"Evil is always possible. And goodness is eternally difficult." --Anne Rice, Interview with the Vampire

Today was the day. Madison was ready to capture the imposter that had snuck into the Order. She sat in the corner table, her hair charmed to be a dark auburn color. Alexandra was accompanying her, just as planned, though they weren't able to ambush 'Timothy' at his own house. He must have caught wind of their presence. So now they were waiting in the Leaky Cauldron, watching Timothy who was seated at the bar around his acquaintances.

Alexandra sat quietly in her dusty cloak, having just spoken to Eirina at Hogwarts, she had rushed to get to Diagon Alley to meet Madison. The house-elves were packing for her at her home and Ouriel was probably flying around the Leoine estate. Timothy was rather distraught, muttering things under his breath and glancing around the bar in a constant state of anxiety.

"Ready yet?" she murmured to her collegue. Her current disguise was of an elderly woman with greying hair and hazel eyes. Alexandra tapped her claws of fingers against the table.

Madison carefully looked to Alexandra. Perhaps some last minute nerves were setting in, but Madison never used to get so anxious. Course she never used to have so much on the line. If this went well, she could get her job back, people wouldn't look at her suspiciously whenever she went out and about, and maybe she wouldn't be so inclined to avoid other Order members. Finally, she gave a curt nod, "I'm ready.",

Timothy wouldn't stop chugging down his drinks. He would laugh, but there would be fear concealed in his tone. A man came from behind and mumbled something into Timothy's ear. Timothy's face hardened as he lowered his head and glanced around the Cauldron. Madison looked down a moment before his gaze raked over in their direction, but he saw nothing as he went back to his alcohol.

Alexandra couldn't help but smirk a bit. This man's time was up. Whether it be of his life or his ways of giving information that results in the disappearances, torturing and deaths of people. Her fingers itched to reach for her wand and rid the world of him once and for all. But it was Madison who had suffered the most between the two of them and she would be doing the honors.

"Elders go first. Well... At least in terms of experience." it was as good enough a hint as any that she wanted Madison to move first without giving away their disguises if someone happened to be listening. It would be too obvious if they used muffliato.

"Hmph. You act as though I am naive." She said casually, as Alexandra disguise made her seem like the oldest. She watched Timothy's back carefully as he nervously shifted in his seat, looking at just about any face as if they were demons. Suddenly he half jumped out of his chair and quickly gave his farewells to his acquaintances before making a hurried exit. Madison had just been ready to stand when this occcurred, but she stayed, cursing quietly under he breath as she watch his buddies continue their chatter. Madison was becoming anxious. She didn't want him to slip away.

Her hands tightened into fists then relaxed once more. Whether they should wait to take Timothy on another day or pursue him now was an easy enough question to solve. They had waited months for this and she wasn't going to let all this planning go to waste. Standing up as quickly as her role as an old woman would allow, she padded over to the exit of the bar and followed Timothy quiet, ducking into allies occasionally so that he would miss her if he looked behind suddenly.

Madison wasn't far behind, but the moment they were outside, Madison ducked out of sight and started tracking him in an even more stealthy manner, in animagus. The cat could watch from the rooftops, not only to keep an eye on Timothy, but check on Alexandra's whereabouts as well. But in her currently brittle frame, she'd lose Timothy soon. Madison raced from rooftop to rooftop as Timothy began making aprubt and rather confusing twists and turns down Diagon Alley. She was starting to put some distance between her and Alexandra, was and she was persistently aware of that. But how could she just let the man go? When he had stirred up so much trouble not only for her but for the Order as well? So she pressed on as fast as her black little paws would carry her. She never let Timothy out of her sights; she was too determined.

"Fuck." she swore under her breath as she lost Timothy for a block or so. All these ally ways were not foreign to her but her home turf was where-ever she didn't have to worry about people seeing her. It was so annoying to have to be conscience that she couldn't give herself away. Her mind stretched outwards momentarily, trying to find Madison's. Locating it a couple allies down the street, she headed towards the black cat, not trying to hide herself until she caught up.
Thank god Madison was in animagus form at the moment.

Timothy was getting deeper and deeper into this mess of alleyways, hardly any people were around now. But he seemed to have reached a dead end. Madison jumped down at the corner before his alley, and changed back to human. She had sensed Alexandra's presence, but she couldn't wait. She could see the man fumbling for his wand.

.... His back was turned.... all she had to was-

No. She couldn't use that. No one would approve of it. Even if she did. She slipped out her wand and peered around the corner, growing tense.

(We're putting this on the timeline after the Triwizard Tournament. Is that ok with you?)

(Sure.)

