Sneak Attack

Hogsmeade weekends were always a great time for Zara. Having disappeared for a while, she had decided to come back in all of her glory, deciding to pick on the most innocent of people for her shining glory moment. Children. Laughing, singing, walking around without a care in the world. It made her sick. In Hogwarts she had never participated in Hogsmeade weekends. Sure she had had her parents sign her the permission form her third year, well at least her mom had signed it anyway. But she had never gone, having perferred her cozy dungeon hide out, where she had horded her goods, then being out in the sunlit grounds, pretending to have fun.

Zara looked down at the path below her and smirked. Couples would often sneak off to this little path outside of Hogsmeade for a little bit of romantic time, often trying to sneak into the Shrieking Shack, or just coming to sneak away from unwanted eyes. But Zara found it her favorite place to hang out, not because she was a student looking for some love. But because it was very enjoyable to drop in on an unsuspecting couple and have a little fun. Them often running away with little to no pocket change, and no idea who had hit them. Sometimes she would enjoy herself a bit more, and torture a few kids, but they often screamed a bit to much for that to help in any way.

Zara lifted her hands up and took to a higher branch. She had secured a spot in a tree just outside of town, so that she could enjoy the view of kids passing under her, and be able to tell which ones were going to her favorite hide out spot. Kids were a lot more careless then adults were anyway, and most adults hung out in the Three Broomsticks by this time of day. It was a dreary Saturday with low clouds and the threat of rain in the air, a cold stiff breeze brushing the leaves every now and then, concealing Zara completely from any onlookers. Resting her back against the trunk of the tree, she found a comfortable spot and sat without moving, her cloak wrapped around her ankles tightly so that it wouldn't flap, and her hair pulled back into a ponytail. She appeared to just be a part of the tree as she leaned back and watched the ground far below for signs of life.

Salem was drabbed in her usual outfit or black; black metallic skinny pants, a plaid grey skirt pulled over it, and a corset style shirt. She had pulled on black boots and striped fingerless gloves before she had left the castle for the sunshine of Hogsmeade. Her hair was its usual ratted self and she continued timidly down the lane, her raccoon eyes darting around nervously.

She had thought she may have a chance to visit Nixen today on her little outing; that was the only reason she would have risked to come out into the jolly little village. She liked nature, but Hogsmeade weekends were usually full of crowds and loud noises, two things Salem tended to skirt as much as possible. She was not a fan of either...

But she had not been able to find Nixen. Chewing on her black-painted nails, she continued down the main road and towards the Shrieking Shack, not to visit but to escape. There, she would have less of a chance of running into the students she did not like and who did not like her. She wrapped her thin arms around her small waist and continued on.

As she walked, her skin began to prickle with a peculiar feeling that was settling on her. She had just realized it may not be the best thing to wander off on her own, for their were always bullies about. However, her paranoid thoughts were interrupted when she saw a flash of purple. She turned her head and saw a tall bunch of lilacs. Smiling, she veered towards them. They were sprouting next to a tree and were waving in a small breeze. She touched one of the flowers and smiled.

How long Zara sat there, she didn't know. Staring at the ground below her. Amazingly comfortable, when finally she heard it. A snap of a twig below her, she moved slowly on her branch and waited for a long moment, peering down at the ground. A girl dressed in dark clothes was walking toward a small bunch of lilacs. Zara smiled lightly. It wasn't a couple, but it would do. Zara slipped down first one branch, and then another, stopping just out of the line of her site. Staring down at the girl. Her cloak had fanned out behind her, and every now and then the wind made it whisper lightly, as she stared with cold eyes at the girl below her.

Zara had found her prey.

Examining the situation, she carefully scanned the girl, first of all, looking for signs of a wand on her. It didn't appear to be in her pockets, not seeing it there, though knowing full well the girl could have it in her left pocket, she scanned her frame and then caught the slight bulge of her wand, tucked under her pants in her right boot. Smiling widely she knew it would take a moment for the girl to reach it there. Not always a safe place to put your wand, it may feel like it, but the pocket was better even then that, because you had to bend down and waste precious moments retrieving your wand, even if all you did was crouch and stand back up.

Zara's eyes then traveled to the path that the girl had walked in. The clearing was small, but the trees were close together, with only a small space to go through between each, almost making a sort of wall around it. Zara wrapped her cloak around her arm lightly and made her way from tree to tree until she was positioned right over the path out of the small clearing. There were lots of flowers in the clearing, and if Zara got her way, every single one of them would be stained with blood by the time her fun was ended.

With a swift movement, Zara let go of the branch she was on, and landed neatly and lightly in the center of the path out of the clearing. "Hello Darling." She purred, letting her cloak fall to the ground behind her lightly, her dark mark clearly visible in the dark lighting of the trees. "What brings you to my lovely clearing?" She said, her voice low and sweet. But every word was laced with poison.

