WHO: Maggie Brand and Braith Selwyn!
WHAT: He needs to make her promise him something!
WHERE: Tornadoes Pitch and then Braith's house??
WHEN: During today's MATCH! Dun dun dunnn!



Maggie usually liked playing quidditch in some sort of severe weather. It was strange, and people got a bit surprised when she said this in interviews, but quidditch on a clear night, or a sunny day? It just seemed boring to her. She liked having the wind pushing her back, or the rain trying to keep her from seeing the goal. She liked the added challenge, and was disappointed that today’s match was under a cloudless, beautiful sky. What a normal, boring day.

With her hair tied back tightly, Maggie pulled the handle of her broom stick up to catch the quaffle that Wendy has shot her way from over her shoulder, a move they had perfected in practice these past few weeks. She’d be the first to admit it: she felt like a new player, and was so thankful to the Tornadoes for it. It was a different work ethic, a different feeling in the locker room that Maggie had needed to breathe. Her life had never been better, and now that she got to plan a wedding on top of all of that, life was just perfect.

Her hand had just grabbed hold of the quaffle when a strange pulling at her navel occurred. She had only a split second to contort her face into one of shock toward West when he was gone---the pitch was gone, her team was gone, her opponents were gone, the fans were gone. She was jerked forward, feeling as if it was her broom that was shooting her toward the whirlwind of colour and sound. Before she could blink, everything stopped, and Maggie landed on the ground with a great thud. Her broomstick rolled away from her and she laid on her side on the cement floor, too scared to move.

She gasped, now able to recall the feeling from trips she’d taken in the past; her broom had been turned into--that was----that was a---”A portkey---”

Braith had found that his temper had been becoming shorter and shorter lately -- he didn’t recall it being so in the past, but then again -- sometimes he didn’t remember many things from the past, so he didn’t put much stock into it. He’d been drumming his fingers impatiently against the wall of the basement, waiting for the time he’d set his portkey to go off. Sure, it might’ve been nice to see the shock on fans’ faces as Maggie disappeared from the pitch entirely, but he wasn’t one to admire his handiwork as long as it -- well, worked.

He smirked as Maggie appeared on the ground, muttering a quick binding spell and accompanying it with a flick of his wand for good measure. “Yes. At least you’re smart enough to figure that much out on your own.” There was no reason for him to hide his face or his -- intentions, not really. Maggie needed to know that he was serious about his threats.

She gasped as her hands bound together and how she hadn’t started screaming, she didn’t know. It was the shock, it was----being transported, seeing Braith after not seeing him for more than a year, it had been more than a year since---Maggie’s eyes widened, now terrified,

“Where’s Josef!” she shrieked, trying to pull and tug her hands free, the idea that this madman had hurt her son overwhelming her completely. Maggie didn’t care what he did to her as long as he didn’t touch her boy, and she got to her knees, reaching out to him, pleading, “Braith, where is he!”

Because that was what this was about, right? The last time he’d confronted her he’d been demanding their---her son, and now it seemed like the man had been biding his time, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. Had the restraining order lifted and she hadn’t known? What was going on, what was happening, “Where is he?!”

Braith couldn’t help the snicker that came tumbling from his lips as Maggie started to beg him for their son, as if that was what this was about. He’d come to terms with the fact that perhaps taking him was now inadvisable, considering that the papers seemed to think that this Mattias fellow was the boy’s father. That didn’t mean that he was comfortable with just leaving things be the way that they were.

“Don’t be hysterical, Magnolia. I have very little stake in that child other than keeping the rest of the world from knowing that he was a stupid mistake on my part,” he said slowly enough, arching his brow at her. “You really are pathetic, aren’t you? Begging already.” Maybe he’d just felt sorry for her when he’d slept with her.

Yes, that had probably been it.

“I just need to make sure that you understand that that little mistake is going to stay between the two of us. And your idiot brother, of course.”

This wasn’t about Josef? Or---it was, but he wasn’t...mistake? She knew his mind had been altered, his memory, but had he really forgotten everything? They’d been strange together, yes, and she knew from their last meeting that he was no longer the gentle soul she’d started to care for but he’d wanted Josef. To go from nearly performing an Unforgivable on her to calling him a mistake made absolutely no sense but---why was she even bothering with the logic! He’d kidnapped her, straight off the quidditch pitch! The authorities would be looking for her, it----

“I’m not---” Maggie remembered what she’d told him before, that Josef wasn’t really his son. She knew that he’d never believed her, and didn’t think it would be smart to try and play that again. What did he want her to say? She hadn’t told Adrian, Braith hadn’t approached her in a year, she didn’t think he ever would.

Maggie’s eyes narrowed at him, her jaw clenching tightly. She’d never felt so many different emotions so quickly in her life. She was terrified, but worried, scared, but angry at this man who was causing her life so much grief. He’d kidnapped her! He’d bloody----She’d never done anything to him, she’d treated him well and----

“He not your son,” she snapped, completely forgetting the mental warning she’d given herself about starting the lies again. Maggie could not give this man the satisfaction and she managed to get a footing, standing as she thrashed her bound hands.