(I'm gonna inject a few things for Timothy every now and then to move us along~)

"They can't find me, they can't, they can't." he repeated to himself over and over in growing hysteria. "Should've left when they started-" Timothy shuddered and wrung his wand. "House raid... See them everywhere... Why can't they stop?" begging to a figment of his imagination before him. His features contorted into different people's faces, melting into one another then suddenly snapping back to what his original looks where like. Timothy was a far different to the one they saw at the Order: brown hair streaked with grey, red-rimmed eyes that flitted around randomly. It seemed that the stress had reduced his metamorphisizing to nill.

Alexandra had caught up with Madison and stood behind her. With the help of Ouriel, she conveyed a message through their minds, 'Looks like he's about to scarper. What's your plan?'

(You're a lifesaver! XD)

'Don't have one.' a playful smirk crossed her lips as she vanished and reappeared behind Timothy, a little too close for comfort. With her free hand, she grabbed his wand hand tightly and whispered into his ear, "Losing you're nerves?" He froze. A little of the old Madison was creeping out. She couldn't contain herself, watching him become frantic and helpless. The slightest movemnt or action would make him do something stupid, she knew that far too well for her own good.

(You're very welcomeXD)

For a moment, everything stopped. His breath hitched, and he shook in terror. But that instant only lasted a short while, Timothy mustered his strength and wrenched himself away from Madison. Once he thought he'd lost contact with her, he began to apparate home.

He was becoming reckless, it was pathetic. She had grabbed onto his shoulder just before he disapparated. There was no time for thought, just play.

Alexandra growled as the two of them left her behind once more. Calling Ouriel, she held out her cloak for him to hide in before she apparated to where she predicted Madison & Timothy would be. Timothy had no more allies and no where to go but home. Thanks to some tracking on Madison's part a few weeks ago, they knew exactly where he lived. But even so, it was rather annoying to be left behind on occasion like this.
Ouriel was already in miniature when he glided towards her, once he landed on her shoulder then jumped into an inner pocket made for him in this form, she vanished in a whirl of robes and appeared at the front drive of his house. Timothy and Madison were probably inside and she STILL had to get past the security lock on his door. She huffed in irritation as she stalked up to the porch.

Timothy landed face-first on his carpet in the living room thanks to Madison putting him off balance. But he was due some credit when he instantly jumped off the carpet and ducked behind the table in the center of the room. Wand out and muscles tensed, he smirked triumphantly at Madison. She was alone with him and he knew things about her that she hated to admit. Slashing his wand through the air, Antonin Dolohov's curse shot towards Madison.

Madison half dodged and half protegoed herself to block the spell, but received a bit of a whiplash effect as she collided with the wall. With a quick flick of her wand, she shot a knockback jinx his way. "Yes, that's much more exciting!" She said bitterly, not happy about being forced to an enclosed space.

Using the corner to his advantage, Timothy enchanted the walls to close in and constrict her body while transfiguring into some sort of metal. But this cost him the chance to defend himself against the knock-back jinx which caused him to slam half-way through one of the walls of the living room. He lay there, winded for several seconds but started to get up slowly, trying to minimize the amount of pain.

Alexandra stood before the front door, cocking an eyebrow at the ridiculous riddle she was confronted with:
If I say "Everything I tell you is a lie," am I telling you the truth or a lie?

'Help Ouriel? I was never very good at riddles...' she scanned the line hopelessly. There was a slight pause, then Ouriel replied with a hint of amusement. 'This isn't a riddle Alexandra, it's a logic puzzle.'
'What's the difference?' she scowled, knowing that Ouriel probably knew the answer already.

Silence greeted her rhetorical question.

'Try defining the different terms?'

Madison gritted her teeth as she was confined to the wall. She watch as Timothy slowly sat up from in the other room, gazing upon him with such hate and malice that it was hard to say she was the same person. She still had her wand in her hand after all, it was just a matter of aiming in such a restricted manner. Her raven black hair fell over her face as she sat there, catching her breath. She had allowed the excitement to get to her, but now, as her gaze softened, she began thinking more clearly, more like the Madison Alexandra and Michelle knew.

Timothy grimaced at the injury but healed himself easily enough with a tap of his wand. His grimace turned into a sadistic grin as he gazed at Madison. The best of the American Order had failed to capture him and here was one of the best of the British Order: trapped in a corner of his living room.
"Accio wand." with a lazy flick of his wand, Timothy was basking in his triumph. His mental shields were weakened (HINTHINTHINT) with his earlier panic at the bar combined with his drunken over-confidence now that Madison was trapped.

Alexandra stood before the door as before. 'Err... A lie is contradicting real life while the truth does not contradict anything..?'
'And is that statement is or is not contradicting anything?' he nudged her. Not able to believe how simple this logic puzzle was after all, she blinked. Why was it that old, wise creatures were always so much better at riddles? It wasn't fair... 'Oh.'
"A lie. It can't be the truth without contradicting itself - and therefore being a lie -, but some of your statements can be lies, and this is one of those statements." she spoke to the door quickly, gripping her wand, ready to rush in once it opened."
There was a certain lack of drama when there was not a single noise or movement. But when she gingerly twisted the door-knob, it opened and she sprinted down the hall to where bits of plaster lay in the doorway leading to the living room.

