tampered | Log: Ongoing

Log: Ongoing

When; Morning of September 24th
Rating; PG-13 for possible violence towards your favorite werewolf and potions master.
Characters; Richard Zeeman

teh_alpha_male, Severus Snape

halfblooded_git, and their seconds; Alucard

tinyvampiregod and Hermione

her_my_o_nee
Summary; After much ado about nothing, Richard becomes sick of Severus' bullying ways and aims to teach him a lesson; a duel by sabers to regain some lost honor and pride. Severus gleefully accepts, despite neither opponent knowing how to swordfight.
Log;

In the glistening morning hours of the day, Severus trudged up the hill leading out of the main metropolis. Heading towards the outskirts of the forest, he held in his hand a bladed weapon; a saber, purchased just yesterday. Wrapped in his black cloak against the morning chill, he posed a sickly figure, pale skin against ebony clothing. His appearance would be far more likely to be at home in a dark classroom or among shelves of books, not pushing his way through the overgrown grass and dirt of that horrible thing called the outdoors.

Snape was even less comfortable with the blade he held. How was he to know what sort of sword was proper to use, or even if the edge wouldn't fall off the handle the moment it clashed against its opponent's? Sweeney was right; Anita was right; hell, half the City was right, he was certain that both he and Richard were going to look the fools. Hence why their meeting location was a secret: best not make this a paid affair, people might start taking bets.

On his person were two objects, hidden from view. The first was Snape's wand, tucked up his sleeve and held there by a strip of elastic band woven around his forearm. That was for security, should events not go the way as planned.

The second object was one of six lilies he'd recieved the night before the duel, sent anonymously by someone who knew of their significance. Snape twinged in anger at the thought of this unknown person, but kept the head of one of the lilies tucked away in his inner vest pocket. For luck? For sentimental purposes? He couldn't say. But he felt the better for having it with him.

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This whole thing was stupid. Richard knew that. But it was also necessary. Snape needed to learn that you couldn't go through life bullying people without there being consequences. Everyone, even his own wife, thought this was about him regaining his pride or something like that. Richard's pride had not really been injured by the man. It was his attitude that irked him. The idea of someone like that in front of a classroom, treating children that way. Just because you were in front of the class didn't mean you couldn't be a bully.

So here Richard was going to duel him. Everyone in the City thought he was nursing his own pride but he didn't care. Richard didn't do things because it was what people thought he should, but it would have been nice if his friends knew by now he wouldn't do anything like this because of his own pride.

With a sigh Richard shrugged and continued on towards the meeting place where all of them would gather. Richard, Alucard, Snape and whoever Snape got as a second. Jan and Tony had warned Richard that Snape would try and use magic, but he didn't believe so. Even so, he hoped the presence of Alucard would prevent Snape from doing anything so foolish. Richard couldn't think of anyone who would be so stupid as to do anything that would give the vampire a chance to attack.

The saber he purchased hung at his side in the scabbard. He hadn't bothered to practice with it other than making sure he wouldn't look a fool holding it or drawing it out. His biggest challenge would probably be making sure that Snape didn't hurt himself with his own weapon.

Shaking his head again at the uselessness of this all and cursing Snape for causing it to come about he crested the final hill and saw that his adversary was already there. Clenching his jaw in determination, Richard continued on. Best to get this over with now.

Snape equally cursed Richard as he walked along, cloak sweeping the dew from the grass after him. He reached the clearing, pausing and looking suspiciously through the trees, making sure of their privacy.

How dare he. How dare that beast accuse him of acting out of his own troubled experiences? Being called a bully was nothing new to Snape, especially after six years of teaching that delightful, arrogant Potter. Keeping a tyrannical reign over his students was what ensured control, discipline, and above all, respect. Being a constant article of ridicule in his adolescence had led Severus to the belief that it was better to be feared that to be picked on, to be hated rather than mocked. And who was this Richard to claim Snape's past was merely a template to be psychoanalyzed, that he was so predictable and insecure?

And he was insecure, if this duel proved anything else.

Snape looked up, eyes already narrowed in hatred; and when he spoke, it was with just a hint of pure loathing,

"So. You bothered to show up. Astonishing."

Richard almost sneezed as he came closer to Snape, his hyperkeen sense of smell being nearly overwhelmed by the strange concoction of scents that was coming from the man. He didn't even recognize what half of them were, but he doubted he would every for get them.

