Godric Gryffindor was a man known for his courage as well as his ability to rush into battle. Many admired him for this, while there were some who referred to him as being idiotic and foolhardy. This never bothered him because he had his morals, and he would stand by what was right.
Yet, what did bother him was what led him to be out in the middle of nowhere. A breeze ruffled his hair as he stared quizzically down at a sheet of parchment. The shade cast by the trees around him should have made the letter hard to read, but this definitely wasn't any ordinary piece of paper. It was somehow lit from within. Godric had never seen such a material in his life. He had even tried ripping a corner of it to see if there was something inside it causing the phenomenon, but proved that the light was being emitted by the paper itself.
The letter was a summons, requesting that he come out to this particular clearing in the forest for an urgent meeting. It didn't say who the sender was, nor what was so urgent. Even the courier who delivered it to him in London was not sure where it had come from. All he could figure out was that it had been found lying around in the courier's office, assumed to have been a misplaced and forgotten letter. The poor lad had even apologized profusely for the possible late delivery before quickly excusing himself. This left only one path for Godric to figure out what this was all about, and that decision led him to be out in the middle of a clearing, surrounded by nothing but trees and shadows.
Snap!
Godric swug around, drawing his sword at the sound of a twig breaking behind him. The battle hardened man stared intently at the dark figure lurking beneath the shadows of a nearby tree. He felt that the figure was familiar, but couldn't quite place him. It wasn't until the dark silhouette started chuckling in a deep and mocking way that Godric felt the tension leave his muscles. He started to sheath his sword as a pale man with dark hair stepped from the shadows, his eyes dancing with barely suppressed mirth.
"Jumpy aren't we, Godric? I thought a man of your courage wouldn't be so quick to draw his sword on an unarmed man." Salazar Slytherin tilted his head mockingly as a smirk played on his lips.
"We both know that you don't have to be armed to be dangerous!" Godric couldn't suppress rolling his eyes at the insufferably man he sometimes called friend, other times enemy. Salazar had always been a tricky fellow, one that you could never trust where you stood with him. One minute he is helping you, the next he is handing you over on a silver platter. It had always been that way since they were children, leaving the two locked in a love/hate relationship. "So it was you who summoned me out here? Trying to finish me off, eh, Salazar!"
"Temper, temper Godric! I would never try to kill you!" Salazar patted Godric on the shoulder in mock reassurance. "The world simply wouldn't be as much fun." He started to pace, absentmindedly stroking the stubble on his chin as his face finally grew serious. "I have also received these strange summons, and since you're already out here ready to cleave someone's skull off," Salazar paused, giving Godric disapproving look before resuming his slow stride, "I take it you have no idea why either."
"Could it be a trap?" The concern was evident in the warrior's voice.
"Maybe," Salazar stopped pacing again, this time to assess their surroundings. "But it wouldn't make much sense. Why not just kill us where we were instead of bringing us all the way out here? Besides, after reading the scroll I didn't feel as if it were a trap, but more like a call for help." Salazar jumped, startled by the sudden deep laughs being emitted by the man next to him.
"Then I have no idea why you would have come out here, Salazar! You haven't helped anyone but yourself!" Godric's voice carried a mixture of agitation and amusement.
"That doesn't mean I wasn't intrigued." Salazar felt his eye twitch. "After all, the bloody scroll was lit up. I was curious of what kind of magic could do this."
"You and your magic!" Godric shook his head. As smart as Salazar seemed to be at times, Godric believed that there definitely had to be a screw loose somewhere. "You know just as well as I do that magic doesn't exist. It never has and never will! Your foolish crusade to find ultimate power will get you killed someday."
"And I'm surprised you diving headlong into battle without thinking hasn't gotten you killed already," If there was one thing that Salazar couldn't stand, it was people belittling his beliefs. Preparing himself for what would most likely be the imbecile's violent reaction, Salazar said one of the best things to get under the idiot's skin. "Tell me Godric, have you got so many scars that you need your armor so the wenches don't gasp at your horrible body?"
Godric let out a bellow before charging Salazar. Rolling to the side, Salazar dodged the warrior's attack. Godric started running at him again, noticing the glint of a dagger's edge being pulled from the crouching man's tunic. Right before impact, Godric skidded to a stop. Both of them whipped around to face the forest defensively.
