Operation: RUNESPOOR PV Finished

Entered Thread from Basements

Curiosity got the better of her. That was what she told herself as she turned away from the trio she knew as the King, the Huntress and the Knight - better known as Ami's drag persona Chad dressed as royalty, Amadea with a bow and arrow and Quinn in his shining armour - and pushed open the door of the Potions Classroom. Curiosity was the only reason she put up with this entirely ridiculous 'quest', right? Of course it was...

Her gaze fell onto two familiar faces. She was about to take a step into the room, to figure out what was going on and what they were trying to brew. Did Caradoc really leave two first years unsupervised in the potions room? Ostrowski might not kill him for it but Hjørdis certainly would if they got hurt or caused any harm to anyone else.

But the boy called out to her quickly. Stopping her foot midair and causing her to backtrack, putting it down outside the room again. General... She was now a General. And the floor was lava. Of course it was. That was... not something she had done in a while. Distant memories of South Africa flooded into her mind. Young Hjørdis jumping around the living room whilst her father played along. Hjørdis caught the bracelet instinctively. This time it was a green one, with the letter W on it. She watched the children. Commander... Right.

She knew them both. First years she had seen in the dungeons not too many months ago - in pain, scared as the dark attacked them cruelly. It made the sight of them playing around now was perhaps one of the most beautiful sights to see. She swallowed, staring at them. The whole time, she was frozen to the doorway - still not actually entering the classroom - just gaping at them in her confusion.

The Major spoke, introducing himself and making a declaration of a half brewed potion across a field of lava. Nope. Nope. Just nope. This was her cue to back to the safety of her dark dungeons and the comfort of her cold office. Right. She would just politely leave. Wait did she not have work to do anywhere? How was she getting distracted in this? There was so much work to do, there was no time to waste. This was over, she was going to leav-

"General, it seems that Admiral Doc is calling in his favor from you to get this situation under control."

The Major said, oh so casually. A favour. Caradoc was calling a favour? Hjørdis blinked. No. No. No... He has got to be kidding me... NOW? THIS? She swallowed. The dread was filling her. He was really doing this...? It had almost year since that fateful day. 27th June 2019. She had written him a letter. An apology, for punching him when he likely did not deserve it. 'However, if there is a way to make up for it, please let me know.' She had said. For almost a year, he had never called it. A part of her was hoping he forgot about it because she knew him well enough to realise that if he did call it in one day, it would be something ridiculous.

He was... calling it in. Right now. Today. Of all days. In this situation. He wanted her to actually go ahead with this quest. Her hand clutched the bracelet. He knew she would say no, didn't he? He knew she would leave. Of course he did. Why would she do this... This was not her. This was the sort of thing that probably happened in the Hufflepuff house but not in Slytherin. She was more used to students screaming at her or attacking her than expecting her to play the floor is lava with them.

Caradoc Cecil Browne... You are dead.

She stared at them. The Major hopped onto a chair. He saluted her. "Wh-" She started as her eyes widened. He dramatically fell backward and made strange noises. Yeah... Dramatic falls were apparently the Hufflepuff requirement for entry. She recalled the badger trio that fell in front of the professor table in the Great Hall as they fell backwards after being 'hit in the heart' not too many months prior. They were crazy. Each and every single one of them. This was confirmed time and time again.

Hjørdis watched the Major. The Lieutenant screamed for him. They were so into this. She had to. Her silvery blue gaze fell to the bracelet. There were two now. Very well. Given her lack of choice in the whole thing, she moved. Quickly jumping to the table. It felt familiar. It had not been long since she had to jump onto desks of the Muggle Studies classroom to navigate her way through the sea of coloured pompoms that that dumbas- Uh Admiral - had made. Well then. Looks like she was going to have to do table hopping for a second time, because of him. She crouched a little, to prevent herself from falling right off.

The Lieutenant spoke, solemnly having lost her comrade, explaining the whole situation. She gave the General two choices. One to either stay and complete the potion for the good of the school or the other, to hurry to the next location. The latter was definitely her preferred choice. But... a promise was a promise and there was no way she was going to let down the brave Lieutenant or fail to fulfil the late Major's last request. It was on her honour as the General, she would do this. No matter how awkward it might be.

Carefully, she moved through the room, going from surface to surface to make her way over to the Lieutenant - which, by the way, was not easy whilst trying to balance a crown on your head and prevent it from falling into the lava. Within a few moments, she got closer, "We're in this together, Lieutenant Reid," She acknowledged as she offered her hand to her comrade, to help her get to where they needed to go, "Let's do this. For the school... for the Major... for the Admiral...?" Hjørdis continued, her tone slightly hesitant as she tried to figure out what to actually say. She was not as good at playacting as the two devious dwarves that had won her heart over, but she tried.

She nodded to herself, confirming her words. Right. They were apparently going to do this. She had no idea what exactly they were going to do but... whatever it was... she was apparently in this. God, she hated that dumb badger. She was going to shove him into the field of lava by the end of this!