When the wizard made his disdain obvious in his comment about being surprised that Richard showed up, the werewolf merely arched an eyebrow. Did the man really want to go there? Richard decided to leave the fact that Snape had already declined the duel when Anita was going to do it alone.

"I'm a man of my word," was all he said, and let it go at that.

He waited the rest of the time in silence until both of the seconds had arrived. Richard was worried to see that Snape's seemed to be a young girl. The man had no sense, bringing her into this. Of course, his own second looked like an even younger girl, but Alucard was actually a centuries old vampire who could call on demons or some crazy stuff like that.

Once everyone was assembled and ready, Richard turned to face Snape, his face a passive mask, lacking any emotion except for the intensity that burned in his eyes.

"Are you ready?" he asked, his hand gripping the hilt of the sword on his hip.

Snape eyed Hermione silently, not particularly knowing what to say to her and instead turned briskly away. He had chosen her before he had known Alucard was to be Richard's second; otherwise he might have been pressed to beseech Dumbledore's assistance. Then again, the girl was a powerful witch, as he was hesitant to admit even to himself. Gifted, if also with that arrogant streak which often comes from the righteous and the intelligent.

He turned back to Richard, black eyes lidded, his own hand clutching his sword. May this end quickly. He'd no desire to have that Alucard creature licking his lips and grinning at him longer than necessary.

"When you are." He spoke back simply, his own face frowning in quiet concentration.

"Very well," Richard said, drawing his weapon and slowly making his way towards the wizard. The man was obviously daft. Even if Richard didn't have superhuman strength and speed he easily had nearly a hundred pound of muscle on the other man.

"I want you to be very clear on something Snape," Richard said as he began to move towards the side more now, circling his opponent. "I'm not doing this because you insulted me, I'm doing it because you pick on other people merely because you think they're weaker than you. Even if they are, you should use your abilities and intelligence to help them, to build them up, not lord yourself over them. It's time someone showed you that you can't go through life pushing people around without consequences."

Severus sneered, holding onto the saber's handle and beginning to walk around as well, creating a circle in the grass between him and Richard, unwilling to be circled.

"And do you really believe the outcome of this duel is going to change a thing about my views towards others? Had you been paying the slightest bit of attention, you'll notice I hardly bestow my...criticisms on those who have not fully demonstrated that they deserved it. I have Dumbledore to lecture me on the values of perspective, and he is a far better speaker than you, Zeeman."

With that, he stopped walking, to turn and give a small, forced bow of respect to Richard, as was the proper custom.

The man looked utterly ridiculous. There was no way around that, he would have looked just as threatening if he was holding a bouquet of flowers as he did his saber. Snape had obviously never even contemplated holding a sword. It was humiliating the man just making him do this.

"Well forgive me if I don't add my own lesson," Richard said with a bow of his own before striding towards the man. "Guard up Snape, this is going to be over before you know it."

Snape was well aware of the ridiculous picture he made, and could only pray that the seriousness of the idea that one of them might be hurt today would prevent Hermione from breaking out into laughter. On edge already, he didn't think he could stand much more taunts at his character.

He raised his own sword awkwardly, pointing it as he would a wand and feeling entirely idiotic in doing so. Physical combat was for men far stronger than he; he prefered to duel with wands, and with words. He hadn't been prepared for anything like this; he was sickeningly thin. What was he hoping to accomplish today? A few cuts here and there on the two of them, then back to hating each other at a distance. That much he could handle.

He walked towards Richard, sword still held aloft, looking, for the moment, neutral.

"As you wish it." he retorded icily.

Richard felt that he could give Snape the small courtesy of ending this before the man tried to swing the weapon. He looked like he was about ready to conduct an orchestra with it. The man may have been a terrifying wizard or professor, but beyond that he wasn't even slightly scary.

With a burst of superhuman speed Richard lunged at Snape. Stopping just a few feet from the man he swung his own saber hard and fast, making sure that he would strike his opponents weapon on the middle of the blade.

Snape stumbled back in alarm, nearly tripping in the process, clearly not expecting this sudden attack and was thus unprepared as his saber was knocked to the ground, torn from his hand.