Hoof beats broke through the silence. Salazar and Godric quickly glanced at each other before giving a nod of agreement. Whoever was approaching must have been the ones who summoned them. Unable to rule out the possibility of a trap, they stayed in their defensive positions.
Two hooded figures on horseback emerged into the clearing. Yet again, Godric was hit with a wave of familiarity. Out of the corner of his eyes, he notice Salazar relax and tuck his dagger back into his tunic. The two newcomers caught his attention again as they started to lower their hoods. Relief flooded through him as he recognized Helga Hufflepuff and Rowena Ravenclaw.
"Judging by Godric's sword and Salazars' knife being drawn, I would say you two are still getting along smashingly." Helga's warm voice held a hint of disapproval. Godric quickly ran over to assist the two women dismounting.
"Helga! Rowena! It's so nice to see you both, looking as beautiful as ever! How are things going for you?" A smile had plastered itself onto his face, while a sour look remained etched onto Salazar's.
"Good, Godric! I'm still working on setting up orphanages all over the land for the children lost due to war. My kids at the first shelter definitely show promise in the way botany in particular." Helga chirped, elated to to talk about her current projects.
"As for me, I spend most of my time reading. Father hates my academic pursuits. He would rather me find a husband and settle down, but I have no interest in marrying. I plan on using my wisdom to change the world." Rowena's crisp voice cut in.
"And no doubt you will! Now that I know you were the ones that summoned me, how may I be of service to you both?" Godric gave a courtly bow in jest to his two friends.
Confusion flickered across Helga's and Rowena's face. They looked quizzically at each other before turning their attention back to the two men in front of them.
"Jumping to conclusions again, aren't we Godric?" Helga asked.
Godric's brow pinched as he tilted his head to the side. "You didn't?"
"We don't know who we were summoned by," Shooting Helga a bemused look, Rowena did her best to ignore the muffled laughter from Salazar. "I got this shining scroll by courier a week ago. I saw Helga in town and she had the same eerie tale. So, we decided to ride up here together. When we saw you and Salazar, we figured one of you two had summoned us."
"Which means then the author of these scrolls isn't among us yet." Salazar cut off Rowena after managing to compose himself.
"Give it up Salazar, we know it was you." Rowena looked pointedly at the arrogant man. "Who else would send us a disturbing glowing scroll?"
"I know I'm interested in obtaining power, but not even I have discovered how to make parchment glow! However, maybe you have in all those books you read!" Salazar found himself firing back.
"My books are based on facts and logic. There is no way-" Rowena was cut off by a loud crashing sound coming from within the darkness of the surrounding forest. Rowena and Helga darted behind Godric. Salazar guarded their back, dagger drawn and peering into the trees, searching for any signs of movement. Another thud emitted from in front of them. Godric squared himself off in front of the others, sword drawn. A third thud came, this time it sounded very close.
"What the bloody hell is that?!" The hairs on the back of Godric's neck stood on end.
"I think the writer of our scrolls is coming." Salazar edged in front of the women, more confident where the approaching sound was coming from.
"It sounds like a damn giant!" Rowena gripped onto Helga's hand.
Terror filled them as they watched the trees in front of them split. A large hand pushed the trees aside as a massive monster stepped into the clearing. It appeared to be covered completely in armor, the silver metal shining in the light. A grating, screeching noise hit them, causing them to jerk their heads upwards as the creature crouched down, it's head looming over them.
"Demon!" Godric sprung into action. He ran forward, swinging his sword in a wide arc that came crashing down onto the creature. Godric could only reach below the monster's knee, the rest of it's massive body too high out of range. Godric swung again, the sword bouncing off with a reverberating twang. He was banking on hitting the thing's tendon, even giants like this should be able to be brought down to size.
As Godric went to take another swing, felt himself lifted into the air. The monster held his blade daintily between two fingers as if holding a miniaturized toy. Godric was frozen in horror, still gripping the hilt of his sword, as glowing blue eyes peered down at him. The creature's cold fingers wrapped around him and pulled him away from the sword. The hilt slipped from his grasp, and he soon felt himself fly through the air only to land on the hard ground, rolling to a stop by Rowena's, Helga's and Salazar's feet.
The image of mouse being batted around by a cat filled Godric's mind. Trying to brush off the unsettling feeling coming over him, Godric pulled out a knife that had been concealed in his boots before preparing to charge again.
