Year/Job
Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor
I had been lost to you, sunlight. And flew like a moth to you, sunlight. |
Animagus
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Post by Iola Walker on Jan 24, 2024 21:02:50 GMT -8
The sun hung low on the horizon, washing the sky in colors of pink, purple, and orange. It had gotten colder in the hours Iola spent inside the cave recovering from her duel. Light pink scars marred her side, still healing from the dittany. It would take a while for scars to dissipate into nothing but faint marks. A reminder of the day she lost everything. Well, almost everything. The stunning brunette turned and made her way back into the cave. It had been a few hours since her fight with Lilith and she still hadn’t heard from Nyle. Panic started to rise within her as she realized he may not have gotten her message. She never used the spell in distress like that. And now, she had no way of letting him know she was safe.
In a day she revealed her identity to a powerful and dangerous Death Eater, revealed her animagus form, and lost her wand. Not to mention the wounds she suffered. A diminutive hand reached up to touch the small scar on her face where the splintered wood cut her. She hadn’t even bothered putting dittany on it, her focus on the horrific mess her side ended up, being nearly impaled by the remains of a fractured tree. Iola was feeling rather weak, having lost a fair amount of blood. All she had for clothes were torn remains of her robes, exposing her scarred abdomen and caked with dried blood.
Once she was safely away from the Death Eater, Iola hurried here to her hidden stash of potions. The dittany stemmed the bleeding, healed her wounds as she bathed in the same freshwater spring she frequented many months ago. The spring where they met.
Startling blue eyes flicked to the cavern entrance, looking for a head of sandy blonde hair and bright green eyes. A pang of disappointment and, perhaps a bit of panic, shot through her as she saw no one there. Several months ago she had gotten used to being alone in this cave, but now she couldn’t bear to be without him. Especially now, after all that’s happened. Her mind was racing with possibilities.
Maybe the patronus never made it to him. Iola wouldn’t believe for a second that he heard her message and didn’t come running. She knew what kind of man he was… what kind of man he was to her. Wrapping her arms around herself, Iola sought to keep the chill of the December night out of her bones. If she had her wand, she’d just conjure a fire and a couple of blankets, but unfortunately that wasn’t possible. Anger welled up inside her at the thought of that manipulative bitch touching her wand. The one saving grace is that she shouldn’t be able to use it; that wand was aggressively stubborn.
There was another possibility that Iola didn’t care to think about: she got to Nyle. It was irrational at best. Firstly, Nyle is an expert duelist and auror. Second, there was no way she could have known who she sent the message to. And third, the murderous witch would have fled the scene lest she be caught in all the destruction her power had caused. The Ministry would be looking for her now. Perhaps it will get them off Iola’s trail.
The brunette curled up in a warmer corner of the cavern, doing her best to use her remaining clothing as cover for the chill seeping in. If Nyle wasn’t here by morning, she’d head into town and try to use the Floo network to get back to the Walker estate. But for now, she dared not leave her hiding place. Not when he expected to find her alive and waiting. What if he didn’t think she survived? Knowing him, he’d want to see for himself. Even if what he found would break his heart.
As she lay there, shivering from the cold, her thoughts ran rampant in her mind. She let her mind wander to happier memories, like the last night she spent in this cave. She was laying in his arms, her head nestled on his chest. Iola held onto that memory as sleep threatened to take over.
It was right when she was about to fall into a deep slumber that she heard it, a loud CRACK sounding from outside the entrance. Iola shot up, heart pounding wildly in her chest. Out of habit, she reached for her wand, only to remember that it was lost. She could transform and wait as a feline until the intruder showed their face, but she’d still be cornered. So, instead, she rose to her feet, brushing the dust off her robes. Her bright, icy blue gaze remained fixed on the cavern entrance as she waited with baited breath for someone to discover her.
That someone was Nyle, his eyes wide and wild, panic written on his handsome features. Iola’s heart leapt to her throat and she moved toward him. He strode forward as she did, hands reaching out to grab her and pull her closer to him. He didn’t speak, but crushed her against his body, arms wrapping around her and squeezing her tight as if he were afraid of letting her go. She leaned into him, eyes fluttering closed as she breathed in his scent, her hands gripping on the back of his shirt and she found that she didn’t want to let go either. After a few moments of holding her, he leaned back enough to look in her eyes. He let go of her and Iola felt a pang of disappointment, but it was only temporary as his hand reached up to cradle her face. Tears welled up in her eyes, the relief at seeing him washing over her like a tidal wave.
“Iola,” he breathed before pulling her close again to kiss her like no one was watching. She melted into him, deepening the kiss as her arms slid up his body to wrap around his neck. All thoughts of the witch and her duel left her mind as his hands moved over her body. Then he felt the rough scar tissue maring her side and he stopped, pulling back to gaze at her with concern. “What happened?”
“It’s okay,” she murmured, reaching to sweep her thumb across his cheekbone. “I’m okay.”
He shook his head. “I was worried, Iola. It was killing me not knowing what happened to you, if you were even alive.”
“I know,” she sighed, moving to rest her head against his chest, her arms slinking down his shoulders to wrap around his torso. She could hear his heart beating wildly in his chest. “Nyle, I - I lost my wand.” The tears in her eyes started to trickle down her face. “It was Lilith… she saw my form.”
Nyle drew in a sharp breath. Lilith was well known to the aurors of the Ministry of Magic, her ability making her a special case. “Is that how you…?” She nodded. “She knocked my wand out of my hand. She was going to kill me. I had to transform to get away, to get to you.” She squeezed him tight and he pulled back to look her in the eye. His hands were on her face again, cradling her head between them, ever so gentle with his touch. His viridescent gaze searched hers for a moment, a smile playing on his lips. “I love you.”
Iola stared back at him with wide eyes already glistening with fresh tears, her hands moved from his side to rest on top of his and she leaned into his touch. “I love you.” And she did. She loved everything about him - from his diligence and serious nature, even if it made her giggle any time he spoke that way to her, from his gentleness and his immediate need to protect her from harm. She loved how strong he was, and how loyal. He kept her secrets and his promises. He was more than a great man. He was everything to her.
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