Not Quite so Orderly After All (Tag: John)

Bristol was especially windy today, not entirely ideal for a cat with sensitive ears, so Madison was walking along the street, buried in her coat instead. The city was bustling with life, as cars drove by, and people littered the street. She was looking for one particular person today, who, if rumors were to be believed, recently withdrew from the Ministry without much notice. Either the man contracted some horrible disease, or he stumbled across something he shouldn't have. The Order was willing to bet on the latter, so Madison decided to seek him out.

She couldn't recall the last time she'd been out on an actual mission, so the change of pace was actually quite necessary. The Order already knew where the man lived, now Madison only had to decide on her strategy. If he did indeed learn something useful about the Ministry, he would likely be skittish, or possibly even dangerous if he felt threatened. It was a sensitive matter for that reason, and if she went about this wrong, she could lose the possibly vital information, or worse, wind up in a duel surrounded by muggles. He was going to be a complete wild card, so Madison prepared herself for anything, as she reached the apartment building on the corner.

The hard press wind howled through the narrow building, sweeping across Bristol like a raging storm. The chill in the air bombarded John's senses, almost to the point of being unbearable, but he slithered through the discomfort.

Bristol seemed busier than usual. Cars lined the street, and people line the walkway. They seemed like a friendly bunch of people, smiling and laughing all while shopping. John tried to return a smile and/or a quick word of "How do you do?" but something that he had seen far too often, the people around him averted their eyes. John did not need to be train as an auror member to see that they were looking past him so they did not have to look into his Basilisk eyes.

John had to force his tight lips to remain a cordial smile, and was glad that he turn off the beaten path to a quite neighborhood, where word of an informant lived. He knew under the circumstances dropping by unannounced was a dangerous move to play, but John had no choice. He had no way of contacting him. The informant was off the grid.

The apartment building looked like any other apartment building in the neighborhood. It was run down, practically in pieces. It was a perfect hiding place for a wizard off the grid. But as John stepped inside and proceed up three flights of stairs to the third floor, he knew a wizard lived here. He could feel the slight vibration of spells intertwining with each other, protecting apartment #322 as he got near it. The back of John's neck prickled, and it wasn't from the spell field. The door to the apartment was ajar, and he only saw a glimpse of the inside and saw shattered glass littered the living room floor. He already knew something was amiss, but decided to head forth into the room anyways.

She looked at few people as she entered the run-down building, and instead, glanced up at the clock as she passed the elevator and headed on up the stairs, her footsteps quiet, but quickly paced as she headed up to the 3rd floor. She didn't get very far, however, as she spotted a woman lying unconscious in the hallway of the second floor. Madison made her way over after glancing up the staircase and then down the hall. Someone must've run past here, and knocked her out on the way- not a good sign.

Her assumption proved correct, as when she bent down to examine the young lady, she saw her eyes wide open, but the girl was frozen, as if by magic. Madison took another glance up and down the corridor, before slowly withdrawing her wand, and freeing the girl from her prison by a simple flick, followed by an obliviate as the lady immediately started panicking when she sat up. As the woman rubbed her eyes in confusion, Madison concealed her wand.

"Are you alright?" Madison asked, the kind tone her voice sounding almost foreign and rustic. The woman replied with a stammer, "What happened?"

"I found you here- you must have tripped and bumped your head dear. Maybe you should see a doctor?" Madison smiled politely.

The woman gave her a strange look- perhaps the smile wasn't working- but then she replied, "No, I'm fine, just a-"

"Wonderful, good day." Madison interrupted abruptly and made a swift escape, returning to the stairs to reach her true destination. Though her nerves were starting to rise, her pace was slow, careful. She didn't know what to expect when she got to the correct room.

He slowly slipped through the crack in the doorway. The door creaked as it open slightly more. Once inside, John could see the aftermath of what had happen just before. He did not stay stagnet surveying the scene, but tangible as he moved from one room to the next. Slowly and methodically, his wand already out to find any perpetrator that may have caused this ruckus, but he found none. Satisfied that he would not be ambushed he proceeded back into the living room, where he found the scene just like he left it.

