Target

Katrina-Carlotta was back in Berlin. She hadn't missed it per-se, but it was nice to be back in her territory after all the time in England. The woman tilted her head back towards the sky and inhaled deeply. The air even felt different. The witch was dressed entirely in black, no robes in sight. Her clothing was skin-tight and very easy to move in, hair tied up, wand in the holster on her arm. She even had both her blades with her, which almost felt strange as she'd only been carrying one in England. The witch cracked her wrist and smiled, it felt good to be back on the hunt.

A few days previously, one of the other Death Eaters had pulled her aside and said something about removing opposition. The Du Hunt was aware that a woman named Susan Bones would be near the top of their list, and had decided to take the initiative. Her connections worked quickly, and the assassin found herself standing outside a cute little townhouse.

The dark witch knew that her target would be the only one there, and it would've been far too easy to blow up the place, or sneak in unnoticed and kill the woman. But Katrina-Carlotta had always liked to face her victims when killing them. Not because she liked to see the fear and terror on their faces as the rumors told, but to give them a chance to fight back. It was a bit odd, but still a part of her twisted morals that she believed were important.

As she approached, the witch sensed a simple ward guarding the property. Not bothering to disable it, the woman walk right through. So Susan would know someone was there a few seconds earlier than planned, so what? Swiftly running around the house with light steps, Katrina-Carlotta spotted the back door she'd betted upon. Swiftly unlocking and opening the door with a spell, she slipped inside.

Susan had been pacing in her kitchen for an hour. She felt sick to her stomach. She had just found out Hannah, her best friend, was in St. Mungo’s and very ill. She was terrified she was going to lose her best friend. She was ready to explode. Her magic was building up making her ill. She hadn’t felt this much in years. Well since she was pregnant with Drew. She knew she was just nervous.

But something else didn’t feel right. She felt like something was wrong. She felt like she was being watched. She was getting hot. She was burning up. Something was making her nervous. She felt as if something bad was about to happen. She was trying not to panic but the old fear of what happened to her Aunt all those years ago could happen to her was haunting her. She swore to herself she wouldn’t leave her children motherless. If she was going to be killed she was going down with a bang and she was going to take down her attacker with her.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! The ward began to warn Susan of an intruder. She knew it was too early for Ernie to be home and Neville was her secret keeper and he was in St. Mungo’s with Hannah. Someone had found her. She knew this person had only one possible purpose for being here. To kill her. Susan grabbed the butcher knife off the knife block. She didn’t have time to her muggle gun out. She gripped her wand in one hand and held the knife in the other. She was ready to fight to the death. She was going to do whatever she had to stay alive. This wouldn’t be the first time she killed. She killed several people in the Battle of Hogwarts, she would kill again if she had too.

Walking with silent steps, Katrina-Carlotta headed towards the only magical presence in the house. Not entering the room containing her target, the witch was able to see a sliver of white walls, and the corner of an oven. So the Bones was in a kitchen. The dark witch took a moment to wonder if this had been done on purpose, the kitchen was a tactically intelligent place to be. Granted, the advantages could also be used against oneself, but kitchens were always brimming with obvious and unobvious weapons.

Pulling a blade from the non-hidden holster on her thigh, wand already held in her other hand, the woman rounded the corner and entered the room in one swift move. Eyes and mind automatically absorbing everything she could about the person in front of her, Katrina-Carlotta found herself mildly surprised. The other witch held her wand in one palm, and what looked to be a decently sized butchers knife in other. Susan was neither cowering in fear, nor cockily ready to win a struggle. Most were terrified of her, but war heroes had a ridiculous tendency to believe that they'd be able to handle whatever came their way. Susan Bones, however, appeared to be neither. She seemed scared, but determined. Battle ready.

"Hello Susan Bones," the assassin said smoothly. Even her tone was soft, but deadly. "I'm sure you know who I am," the European added with a smile that held no joy. This woman was not quite what she'd been expecting. Katrina-Carlotta didn't allow it to throw her off, it took a great deal to do that, but it was an interesting development all the same.

Susan didn’t move a muscle until the witch was in the kitchen. She knew what she was going to do. Her eyes starred straight at the other witch. She knew her from her experiences. She wasn’t surprised. She knew very well Death Eaters wanted her dead. She also knew had a few people to hex when this is over. Cowards.

“How nice to see you? I see you came prepared,” Susan stated the sarcasm just flowing off her tongue. She supposed she was more like her aunt then she’d ever realize. She had spent way too many years with the Order, it was starting to rub off. Well, she wasn’t a timid shy farm girl anymore. “You didn’t think I was like this did you. You’d be surprised about the things I’ve done but then maybe you wouldn’t be. I may be a Hufflepuff but I’m not defenceless nor cocky. Since when is a Hufflepuff cocky?” she said calmly. “Shall we begin our dance?” she asked.

