Title taken from Role Models

---

With leash tightly tethered around Archer’s hand, Rufus secured in his arms - the day entirely his (as Tamis noted something about the office and he’d rather have her there than exerting herself.  He had plans, and though Rufus was not the expert dark magic sniffing dog he wished he would be (yet), he would be welcomed on this far less dangerous and life threatening errand. 

Closing his eyes, the sound of a whip cracking, and both Archer and Rufus were moving.  He held the ever faster growing puppy (now giving Tamis a run for her money - about half her weight), tightly against his chest and was pleased when he was transported to the edges of the grounds, the Hospital Hut in sight, but a bit of a walk, even still.  The anti-apparation spells were useful for students and teachers, but not so much for the visitors who were here on semi-official business.
 
Archer had gotten over the aversion to this sort of thing very quickly when he saw how much potential there was in this charge - even if she didn’t always see it herself (he told himself it was that hufflepuff modesty).  So, putting down the squirming pup, who was slightly more agitated than normal - now singular tail (an adventure earlier in the month that broke Archer’s heart) ramrod straight as he lifted his nose and sniffed around - clearly the forest bothered him.  That was a good sign, maybe Archer’s training was actually having something of an effect, and the fur on his back stood straight, he was tugging to go toward the significantly less pressing and dark energy. 

Leaning down, Archer rubbed in between the young dog’s ears and urged him forward, starting to walk with him, but holding a firm line as he tugged at the leash to move faster.  Archer wasn’t going to run there, and he wanted to be aware of their surroundings, his wand in his freehand.  It did not appear there was anything amiss though, and he hoped that Blake hadn’t forgotten about the meeting they were supposed to have.  Archer hadn’t really mentioned that Tamis wouldn’t be there, but he wanted to talk to her himself anyway, one-on-one. 

Tamis was concerned with the young woman being able to protect herself if she needed to.  Archer was concerned with her protecting other people, whether she wanted to or not. 

Fauna's boots made squishing noises as she tromped through the leftover slush and mud on the path towards the hospital hut. Last weekend, the Hogwarts grounds had still been a winter wonderland, but then a burst of warmer weather had hit, melting some of the snow and making the paths wet and gross.

Fauna sighed. The little things kept getting to her this week. Be it a broken quill, a ruined hat, an overheard insult, or mud on her boots, all the little things made her want to lash out or burst into tears. So she'd taken to hiding. Fauna holed up in her dormitory, or retreated to a dusty corner of the library, or wandered the grounds. She'd gotten a lot of schoolwork done, though her professors returned her papers to her riddled with red ink. She knew she was making silly, thoughtless mistakes, and she knew exactly why, but doing poorly in her classes did not improve her mood.

She couldn't say she was looking forward to this Sunday lesson. Normally, these lessons brightened up her whole week, even when they didn't go very well (sometimes they were disasters). But she had fun learning new things, almost always felt better about herself afterwards, and loved having the opportunity to pester Tulo and Raynor with questions for a few hours.

Today, she couldn't help but dread it. Fauna knew she wasn't at her best, and worried that the smallest thing would set her off. The reason she felt like this mortified her. Teenagers broke up with each other everyday. Her situation wasn't new. When a girl wailed in the loos or sobbed on her friends' shoulders because some boy had broken her heart, Fauna had always looked on with a bemused sort of smugness, glad it wasn't her. Thinking she'd never be like that. Plus, much worse things had happened to students these past few months. Fauna almost felt like she didn't have a right to feel miserable.

Getting out of bed this morning hadn't been easy. She'd burrowed underneath the covers till the last minute, then hopped out, doing the bare minimum to get ready for the day. Brush teeth, check. Finger-comb her hair, check. Her face was still a bit shiny from not being washed, and her pallor brought out the dark circles underneath her eyes. But Fauna was awake. She was out of bed. That was something.

In the distance, she saw a tall, familiar figure - definitely not Raynor. And a very small creature, dwarfed by the man's size - also not Raynor. Recognizing Auror Radley, Fauna gave a half-hearted wave, walking towards them.

Suddenly, the small dog broke away and bounded towards her, leash flopping in the snow and slush. A grin split her face. She crouched down, giving the chocolate lab puppy a good scratch behind the years, laughing when a tongue lolled out to lick her chin.

