaign. We may possibly have a spy in our midst seeing as the press has far too much information for it to be mere speculation. Perhaps a background check along with a scan of magical activity? I have a new bugging spell in the works, so once that's approved, we can also use that."

As she listed idea after idea, backed with research and statistics, Juliet was in complete astonishment at how Nickolas could follow her train of thought. It was rare for anyone to be able to keep up with her abstract style of thinking. Meticulous and organized, yet only connected by the faintest details. Even rarer was the situation where the listener would agree with her ideals and be able to offer advice, different angles in a sharper perspective. 

"Oh don't worry," Juliet laughed, a harsh, mocking sound, "Penelope Bennette will be wishing she died in the Games once I'm through with her. Little Emma will be found in a state that will not only scare the living daylights out of her sisters, but will disgrace the Bennette name forevermore." A dark grin was molded onto her face, "I think you of all people should be familiar with the creative liberties I take when concerning the death of others. Murder, after all, is an art form, not just some random Killing Curse thrown in the midst of a duel. I find that the psychological trauma you inflict upon the victim right before their slow, painful death is the best part."

It was true, wasn't it? Pain on the flesh could only do so much. Pain in the mind could go a long way. It was a much sweeter way to break the spirit of her victims. But no, she would not go into that today. Redirecting her thoughts away from the shadowy corners of her mind, Juliet shrugged. "People are already questioning the Ministry. It is our job to make them disappear or ridicule them until their credibility is torn to shreds. Speaking of which, McCune's calling a staff meeting in two weeks. He wants a status report on the progress of his plan. By then, I want the Millers killed, Jason Fischer disposed of, and McCune's reputation spotless. Which task of the latter two do you wish to take up?"

Welcome Home || Nick & Juliet

Nick watched Juliet with a peaceful expression while she talked. He had been about to cut in when he learned of Jason’s incident. His expression darkened slightly. “I wouldn’t have expected any less of him. He’s unpredictable and irrational. I just hope he hasn’t recklessly murdered anyone important. But, that’s classic Jason for you,” he sniggered. He watched as Juliet cast the many advanced spells, an expression of admiration forming on his face. She really was impeccable at the Dark Arts. It was almost odd how refined her skills were. Nick pushed the matter out of his mind. 

“I’ll take care of the Miller twins tomorrow night. But for now, I need to visit some old friends.” He hesitated on the word friends. He wasn’t really friends with any of the teachers at Hogwarts, but he liked to make them think that they were on that level with him. And, if everyone trusted him, they would never suspect him of murder. “You were saying, there have been?” He continued Juliet’s lost train of thought for her. She was intelligent, and he was eager to hear what she had to say. Nick found that Juliet was one of the few people he could tolerate at the ministry, though he had disliked her at first.

“We had better go and check on Fischer in a bit. We don’t want him to spoil everything. That’d be unfortunate.” Nick yawned and sat down on Juliet’s desk. Traveling had made him tired. And, nothing interesting had happened to him. What he found interesting was not talking about murder, it was executing it. “How and when are you going to off the Bennette girl? And don’t be too harsh. She’s a child. It wouldn’t be very seemly if the ‘killer’ was some ruthless monster who tortures children.” He laughed. Nick’s face quickly became dark and serious. “I’m joking. I want you to mangle her body in every way imaginable. I want you to really make Penelope Bennette crack. I want her to be afraid.” Nick stared down Juliet. Killing people wasn’t just something he did to do it. It was his hobby; his passion. He may as well have been an assassin. “Penelope Bennette needs to be put back in line. She is the thin borderline between order and disorder. If she gets out of the games, people will think of her as a martyr. People will start to really question the Ministry. And if that happens, McCune is bound to start killing people off by the dozen.”

[juliet-douglas]

The Machiavellian Concept || Self-Para

If technicalities were brought into the equation, McCune never said that he wanted Revaine dead. Yes, it was implied, but never actually stated. In fact, the exact orders were "remove all obstacles". As long as Revaine was out of the way, it theoretically wouldn't matter if he was dead or alive. On another note, she had the beginnings of a new spell fleshed out; an incantation, wand movement, magical signature, the whole package. All she needed was a test subject and a trial record before she could send it off to McCune for approval. A maniac light gleamed in her eyes; good thing Revaine was such an easy target.

The spell wasn't particularly special. Still unnamed, it served as a curse to limit a witch or wizard in their Animagus form. In other words, once the spell was cast, the target would be unable to transfigure themselves back into human form. At the moment, the spell was permanent. She had decided to leave the problem of the reversal spell till after she tested the curse. 

