Silence and Motion

Fear. Some know it – some meet it everyday. Some sense it, lingering in the air like a crowd of swirling, sinking dust motes, and each time a particle grazes the ground , an impatient wind sweeps them up again, afraid that they might fall, perhaps, and never wake; afraid that there is nothing after stillness, except stillness and nothingness themselves. Afraid of what may never happen (the unknown) - death, so they run. Silence and motion – ever a circle.

Silence - with death perhaps - awaiting the end of its stillness. Motion, escape? Or fall…

The battle goes on regardless, and we stay silent (obediently, as we were taught in Auror training), and we wait patiently for the dust to fall: the opportune moment. Then MOTION and we move as we were shown before – blurred quick steps; the veil of muffled, tentative stillness slips away, and the echoes sound.

“PROTEGO!� The curses bounce harmlessly off our shields. A jet of vivid green light lifts the hairs on our skin. Harsh wind raises goose bumps, raised in motion – not in fear.

We are not afraid to fight.

We are not afraid to die.

We understand that it may be for a greater good if we were ever to perish in battle; it may be for the greater good if our deaths could help save the wizarding world.

“Stupefy!� The curse finds its mark, and a Death Eater falls.

Living is defending. Living is the vastness that represents motion between small – short – breaths of stillness. We live to protect.

It is part of our job. Part of being an Auror. We accept the ever-rushing blur that is the busy schedule of life. We accept the circular run of life-beginning and life’s end – the race to the finish line where we turn, leap, block and parry. Defend. Not everyone is good. It is up to us to defend the population from evil, it is down to us to defend the world.

Within the tasks of silence and motion rests trust. They trust us to fulfil our duty. They trust us – though it is terrifying, terrifyingly hard. It can be daunting sometimes, can seem hopeless, but we always have to try.

We are never afraid to try.

“Petrificus Totalus!� A Death Eater falls - silence .

“Protego!� But more keep on coming - silence and motion .

We have to fight. Fight together. Always fight – as friends (looking out for one another), as brothers (for together we can be strong).

Dust, motionless in (expected) silence, suddenly swirls and picks up into motion. Sluggish particles doggedly plough into pattern, ready to expect the unexpected, swirl and swirl and dance with unknown energy.

This war seems endless; we never know when another attack is coming. It may be today, maybe tomorrow, it may be next week; but we are always prepared. There is no difference between night and day, (duty or off-duty), always on our guard.

We are always ready to fight.

“Duck!� A Death Eater falls behind us. One more down, but more are arriving.

Each moment blurs into the next – the split second of silence marks the significance of a life.

We know we might not make it in this war. We know it, our families know it; and yet as tragic as it seems, when – if the time comes, they know what we must do. We know what we have to do. We are prepared for the losing situation, prepared to take on the enemy – when motion meets fall (meets disaster, but triumph, triumph) – and we will be prepared to drag them down with us if all hope is lost.

And we are not afraid to try, not afraid to attack.

“Crucio.� The pain is unbearable and yet time is still short – there is no time for stillness when time itself is swept along by the moving winds of battle.

There is no time for sudden recall of all that has happened in life, now lost. Memories are eternal, perhaps another time will be set aside to sit and remember – another time when stillness follows in leisurely, amiable silence and is not interrupted by -

“Stupefy!� … and so we must struggle on; motion – motion - no rest – no time to rest.

We are unafraid to continue. We are not afraid to go on.

There are five of them now. They surround the two of us completely. We have no escape and we know their orders, we know what they have to do; it is time . Voldemort takes no prisoners. (No prisoners of motion; silence is a more favourable option.)

We must be prepared to fight.

Though they surround us we might still break the circle. We can still rid the world of one more drop of evil; our side can still win the war even if we ourselves have lost.

Dust still swirls – soundlessly as it prepares to drift to a still. Silence is the opportune moment for victory; the balancing of worlds (of triumph and disaster) teeters precariously – an opportune moment before MOTION. (and fall).

“Petrificus Totalus!�

“Stupefy!�

It is no use. Though we are trying, too many of them surround us. There is no hope left, but we continue to fire our spells. We attack in the hope that one jet of light will penetrate their shields.

Motion, motion, motion (perhaps if we keep moving, the motion will continue, and we will not fall)

But it is no use.

And yet we stand on our feet. Together. Stand together, stand tall, stand proud. Determined. Brave.

We are not afraid.

We are not afraid to fight.

We are not afraid to –

                                                                                                        “Avada Kedavra.�

                                                                                                      “AVADA KEDAVRA!�

We are not afraid to die.