When she finally stood, the puppy running around her ankles, she looked around and noticed that Radley was alone. Her smile faded and worry flitted across her face. "Is Auror Raynor alright?" Fauna asked when he got close enough to hear.

"Hi," she added as an afterthought. "It's good to see you," her tone turned sheepish. It really was, even if she was a worrywart.

From a distance, Archer could see the familiar figure of Blake (the hat was a dead giveaway) and as Rufus tried to bound forward, Archer finally decided it could be the appropriate time to indulge the dog’s desire to run.  He let go of the leather leash and Rufus made his way across the soggy ground toward the young woman.  Fortunately for him, he had four legs and endless energy, so he got there in about half of a second, far faster than Archer could ever hope for, and the man laughed as Rufus bounded up to the girl, spinning in a circle before putting his damp paws all over her. 

He thought for a second how Tamis would have been far less than pleased with Rufus’ behavior if that were here, but thankfully, Fauna was a little less prim and proper than Ray.  Now, that didn’t mean he hadn’t caught her playing with Rufus - particularly using her animagus form for such adventures, but Archer was instructed to keep that secret to the grave or he would have a permanent spot on the couch.  Archer honored that promise, probably more than he would ever honor any other secret she held him to. 

Chuckling softly, Archer finally got close enough to talk comfortably without yelling and Rufus was still doing his circles, his excited behavior and bounded toward Archer, hopping on his knees, causing Archer to stagger a little.  When he had speed and velocity behind him, that dog could be powerful.  Ruffling his ears, Archer grabbed the leash again and blinked as Blake greeted him. 

She looked pretty terrible.  Waxy complexion, big bags under her eyes - she probably hadn’t brushed her hair from what he gathered about what was poking out.  He frowned a bit and the frowned even deeper, greeted with a question rather than actual greeting.  “Nice to see you too,” he chuckled softy, tugging Rufus back a bit, urging the pup into a sitting position (something he had actually managed to teach him successfully). 

“Ray’s fine,” Archer answered her inquiry without a problem.  He could tell her anxiety was getting to her and he wasn’t going to screw around about something like that.  Tamis’ state of health was important to him, most assuredly, and he wouldn’t joke about whether or not she was alright.  Besides, with Eyes, he assumed he’d find something to tease her about soon enough - he had already started, anyway.  “Just in the office - dealing with a lot of backslide because of a lack of leadership,” he tried to laugh, but it was hollow, and his smirk was not particularly sincere either.

Cracking his knuckles, he smirked, “So, I offered to handle the training program.  Might not be as small as she is, but I’ve got my own tricks.  First off though, what is wrong with you?  Looks like you got in a bad fight with a niffler.” 

Her happy reaction to the dog's slobbery greeting and tail-wagging excitement didn't last long. She found herself focusing on the Auror's frown, then his laugh, which seemed forced. The Aurors had more and more piled on their to-do lists, and Radley's free-time must be very limited, yet he'd come to help her. Fauna nodded solemnly, relieved to hear Raynor was alright.

But then he asked her what was wrong, saying she looked like she'd gotten into a fight with a niffler. Fauna froze, self-consciously crossing her arms and ducking her head.

"I woke up like five minutes ago," she lied, tone much more defensive than she'd intended. Fauna paused, giving him an awkward look. "Been a rough week, that's all."

She glanced away, smoothing the hair away from her face. Her throat already felt a little prickly. Fauna shoved her hands in her coat pockets and fiddled with the lining.

Raynor was fine, and that was a good thing. She tried to focus on that thought, then glanced at Radley again. "So, what are we up to today?" Her voice held none of the bright enthusiasm that it normally did, and her eyes, usually so expressive, just looked guarded. Fauna managed a small smile before breaking eye contact, uncomfortable under any scrutiny.

Archer knew something was up.  She was not the exuberant and enthusiastic young woman she normally was.  Perhaps she had just woken up five minutes ago, but that wasn’t the only problem here.  Women did not act like this unless there really was something wrong and nine times out of ten, they wanted to be pressed about it so they could break down and cry.  Well, Archer didn’t exactly want to have her cry, that was not what he signed up for - though at least Rufus was here, just in case she did want to, she could hug the dog rather than him.  It was a little more comforting to know that would be the case rather than a tear stained shoulder.