Braith tsked. She wasn’t going to make this easy on herself even though that would be the wise thing to do -- of course not, stubborn girl that she was. He lifted his wand and then thought better of it, instead bringing his foot up to plant it squarely against the middle of her chest, kicking her back against the pavement. It wasn’t too hard just yet, but hard enough to get his point across.

“Oh, don’t get up.” He narrowed his eyes at her, making sure that his next charm left her feet bound tightly as well. “And don’t lie, either. Do you honestly think I would be wasting my time with you if I had any suspicion that he was not my son?” His father had told him to get things with this little mess wrapped up before discussing anything with the Yaxley family, and he’d grudgingly agreed.

“You’re not listening, Magnolia. That’s not going to go well for you.”

She got hit with bludgers on a regular basis, the feeling of the kick not knocking the air out of her but the shock of it. Maggie landed roughly, but she kept some composure and continued to glare viciously at Briath. How dare he, how dare he do this to her! She had kept her mouth shut about everything, she hadn’t reported him to the aurors, she hadn’t told them that he’d tried to use the cruciatus on her, she didn’t have to do any of that, and had only done it because she may have still loved him, even if he wasn’t the same man she’d grown to know.

“You’re pathetic,” she spat, not trying to get up because she knew it would be pointless. She’d rather get kicked again than agree to any of his terms, finding the anger inside of her flaring to unheard of measures. Who was he to throw himself into her life like this? She wasn’t the one that had done anything wrong, she hadn’t aligned herself with You-Know-Who, she hadn’t been the one that got caught.

“I have no reason to let anyone think he’s yours,” Maggie said sharply. Only Geoffrey knew the truth, her parents had accepted Adrian immediately, and Adrian had taken on the role of Josef’s father with great ease and excitement. She hadn’t even thought of Josef as not being Adrian’s son in months, so----Maggie’s eyes narrowed, “So you don’t have to worry about having a stain on your precious family tapestry.”

Someone must have said something, that could be the only reason that he was so concerned now.

“I hope you know that if that opinion changes for any reason, there are going to be great consequences.” He looked down at the spot where she was seated on the ground, considering his options. Was there a point to torturing her into making her believe he was being serious? He … didn’t think so, honestly. The fear of what might happen was just as powerful.

“Especially as I don’t have a reason to be at all fond of your brother.” Considering the man had hit him over the head with a plant pot, he had no reason at all to be anything but angry at that idiot. “Or your … fiance, as it were.” He looked toward the door of the basement. “To make sure that you understand this is not just some petty threat, you’ll be staying here for the evening. Don’t forget how easy it was for me to make this happen, Magnolia.”

Her eyes widened at his threat, “You’re bluffing,” she said immediately, too stunned to think. Maggie felt her face get red at the thought of Geoffrey getting hurt, he’d actually attacked Braith, and Adrian hadn’t---he’d literally done nothing, she’d brought him into this unwittingly and---Maggie shook her head, pulling and tugging again to try and break herself free, “Braith, you’re not serious!”

Why wasn’t she more scared of him? Merlin, she knew she was being dumb, but she just wasn’t scared of him and it was---she knew he’d changed, but he still had to be...he was there somewhere, wasn’t he? They couldn’t have gotten rid of everything, he really could not be this terrible man he was trying to make her believe he was. Stupid, she was so stupid, it was as if he hadn’t planted a portkey in her locker and bound her in the basement of some unknown location. He was Braith, the father of her child and she couldn’t----for the first time since she’d landed tears struck Maggie’s eyes and her breath became short. Fighting him would get everyone she loved killed. As much as she wanted to believe his threat was a lie, Maggie knew that a death eater---he was a death eater, Braith was a death eater---would not hesitate in proving his point.

“Why are you doing this to me?” she choked out, knowing that she couldn’t do much more than that.

“Do you honestly think that I’m bluffing?” He let his lip curl up distastefully. “I merely need some assurance that you aren’t going to, in a fit of poor decisions, try and announce to the world that Josef is my son.” He … didn’t have any particular ill-will toward the child, and it was sure to be at least moderately gifted with magic considering who his father was, but he did not want to have to worry about Rhea finding out about his little bastard child (or any of the other people of the wizarding world, for that matter).

“I am sure that money will not be a problem, considering your husband’s apparent success.” He wasn’t going to bring up Maggie’s, since a lady playing quidditch was simply not proper. He’d likely just been seduced by her attractive body before, and nothing more. How weak he’d been -- yet another reason to make sure nobody found out about the child.

“Understand me when I say that I will not hesitate to kill your brother, your husband, and anyone else you love if you try to bring about any sort of inconvenience to me. I’ll come to get you in the morning, of course -- do mind the rats.”