"Because I outnumber you in skills and cool, essentially," Tate twitched his wand slightly, giving the man an easy grin. "But mostly because this is the part where you brag about how much smarter you are than the rest of us. You killed Forrester and those students last term, you nabbed Bontecou, stole everyone's wands..."

He paused. "Where IS Bontecou?"

Ethan, mumbling something about Gryffindors under his breath at Tate's arrival, though clearly his timely appearance had likely saved Truebridge's life, attempted to push himself to his feet, the water from the floor streaming off him as he clawed his way up, using the broken sinks as leverage.

He eyed the arrow in Remi's leg with satisfaction and then looked down at where the Ravenclaw girl lay in a body bind. Was she unconscious?

And why would anyone give a damn about Bontecou at a time like this?

Mmmhmm, someone's got tickets on himself.

"No need. You just did that for me." Remí allowed himself a small smirk as he backed up a little more until he right by the girl on the floor.

Not even bothering to respond on the whereabouts of Bontecou, Remí fired at the mirror on the wall causing the glass to shatter and directed the shards at the man standing there.

Now would be an excellent time for either Ethan to perk up and help or someone else to wander in. In a duel, Tate was fairly confident that he could take Remi, but he preferred to avoid prolonging this if he could manage it. Take the man down fast.

The mirror above him shattered, and the glass came flying at him in a rather pointed manner. With a whip of his wand, Tate caught the glass in a whirlwind, sending it back toward Devereux. Flying shiny death, anyone? He followed it up with a series of stunners, stepping easily from the middle of the room toward the lockers.

Ethan crouched slightly, his useless arm with the hole halfway between wrist and elbow was crossed across his body as Tate and Remi began battling it out. He eyed the hole in the wall and then the little Ravenclaw and as Tate began shooting off stunners, Ethan ducked behind Remi, Scooped the little Ravenclaw up and darted to the exit, shielding her frozen, stiff as a board body, with his own as he stepped through into the corridor.

Remí was already moving know that that Tate would fire back quickly, he moved his wand upwards at the oncoming glass shards and turned them into sand and with a quick hot air charm blew it back in the headmaster's direction.

Nothing worse than sand in your eyes.

He managed to dodge the onslaught of stunners but slipped in a puddle and felt himself falling to the floor.

And that little sneak of a professor had taken off with his hostage. Remí rolled onto his stomach ignoring the stabbing pain in his leg and fired off a stunner at the man's retreating back.

That'll teach you for stabbing me with an arrow!

Sand, huh? Tate ducked under the rolling cloud and headed behind the lockers to gather himself for a moment. The man had a steady hand... but now that Zan had pulled out that student, he didn't have to worry about bystanders.

He heard the splash and thud when Remi fell, and Tate came around the corner, wand blazing with a series of blasters that sent the floor rippling underneath where the man lay. If he was lucky, it would force him back against the wall.

Remí rolled over sideways and he continued to roll right underneath one of the cubicles. He got back to his feet and grasped the arrow stuck in his leg and snapped off the end. No point in pulling it out and bleeding to death.

He cast 'Relashio' at the door's hinges and then reduced its size and weight a little before stepping back out to face the headmaster. He just needed enough time to get to the door or the hole in the wall.

He peered around his makeshift shield and fired off a few stunners of his own. One hitting the taps that contained the pretty smelling soap and it exploded spraying the frothy, brightly colored liquid everywhere.

Oh! Oh! It was beautiful! Just like Myrtle!

Water was everywhere, flooding the bathroom and fountaining up from the damaged sinks and toilets and oh!

Myrtle had been sitting on the top of a cubicle, clapping soundlessly as the duelers fought for her affection.

Ooooh and another one! And why was that one running away?

She preened and occassionally flicked a pigtail in the direction of one man or the other, as if deciding which was winning.

The winner could be her champion and the loser could die and be her boyfriend for all eternity! Either way Myrtle wins!

Professor Kazimeriz stepped through the hole in the stone wall, leading with his head and shoulders and wand arm, entering the wreckage that used to be a prefect's bathroom. His footing slipped just a bit on the soaped, watery flooring but he immediately caught his balance.

He immediately saw them -- the headmaster and A Man, presumably Huxley.

He did not bother with idle chit-chat or greetings. He cast immediately at Huxley, sending a bolt of lightning directed toward the man, intending to knock him off his feet and render him unconsicous... For good measure, he followed it immediately with a blinding curse.

Remí pointed his wand towards the ceiling right over the headmasters head and exploded the stone flooring causing a rain of rock to fall down.

And just as he was going in for another curse the makeshift shield he was holding exploded in his face and threw him backwards which was a good thing because the old man's second spell missed.

Remí got back to his feet and made his way around the huge bathtub intending to make his exit. He wasn't that stupid to think he could take on two fully grown wizards.

Just as he was making his dash for the door, he skidded to a halt finally spotting the old guy and an evil smile spread across his lips.

"Well, well if it isn't the god daddy." Oh he would have to stick around now.

Kazimeriz's own lips pulled into a smirk. He moved lithely to the left, side-stepping as he stalked the man like a lion hunting a gazelle... and purposely leaving the hole leading to the corridor unblocked.