"Don't be silly, Lieutenant, I'm going nowhere..." She replied with more confidence as she braced herself on her surface and continued to hold her hand out. She will kill him later. For now, she had a potion to finish and a comrade to help. The Admiral could wait.

OOC: Feel free to godmod and say she helped with the potion or whatever else you need to!

Mentioning @Atlas Reid and @Hjørdis Jensen

Raising her eyebrow at Ethen as he began discussing some form of favor from an Admiral Doc. She knew the name only vaguely from her imaginary time in the Fwooper Special Forces. It was long before she had even met the Major but hearing the Admiral’s name mentioned now caught her off guard. She knew the orders came from high up but she never imagined that it would have come from so high up and the mention of a favor seemed to take General Jensen aback. As if she had not anticipated such a dire request at a time like this. But a school flooding with lava seemed like the best time to call in every favor out there.

Atlas’ thoughts were quickly interrupted by the sudden and horrific image of Ethen losing his balance. The lava splashing around him before crawling over his body and his final groans sent a wave of sorrow cascading over Atlas who cried out. But it was no use. She doubted the boy would have even had a moment to reflect on all that he had accomplished. She fought back the urge to shed tears over the Major. There were things, things that she knew she should have told him when she had had the chance. Words that hung on her tongue every time they were together. Every mission they completed had only strengthened her convictions about the boy but never could she conquer her fears to truly express herself. And now? Now she would never have the chance. The knowledge raked across her heart as she forced the imaginary anguish aside to focus.

Feeling that all was lost and that their mission was sure to fail, Atlas shifted her gaze to the General just as he hopped onto the table. Maybe there was a chance. A chance that Major Emrys did not die for nothing. The General’s agility was impressive despite her many...many years of experience. “We can do this!” Atlas said with a growing feeling of determination. It was a quick final journey to the potion table but the lava only continued to bubble and lick the edges of the tables and chairs. The long hardwood table seemed on the verge of catching fire but Atlas knew they would have to make it.

As the General quickly got closer, Atlas quickly saluted the woman and sank her hand into a satchel at her side. The satchel held all manner of useful gear for missions but she knew there was something even more important. Scooping out a small camera, Atlas knew the academy archives could use such a display of heroism. For a moment, Atlas even thought it might be useful to make recruitment flyers with the general. “General, you will be an inspiration to the troops,” Atlas said confidently as she aimed the camera at the General as she scrambled, somewhat awkwardly, over the tables and chairs. Taking two pictures in quick succession, Atlas dropped the camera back into the satchel for safe keeping.

Taking General Jensen’s hand as she closed the final distance, Atlas recognized the gesture as the start of the well known Mooncalf Maneuver. It was a complicated one, to be sure, but the General’s tactical genius was showing through. “Aye Aye General. For the school and for the Major! We won’t fail any of them,” Atlas said with a fearsome determination. “I will follow your lead to the end! If you say Mooncalf Maneuver, then we are doing the Mooncalf Maneuver!” Atlas said, heart now pounding with adrenaline.

There were only a few tables that separated them from the exact spot of the potions table. Locking her legs together and crossing her arms over her armored chest, Atlas sprung into the air like a rabbit bounding recklessly over the final tables and onto the hardwood potion table. The cauldron shook from Atlas’ landing. “HAHA! Made it! You are buying the juice tonight, General. I’ll pour out a glass for the Major,” Atlas said as she found her balance on the table.

Shifting to her knees she slid across the table to the Cauldron and instructions as General Jensen was quick to join her. If not mistaken, Atlas was pretty sure that she heard the general hopping like a rabbit over the tables as well. “Damn, I should have known… the instructions are coded…” Atlas grumbled as she looked at the paper. Very clearly the steps were numbered and explained what needed to be done but Atlas decided that seemed too logical. “There must be a cipher here,” Atlas said flipping the paper over and noticing a small message:

‘Someone told me cleaning is necessary in dangerous times. -Doc’.

Atlas could make no sense of it and assumed it had to be a message for the General. “Commander, I think this is for you,” Atlas said handing her the paper and message as she looked into the cauldron unsure what type of potion it was. Based on the ingredients she thought it might have been some form of cleaning potion but Atlas’ time in the Military Academy severely cut into her lab time. She had focused her talents into the Black Ops divisions but knew that the Major was a potion expert. Legend had it that the Major once brewed a fire potion out of nothing but sawdust. She cursed the cruel world for claiming him so young.

“Gen-” Atlas began to say as she turned to the general but a smile took her face. It seemed like the woman was already well on her way to completing the potion. “Well, I’ll be a Clabbert’s Uncle. The General is a potions expert? Wait till I tell the boys in the barracks, they will never believe this,” Atlas said closing her fist confidently. Just as everything seemed to be going well, she began to sniff the air. Her eyes grew wide as she realized the table was catching fire. “General! Stay focused I got this!”