He stared blankly at the weapon on the ground, then back to Richard, looking bewildered, standing with his hand still held out in mid-air.

And absolutely speechless.

Richard didn't bother to gloat over his victory. It wouldn't have done any good and it served no purpose. Instead he merely walked over to where Snape's sword lay on the ground and picked it up.

"For all your vaunted intellect, you didn't even think to bring a silver weapon," Richard said, turning back to look at the man as he sheathed his own weapon as he moved back toward the professor.

"You didn't bother to check any of the past history on the network and see that even in my human form a I have superhuman speed and strength?" he asked. "That mental superiority you seem to be so proud of, where did it get you now Snape?"

Snape stared back at Richard, incomprehensible...before color suddenly seized his normally pale face, and he snarled back,

"And here you claimed we would be on even footing! I'm not suited for such ridiculous physical contests! What would you have me do next, engage you in a fist-fight?!" His voice grew louder, seething with rage.

"You drew me out here because you knew I'd not have a chance against your brute strength!" And his hand slowly crept up his robed arm, reaching for something..

"We both stand the fools today, Zeeman, but at least I do not pretend to hide behind some shield of honor!" He whipped his wand out from his robes, and pointed it at Richard's chest, eyes blazing with a dense and engulfing fury.

"It was information you could have discovered easily enough on your own," Richard said, taking another step forward, his fearless gaze never leaving Snape's. The wand didn't scare him, Snape had lost and with all his talk of honor, Richard didn't think the man would abandon the rules of the duel now.

"You talked about how much smarter you were I would have thought you would have figured it out," he added. "And let's be honest, I didn't need to be super human to disarm you. Don't try and pin your loss on false honor. You lost because you aren't as smart as you think you are. Because now you have to think that all your students and everyone else you've pushed around didn't cower because of your mental superiority but because you merely had a leg up on them with experience. Is that why you became a teacher Snape, so you could find people who would have no choice but to take your bullying?"

Snape was staring back at Richard with nothing short of apoplectic loathing. His insecurities about himself, his fears of being ridiculed that forced him to raise walls around in defense were all coming to the forefront. Richard's words fell like a deafening hammer around his ears.

His hatred seized him in that instant, and he yelled back,

"Levicorpus!"

effectively shattering the rules of the duel and dragging Richard off the ground, leaving him dangling in midair. With his opponent suspended, Snape drove down upon Richard's mind like a mental stake, seeking to pry into his private thoughts instead, unknowning or uncaring what he came upon.

Richard's eyes widened slightly as the wizard spouted some word and he suddenly felt himself flung back and up into the air. This was not how this was supposed to go. Was the man insane? Did he think that Alucard was just going to let this happen? Alucard would...

Before any other conscious thought could come to mind, Richard felt like his skull was pierced with a spear. He had been under mental attacks before but his own strength had always prevented them from succeeding in his world.

With a growl of frustration and rage Richard's body arched back as his mind was violated. Flashes of his fight with Marcus filled his mind, the two massive Alpha's attacking each other in werewolf form, claws and teeth ripping and tearing into each other. Then there was an image of him standing before his class, smiling broadly as his students looked up at him with engaged expressions, actually enjoying learning. Finally an image of the night before was there, he and Anita in the throes of passion as they made love...

"Get out!" Richard yelled, pushing against the invasion as he released some of the restraints on his beast, drawing strength from that and forcing Snape from his mind.

Knocked backwards, Snape took a step back, effectively pushed away from Richard's mind after a few seconds' glimpse of images. Was there no end to the man's hidden abilities? How did he acquire mental powers?

Still raging, his anger keening to be fed by the pain and humiliation he longed to inflict, Snape directed his wand, whisking his arm to the side and flinging Richard against a tree, slamming him hard enough to shake a few premature acorns to the ground at the impact

Panting but satisfied, Severus let his arm drop to his side, glaring to Richard, his anger spent.

Richard felt himself flung through the air, powerless to do anything about it as he was hurled at a tree. He tried to curl into a ball to protect himself against the impact, but his limbs wouldn't obey.

There was a sickening thump and crunch as he crashed into the tree, a limb piercing his shoulder and snapping off as he collapsed to the ground. His head spun with pain and he let out a gasp, his fractured ribs burning as he did so. Blood from a wound in his head pooled into his vision as he tried to twist his head around to see what was happening.