Timothy's eyes widened at the sudden sound of running, he whipped his wand out again and prepared to shoot Alexandra when she came through the doorway.

"Stop Alexandra!" Madison warned. She knew he was becoming cocky, but he was just as paranoid. She wasn't a legilemency user, so she couldn't take advantage of his condition. For now all she could do was sit there and hope Alexandra would be more careful than she had.

Heeding Madison's calls and hearing the metal slowly creak as it bent in to constrict her former teacher, Alexandra halted and cast the strongest shield charm she could on her skin while Ouriel slipped out of her cloak and hovered before her, equally ready to go. Alexandra casted an illusion of herself walking in through the doorway. Timothy shouted gleefully but his spells went through the illusion as she shot a blasting charm through the wall and entered the living room via the hole. Ouriel darted through and went over to Madison, growing in size as he went. He tore the metal open with ease despite him being the size of your average labrador.
Alexandra levelled her wand at Timothy and shot a full body-binding spell at him. Her speed reduced the efficiency of the enchantment but managed to hit him. Timothy could talk and move his head though as he began spewing Madison's secrets in an effort to turn Alexandra on her.

(you're turn~)

"Thanks." Madison muttered as she dusted herself off and followed after Alexandra into the next room. She was surprised by how quickly Alexandra had nailed him, but she didn't have enough time to contemplate. Timothy fixed his gaze upon Madison with a malicious fire in his eyes. Before he'd even said anything, she stopped at a distance from Alexandra, understanding his threat immediately.

"You actually trust someone like her?" Timothy spat at Alexandra, "She's one of us, can't you tell? I've watched her visit Knockturn Alley as frequently as possible. She knows the other members don't trust her, and they never will. And you foolishly let her take advantage of you! Christensen too! You could even say she used to be an... associate... of mine. If only your beloved grandfather hadn't died." He shot that last bit at Madison. As far as she knew, he had nothing plausible to turn Alexandra on her, but she was still becoming anxious.

"Shut that filthy mouth of yours. Lies will get you know where."

"Ha! Lies?"

Alexandra's eyes widened when the first things came out of his mouth, not seeing how he could be so brutal right after he'd been caught. Then as he mentioned how he had often seen her in Knockturn Alley, something began to nag at her. Madison was away an untimely amount of the Order meetings, often the same time Timothy was not around. She had dismissed it at the time as coincidence and had thought Madison was just tracking Timothy... Was there more to her enthusiasm than revenge? Was it that Madison was trying to erase her tracks or actually do good for the Order.
At the mention of Madison's grand-father, she stiffened. During her time at Hogwarts, Madison had told her about trying to un-code a letter... It had indeed seemed to have disappeared later that year. But no, it couldn't be possible. There was far too much evidence contradicting what she had seen of Madison in the past. Ironically, perhaps the riddle for-warned of that. Timothy would have to say something utterly dreadful to change her trust in Madison.

Ouriel eyed Timothy, ready to pounce and tear him apart. Only the slight voice of reason inside his and Alexandra's head kept him from uncoiling his muscles. He kept reminding himself that it was Madison's decision as to what to do with Timothy, not his nor Alexandra's.

Madison could see the shift of perspective in Alexandra's eyes. Madison shouldn't have been surprised, after all, this is what her past deserved. Her gaze had dulled as Timothy continued to make things worse, how Madison had enjoyed Dark Magic as a child- he must have had contact with Death Eaters who knew Madison as a child-, how she brought knowledge of the letter straight to the Death Eater leader himself, how she just barely managed to avoid Death Eater membership. The damage had already been done, and there was nothing Madison could do with it. Lies mixed in to truth, and even Madison herself couldn't deny how convincing it all sounded. Reading in between the lines was more fruitful than listening to his words alone. Even when she had no affiliation with these Death Eaters, she may as well have been one. Even now, she still acted deceitful, she still snuck around, still only gave everyone half a story.

As she slowly approached Timothy, he pulled out his last trump card, as fear enveloped his eyes, "Have you not seen the lust in her eyes when holding victory right in her palm? ...." He then spoke to Madison directly, "Have you not struggled concealing your lust for the old ways, Maddy?" But he never got an answer. She had picked up her wand and strengthened the binding spell Alexandra had used, and he could no longer do any more damage.

'As if he could.' She made no motion to reassure Alexandra, or plea to her instead. She wouldn't even face the girl or her fierce companion. She just simply stood there, staring down at Timothy. She couldn't deny everything he had said. But she would have to await their judgement after this imposter was dealt with.

"We have to take him back. Michelle and Leo will be waiting." She said in a flat, full, but clear voice.