The first thing he noticed, just like before, was the glass beneath his feet. It was from what was once a coffee table now mangled and unrecognizable. But what really caught his eye was across the room, where an upturn, torn lazy boy revealed blood stains on the wall. He was certain that a struggle was done and just recently too. The blood hadn't had time to dry. But where was the informant? Was he still even alive? Those was the questions that plagued John.

As Madison approached the apartment room 322, she too, could feel the friction in the air left only by protective spells. She silently drew her wand again as she stood opposite of the open end of the door, taking a deep breath as her heart began pounding in her chest. What would she find on the other end? Could the Ministry have come to dispose of him before she got here? And if they were still there... she was here, alone, with an unlikely possibility of escaping. Madison drew a ragged breath, closing her eyes as she talked some sense into herself, 'You've no reason to panic. You have absolutely no proof of the Ministry being involved.' She exhaled. Still, she felt sick even thinking about it.

As she crossed over onto the door's open side and lightly put her free hand on the side of the door, and a tainted smell reached her senses, alerting her immediately of a possible threat. Another quick, silent breath and without a sound, she passed through the opening of the door. A dark figure loomed over the scene, back turned from her, not yet aware of her presence. She immediately ceased any breathing, and took a step forward, ever so slowly progressing towards the man, the tip of her wand extending further and further out to him. Her gaze burned into the back of his head, ready for him to turn at any moment. She was only an arm's length away now, and then glass cracked under heel.

His left hand trace the outer perimeter of the blood track against the wall. The blood still had that crimson glow, dribbling down the wall. It could not be less than an hour. But before he could do anymore research he heard a crack. Not only did his auror instincts kick in so did his animal instincts, and he was ready to lash out on the intruder if need be.

Strike. "Expelliarmus" Strike.

It only took her a split second to react, shouting an exasperated, "Expelliarmus!" Two wands went flying across either side of the room, and she staggered back, knowing full-well that without magic, he could easily overpower her. But when she looked away from where her wand flew, she was met with a face she had the misfortune of recognizing, and also the last she expected. She stared at him for a moment, in disbelief, "John?" Her gaze sharpened as she took another step back, and her voice grew quiet, just above a murmur, "What are you doing here?"

Wands flew in either direction, clattering against the hard surface of the floor. But without a wand, it did not stop him from lunging at the intruder. The adrenaline was pumping. All John was doing was reacting to his emotions. Bare flesh was open. He needed to strike. He needed to strike for self preservation. Bare flesh was open. His hands with angelic speed wrapped around the woman's throat. Woman?

The long black curls, the full lips, and smug expression, it was Madison Reid. "Ms. Reid," he said letting go of her throat, composing himself once more, or at least try. He pulled down his shirt as if there was a wrinkle and coughed slightly. All the while never making eye contact with Madison. "What brings you here?" he said not making any mention that he was about to strangle her where she stood.

Madison gasped as his hands clasped around her throat, and the alarm did not leave her, even after she was released. Her own blood pumping as she watched him pull away, and she just barely caught a glimpse of those flecks in his eyes before they were turned away from her. John had not only managed to disarm her correctly, but he could have had her at mercy right then and there, with his bare hands? Her shock was just stacking up. But when he tried to brush things aside, like she would be perfectly willing to ignore it, she snapped right back on track.

"No." She raised her voice to get through to him, "No, I asked you what on Earth [/i]you're[/i] doing here." She remembered that there were other people in the building that could easily hear them if there wasn't a charm guarding the room. When she spoke again, her voice had steadied again, and pierced the dangerous tension, "You better have a damn good explanation, because you know exactly what I am thinking."

She took several steps away from him, before looking towards the source of blood she smelled earlier, before looking back at him. She did not rush him to give an answer, but she did cross the room, slowly, as she watched him, to reach her wand. She was too cautious of him to pick it up just yet however, should he change his mind about not killing her.

His playful antics were all abandon. Not even his jubilee grin was present or his quick wit, clumsy persona. If anything was to describe him at that moment it would be stoic rigidness. He seem complete opposite from what Madison and others expected him to be but some of his other persona sipped through. His palms became clammy and his jaw became tight at the thought of almost doing the unthinkable.

Instead of dwelling on it, he decided to push past it and answer her question. Madison did not need to say much for him to read between the lines. She thought he did this. It would be his assumption to if he was in her position, but there was obvious flaws. "One of my contacts informed me that a Ministry Official had business with some sketchy dealings, and I am here to ferret out the truth for the order." He was waiting for her to out right accuse him for this senseless debauchery.