Holding up his hands at her defensive comment, he head Rufus bark with agitation - oops, didn’t really want to tug on the leash, huh?  Whatever the case, Archer took out his wand and set up a quick perimeter for Rufus. He wasn’t going to be able to get out of the circle and he leaned down to unclip the leash as he spoke. “Alright, just making sure,” he said without a hint of actual belief behind what he was saying.  Patting Rufus on the back, the dog got up and ran around the perimeter of the make-shift pen, Archer hung the leash around his neck.

Raising his eyebrows at the young woman, Archer shook his head.  She was definitely not being herself. She couldn’t look at him, at least not straight and with no honesty.  He felt like he was sitting across the table from her and she was a convict more than a trainee.  Of course, he had to remind himself she wasn’t exactly a trainee, at least not yet.  If Archer had his way the spunky Hufflepuff would find her way to their office, but it was going to take a little coaxing and in her mood right now, maybe it was time to stir something up.  Wasn’t it easier to feel strongly about something when your emotions were already raw. 

“It’s a bit of my own curriculum today,” Archer informed her, ignoring her obvious physical cues of discomfort and anxiety.  She would have to get over it and no one treated kids like kids outside of these walls.  They were adults and Blake was as close to that as one could get.  He didn’t want to hurt his own cause, but he did want to treat her like normal - wasn’t going to do her any good to be doted on by everyone.  Doting didn’t make a strong person, it made someone who expected pity, and he didn’t see any of that in Blake.  He wanted to preserve that in her, not break it down with some sappy sob storying. 

He began to roll up his sleeves, casually glancing at her - sparing a glance to Rufus who was still running in circles.  Brilliant pet.  “First though, just out of curiosity, post-Hogwarts plans?”

Fauna knew that he knew something was wrong. She felt relieved that he seemed to brush it off, rolling with the question and treating her like she didn't resemble a creature from the Black Lagoon. He'd voiced his concern, and now he was moving on. Fauna appreciated his straightforwardness, even as a small voice started whining in her head that if he really cared, he wouldn't let her get away with that.

Archer gave her the raised eyebrows after he finished setting up a pen for Rufus, causing Fauna to glance away again, avoiding the look.

He offered a vague answer about the lesson being from his own curriculum. She kept watching Rufus chase his tail, because if she looked at Radley, he'd likely see the nervousness in her eyes. Fauna wanted to be able to handle whatever he had planned. But if she couldn't handle one joking comment, she doubted stress from the lesson would be any easier. Fauna shrugged in response.

His question surprised her enough that she drew her attention away from the dog and stared at him. For a few seconds, her face brightened. Then the worry and self-doubt kicked in. This was when she'd find out if Radley had made encouraging remarks these past few months mostly to boost her confidence, or if he really meant them. Fauna took a deep breath.

"Well..." She hesitated. This was not how she'd imagined this scenario. Fauna had hoped Raynor and Tulo would also be there to hear it, and somehow, the oil slick on her forehead had not factored into her daydream either. However, Radley was asking her now, and she only hoped whatever happened during today's lesson wouldn't cause him to regret his encouragement or be horrified by her answer.

A small, but genuine smile crept up her face. "I've been talking to my Head of House and the... Deputy Headmaster about career options. I should be able to drop Divination. And then I can focus on getting tutoring for Potions and Transfiguration."

She paused, studying his face. "So that means... I could possibly, maybe... have a shot at getting into Auror Training after I graduate." The end of her sentence came in a rush. "I'm still, uh, taking Care of Magical Creatures. Still thinking about doing something with the RCMC. But those are my two ideas."

Fauna had hoped she would have figured out exactly what she was doing by the time she told the Aurors, so there would be no 'maybe', no ambiguity. Either tell them she was going to go for it or tell them she wasn't. She had also hoped not to slosh through mud on the grounds today, and to answer Radley with more confidence, but these things didn't always go according to plan!

Her hesitation caused Archer to stop rolling his sleeve up mid-roll.  He hoped she didn’t really think she was going to get off the hook with this question.  Personally, he thought if she didn’t answer the right way - the way he wanted her to - Tamis and he had been wasting their blessed time with the girl.  She could have a lot of talent and there was nothing more disappointing than a kid who didn’t know what they were capable of.  A lot of kids slid through life that way, he didn’t expect Blake to.  She was a bit of a rebel, but they liked that in the Corps, look at Eleor. 