"Alucard," he gasped, his breath more than a whisper, he didn't even know if the vampire could hear him. "Damn it... make sure you... don't hurt the girl."

Then Richard's world went black.

"Nasty cheater."

The vampire detached from the shadow of a tree. Or at least, that's what he should have done, but the shadows were following, pooling in around the smallish vampire, curling around the white clad form in licking tongues.

Eyes opened in the shadows creeping to surround Snape. Red eyes that blinked and stared at the man.

"Use your little trick on me, nasty cheater. Look into my mind."

Then giggled, "Do see how I punish the dishonest." And if Snape did look, he would see the centuries of blood, of madness that started with a human more monster than man. A terrifying, screaming depth of power and well of insanity that one small seal kept in check. If he didn't look, mores the pity.

"I'm going to hurt you now. And lick up all your blood."

Snape turned, slightly flushed from his overwhelming battle with RIchard, and looked to Alucard. He saw the glint in the creature's eyes, the curve of his smile, and that was enough; he could not stomach the thought of going further in. He didn't want to.

He raised his wand once more, backing off slowly, defensive.

"I'm done here. Take him and go." he spoke, but with little conviction that Alucard would actually do as told.

"Cheaters must be punished," The smallish vampire said, the shadows and eyes quivered for a moment, then lurched, attempting to close in on Snape.

A childish giggle presided over the entire scene.

His eyes widened and he raised his wand to stop Alucard, opening his mouth to cast a shield spell, but he was moving too fast, he was almost right on top of him..

Cold breath and fangs, the swell of dark and shadows caressed the other man, holding him within iron confines of immaterial yet very concrete shadows.

"Silly little man with his silly little stick," Girlycard said, body writhing in the shadows, giant eye open in the middle of his chest, suit no longer black, but torn away to reveal hordes of insects and hellhound heads.

He struggled against the shadows, fighting to raise his arm, to defend himself.

As the eye opened, he stared in sickened horror at the thousands of images inside. Snape's mouth went dry, never having witnessed anything like it, not in all his years of studying the Dark Arts.

"Are you sor~ry yet?" The childish voice mocks, leaning in to try and scratch fingernails down Snape's cheek, kitten rough tongue wishing to lap the blood away.

The shadows continue to move, to write around the wizard, gently trying to pry the wand from his fingers.

Snape flinched at the fingernails dragging parallel trails of bloody down his cheek, still attempting to pull away, even as his wand was slipping from his fingers.

"Sorry?" he finally managed, staring back at Alucard. "Sorry I taught that werewolf a well-deserved lesson in humiliating a wizard?"

"Lesson? A lesson would have been defeating him fairly, or using your clever little mind to turn wits against strength," Caresses the blood away from Snape's cheek almost lovingly, runs gloved fingers through his hair.

"You cheated, so this is your lesson," purrs and begins to twist the shadows around the wizard, closing off the surroundings in a cocoon of black. "Cheaters never prosper."

Hermione could hardly believe that which took place before her. Not only was the very idea of a duel ridiculous, but the events that unfolded after the start of said duel were just as ridiculous. How could Snape have done that? And what-?

Oh god, what on Earth was happening now? Richard's second, he was, what was he doing?!

"STOP!! Professor!!" She ran down to get closer to them, sending a Stunning spell to where Alucard hopefully was. It was hard to tell with the surrounding darkness, but she wasn't about to just let Snape be taken by whatever magic he was doing.

He fought to lean back away from Alucard's caresses, frightened and wary, fighting against the shadows that consumed them both as the morning sunlight was blocked from view.

"...What are you.."

"A vampire, silly," attempts to snatch Snape's cheeks between his palms, bringing his pale mouth, breath laced with blood and old death, into direct contact with the other man.

"And you are helpless."

He smelled the scent on Alucard's breath, and it tasted of death and corpses. Snape's arms felt too heavy to lift, pinned by th shadows as he fought to free himself from Alucard's hands.

"Release me this minute!" It was a command, but carried the definite note of fear along with it.

"I will release you eventually, but first you will squeal like a pig," Girlycard hissed along the other man's mouth, almost a mocking kiss.

He stared back at the vampire with confusion and anger. Squeal...? Never!

"Absolutely not-!"

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Log: Ongoing

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