"And who is this contact, John? Can't say?" She practically answered for him as she finally took a look around the room, seeing as how he no longer seemed violent. Even if he wasn't involved here, which she would know as soon as she got to the bottom of it all, the fact remained, that even his excuses contained secrets. He was leaving no room for trust from Madison's side of things, and his behavior was only making it worse, she realized as she looked back at him. Seeing him, it was like she was speaking to someone else entirely.

"And if you were certain you were walking into danger, why did you come alone?" She knew he could easily throw that question back at her, but her obviously seemed more informed than she did. She was expecting to find the man packing, trying to get out of town- not this. She rubbed the temples of her forehead as she sighed, trying to smooth out her nerves, but to no avail. She was too angry, and shaken up to pull herself together. She could, however, continue lashing out at John to her heart's content.

"We all have secrets. Us more than most," he said following her movements with his eyes. She moved with deliberateness, but also with a soft elegance as she survey the scene like a wild cat on the prowl. Her attitude was anything but. She wanted answer, and she had no tact nor patience to deal with any of his bullshit. Quite frankly he did not all the way trust her either, that is why they made such a good pair.

"You haven't answer my question. What brings you here?" It was obvious by the tone in his voice, how he followed her with his eyes that he suspected Madison of being an imposter. It wasn't out of the realm of possibilities. But being burned 3 decades, John has a unhealthy dose of paranoia. They were both unarm, but that could all change in a matter of moments. He needed proof that she was who she says she is before he let his guard down slightly. Under these circumstances, it wasn't to much to ask.

Her eyes narrowed as she observed the way he was looking at her, and when she put two and two together, she couldn't resist a disbelieving chuckle, "I can't believe..." she shook her head, crossing her arms as she looked down at her wand, "I thought the same guy you're after might know something about Michelle." She seemed uneasy, speaking her friend's name when she wasn't even sure if someone else could be listening. Just to be careful, she didn't give any other details, nor should she have needed to, since she and John both knew who she was talking about.

"I heard things differently, about the man. We found out he quit the Ministry without much forewarning. I thought, maybe he saw 'something', and that she may have been there." She was careful with her wording, choosing to give out little information that he already knew. If he was an impostor, she wasn't giving away the Order's secrets, but unlike John, she was only toying with the possibility. She didn't think he could be anyone but John- an impostor would have made this whole situation almost too comfortable. She glanced around the room, looking at the adjoining room that awaited behind her. John may have already scoped things out, but that didn't mean Madison felt comfortable.

"Are you satisfied now, or are you going to attack me again?" She quirked an eyebrow, tilting her head slightly to the side. They had to push past this and start looking the place over, there had to be some clues, and she wouldn't be satisfied with this trail until she got her answers, or found their man dead. It would be horrible if they didn't make it to him in time, before something happened, or if something already happened- it would be a long while before another suspected witness for the Department of Mysteries popped up again.

The strain on Madison's face was evident. She wasn't pleased at all about John's accusations and inferred innuendos. They were two barking dogs circling each other giving out orders, nipping at each others heels to see who would cave first. Neither of them did.

He knew without a doubt that this was Madison. Well, he knew before than with that ever present scowl on her face, but he would be lacking in his duties as a new Order member, and ex auror if he did not screen potential threats, and Madison was the biggest threat there is. "I see," was all his response was to Michelle absence. He was worried about her being missing as well, but he still followed the last orders Michelle ever gave to him and that was to gather information on the Ministry of Magic, and that is what lead him here to Apt 322.

He couldn't help but smile because of Madison last comment. He had a flirtatious retort but kept it to himself. "I am satisfied." Once his wand was back in his pocket, he turn to Madison, and said, "I guess you and I are working together to find this informant." Even though the prospect with working with Madison sounded awful, his tone of voice sounded more amused than anything else.

She hadn't expected him to say much on the matter of Michelle, nor did she intend for him to, and the fact that he didn't made the situation much easier to speed up. As he pocketed his wand, she kept hers out, taking a short glance into the backroom, before looking at him. As he mentioned them working together, she rolled her eyes at his tone and said, "Yes yes, I know," as she waved her hand away. She could have told him that he just wasn't going to finish the mission, that he could just head home now- he could have said so also, as neither had the superiority they would have liked. But they both knew that wouldn't happen, and neither of them were giving up the mission either.

