Life After Death - An Erica Black Continuation (4)

Twenty Seven

"Shut up, you'll wake her!" came a hushed voice from above Erica Black's head as she slept
"No I won't but you might! Where is it??" hissed a second, as the sound of careless rummaging that initially awoke the young woman intensified.
"I don't know! keep looking!" replied the first, with a huff of annoyance. The professor slowly opened her eyes, keeping her breaths slow and steady as to not alert the owners of the two unfamiliar voices. Moving slowly in the hopes of going unnoticed, the woman slid her hand under the bedcovers, down her chest, stomach and hips little-by-little, inching her fingers down her leg until she felt the lace edge of her garter- a habit she'd picked up as a teenager, living alone in a house as big as number 12 Grimmauld place, she'd slept with a single garter under her nightie each night to keep her wand close during the night.
Gripping the handle and drawing stick gently, tracing the wooden tip up her milky thigh she produced it from beneath the blankets with as little movement as possible, swished it firmly and in an almost inaudible voice; murmured "Petrificus Totalus" whilst pointing it at the intruder closest to the bedroom door. The second invader's confused and panicked pause was all she needed to repeat the words and cause them to hit the ground with a large thud just as their partner had. After a moments hesitation, Erica pulled on her cloak over her night dress and ran for the door, bursting through it and into her living room.
"Wha-" yelped her uncle who awoke suddenly from his own bed, which had been transfigured from her sofa, and sprang into action.
"Two people. In my. Bedroom. Watch them. I. I will get. Minerva." panted the woman, taking a moment now to collect herself, sweeping her unruly black curls into a charming bun, secured with a pin this time as she opted to return her wand to it's home; tucked safely in the fabric band fastened around her thigh as she adjusted the hem of her matching white lace night gown to almost cover her knees.

Skittishly, a cloaked figure hurried down the abandoned hallways of Hogwarts castle, glancing over her shoulder periodically, her breathing in laboured gasps.
She finally reached the gargoyle that had guarded the head's office for as long as the witch with the deceptively youthful appearance could recall but only since Minerva McGonagall had taken the role in 1998 had the password been what it was on that night;
"Can you help me?" she whimpered to the stone likeness who then nodded and slid aside to reveal the staircase behind which she swooped up quickly, her emerald green cloak flying behind her.

"Minerva!" she exclaimed, bursting into the woman's office, causing her to choke on her tea in surprise.
"Professor Black! You forget yourself!" The headmistress scolded, waving her wand purposefully and muttering an incantation under her breath to clear the spill, her severing glare never deviating from the young woman who'd just tumbled through her door in the late hours of the morning.
"Sorry headmistress, there's been an incident" the professor panted.
She stood from her chair and hurried to the girl's side, holding out an arm to support her.
"What is it Miss Black? What's happened?" she questioned, her concern evident on her face.
"Two intruders, in my quarters Minerva. They were rummaging through my belongings as I slept, I managed to stun them but I thought you ought to know" she explained breathlessly.

Two figures hastened back down the uninhabited, stone corridors, racing down passageway after passageway; one in black and the other in green. Once the pair had reached the professor's office, they flew inside meeting a startled Regulus Black. Erica led the headmistress into her bedroom and showed her the two stunned forms on the floor.
"Merlin" she muttered, finally getting a good look at the intruder her self. A woman in dark robes by the door and a man in navy ones at the end of the bed.

"Who are you?" Demanded Erica Black, pointing the tip of her wand to the throat of the young man in-front of her.
"Edward Flint and that's Dorcas Bulstrode" spat the man with an ugly sneer, scanning her up and down with a disgustingly lustful gaze.
"Right. I will take miss Bulstrode up to my office first to ask some questions. Miss Black, if you could stay here with Mr Flint ad Mr Black, If you could run to fetch me some Veritaserum my dear?" Said Minerva McGonagall, taking charge of the situation and using her wand to levitate the immobilised woman towards her office.
"Of course headmistress" nodded Regulus Black as he was already halfway out the door.
(TW)
"So, Mr Flint I-"
"Please," he interrupted "Call me Edward"
Shooting him a disapproving glare, she continued "Mr Flint" she repeated pointedly, moving to rest her hands on her hips "What exactly were you doing in my chambers?"
"Wouldn't you like to know, little girl" he sniggered down at her with a nasty, predatory leer.
"Little girl? Little girl?! I'll have you know young man, I am not a child. I am a woman, a professor here and the owner of these quarters that you've elected to break into! Now, explain yourself." She ranted incredulously with a murderous glare. The large man stood abruptly, Erica hadn't realised quite how close he was until then, his proximity forced her to step back. An act of submission that he seemed to enjoy watching because he then took another step forward, causing her to stumble back again. He kept doing this until he had her backed into a corner, she felt the stone wall against her back and suddenly found herself panicking, just a little bit.
"You know..." he purred with a tone that made her skin crawl, "I didn't realise how pretty you were when you were hidden under all that fabric" he smirked, gesturing to the unmade covers on her bed "Lemme have a decent look at you" reaching out to tug at her cloak, pulling it from her body without thought. Erica stuck out her hand to grab at the cloth but before she could do anything to preserve her modesty, his large fingers clamped her fragile wrist with a firm grip that made her wince. He pinned both her wrists against the stone wall above her head with a single fist and with the other, he traced her exposed skin in a way that made her sick to her stomach.