"Godric, stop!" Godric's shoulder was tense beneath Rowena's hand. She had reached out quickly to stop him, and she could feel that he was restraining himself from plunging into battle again. "If it wanted to kill you it already would have. I feel we must wait to see what it does next."
The glowing blue eyes swept over the group, before looking down at the blade being held between it's fingers. Its eyes quickly darted back to Godric before a grating noise signaled it's movement again. Slowly, it extended the blade back towards Godric. Confusion etched itself across his face. The hilt nudged his hand, but he remained stock still, unsure how to react.
"I think he is giving it back to you Godric. Take it!" Rowena hissed, her hand still resting on his shoulder giving him a gentle squeeze of encouragement.
Hesitantly, Godric grabbed the hilt. Rowena gave his shoulder one final squeeze before retracting it back to her side. Eyes still trained on the looming figure before them, Godric slowly sheathed his sword. Rowena stepped in front of him, causing Godric tense as the monster leaned towards her.
"Are you the one who sent us the scrolls?" Rowena's clear voice broke the strained silence. The monster seemed to study her, tilting its head to the side. A few seconds passed before its unearthly voice filled the clearing.
"I am." Another moment passed, before it continued. If Godric wasn't mistaken, it sounded like it felt embarrassed. "Forgive me. My name is Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots and visitor to your world."
"Visitor to our world? Then I take it you come from another world." Salazar's voice seemed to take on the silky tone he always had when trying to milk information out of others. "How interesting, what brings you here?"
It didn't make sense that a giant made of metal could look sad, but somehow the monster managed it. Shoulders slumped and looking away from the group of humans, one word escaped from Optimus Prime. "Megatron..."
A minute passed in silence before it was broken by Helga. "What or who in god's name is Megatron?"
"Before I tell you that, I will tell you of my home." Optimus shifted into what seemed to be a more comfortable position. "I come from a planet far away from here called Cybertron. We were a peaceful race until the discovery of True Energon. The most rare and powerful source of energy on my world. And like most societies, some wanted to use it for good and others for evil, which began a civil war. The Autobots and Decepticons fought for centuries for control. With the Decepticon victory at hand, those of us remaining Autobots fled with the last of the True Energon. Now we are refugees on your world."
Salazar stepped closer to the towering giant, "That's a lovely story, but I see that you failed to answer either mine or Helga's questions. Why are you here? And who is this Megatron?"
The metallic grating sound filled the clearing again as Optimus shook his head, emitted what sounded like a sigh. "Megatron is the leader of the Decepticons. The one who started the war, responsible for enslaving and killing the Autobots." Optimus leveled his eerie eyes on Salazar. "After years of searching other worlds, we have come here because humans have the qualities we need to complete our mission."
"And just what might that mission be?" Salazar was in full interrogation mood.
"To protect the true energon from Megatron."
"So monster, you have brought war to our doorstep. This isn't our battle, maybe we should turn you over to this Megatron. Perhaps he will give us a reward for doing so."
A chilly atmosphere seemed to descend on the clearing as Optimus loomed over Salazar, stooping to put his large metallic head near the skeptical man. "That would be most unwise. If Megatron comes here and finds the True Energon, he will enslave your whole planet."
Before Salazar could retort, he felt a sharp pain on the back of his head. "Oh shut up, Salazar!" He looked shocked as Rowena flexed the pain out of her palm, all while continuing to chastise him. "This being has obviously contacted us because he needs our help. Maybe we should hear him out before jumping to conclusions." Redirecting her attention back to the otherworldly visitor, she steered the conversation back on track. "Tell me Optimus, what is this True Energon? And why have you come to us?"
"Energon is what gives us our life force. We use it as energy, whereas True Energon wields incredible power. Whoever is in possession of it has the potential of ruling the galaxy."
"Then why don't you use what you have left to annihilate this Megatron?" Salazar questioned further.
"True Energon has been used in both sides of the war. It's what brought our race to extinction. It's the only way we can be sure the galaxy will be safe."
"Why choose us to be its guardians?" Godric chimed in.
"I have seen what's in humans. Traits needed to protect the True Energon: acceptance, courage, wisdom and cunning. Without those things I fear the galaxy may be lost."
"And just how do you expect us to protect it? These Decepticons sound like they are way more powerful than mere swords and shields. I'm afraid our methods won't be enough to defeat these brutes." Salazar inched forward, slightly past Rowena.