She crossed into a backroom, wand raised on the likely chance that John hadn't bothered to scope the whole apartment out. After scouting the room, a bedroom, she stopped at a small desk in the corner covered in paperwork, though scattered, as though someone was looking frantically through the currently non-existing pile. While John did whatever he was doing in the other room, she slid her wand back in her sleeve and started looking through the papers- words on paper, always her first way to go. Though it was information on what the man had been up to at the Ministry, nothing seemed relative to what Madison was searching for, so she moved on, circling the room again before returning to the living room to examine the messy scene laid out for them to figure out. She stopped at the bloodstain on the wall, something that had been nagging at the back of her mind since she first entered the room.

As she knelt down in front of it, she paused, remembering the girl downstairs. Madison supposed that, if they were to work efficiently together, she may as well clear up any details on her end; John probably didn't have any insight to offer, "There was a young woman downstairs, petrified. It seems someone ran through the hall, and she got in their way. Whoever it was, they were not trying to hide their magic from the muggle." She tilted her head again, trying to figure out where the blood must have come from- where the person hurt had to have been standing- and moved where the stroke of blood seemed to indicate. It wasn't her area of expertise, and though she wouldn't say it, the guess was a bit of a shot in the dark.

Madison left the room without saying a word, leaving John free to investigate further. He ignored the russlling of Madison in the other room and continued examining the context of the living room. As before he examine the smeared blood on the wall, and followed the track all the way to the floor. He did not stop there as he circled the shatter glass littered the floor several times, before examining the tangle piece of metal was once formed into a coffee table. Several conclusive pieces were still missing but the puzzle as a whole, or at least in his mind was coming along just nicely. Once Madison was satisfied that the man was not in the home, she return.

"It had to be at least two, maybe three." He stood up from his crotch position, shaking off some of the shards of glass still tethered to his clothes. "See here," he pointed at the chair. "The ex ministry official sat here. It was position perfectly at an angle facing the door and near the kitchen, where his second exit would be. Perfect for an easy escape, but something went wrong. Either he was preoccupied or he dozed off, he was surprised by who entered next." John was circling the chair like a moth to a flame, preoccupied by his explanation. "They did not want to kill him. If they did, they would have easily use the killing curse and be done with it. No. They needed something from him. The blood spatter on the wall is his, being hurled off the chair by the hurling hex, or another spell."

John saw the scenario play out in his mind as he spoke. "The informant was dazed, but still able to fight. He sent the coffee table at one or both assailants but the spell did not work completely. As the recoil spell hit the coffee table, the glass shatter sending shards of glass everywhere. Several pieces nicked the perpetrator. No other spell was fired here that I can see. So either the ex ministry official fainted from his injury or was subdued by his captors. I am certain that he was captured and alive."

As John started speaking, Madison's gaze slowly turned to him, and she watched him, moving about the room, transfixed on the puzzle he was trying to solve. The incompetent fool was starting to appear even less so; first it was the strangling, and now suddenly he was Britain's newest bloody detective. It was too much, when she hadn't trusted him to begin with. He was a brand new Order member, she wasn't even sure how he got recruited, and he seemed- at first- far too big an idiot to be any real help to the Order. After seeing him today, she found it was far too good an act, as no one would suspect a fool. A scowl formed across her face, as he submerged himself deeper and deeper into his investigation. She took the opportunity to quietly step towards him, and then...

'Petrificus, Totalus.'

With a rapid swish of her wand, she cast the spell, intending to stab him in the back before he had the chance to do the same. Madison had already learned her lesson enough. Without much pause or explanation she sent a knock back jinx his way, sending him flying across the room. When she heard the painful crack, she headed towards him again, bending down next to his rigid body, and slipped his wand from his pocket- no need for him to get any ideas when she released him from the body-bind curse. "Do you really think we're that stupid? Falling for a second spy in our order?"

