A/N: This was originally written for an out-of-your-comfort-zone challenge, which is the most important reason for me writing a Founders fic - and I can only hope that I succeeded. Hopefully you'll enjoy it! :)
Disclaimer: I don't own the world of Harry Potter
It's a feeling we've all had for some time now – a feeling of dread, knowledge that something is going to happen. We just don't know yet what exactly that something is.
This dread has made the overall atmosphere in the castle tumble down to a level previously not known to us, and the cold of the winter does the same thing to the temperature. As I sit in my room, she stumbles in, my dearest friend. She feels it too – we've talked about it a lot, this month – and I suppose she knows better than I do that something is about to shake our world. People don't call her the most intelligent witch of our time for nothing.
"How are they doing?" I ask, my voice barely louder than a whisper. In this weather, it doesn't seem appropriate to speak too loudly. She shakes her head, and we sit in silence.
Sometimes silence can be good, but right now, it's not. We're not used to silence around here. In all the time it took us to build the castle, to establish the school, only night time has ever been silent. For a long time, we were busy, building and thinking, using magic and using our minds. The silence has never been more present than it is now. At first, it's barely recognisable. Once you recognise it, it will not go away. It will swallow you as a whole, and never let you go again. That's what it feels like right now, at any rate.
"Still nothing," my dear friend now replies, breaking the silence. Her eyes shine with fear, and I know exactly what she's afraid of. This quarrel must end as soon as possible, but at the same time, we know that it cannot end in any simple way.
The quietness in the castle seems foreign for another reason. The students – are they in bed already? It is for the better, of course. They do not need to know what's stirring between two of their Professors.
As if they don't know, a voice in my head says, and with slight amazement, I recognise it as my husband's. Grief mingles with the dread I was already feeling, but suddenly, the both of us are standing upright.
"Was that – " I start, and she nods, almost imperceptibly.
"It was," she breathes, and we hastily leave the room. It's the beginning of the end. The end of the beginning.
Before we are out of the corridor, we know where to head. The place where every quarrel up until now has come to an end. The Entrance Hall. It has taken them years, but it appears that they cannot hold it back any longer. Their endless arguments will finish tonight, as will our endless attempts to mend. Under different circumstances, I would feel happy. Now, I can only feel anxiety. Anxiety at the prospect of what will take place within moments. What is probably already taking place, I correct myself.
Yes – it has started. We come to a halt as we see the two men – both our friends – standing there, theirs wands drawn, their faces filled with fury.
Rowena grabs my arm – whether to hold me back from rushing over, or to make sure she won't faint, I'm not entirely sure – and we stare at the scene in front of us. This is it. This is what we've been fearing for ever since the school opened.
Who should have a chance to study here? Little did we, Rowena and I, know that it was this seemingly simple question would start this fight. For years, we ignored it – we could ignore it – but now, with the first students ready to finish their studies, the problem has reached an entirely new level.
I don't know what caused this to happen – this duel between two of the most accomplished wizards I know. I don't know what the exact reason was to make their quarrel culminate into this, and that thought alone fills me with dread. What I do know is that one of them will leave tonight – alive rather than dead, I hope. They are friends, I tell myself. Deep inside, they still are. At the same time, though, they cannot live with each other anymore. They feel the need to fight it out.
We do not hear them precisely from this distance, but we see them bow shortly, take a few steps back, and point their wands at each other.
"Do you think he will win?" Rowena asks me, before they've even started. I don't even need to think of my answer.
"He is the better dueller of the two." Fully aware that I didn't really answer her question, I concentrate back on the men. Of course Godric stands a good chance. He is the best there is when it comes to duelling. He is also the bravest man I've met in my life, and I've met many.
Salazar is, of course, a good dueller as well. He wouldn't be standing here if he wasn't. He has the advantage of being able to break into Godric's mind at will; he can see what Godric will do before he starts uttering the curse. The question is, will he have time to break in before he will be hit? Won't Godric block him out? Will he have the time to block him out?
Godric shoots the first curse and misses narrowly. From this distance, I can't see if Salazar is only lucky, or if he actually saw the curse coming. Rowena tugs me closer to the scene, still holding my arm tightly. We're still not standing close enough to hear what they are shouting, but we do hear their shouts much clearer now.
Salazar fires a curse, and also misses. His curse hits the wall behind Godric instead, causing part of it to come down. Immediately after this, Godric sends a curse Salazar's way, and it appears that Salazar did not have the time to prepare sufficiently. He is hit square in the chest and he flies backwards. Before I know what I'm doing, I gasp, and I cover my mouth with my hand.
Rowena watches quietly as Godric walks over to where Salazar is lying, struggling to get up again. Suddenly, Godric hits the floor as well, and Salazar manages to finally stand up. The roles, it seems, have been reversed in only a matter of seconds.