Something about plants made Salem feel connected to her surroundings. To see the darker veins, just below the lighter surface of the plant, leading to each leaf, to each stem, to each petal. So much like the veins in her own body, leading to her arms and her fingers, her neck to her brain, her legs to her toes. The veins of the plant then went down, the roots connected to the rest of the plant, and fed into the ground, connecting to the ground beneath them.

The fact that such a minuscule system, connected the tiny plant to the entire world in a sense, never seized to amaze Salem. It made her become so much more aware of everything around her and she felt as though the world was connected to her as well. Even with the people she cared very little for. She still felt connected and as though the world was telling her little secrets.

But it seemed she was not as connected as she thought. Either that, or the world was not speaking to her.

Suddenly, someone ambushed her by leaping down from the sky it seemed, though had she looked up she would have seen her in the trees. She whipped around, before backing away, careful not to trample the lilacs. The woman spoke sweetly, but there was a level of malice in her voice that Salem could not get past.

Salem swallowed and she felt the weight of her wand against her leg. She could scrabble for it now, but if this woman was trouble, she would be hurt before she could do anything. Salem's eyes caught on the Dark Mark on the woman's arm and her eyes widened, her face turning pale. She looked back at the woman who was asking for an answer. She shrugged, fear settling in her eyes.

Zara tilted her head to the side slightly as the girl looked frightened but said nothing. She smiled lightly, but it didn't seem to quite reach her eyes. "Did you not hear me?" She asked taking a very small calculated step forward. "I asked you what you were doing in my clearing." She said looking at the girl with what appeared to be polite confusion, if only the look in her eyes wasn't so hollow it was like you could see right into the depths of her black soul.

Zara stared at the girl, who was stiff and tense, and then saw her eyes glance down towards her dark mark. A smirk flitted across Zara's face and she held her arm up. "Don't worry, it's not going to hurt you. Most of the teachers in your school have one, did you know?" She asked, her hand held out to the side, the dark mark very visible and blowing black against her pale skin.

"But I will ask it again... what are you doing in my clearing? I do not like visitors, they annoy me." On the last couple of words, her voice got darker, and her eyes grew deeper black, as though her personality had changed completely, not that it had been perfectly pleasant before. "What is your name kid?" She asked moving closer again, but stopping not to far from her. She made it obvious that she wouldn't move far enough into the clearing so as to make it impossible for her to block the entrance. She had complete control over that, and she wasn't about to let a little Hogwarts student get the better of her.

Salem shook her head when the woman asked if she did not hear her. Salem had heard her, it was obvious and there was no reason for her not to be able to. But she could not answer. It was her cross to bear, the thorn in her side. She could not speak, because at this moment, her vocal chords were tightening in response to the situation, rendering her incapable of speech.

The woman was acting nicely, but Salem knew this woman was anything but kind. She had dead eyes, she had a cold aura, she had a malicious smile. She meant to do her harm, no matter what she said. She held up her arm to show the Dark Mark and Salem flinched. She did not go as far to side with the Order or Potter's Army, but she knew Death Eaters meant trouble. Very few considered themselves fortunate or safe when they found themselves in the company of one. Salem was no different.

The woman repeated her question, more force and malice in her voice than before and Salem took a step back, shrugging more pronouncedly. She heard the smallest of crunches and turned back. A flattened lilac lied in the dust. Salem's eyes grew wide and her mouth opened slightly. She could not mourn the flower now, else Nixen would be mourning her later. She had to get her focus back.

She looked back at the woman and moved slightly to the right, back towards the small opening in the clearing she had used to enter it. The woman asked her name and Salem opened her mouth and simply gaped like a fish for a moment. She had not brought a quill or a pen with her today, thinking she was only visiting Nixen, whom she had the courage to speak with. She stared helplessly at the woman and stared, unable to answer.

Zara stared at the silent girl. What was her problem? Was she dumb? When someone is standing before you, showing you their dark mark, and making every attempt to block your exit, most people would speak.. maybe this girl needed some more... prompting. Zara reached into her pocket casually and pulled out a thin, pitch black wand. Neat and precise, willowy and elegant, if not completely dangerous looking.

She smiled and just as neatly as she pulled it out, she stuck it behind her ear. "I won't hurt you luv." She said lightly, watching as the girl looked wide eyed at the flower she had stepped on. Zara's smirk grew, when she saw the girl look at it like she had committed a murder. Watching her take a small step to the right, Zara let out a bark of laughter, and moved a step to the right also, blocking her exit. The game was just getting started, and Zara wanted to see the fear in her eyes. Wanted to see the red splashed against the lilacs. Sure, Zara had gotten a few tips out of Nerezza's book, and now that Nerezza had mysteriously disappeared, it was Zara's turn to take her place, if not a bit more.... sanely.

Zara moved a couple steps closer to her, until she was close enough to touch her, but stopped there. "Are you afraid of me? Is that why you won't tell me why you're in my clearing, and what your name is? I've only been nice to you haven't I?" She asked sweetly, poison oozing from her words, her eyes focused on the girls, as though attempting to stare her down. "Maybe it'll help if you know me." She said, and grinned evilly. "You can call me Zara." She said with a small polite curtsy, as though attempting to be overly nice, but still, the threat of her pitch black wand, and her cold eyes made every sweet smile look like a calculated game of wills. Every step thought out.