She paused taking a moment to quiet her voice, "You may have fooled us into believing you were an idiot- that you were harmless- but perhaps you really are stupid. You obviously didn't do your research before slipping into our ranks." She drove the tip of her wand into the side of his neck; it was all she could do, not to kill him on the spot and be done with it. But she needed answers, she needed to know who he worked for. He obviously wasn't going anywhere, so she first started with something simple, simple in her mind at least.

She threw his wand across the floor, where it would be out of his reach, just in case. Then, before releasing the magical bind on him, she asked, "Now why are you really here, John? And don't test me, if you know anything of my history, you'll know not to make things worse for yourself. I will not hesitate to kill you." And then, she released the body-bind curse, directing her wand to his chin, and grabbed him by the scruff of his collar. If he so much as moved an inch, she would simply petrify him again. And then force an answer out of him, of course.

If John was able to speak, he would curse at the world about his predicament. His guard was down, his back was turn, and before he could say another word, let alone react to his situation, his whole body snapped together. But before he could keel over another of Madison's wicked spells set him literally over the edge. The knock back jinx threw him to the opposite side of the room. He crashed into the wall and crumpled to the ground.

John just laid in a pile on the floor, trying to catch ever last breath. Every gasp of air was worse than the last, sending a new waive of pain. He tried to remain focus on what just happen, and what Madison was doing over him, but the impact sent him into a daze. It was only when Madison bent down and retrieved his wand that reality settled in. Madison thought John was a spy. If he could have laughed he would have.

On the other hand, he really shouldn't. Madison was not amused, so he laid their stiff as a board listening to Madison's threats and accusations before he was release from his binds. He knew it was a mistake to move, so he didn't. John laid their as if he was still frozen, but in his most neutral voice he could muster to hide his true feelings, he said, "I've already told you. I am under the orders of the Order."

"How could you be under anyone's orders, when the only person capable of giving them is missing?" She demanded an answer, driving her wand further into his skin. There was only one spell that would be effective in the situation, but he hadn't merited the need for it quite yet. Or, more so, she didn't want it to be him who drove her over the edge.

No one had been in charge of the Order officially for months. She didn't think the others were willing to accept that Michelle was gone, not that she was any more willing, but it left the Order vulnerable. And to have another traitor among them? They all might as well surrender to the Death Eaters now, or worse, the Ministry.

She looked around the room, trying to predict how much time they had before muggles -or Ministry goons- decided to show up. She wagered that there wasn't much time at all, so she'd leave it at one more question. She looked back down at John and said, "My first impression of you was that you were a completely useless squib. How is it that today's display seems to indicate I was wrong?"

Madison dug her wand into John's flesh, as if it were a knife and his skin was butter. At times the wand sparked at the tip, itching to be used. Those sparks turn his pale flesh into a burnt pink glow, but still John did not move a muscle. It was due to shir will power more than anything else, as he laid their, calm and collected. "Ms. Mitchelle, the head of the order," he said, reminding who still held the position in this organization, "ordered me to watch and observe the Ministry during the last meeting."

"Remember? When you were playing feline?" John pushed the boundaries of the last statement. It was a gamble, that could set Madison over the edge, but he had to remind Madison, that she lied to him too. That they both guarded their secrets as if they were their prize possession. "Even though our Leader is missing does not nullify her last orders."

For the first time John crumbled under the scrutiny of Madison. It was a knee jerk reaction, but he could not bare to look into her eyes at that moment. He felt hurt, rejected. It showed in the lining of his furrowed brow, and him glaring into the far off distance. "You only saw what you wanted to see. You saw one half of the same coin," he said coldly, like ice in the dead of winter. He could have gone on but decided in the end, it was not beneficial for both him and Madison to continue on.

She watched as her wand reflected the harm she had intended for him, as it sparked and singed his skin, and once her initial anger had settled, she understood that it wouldn't solve anything, so she drew her wand back, directing it away from John. He was doing what Michelle had asked, even if she wasn't here to see that. John found the case with the ex-Ministry associate just as peculiar as she did, could it be any more complicated than that? He wasn't doing anything wrong by investigating, just as she had done nothing wrong in questioning him. The Order had been infiltrated once before, and John was displaying suspicious activity. There was no reason Madison wouldn't question him, and there was nothing more to it than that, she was certain.

