The Battle of Perfecto

At first there was only rippling darkness, like a pool of ink swirling in the abyss. Jinn focused, and realized that she was looking at the hem of a long, flowing black robe. It belonged to a man.

On the man’s head was a large baboon’s skull, worn like a mask, its polished canines longer than any normal baboon’s teeth. Hanging from his neck was the left half of a triangle. It was made of polished metal, and glinted dully under the pale sky. His fingers constantly touched the metal trinket absently.

He was Hidalgo. And right now, he was talking to a woman.

“The Ravena have arrived, my Lord,” she whispered, as though afraid to speak out loud in his presence. She was a round woman, like a ball with large arms and tapered legs. Her hair was a beautiful mess on her head, and it covered much of her face.

Jinn saw that her eyes were distant when she spoke, as though seeing something that isn’t there. She knew then that this woman must also be a Seer.

“Good,” Hidalgo said his voice deep and rough. His fingers tapped the surface of the amulet. He did not seem to be aware he was doing it. “They will give us utmost advantage in our aerial attack. We have so few broomsticks, after all… and what of the others?”

The round-shaped Seer shook her head. Hidalgo sighed through his baboon-skull mask.

“No matter,” he said. “Our current number already outmatches theirs…”

Jinn strained her abilities and saw past Hidalgo. She saw how many witches and wizards were already at his disposal, gathering at the grimy rooftops of the buildings along Session Road. The Ravena that the Seer spoke of were perched on the roofs as well, preening their black and red wings.

The fat Seer bent close to her master’s ear and whispered something.

“Really?” Hidalgo said in his deep, rumbling voice.

Through the eyeholes of the mask, Jinn saw Hidalgo’s eyes shift and look straight at her. And she knew he could see her.

His eyes were like dark tunnels of nothingness, a vacuum of space. He grinned, and for a moment, it looked as though the baboon’s canines were his canines.

Jinn felt herself being swallowed by the darkness of Hidalgo’s eyes.

*

Don quite literally flew several feet away from Jinn as his Legilimency recoiled. Thinking quickly, he closed his mind with Occlumency before Hidalgo could gain access to it.

Standing up, he pointed his wand at Jinn. Her eyes were still out of focus, she had not gone out of her trance-state yet. Her hands were twitching at her sides.

“Jinn?” Don said tentatively, aiming his wand at her. “You there?”

“You sneaky little pigfucker.”

The voice that replied was Jinn’s, but Don knew it was not her talking. He had never heard her say “pigfucker” before.

“I must admit it never occurred to me that you might have a True Seer in your ranks. It is, however, of no great significance to me.” Jinn grinned in a way she had never grinned before. It looked like she had fangs.

“It doesn’t matter if you’ve managed to catch a glimpse of my gathering army. It does nothing for you. Prepare all you want, Don Rage. I don’t care. In the end, I will beat you and your forces down. Crush you under my thumb, and listen as you scream and squeal like the sissy little bitch that you are.”

Jinn raised her wand. Her eyes were blank, looking at nothing.

“Still,” Hidalgo said in Jinn’s voice. “Now that I have your Seer in my grasp, it would be remiss to let this chance slide…”

She pointed her wand at Don and screeched: “Avada—!”

Don was quicker. He slashed his wand at her and bellowed, “Langlock! ” before she could finish.

The second part of the Killing Curse never made it past Jinn’s lips as her tongue was glued to the roof of her mouth.

“Incarcerous.” Don said next, and chains erupted from his wand tip. They wrapped around Jinn and pinned her against the pillar by the windows.

“I’m sorry, my dear,” he said as the still-possessed Jinn struggled in her chains.

She became suddenly still, and Hidalgo spoke through her again.

“Very good, Don! You better be this quick when I come to face you myself! ”

But Don was already out of the classroom, ignoring the sound of her laughter. He closed the door and sealed it with a number of spells.

He saw Pryce by the windows and called for her.

“There are broomsticks in the Secret Stash in the building, I believe.”
She nodded. “I go there all the time when I want to use the broomsticks for Quidditch practice…”

“Go then,” Don ordered. “Gather all the broomsticks and hand them out to anyone who can fight on a broom.”

“Gotcha.” Then she suddenly brightened, remembering something. “I remember there being several vials of Felix Felicis in there. We can use those!”

“Excellent. Go!”

Then he pointed his wand to his throat again.