But, then she cracked a smile.  He liked that - she was excited about something, and that meant there was a passion behind it.  “Good, that class is a joke anyway,” Archer scoffed.  Divination had never been something he liked, and beyond that, he was always under the impression it wasn’t something you could really, meaningfully teach.  If someone had a gift for it, then fine, you could refine their skills or something, but for a person with no talent in it - namely himself - there was just no practical use for a subject that called for a lot of speculation and very little concrete knowledge.  If you couldn’t know something definitively from it, then what was the point? 

He knew there would be some that would disagree - namely the other Eleor, but it was Archer’s personal opinion.  From what Archer knew of the whole situation anyway, it didn’t lend him an agreeable sort of attitude toward the practice in that case either.  Not the important part of what she was saying though and Archer listened as she spoke about improving potions and transfiguration…

Ah! There it was! Archer could not help but grin - though her rushed manner, he didn’t really know what that was about.  It was the answer he was waiting to hear, and he shook his head.  “What? And work with people like Bagnold?  Pfft!” he laughed, “I mean Gertrudis isn’t that bad, but you really have to consider your colleagues, Blake.  Level Two is much more promising.”  Granted, the program was difficult to get into, but he reasoned that Ray had control of the recruits and he did have the ability to be a training officer, he’d be more than willing. 

Looking her over, he nodded to himself.  It could be a career buster, he reasoned - she hadn’t really considered it before recently, he could tell that much, but it was something worth aspiring too and he grinned easily, resuming the rolling of his sleeves with precision.  “That conversation was easier than I thought,” he smirk, slanting the girl an amused look, try to lighten her anxiety a little - wound up tighter than a child’s spring toy! 

“I figured I might have to imperius you into applying for the trainee program,” he added, “what a relief I don’t have to risk my career for it - though, training you might come with its own set of occupation - and physical,” he reached up to touch his nose, “hazards.”

Fauna ignored the Divination comment, having heard that sentiment from her peers many times. Though she had no seer capabilities, the subject came easily to her because she kept an open mind and didn't try to over-explain what couldn't be explained. She also felt like the class helped her read people - their emotions, their expressions - a little better. However, she couldn't see a use for it in future career plans, and she needed to make room for catching up with potions and transfiguration.

All her attention was on his reaction, now. The grin on his face, and the way he joked about Bagnold, caused her gape at him for a few moments. He reacted like her idea to try out for the training program was a completely natural one, like he'd been expecting it all along. He didn't look horrified. He didn't offer her any pity for thinking she could possibly make it. He was being the smart-arse Radley he always was, poking fun and acting just as excited about the prospect as she was!

Fauna grinned back at him, and some of the tension and awkwardness in the air dissipated. Relief swept through her, and she felt like she could cry (for good reasons). But she wouldn't do that to him.

"I know," she joined in with the good-natured teasing. "I guess you'll just have to find a way to survive. Do they make nose-guards? They might make face guards. You should invest in some," she said cheekily.

One down. Two more to go - Tulo and Raynor. She wondered if Radley would tell Raynor himself, or if he'd leave that for her to do. She wondered which would work better!

Much better! Archer preferred this Blake, the one that dished back exactly what she was served. She would make an excellent addition to the team.  Now, of course, he had to keep in mind that she was not a trainee yet, but the possibility was there.  It meant maintaining some line of professionalism, just in case she did want to really join the corps, and Archer was okay with that.  He didn’t really divulge pieces of his personal life, not to anyone who wasn’t Ray, anyway.   

His references were just to their own interactions, and he laughed as she indicated that he would need a faceguard.  “I’ve survived this long without one,” he pointed out, “and faced much scarier opponents than you, Eyes,” he snorted.  Every opponent had been scarier than her, mostly because he knew she did not intentionally mean to hurt him, and she was just… well, she was Blake.  Even if marginally masculinized by the use of her last name, it was still a pretty feminine last name - Blake.  Androgynous at best.  Nothing was going to make her seem exceptionally tough, but that would be her strong point.

He could almost see it down the road.  Like Tamis, she did not look overly threatening, but with the confidence and strength of conviction those women could have, it would be a surprise to anyone she came across.  He wanted to see her succeed and though he wouldn’t necessarily push her, well, it wasn’t as though he was going to lighten up about it.  There was a specific point to be made about making a decision and sticking to it.  Archer wanted her to stick to this one. 