But in her impressions of him, John attempted to point out false assumptions. She released him immediately, rising to her full stature as she looked down at him, at first with a sharp gaze, but then she moved to the window, and glanced out to see muggle police cars down below; they must have just entered the building, meaning Madison had wasted enough time arguing over this. She did make one last point though, as she retrieved his wand and walked back over, "I saw what you wanted me to see," she said as she held his wand out to him, as she recalled their second meeting, when he couldn't so much as warm a cup of tea.

"-we don't have time to argue about it though. Our front door exit was just cut off." She should have expected it the moment she helped the young woman downstairs. The girl may have had her memory wiped, but thinking back, she must have been confused enough to call the muggle law enforcement. Maybe leaving her there, and letting the Ministry clean up their mess would have been better, but there wasn't any going back now. A witness would be able to call her out by face, and the Ministry would somehow piece it all together. They would know that she was here, but... perhaps not John. Her gaze returned to him, steady once more as she finished processing and accepting the situation- as much accepting as she could give, anyways. She took a deep breath, and told him, "We'll have to apparate if we want to continue the search." They would also have to leave without any clues as to where their man may be- another, more difficult fact Madison had to accept.

Even though she withdrew slightly away from John, as he laid forever still, sprawled out on the floor, it did not demean her ever present deadly demeanor. The air was thick with layers of unanswered questions between them infused with the pungent odor of the freshly laid blood, but still few words were exchange. John said nothing as he watched her mull over her own thoughts and what to do with him.

It was only when he heard the echoing of sirens did he realize that he could hardly read Madison and her actions. She was like writing on the desert floor during a sandstorm, she was unreadable, and like the sand storm itself, unpredictable. As if he was tethered with strings, he was pulled to his feet watching Madison still look out the window, now realizing the trouble they were in. She scooped up his wand. At first he believed she would confiscate it, but once again his assumptions betrayed him, and she gave the wand back to him. He collected it without a second thought as he turn to the situation at hand.

"We can't apparate out. The first thing one does to protect their home is cast a anti-dissaperating charm. No one can pop in unexpected. Useful when on the run," he said all the while casting a nonverbal summoning charm at nothing in particular. In a few moments letters appeared from the detached kitchen and into his hands. "Tell me something? How good of an actress are you?"

He hesitated little when Madison offered his wand, and wisely so. Had she given a second thought, she may have changed her mind. John obviously knew her well enough to see that, and yet, after today, it was painstakingly obvious that she knew little of him. She couldn't work with him like this, not until she fully understood who he was. That was her excuse for not reaching the same conclusion before he did- that they couldn't apparate out of here. Of course they couldn't, she was a fool for believing otherwise.

She watched as the letters appeared in his hands, and how he seemed to be a step ahead of her. She should have been the vastly more experienced member between the two of them, and yet here he was, making her look second best. She took another heavy breath, this time to control her temper. "How on earth does that have any relevance to our-" She turned to the window, catching movement from her view near the window- they were already on their way in. She stepped back, looking to the door, waiting to hear footsteps down the hall within the next few minutes, when she had a fleeting thought. If she transformed now, she could get out, John wouldn't be as lucky, but what choice was there? They were out of time... She gave a slight glance his way, wary of the option that had presented itself.

Madison seemed to be moving as fast as molasses. She looked at him quizzical than with a look of doubt, but she hardly moved away from the window. John on the other hand acted and reacted to his situation. His wand, after retrieving the letters did not stop casting spell after nonverbal spell. The room which was in shambles now seemed to be repairing itself before their very eyes. The blood on the wall disappeared completely, every hole caused by a stray spell or John hitting the wall filled in. Even the table which was indistinguishable, untangled itself and was practically restored to its original state, except the glass still was amass on the carpet.

Now that the living room and dinning room was restored, he had time, not much but a minute or so to explain his thoughts, and he knew Madison was not going to like it. But first he looked at the letter once again. " First, His name is Matthew Harrison. Got that? Good." He was speaking very quietly and quickly. "We can't magic our way out because of the international laws against wizard secrecy, so we have to bluff our way out."