Still, the fight is not over yet. It is far too soon. Salazar is once again knocked off his feet as Godric fires a spell at him, and after a struggle that seems to last hours, but in reality probably only lasts a few minutes, they are both standing again. Their eyes, as far as I can see, are blazing with fire; their grips on their wands are tightened.
"Don't let them die, please," Rowena mutters softly, resting her forehead against my shoulder.
"They won't," I try to soothe her, but I know I can never be certain. Standing here and watching them is all I can do – all we can do. Now we know what was to come, but this knowledge doesn't make the horrible fear I feel go away. Whoever loses will leave the school and will never come back. Whoever wins will remain here. It's like an unwritten agreement between the two of them.
The fight continues; both men fire a curse at the same time, and both duck. The Entrance Hall is almost alight with hexes. I have to admit, I'm stunned by the fact that Salazar is able to keep up with Godric so well. Both men block each other's curses and fire new ones, as if it's a circle they can't break out of.
Godric is standing almost with his back against a wall, but Salazar is nowhere near. As a matter of fact, I can't see him anywhere. Suddenly, he appears on the second floor, pointing his wand down at Godric, who ducks swiftly, and storms up the stairs as well.
"What are they doing?" Rowena's voice is barely louder than a whisper, or maybe that's what it seems like to me – the men, our friends, are shouting at the top of their lungs. It's not easy to make oneself audible in this situation.
"They're going to destroy the school." I fear they will, at least. All they want right now is to win this duel. They can't live in the same castle anymore. They want to defeat the other, and obstacles are blown out of the way.
Firing a curse towards the Entrance Hall floor, Salazar jumps down, Godric following quickly after him. There, they continue their duel. There's despair in their eyes, but also keen determination – they will not give up easily, they will not surrender if they don't have to.
The duel becomes more and more harsh every minute; they have realised that simple spells won't get them what they want. The curses they send towards each other get more and more destructive, and I fear for the castle. There is no way the students are still asleep now, but as long as they don't leave their dormitories, there's no cause for panic.
Suddenly, it's over. Or rather, it will be over soon. Salazar hits the floor once again, and his wand flies out of his hand. I can see a large cut in his robes, and blood drips onto the floor. It's over – Salazar is defeated.
Rowena knows this as well. Her breathing pattern is finally slowing down, but she keeps holding onto my arm as if it is this action of hers that will solve this whole situation. Godric knows that he must act quickly. But as he walks towards Salazar, he doesn't keep his wand directed at him, as is custom in a duel. He is supposed to point his wand straight at Salazar, who will then accept his loss and leave.
Instead, Godric pockets his wand and – my eyes widen. He draws out his sword instead. Rowena's grip on my arm is starting to become unbearable, but that's the last thing I'm worried about now. Godric approaches Salazar with his sword, as if ready to strike. As he stands over him, he lowers the sword as well, holding it barely an inch away from Salazar's throat.
"No," I whisper. He wouldn't – he wouldn't!
Rowena isn't as quiet. "No!" she shouts as loudly as she can, letting go of my arm, and both men look our way. They seem surprised that we're here. Rowena almost runs towards them, but it takes me a little longer to reach them.
I see the pain in Salazar's eyes, and the surprise in Godric's, as they scrutinise Rowena closely.
"Don't kill him," she begs Godric, "please."
His eyes have turned soft, gentle as they take her in. He will do anything for her, that's a fact known to everyone. He then turns back to Salazar, who places his hands next to his head in surrender, his wand still lying a couple of feet away.
"I've lost," he says calmly, and Godric hesitates.
"Don't kill him," Rowena repeats, and Godric's sword clatters down on the stone floor of the Entrance Hall.
"I won't," he tells her quietly. Looking back at Salazar, he swallows. "I'll let you live. Don't come back here," he says, and Salazar nods almost imperceptibly.
"Don't worry," he replies, standing up. "I won't come back." He goes to pick up his wand from the floor, and then he limps out of the Entrance Hall – out of the castle. Eventually, he will reach the boundary of the school territory, and he will be gone forever.
As I stare after our friend, Godric is still staring at Rowena, without moving. He will do anything, as long as she asks him.
"Thank you," she says simply, nodding at him. Looking down at the floor, he nods in acknowledgement. It breaks his heart, and I know hers is broken beyond mending as well. But they can't do anything about it. More specifically, she can't. She's married to another, with child, even – though I'm not sure if Godric has already been made aware of this fact. Either way, he respects the fact that the situation is as it is.
Without saying anything else, the three of us walk away at the same time, retreating to our rooms once more. There's nothing left that can be said tonight. There's only darkness, and the feeling of dread that certainly has not left along with Salazar.
A/N: So... what do you think? Love it, hate it, ...? Let me know what you think, please review! :)