“But, with that in mind,” Archer glanced to Rufus who was rolling around in the slushy grass, making a right mess of himself - as usual - he sighed.  He’d need to give him a proper cleaning later before he even dreamed of bringing him to Ray’s.  Squeak’s heart would give out and Tamis would kill him, so it was probably best for all involved that he be cleaned up and smelling less like a damp sock. 

Then, it clicked.  Archer knew exactly what he wanted to do.  “A big part of joining the corps is about not only being able to protect yourself,” he looked at her straight in the eye, “but also be able to protect others.  Sometimes, you have to be willing to sacrifice for an innocent, and you can’t even think about it most of the time. It’s just what you have to do.  And today, you have to protect Rufus."

"I dunno. I won the niffler fight this morning. I'd say... I'm plenty scary," Fauna shrugged, still smiling. As long as she could keep up the banter, hold onto the good mood that Radley's encouragement had put her in, then she could get through this lesson. Maybe even get through the day without snapping at anyone. That would be nice!

When Radley explained what he had in mind, Fauna listened carefully, thinking that it wasn't a bad idea. Not at all. Judging by how she'd attempted to stand up to Callum last month and had only succeeded in bruising his bum a bit, she needed work in that area. School bullies didn't compare to real threats, anyway. Then Radley mentioned involving Rufus, and Fauna blinked at him.

Obviously, Archer would never do anything to harm the dog. But the idea of trying to protect the rambunctious creature, who was currently taking a mud bath, amused her.

"Protect him from what? Scourgify? 'Cause he kinda needs it."

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Rufus crouch slightly, head bent. Fauna took one step to the side as the dog started to shake off the excess water. Then another step, just to be safe. She burst out laughing when she sneaked a glance at Archer.

"Sorry," she clutched her stomach once her laughter had died down, not sorry at all. "Alright. Protect Rufus. Right," she nodded.

“True enough, Blake, true enough,” he glanced over her again, wrinkling his nose a bit.  “Though, I would say only by a small margin…” he laughed and smirked, glad that he had wiped whatever was bothering her so much off of her mind for a little while at least.  Part of  being an auror meant sometimes taking yourself out of your personal feelings and moving on.  Whatever helped someone do that, for Archer it was humor, was going to get them through it, and he liked to see that he could subtly change the way she was feeling or thinking with a few jokes.  It already seemed to brighten up the atmosphere. 

“Exactly,” Archer pointed out, drawing his wand from his belt.  He twirled it in his fingers, looking at her with an easy grin.  “Clearly, something he doesn’t want happening to him - your job to protect him from it.”  He was spending so much time scrutinizing Blake’s face as he spoke he did not realize what was about to happen to him.  There had not been much warning for what Rufus was going to do, at least not when Archer was actually looking at him.  And all of a sudden, he felt the cold, disgusting drops hit his bare arms, his face, and splatter all over his clothing.

Grimacing, Archer lifted his hands to his face and wiped away the spattering of mud and whatever else the dog had rolled in - he did not want to know and leveled a flat gaze at the happy puppy, who, at this point, was practically bouncing around yapping with joy. 

There was no such joy coming from Archer and he sighed, flicking the grit off his hand - in Blake’s direction - as a friendly reminder that she was not going to get out of this without getting a little dirty.  Perhaps it was better that she hadn’t taken the time to get clean today.  Things were certainly going to get messy.

And, with a devious grin, Archer looked back her. “I hope you’re familiar with your shielding spells,” and with that, he turned toward Rufus who looked at his owner with unwavering anticipation, and Archer fired off a steady (Though not hard) stream of water toward the pup.  Worst that would happen? He’d get some of the mud off, but he wanted to see how Blake reacted.

Unfortunately, laughing at Radley and taking a few steps away from the muddy dog had its drawbacks. She was farther away from Rufus than Radley was, and had to both cut back on her mirth and draw her wand when Radley initiated the 'attack'.

A jet of water arched from the wand and towards the puppy, who had cocked his head curiously at his owner.

"Impervius!" Fauna casted hastily, stepping forward. She bit back a swear when the water hit first, and her spell affected only one half of the rambunctious puppy, who was spinning around in circles trying to bite at the water. 'Impervius' had protected Rufus' nose and head from the water, so biting at the stream didn't work, and every time the dog spun in a circle and the water hit his back, he'd bark in surprise.