Drawing her wand, Atlas stared at the corner of the table now erupting with imaginary flames. “Ignis Extinguish!” Atlas called out making sure not to actually swish her wand at anything. The imaginary spell would help protect her from the flames as she...dove onto the corner of the table. The sudden collision shook the table as Atlas screamed in imaginary pain. Slowly the flames dissipated under her body but she could feel the severe imaginary burns covering her arms.

Groaning Atlas rolled to her back coughing as she looked up at the General. Weakly she pointed at the cauldron. “You-*cough*- you did it… With that the lava will stand no chance,” Atlas wheezed out knowing that the cleaning potion had been fully completed by the woman. “Promise me, General… We have to build a monument for the Major here… the world can’t forget what he did here today,” Atlas said trying to force her burned body back to a sitting position. “The Admiral was right to send you. You-...you were the only one with the power to cast the lava back,” Atlas said with her voice growing quiet. It was growing more difficult with each second for her body to remain conscious with the imaginary pain of the burns slashing and biting at her nerves. But deep down she knew...she knew they had saved the school.

If there was ever a time that you needed to be a mind reader - or rather a legilimens - it was now. It was nothing short of a tragedy that the stories of Major Emrys would be lost with him in the lava. It would now be up to the survivors to carry forward and share the stories of his bravery and heroics. Hjørdis did not regret many things that she did in life. Mostly because she was cautious enough to not do things that she knew she would regret. However, in a moment of weakness and kindness, she made a rather regrettable promise. A favour that was now being called on. She was going to kill him. That much she was certain of, if nothing else.

It did not help matters much that the Lieutenant decided to take photos. Evidence of these things. Well... That will be interesting to explain. Polyjuice. Makes sense. Legitimately the only thing that makes sense. No one would actually believe that the Hjørdis Jensen - stuck up, arrogant, stern, scary, emotionless, heartless, head of Slytherin - would jump around on tables, right? Wrong. One person would believe that. The only one who would believe it, despite not being in the room. He did not need photos to know that she would agreed to this - and that bothered her the most. She could imagine him smirking at her right now, and it frustrated her. Oh how she wanted to wipe that stupid smirk of his stupid face!

But Lt. Reid, with her determination and bravery, boldly claimed that they would not fail. It was adorable how she had gotten into the role. It was... not something Hjørdis was used to. This much was already too much for her. But she was trying. Attempting to do this without being incredibly awkward or embarrassing. She smiled softly, "Alright. Pumpkin Juice round on me," She confirmed after the Lt. had successfully performed the oh so dangerous Mooncalf Maneuver that she had bravely done, simply to follow the General's instructions!

Getting to the potion, she quirked her eyebrow as the first year explained there was a code. A message? She took the note, "Wh- That litt-" She mumbled under her breath, controlling herself simply because of the presence of children. Her eyes narrowed at the page. A part of her was annoyed. A part of her wanted to laugh. The glare intensified, trying to compensate for her desire to laugh. Yes. She was going to just have to kill him, "If only he bloody cleaned his mess of an office!" She grumbled, more to herself than to the other two, forgetting about her role as the General for a moment. He would find out how necessary it was to clean when she killed him for NOT keeping his office clean. By clean, she meant organised.

Nonetheless, she was already working her way through the process. Brewing a cleaning potion? Yes. She could do that with her eyes closed. Of course she could. She liked clean things.

There was something rather satisfying about brewing potions though. It was... calming. A precise, fine art where the results of your hardwork and success were clearly visible. It appealed to her inner perfectionist and her love for cooking or baking... There was a similarity in following a food recipe compared to potions. Every potion she had made in the past several months were healing potions. Specifically the thick golden potion. It was slightly less fun or relaxing when the reason was suffering students.

The Lt. would scream, in imaginary pain... Was it just these particular ones - the King, the Huntress, the Knight, the Lieutenant, the Major and the Admiral - that had a knack for theatrics and drama? Or was that a house trait...? "I-" She started to reply to the girl before she sighed softly. Right, acting. That was a thing she could do. "We will build the finest monument that the world has ever seen, Lieutenant. His heroics will go down in history!" She replied, making something up that sounded like a thing she should probably say.

Since the school was saved, she stood up. It was time to make her exit. As swift as possible. She had the other note, that said something about the Courtyard. Ah yes, the benevolent gnomes. Hjørdis paused for a moment, wondering who that meant. Small and loving... Holding up the letter, "It looks like I have my next mission. I will leave you to use this potion wisely," She continued, as she quickly made her exit.

Stopping by the door, she glanced back to the first year, "Oh and Lieutenant Reid? If those photos ever reach the Admiral, consider yourself discharged from the military." She added, silently hoping that the girl would never show him them. Hjørdis would like to, at the very least, pretend she did not do this. But... she had a feeling that Caradoc would know anyway. Sigh. Ah wells, she had tried.

With that, she left the room.

[THREAD LEFT - Continued in Courtyard]