The best plan would be to instigate a duel between the both of them. At some point, Revaine would attempt to one up her with his Animagus, a lynx, but he would fail drastically. Not only did the spell have the capability to prevent animal-to-human transfiguration, but there was a seventy-five percent chance that the human brain in the body would degenerate to that of the animal, a survival response to being trapped in an unnatural state. Revaine would be rendered helpless and barely capable of simple cognition, much less magic. And that was why he was now outside her door.

A hesitant knock. Juliet stood up, slipping the parchment with the incantation into her pocket. She called out. "Come in."

The quiet professor stuck his head in. "What did you need to talk to me about, Juliet? I have a tutoring session to get to in half and hour."

"It won't take long," the witch smiled benevolently, "Please, take a seat."

Then something went wrong. A guarded look entered his eye. His stance became tensed and she could see his hand creeping to his pocket. "No thanks, I'll stand."

"Is there something wrong, Professor Revaine?" Juliet asked as sweetly as possible while reaching for her own wand.

The man reached into his pocket and pulled out an envelope and tossed it onto her desk. A pile of Wizarding photographs and a tape recorder spilled out. A picture of her casting the Imperio on Ms. Duloch, dueling and killing Leonardo Bennette, surveying the impalement of Starr Larrison, all her crimes at Hogwarts laid out before her. Well, almost all her crimes. With a finger, Juliet pressed the play button on the Muggle contraption.

Static. "..option of a painless death is never available for filthy Mudblood-lovers like you..." Footsteps. "...you've seen too much. Goodbye, Leonardo Bennette, Avada Kedavra!" More static.

The cold silence lay thick and heavy in the room, both witch and wizard stared at each other, daring the other to yield, to break. Juliet's face broke out in a slow smile. "Well it seems you've caught me, Professor. Very clever of you, brilliant in fact. Although the tape paints a rather overdramatic portrait of my methods. Alas, that cannot be fixed, but everybody's a critic. May I inquire how you got your hands on this...information?"

"Mark Creevey. I found this among his assorted belongings that I confiscated from him only days ago. He had no recollection of recording any of it. Funny how that works, isn't it, Ms. Douglas?" Revaine's calm demeanor cracked. Pure anger and anguish were painted into the creases of the man's face. Emotion. Bah.

"How could you?" He roared, "They were no older than you with their whole lives ahead of them and you killed them. You ended that which could have been! Who else died by your hands? Lucas? Edward? Cornelia?" Revaine was now shaking. Not with grief, not with fear. No, he was far beyond that. 

It was rage. Incomprehensible rage. An anger you would see on the face of an avenging angel, the fires of heaven blazing in his eyes with the promise of death. A wonderful terror encased in the beautiful brokenness that was human weakness.

Collected and emotionless, Juliet answered. "They were obstacles in the advancement of Wizarding society. They have shown their worth and proved themselves hindrances not only to the Ministry, but also in the bigger picture. They were killed because they did not have to right mindset needed for the greater good of the people. What was it that the Muggle, Darwin, once said? Something about natural selection? To be frank, Professor, nature selected and they didn't make the cut."

"Who are you? What are you to elevate yourself to the point where you determine the life and death of a man or woman? What kind of demented world do you inhabit where you basically consider yourself a god above all of us? You are as human as the rest of us and you have no right determining who nature "selects"!" She could see the fury gather up in him, as if it had been collecting to a boiling point where it would explode with unbelievable strength. 

Wand tightly grasped in her hand, Juliet sneered. "I doubt you'd understand the psychological motivation behind most of my actions, so don't even bother with the superiority complex and philosophizing dramatics. I'd rather not do a monologue, so let's end this, shall we? Reducto!"

Revaine jumped into action, the green spell missing him by a few inches. He pointed his wand at her. "Demutomor!"

It grazed Juliet's sleeve and hit the vase of flowers, turning the whole thing, as well as the sleeve, into stone. Her eyes narrowed. "One lesson, Revaine. You never ruin a lady's clothes. Exscindo!"

Behind him, the mantle exploded into a dozen pieces, the marble pieces becoming dangerous projectiles as they ricocheted around the room. Without warning, Juliet was hit from behind, a shard of marble piercing her side. Blood flowed freely from the wound, staining her blouse with a brilliant, rusty red. As if it wasn't overwhelming enough to be so easily injured, to be so mortal, Revaine chose that exact moment to transfigure himself into a lynx as he leaped across the room, claws extended towards her.