Fauna couldn't help but stare for a second, mouth twitching, before casting a second Impervius charm that protected the dog's behind. The dog shook his head in bewilderment, then barked at Radley and Fauna, as if demanding an answer for these shenanigans.

She sneaked a glance at Radley, knowing she hadn't reacted fast enough, but feeling more prepared for whatever he had up his sleeve next.

Watching the scene unfold, Archer couldn’t help but smirk a little bit.  “Well, providing that was a different victim, at least their face would be in tact for identification purposes,” he pointed out with a little bit of a smirk.  He couldn’t help but laugh a little at her - and Rufus - who was staring at both of them, head cocked to the side, and then anxiously park when he saw that Archer was actually looking at him.

The poor dog, Archer almost felt bad - but since he would obviously smell something terrible and make an even bigger mess than he already was were it not for the impromptu bath, Archer would have felt worse.  But, the wet puppy did not stay perturbed as he shook himself off and yapped, spinning in another circle before lulling onto his back, once again, coating himself in another layer of mud.  Just what Archer had counted on. 

Of course, Archer wasn’t going to go for the same technique this time.  It was too straightforward to do that again, and criminals were hardly courteous enough to let you practice the same thing several times.  She’d get the chance to try a few different things, Archer was going to try out several, and as Rufus jumped to his feet, lowering his head in that familiar way, Archer took a long step in the opposite direction, pointing his wand directly at Blake. 

“Confundus!” he announced, for her benefit (some criminals were obviously not skilled in wordless magic, “and then turned to Rufus, who was happily bouncing again, sending off another stream of water - typical technique, hopefully something she prepped herself for.  If she did, he’d step it up next time, if not - he’d still step it up and try again later.  Wasn’t letting her off easy, especially after she divulged some of her intentions. 

"See?" Fauna replied, returning his smirk with a grin. "Just trying to be helpful!" Proper identification could be very important, after all!

She was better prepared now, and though Rufus was preparing to shake water and mud at them again, Fauna did her very best to ignore the dog and stay in one place. After this, she'd need a shower anyway. Hell, she'd needed one before meeting Archer and Rufus this morning!

As mud and water splattered all over her from Rufus' little dance, she stayed still, and Archer shot Confundus at her first, which she managed to block just in time. Then, recognizing that he was in the middle of making the Augamenti gesture with his wand, Fauna chose a different tactic.

She raised her wand at Archer, "Revibro!"

The stream of water shot from the wand, like last time. It arched towards the dog, like last time. Rufus cocked his head at it, tail wagging, anticipating another bite at the mysterious Water Fiend!

Poor Rufus never got the chance. Instead of hitting the dog, Revibro caused the water to spray backward, right at Archer. Fauna burst out laughing once more, and Rufus yipped in confusion, wondering what these daft humans were on about.

Archer did not expect that she would be able to block both spells.  He figured she might protect herself first, then maybe half save the dog from a total soaking.  Clearly, his understanding of her skill set was slightly off.  She blocked the confoundus flying back at him (which he had to dodge) and then, as he stood up all the way, thinking he would get to see Rufus in all his glory, romping around with the water, felt a lukewarm sensation against his face with quite some force. 

Sputtering for a moment, Archer was shocked, caught off guard and had to wave his wand to get the stream of water to stop firing off.  Of course, that did not stop the water from dripping off his face - and certainly did not block the laughter of the young woman who had done this to him.  Well, he couldn’t say he was exceptionally upset. 

She had done what he asked her to - though non-conventionally and definitely not like he expected.  But, she had done it.  That meant he had to step up his game a little.  He had to play a little dirtier.  He could do that.  Frowning at her, he wrinkled his nose, “Yeh, ha-ha.  Laugh while you can….”  He waved his wand, a gust of warm air getting rid of all residual moisture and he decided it was now time to get serious.

Sending a spell toward the ground, a patch of ice was to form right under the young Hufflepuff’s feet.  Another quick wave of his wand was to cast to the jelly legs jinx, and an immediately follow by expelliarmus would seal the deal, hopefully.  Everything needed to work in sync to provide the desired effect. 

Now, it wasn’t a life or death situation, but she would have to choose at this point, particularly as he pointed his wand to Rufus and the water started to stream out once again.  He glanced at her, waiting to see the damage he had done and what she was going to try to do.