Dauntless Warrior

**Catlyn Ollivander**

The difference in height puts me at a disadvantage as I dangle in her grasp. Although I hold my wand in my free left hand, her angle and position make it difficult to aim at her. Even if I could hit her, her knife would get through my neck first. Unable to get any leverage, my brain searches for an escape route as the steel of the single-sided blade presses against my throat.

"Who are you?" she demands, the wisps of cockney in her strong voice. At her question, I shifted slightly to see if I could grab the notepad out of my pocket. Her grip on my right tightens as the knife presses closer to my throat in response. "If I so much as hear a squeak out of you, I'll show you how sharp this knife really is. Understood?"

I nod slowly, not wanting to move my neck too much. My right arm tingles under her grip as it's pushed to the limits of my flexibility.

"Good. Now…" she pauses to think of her next question. "Are you the Half-breed Killer?"

Her questions answer some of my own as I slowly shake my head.

"Well, that was bloody pointless," she whispers to herself as I mentally chuckle.

"Why were you following me?" she asks, forgetting her no-speaking rule. A lump forms in my throat as I put more energy into finding an exit.

"You can speak now," she clarifies, embarrassment hiding behind her words. Keeping my arm in place, I carefully aim my wand to point at the knife.

Staying silent because the alternative is impossible, sweat starts beading down my brow as her question turns into a demand, "why did you follow me?"

Making sure of my aim, because the alternative is death, I cast Circumrota to rotate the knife so that the blunt side is at my throat. The invisible spell punches out of my wand and hits her blade. Rather than the knife rotating, her grip stays true and contorts her arm.

Her hold on me now weaker; I take the opportunity to jab my elbow into her gut. Putting some force into it but holding back to not break anything, the blow allows me to break free. Hitting the ground, I dash away to put some distance between us. My escape doesn't leave me unscathed, for I can feel a large cut across my neck.

Nausea from the blow doesn't stop her as she grabs a second knife with her free hand and rushes at me. The mana surrounding her begins to gather around her hands and coat the edge of her blades as she quickly closes in on me. Putting pressure on the wound with my right, I quickly fire off a Disarming Charm before she can close the gap between us.

Her hair, the braids now up in a high ponytail, flies as it struggles to keep up with her erratic movements. Dodging with a roll, she leaps up and slashes from left to right, aiming to cut across my body. Putting up a Shield Charm to reflect the blow, her knives slice through it like butter. My eyes grow wide as I can only barely avoid the slash by jumping backward. My feet start to trip over themselves as I'm pushed back.

Pivoting, she uses her momentum to swing around and thrust forward. Still stumbling, I'm only just able to cast a Knockback Jinx as I fall to the ground. Yellow light blasts out of my wand and hits her point-blank. The tiny spark rapidly expands as it slams into her, sending everything close to it flying. I can feel the displaced air rush through me, pushing against my effort to stay sitting upright. She loses grip on her knives as she's shot backward. Skimming against the ground, her body twists and turns until it finally rolls to a stop.

I'm glad I invested in shatter-proof vials as I push myself up and down a Mana Potion. Also lifting themselves up, she wipes a bit of blood dripping from the corner of her mouth. Mana gathers around her fists and feet as she readies for another round. Doing the same, I stare into her eyes to get an idea of her next move.

Behind those bi-colored eyes of yellow and grey holds the look of a feral animal. No, not just a wild animal, a cornered one. What am I doing? All she had been doing was protecting themself. In her mind, I stalked her and could be the crazed killer running around.

Shame weighs on the corners of my mouth as I lower my wand. Her brow knits together, and her fists loosen some. Slowly, I take out my notepad and raise my hands. Pointing the wand at the pad, I think of feathers and birds as I cast Wingardium Leviosa on it. Letting go of it, she watches suspiciously as I float it halfway to her and keep it floating in the air.

Hesitant, she lowers her arms and inches toward the notepad. She snatches it out of the air and switches between it and me, 'hello, nice to meet you. My name is Catlyn Ollivander. I cannot speak, but I assure you I am capable of helping you today.'

As she reads, her glances back at me become less frequent. A smile slowly starts appearing across her face as she snickers. Gradually, the situation unravels further and further for her as she breaks out into full-on laughter. Smiling back, I join in as the wind whips through the now quiet field.