Element of surprise and modesty, the best two things in Susan’s arsenal.

"I'm always prepared," the woman replied automatically. She was a world-feared assassin, there were certain things people had to be to reach that sort of title. It amused the witch a little when Susan stated talking back. The European supposed that this was what happened when innocent little girls grew up in war zones, they turned out like this.

Lowering the blade held in her hand to tap it against her thigh, Katrina-Carlotta surveyed the situation. "I am skilled in many forms of dance," the Death Eater said dryly, "it's up to you." The dark witch wasn't exactly sure what was so different about this woman. She'd faced and killed so many in her time. But with this one, with this one there was something different staring up at her from behind determined eyes.

Blade tapping against her thigh every few seconds, creating an ominous rhythm, Katrina-Carlotta stood in wait.

Susan knew she had to be quick. She didn’t really know what she was going to do but she refused to let that show. Her mind just was a bit fuzzy and she was spinning a bit. She ignored it thought it was odd for her. She had ate today and drank tons of water. She wasn’t going to process what was wrong at the moment, not that she had to process it at all. She already knew deep down what was wrong but she didn’t want to deal with really realizing it if something happened. She wouldn’t do that to herself again.

“Gladius,” casted Susan. She wasn’t as pure as one even though. She didn’t even think her ex-husband really knew her. Dark arts was something nearly all pureblood families at least know. She may not be pureblood but her father and aunt were. Her aunt taught her the dark arts since she was fourteen, just enough for duels like this. She’d never tell anyone she even knew the dark arts. She rarely ever used them, the last time being in the Battle of Hogwarts. “Didn’t think the Death Eaters were interested in a little angel or did you?” she chuckled.

This woman was certainly different. It was Susan whom had started their duel, sending off a dark spell. Gladius, the slashing curse, was certainly dark. The woman was a Bones, so her knowing a bit of dark magic wasn't too unexpected, but that the witch had used it, was. The curse wasn't anywhere near Katrina-Carlotta's own level, but it was hardly child's play either. The dark witch found herself mildly impressed. The other woman's aim also wasn't lacking, Katrina-Carlotta had moved out of the way, but if the curse had made contact her stomach would currently be slashed open.

The European couldn't help but wonder how the Bones would react to some real dark magic. "Susan, Susan," the witch said in her most patronizing voice, "trying to beat the Master at her own game now?" Purposely picking a non-foreign spell that the brunette would surely recognize, Katrina-Carlotta aimed her wand and incanted, "morsomnium." It was the incantation for a curse called the Walking Nightmare, and was hardly easy to master.

Susan’s face flushed with anger. Being talked down to wasn’t something she took kindly. She had worked up her way to the respect she had. She had never liked disrespect. The only person she had ever disrespected with Umbridge. That woman was the most intolerable person she had ever met.

“Finite Incantatem,” casted Susan. She ducked down just in case her spell missed. She didn’t want to get hit by that sucker. “Confundo,” she casted. She didn’t have time to think of a dark spell. Confungus Charm was the first duelling spell to come to her mind. She wasn’t considered about using that many dark spells only staying alive.

The other woman was getting enraged. That could either be a very good thing for the dark witch, or a not so good thing. The world could be separated into two categories when It came to dueling; those who fought better when enraged, and those who let their anger cloud their judgment and fought worse. Katrina-Carlotta wasn't sure which of the two Susan would turn out to be, but she would soon find out.

The Editor cast a Confundus Charm, and the European quickly threw up a basic shield with a flick of her wand, not bothering to say the incantation aloud. If the dark witch was to really go all out, and throw everything into this duel, she would surely beat the brunette easily, but something held her back. The woman was almost fascinated by the Bones, and wanted to see how things played out. So, the dark witch went for an easier spell to cast, "Duro," she whispered, wand pointed at the older witch.

Susan didn’t understand why the dark witch wasn’t using more aggressive spells. “Protego,” casted Susan. She then rotated her wand to a different angle. “Conjunctivitus,” she casted. Susan was done playing games. She wanted this witch out of home and this duel over. She knew to emotions separate from her spells. Otherwise it would just be a fiery mess. She didn’t really want to kill anyone but she would if she had to. She wasn’t sure if she could purposely kill something. Sure she had killed people but in self-defence. She had never looked a person in the eye and kill for the purpose of killing.

She didn’t trust the dark witch was certain she was just coming up with a plan. It would be the logical thing to do. She reminded herself she had never had to duel against this witch before. It is very possible the dark witch doesn’t realize what Susan could do.