Zara may not be a very large girl, but strength and speed often aided her, if the girl made a move for her wand, Zara would lunge. The girl's hair was tangled enough that Zara could easily slip her fingers in and keep a hold without even trying. And finally, Zara made a small move that would show what she was planning. She moved a small step forward, and reached out, her fingers touching a lock of the girl's hair, running over her jaw and cheek before running her fingers through her hair. "You have beautiful hair... why do you keep it all tangled?" She asked softly, her eyes fixed on the Hogwarts girl.

Salem stepped away from the exit as the woman stepped closer, making it seem as they revolved around in a circle. As she did, the lilac brushed her legs, and she reached to scratch her right leg. She remembered her wand and slowly withdrew her hand. She had to get to that wand, but how. The woman had withdrawn her own and Salem froze, going rigid.

She woman tucked it behind her ear and Salem let out a breath. She said she was not going to hurt her, but Salem was not about to believe her. She had just taken out her wand and was blocking her only exit to the outside world. What else could the woman be planning for Salem but pain and hurt? Salem bit her lip, scratching her leg, her hand traveling farther now.

The woman asked if Salem was afraid of her and Salem tentatively shook her head, though t was not true. She replied to her next question by continuing to shake her head, while she started to feel tremors of fear. She said she had only been nice and Salem nodded, her lip trembling slightly as she scratched her leg, her fingers brushing the top of her boot. So close...

She introduced herself as Zara and Salem nodded, trying to calm herself down. She did not need to react yet. The woman- Zara- was nor doing anything so loud to indicate she was about to hurt her. Even though her kindness was sarcastic and... well, creepy, Salem needed to calm down, focus, needed to think. She could survive this.

Suddenly, Zara was close and touching her face, moving to hair and speaking about it. Salem's heart hammered in her throat and she bent over, her hair ripping where the woman had been holding it. Her fingers plunged into boots and extracted her wand, stumbling back. Her eyes watered in pain and her features were alive with fear. She backed into a tree and held her wand aloft, pointed at Zara, fear on her trembling features.

Zara felt the hair be ripped out of her grasp and the girl was backing up with her wand held out. Zara smirked and slowly held her hands up to her sides, her palms facing out. "Sorry, I didn't mean for you to feel threatened." She said sarcastically. She suddenly turned on her heel, her back to Salem as though she felt no more threatened then you were by a kitten. Zara, during this turn, held out her hand, so that her dark mark flashed, and using this as a distraction, she slipped her other hand up and pulled her wand from behind her ear.

"I certainly didn't mean for you to feel upset in ANY way." She said with an oddly cold laugh. She stopped in front of the opening to the clearing and turned around again, leaning against a tree, and effectively blocking off the girl's exit. "Go ahead then, I'm not going to hurt you, all you have to do is walk right past me, and you never have to speak.." Zara stopped and then smirked. "Tell anyone about this encounter." Zara suddenly stood up straight, the path out clear for Salem to leave by. Though of course Zara was right in the way pretty much. Salem would have to turn to her side in order to get past her, for Zara, though small, took up the entrance even just standing there.

"Of course.. I never did get to know your name...." She stepped forward a very small step, her wand held loosely in her hand. "And I do enjoy knowing the names of the people I meet, even if it is just for courtesy's sake.." She said, her fingers running along the edge of her wand lightly, as though she were thoughtful. "How about I guess okay?" Zara looked up at her and smiled. "Angela? Amelia? Alex? Becka..." Zara smiled and during her naming off of names, her wand slowly moved, so that it was pointing directly at Salem, as though it were a complete accident. But when Zara got to names that started with E, she casually said, as though it were just another name. "Expelliarmus."

The woman acted apologetically and began to move away, turning her back and walking away, though Salem did not lower her wand. Her other hand went back to grip the tree as a brace as she listened to the woman's sly words. Salem's eyes darted around helplessly, wanting to escape and pretend none of this had ever happened. She was terrified that she had come to see her brother, and she might possible never see him, or anyone else, again.

The woman took up her spot in the exit and Salem turned to watch her; she had her wand out, though she was not holding it as though she was about to cast any sort of offensive spell towards her. Salem's eyes widened as Zara told her that she was free to leave, though when she moved out of the way, she was still partially blocking Salem's path.

She said she wanted to know her name and Salem felt her blood drain. Would it come down to her having to speak? Apparently not, because the woman began running through names. They were all so generic, though, Salem knew she would never get it right. Salem suddenly realized it really did not matter, so without thinking, she nodded in agreement to some name. Unfortunately, it was not a name....

Her wand soared out of her hand and she watched it leave her hand with a terrified expression. She swallowed and her face turned towards Zara and then her wand. Watching the wand fall, she told herself that at some point you just had to act. She could get a new wand, she could not get a new life. She suddenly turned towards Zara and darted for the exit, hunching her arms close to her, trying to squeeze past her.