"Indeed I am, as you are the former Fiancee, I hear. It would have been proper to ask me for her hand, monsieur... So, I'll take one of yours now in its place." He cast again, one neat slashing motion to cut off Devereaux's wand hand.

"Not former. I still...ARRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH." Remí fell to his knees screaming, his hand lying on the floor in front of him with his wand still in it.

He'd been stabbed in the leg with an arrow and now his hand had been cut off.

Remí looked up at Kazimeriz and 'accioed' his wand with his left hand, oh the old man was going to be sorry now.

In one quick swift motion he pointed his wand at the professor, "CRUCIO" he roared, keeping a firm hold on his wand and trained on the man in front of him.

His right arm held limply at his side while blood dripped on the floor.

Professor Kazimeriz lunged forward, his wand dipped low as he cast again -- animating Devereux's own hand to levitate up and clench the man's own throat in a vise-like death grip.

However, he had not expected Devereux to be quite so quick to accio his wand. His eyes widened slightly as he saw the oh-so-familiar wand motion of the cruciatus, cursing himself for the rookie's mistake-- how often had he preached CONSTANT VIGILANCE to the students? His wand sliced through the air as he lifted it to cast his shield charm... but it was a split second too late.

The old wizard screamed as the curse hit him, every cell of his being shrieking in a concert of pain. He staggered backward into the mirrored wall behind him, the glass breaking and falling to the floor in shards around him, raining shards onto the ancient man's body as his old, cursed hip injury flared up, collapsing his legs under him as the white-hot pain coursed through his system.

He raised his wand as he fell, casting again. Make it count. he thought.

"FOR EDWARD FORRESTER!" he gasped. His wand shot streaking purple flames toward Devereux as he cast Dolohov's curse -- the very curse that had caused him to walk with a cane for decades -- at the villain.

He crumpled to the floor, gasping in pain as the cruciatus continued to take its toll.

Remí merely brushed away his levitating hand with his stump and didn't even bother to watch where it had landed. He was focused on keeping the curse on the old man and he took great satisfaction in hearing him scream.

His eyes glinted maliciously as he watched the great Valon Kazimeriz fall to his knees before him. And rightly so too. He was going to make the man beg him for mercy before he killed him.

But he underestimated the old man and did not see him raise his wand, too busy gloating on his achievement and what he planned to do with him, Remí saw the purple flames heading toward him when it was far too late.

The curse hit him square in the chest and he stumbled backwards, pain slicing through his body as though his internal organs were bring ripped apart. He dropped the curse on the old man and continued to move backwards. He was having trouble breathing and he could feel his legs giving out on him.

Raising his wand once again towards Kazimeriz, "Say goodnight old man. AVADA KEDAVRA!"

The series of spells the men had shot at each other, as well as his own blasting charms, had effectively put up a barrier of stone and debris between the fighting and where Tate now was. He struggled to levitate the pile out of his way, but he could hear the fighting continue, as well as sounds of indescribable pain.

Please please let no one die on his watch, especially not someone who had jumped into the fray on his behalf. As soon as the hole was large enough to see what was on the other side, he levitated the last of the pile out of the way... just in time to see the Frenchman cast the Killing Curse right at Professor Kazimeriz.

The man was pushy and didn't like him, but Tate wasn't going to be the one who finally saw the old goat get killed. He flicked his wand, sending the hanging pile of debris right as Kazimeriz... to block the curse at least, although some of it might have hit him. Who really knew?

The floor was slick with soap and water, so Tate stayed put, planting himself between the man and the door. "My school," he sent a series of shockwaves toward Remi, blasts of sound and air that would force him backward and keep him from casting. "You are NOT welcome at my school." The pipes from the wall pulled loose, swinging at the man.

Watching the green light of death head towards the old man, Remí let out a growl of frustration as the spell was blocked a pile of debris and whirled around to face the headmaster.

Did no one stay down around this place?

He was in extreme pain and could barely stand on his feet let alone try and raise his wand again. The blasts forced Remí backwards and he had nowhere to go but back through the hole in the wall.

Remí saw the pipes swing towards but there was not a damned thing he could do about it. He made a feeble attempt to get out of the way but it was too late and he was hit by the pipes knocking him off his feet and laying sprawled half in the hole and half out.

"Come on, old man," Tate trusted the students to get Remi as he crawled out the hole, and he hurried to the rubble pile to dig out Kazimeriz. "Come on, come on. Say something, please?"

He grabbed Kazi's hand and gave it a squeeze.

"Co-ercive m-mal-- maleficium... child endanger....ment. abduction... m-murder." the old man croaked weakly, his eyes struggling to open as he listed the charges by rote in a stupor. He was pale, his lips and skin clammy and blueish, possibly from shock. "Do... job. I am-- not -- anywhere." He squeezed the man's hand back with the strength of a newborn baby and slipped back into unconsciousness, blissfully unaware of the fact that this man had just saved his life.

It would undoubtedly irk the hell out of him later... assuming he lived to hear the tale.

ooc: Permission granted to move him if you need to, just don't bang him around too much, he's walkin' the line.

"Yeah, napping on the job. Just like your goddaughter," Tate hefted Kazimeriz up into his arms. The man was a bit dusty and looked bad, but he was alive. And if Ashford was worth her stuff, then he'd continue to do so.

"Let's go check on the students."