She reacted on instinct. Hours of practice culminated to the crucial moment, the point of finality, the crossroads of success and failure. Hand outstretched, she screamed, "Captifera!"

Bit by bit, she saw the humanity and intelligence leave the huge yellow eyes. At the last second, she saw the mad scramble as he tried to change back. And the lynx was a lynx. Picking up Revaine's wand, she twirled it in her hand once before pointing it at the animal's heart. "Confuto!" Smirking, she watched as it keeled over, its heart burst open from the spell.

A simple Evanesco and Eric Revaine was no more.

[juliet-douglas]

"I was thinking about starting with little Emma Bennette and perhaps a Weasley to send a warning to that spectacularly golden family," sarcasm dripped from her last words as she contemptuously sniffed at the thought of them, "but you're right. Any more murders beyond that of the teachers would raise too many red flags, too many people on alert. I'll hold back on that idea until after the games." A pity. She had been so excited to exercise her idea about the spiders on Hugo Weasley. Not to mention, the death of Emma Bennette would have caused interesting psychological imprints on Penny's already-broken mindset. It really was wonderful how the case of a murder could double as an experiment.

"Indeed. The goody two shoes brats get a job and we get a Hogwarts faculty that'll be far too easy to defeat." Juliet smirked at the thought of the school falling into chaos at the inept staff. The smirk dropped to a thoughtful frown at the mention of the man from Japan. "A conspiracy theorist, you say? Well, Bloodworth shouldn't be a problem. We'll do a full background check on him, plant a few bugs, send someone to snoop around his things; the usual procedures. If he proves to be an obstacle, big or small, we'll find ways to silence him. Too many people dying would attract too much attention."

It was already getting difficult to form reliable alibis and keep the press away from the truth of the murders. In fact, she had delayed Revaine's murder simply because another death in such close proximity to Mrs. Bennette would send the school into a lockdown and have the Ministry officials on their tail. Juliet may be working for McCune, but she didn't really fancy having one of his lackeys trailing her as she tried to subtly execute people. "Anyways, there have been--" 

Juliet froze. No, that did not just happen. A quick Accio summoned the chalkboard from the depths of her purse. Two words stared back at her in spiky green letter.

Avada Kedavra.

"Dammit," Juliet cursed, throwing the board back into the bag. "Fischer's gone and done it again. Either he exposed part of the plan by retaliating and got killed or he just killed another staff member."

Her wand moved in complicated patterns as she muttered spell after spell. If she didn't move fast enough, Fischer's wand would register on the Ministry's radar. Well-connected or not, he used an Unforgivable with his own wand without any regard to the automatic alert. When she had cast any of those three spells, it had been with the wand and magical signature of her victims; she wasn't stupid. How that man got hired, Juliet would never understand. "Refuto bellico. Obculo exemperio. Deleo memoria. Repello magico."

Drained by the sudden use of immense magic, Juliet collapsed into her chair, cold sweat starting to form on her brow. "That should be enough to keep away the Ministry for now. Merlin, how could he have been so foolish?"

Welcome Home || Nick & Juliet

“If you’re planning on killing the students next,” Nick said slowly, “you may want to make it look like an accident. The Ministry is already in enough trouble as it is; we don’t need the murders of students on our hands.” Quite frankly, if Nickolas had been in charge, things would be different. He didn’t agree with McCune for the most part. If anything, he thought the Minister was a bit naive. “Which students do you have in mind?” he asked. Knowing Juliet, she would already have their deaths plotted out. She was a cold-blooded, ruthless murderer, but that was something he liked about her. And, she was original in the scenarios of her murders.

“I’d be more than happy to take care of the Millers,” he said with a nasty grin. He’d just gotten to Hogwarts, and he already had two people on his hit list. “I suppose all this is good for the TAs, considering it’s giving them an official position.” He laughed coldly.

“There is Teddy Lupin, as well. If we do have to resort to killing Donohue, I’ll make sure that Fischer does not get the job. Even if Teddy Lupin is a blood traitor, he’ll do more good for us than Fischer.” Nick rubbed his chin. “Oh, and there’s someone else, too. I know he’s not on the list, but he’s someone to watch out for. I’ve received a tip that Benji Bloodworth is a spy for the Japanese Ministry. Exotic, I know. He’s also a known conspiracy theorist. He could definitely be a threat to our plans.”