He looked on the walls for anything that could betray them, from moving photos to documents, but he found none. "We have to explain those random noises, glass breaking and possibly the load screams somehow. Right?" Out of the blue he stripped away his button up shirt, not even unbuttoning the latches first. He had no time to waste as he went to his pants and unlatched his buckle as well. "The best way to do that is sex," he said blatantly hearing noises down the hall, but he did not concern himself with that at the moment. "You and I, Matthew Harrison, made passionate love through the morning and into the afternoon." He knew she was going to argue with him so he cut her off before she could rejected this idea. "You can yell at me, question me, and abuse me latter, but right now we have zero time to argue," he said tossing her his now wrinkled shirt, than sliding off his pants and laid them haphazardly on the living room floor.

He could feel them, the police, baring down his neck as if they were watching just outside the window. He took hold of one of Madison's arms, gently but firmly, walking around in nothing but his briefs that left nothing to the imagination and a long sleeve white shirt, and guided her to the bedroom. "Put on my shirt, turn on the shower as if you were about to take a bath, and..."

There was a load knocks, several in fact, causing John to look back down the hall.A man yelled from the living room, "Its the Police! Open Up!"

"and magic this room back together, but make sure its not perfect." With that he was gone from the room, once again hearing another voice threatening to break down the door if no one responded. He just hoped that Madison was as good as an actress as she was a witch.

She was relatively calm at first. Sure, summing up the damage of the room, she would say there had to have been some screams, and if they couldn't use magic to get out, than that seemed reasonable. They would have to explain the ruckus in another way, "I suppose..." Though her, well, lack of an open-mind, she did not reach the same conclusion as him soon enough, so she was admittedly surprised when he started stripping down in front of her. Her appropriate response was, "What are you doing?" to an immediate, "No, no absolutely not!" There was no way in hell this was happening, it had to be some horrible nightmare, she wished it was some horrible nightmare. As he tossed the shirt, she caught it, but only so it didn't hit her in the face, "This is lunacy! You do realize that don't you?" She stepped back as he approached her, but he was quick to take her by the arm and lead her towards the bedroom. She could hear the footsteps outside the apartment, but at this point, she didn't care. "Let me go!" She hissed as she struggled in John's grip, just about ready to jinx him before he pulled her into the room and released her. The tone he took with her made it seem like he was almost giving an order, and she wouldn't have it, "Oh, so we get out of here, and you get a bloody show? There's no way in- hey, get back here!" She almost followed him back out into the main room, only to halt just short of the doorway, cursing herself to oblivion. This was the last time she would ever work with this lunatic!

She took a deep breath, running a hand through her tangled curls as she listened to the banging of the door, and waited for John to answer it. Madness, this all was, and though she wanted no part in it, there was no way out now. If she transfigured into animagus, John would probably get locked up for breaking and entering, and she could end up in a pound and wind up as some muggle's pet. She groaned, pinching her nose as she told herself, 'Okay, wrong train of thought.' She glanced around the room, and with a defeated sigh, she gave her wand a quick flick, and the room began repairing itself, just as the main room had for John. Whilst that went on, she finally retreated in the bathroom, and turned the bath water on. She looked around the small room for a moment, feeling odd inside a bathroom that belonged to a missing man, before looking reluctantly to the face staring back at her in the mirror. If she had just stayed at home, she could be in her living room, reading a good book and sipping her wine right now. Instead, she was here, about to play slut for a bunch of idiots. It was a bit of a drastic view, but this hadn't been how she planned her day out, nor would she ever. For all she knew this could come back to haunt her, even if John let her live it down, if anyone ever found out...

She gave a short exhale of wasted breath, before unceremoniously undressing and throwing on his shirt- not before examining it for parasites, of course. She made sure to button up the shirt at least up to the second button from the top, before roughing her hair up a bit and reluctantly heading back in the bedroom. She added a few touches to the room, such as throwing one of the pillows onto the floor, and ruffling up the covers a bit for appearance's sake. That was when she caught a glint from the corner of her eye, and she glanced over to see a wine glass in a slightly ajar cabinet. She was delighted when she investigated further, since a wine glass was never far from its bottle. With some proper alcohol in her system, she could actually pull this off. She downed the first glass quietly, as she listened to the men conversing in the other room, and once she refilled the glass, she went ahead to join them, appearing at the doorway of the bedroom to observe for a moment. Then, after taking a more delicate sip of her wine, she called to John, "Matt, who's at the door?"