Optimus suddenly raised his hands in the sky, causing the group to jump back in surprise. Bright purple cubes came crashing out of the woods in dozens, emitting an ethereal glow. The four friends stood in awe at the sight of them. The air buzzed with an unseen energy, the purple light washing over the clearing.
"Magic!" Salazar gasped, jaw slack in wonderment.
"Oh, don't be silly Salazar," Rowena rolled her eyes at the dark haired man next to her. "These are clearly the True Energon that Optimus was talking about. But this does beg a question, how will this help us defend ourselves if we take this mission?"
"I will project the Energon into your bodies, and others around the world that are worthy. From there you will have the ability to manipulate it and use it to shape the world around you. Use this to train future True Energon users. Teach them, guide them, and if the Decepticons come, they will be fearful. But I will not force this decision upon you. If you decide to help us, we will give you the True Energon. If not, we will leave."
The four looked between each other, each assessing what this would mean for the future. Stepping forward, Godric unsheathed his sword. Bringing the blade in front of his face, Godric began to speak. "I will accept this mission Optimus. I swear on my own honor, I will protect this Energon to the best of my abilities."
"Well, if the great Godric Gryffindor accepts, I will accept as well.," teased Rowena. "After all it will take proper research to learn those abilities that Godric won't have the patience for."
Chuckles emitted from the other three as Godric looked sheepish, sheathing his blade again.
"We will need a bit of character too, so I'm in!" Helga's warm voice held a hint of her laughter.
"You being here puts us all in grave danger, but I will go along. I have a feeling these three wouldn't be able to do what is necessary to defeat this foe." The prior merriment seemed to have left the clearing in the presence of Salazar's cynicism.
"Scum," spat Godric. Although there was a hint of teasing in his voice, it didn't stop the agitation in him from showing through. Salazar brushed it off, this was the way things were normally between them. Godric would never learn to question others and think of the big picture, whereas Salazar would always be stuck questioning everything.
"I'm glad that you have accepted this. The Autobots show their gratitude!" Optimus Prime's voice boomed out, shaking the ground with its deep vibrations. "Now just as a warning, the True Energon will grow and expand overtime. It will seek out other True Energon users first, but the remaining will begin to shape the world in strange ways. It will also be up to the True Energon users to maintain and keep this secret to the rest of the world. Now, are you ready?"
All four friends nod their heads in agreement without any hesitation. Optimus raised his hands again, this time causing four of the cubes to come darting towards the quartet. They didn't have time to flinch before the the purple streaks of light slammed into their bodies. Barely maintaining their balance, the four were surrounded by a purple glow. Their vision misted over with a haze, causing them to miss the purple glow break into a shower sparks fizzling out around them. Hot liquid seemed to course through their veins, it felt like sparks were firing beneath their skin. One by one, they came back to their senses. It would be a lie if they said that they felt the same as before. The strong energy coursing through them, seeming to try to escape from their fingertips would be a constant reminder of this day. As they watched in awe, the rest of the cubes dispersed into the sky, shooting off into different directions.
"One other thing," Optimus's voice brought them back to the present. "You won't be able to control the Energon with just your hands alone. You will need a conduit." His chest cracked open, revealing four sticks. They floated down, coming to rest in his palm. "I have infused these with True Energon. They will be your controllers. Each one is made uniquely for each Energon user. Remember to use them wisely."
Optimus extended his hand to them, each one reaching out and picking one of the sticks.
"Where are you going to be?" Godric inquired.
"I will return to my ship for now. One day I will return with the rest of the Autobots, when the time is right. I leave the Energon to you now. Good luck."
Before any further questions could be asked, Optimus turned around and started walking away from them. He turned around and saluted the quartet one last time before he was swallowed up into the trees and shadows, the thumps and crashes getting further and further away.
"So what now?" Salazar piped up as silence returned to the clearing.
"I guess we prepare." Rowena was already sorting out the future problems that they had been tasked with. "Optimus said that it was up to us to teach and train new Energon users. Before we do that I suppose we should learn ourselves."
Helga glanced around the clearing before shrugging. "This seems like the ideal place to train."
"It would also make sense to build a school here. I think that a classroom setting is best to train our future students," Rowena assessed their surroundings, nodding her head in approval.
"We will call our new school Hogwarts!" Godric chimed in, wanting to contribute somehow.
Giggles erupted from Rowena at his silly remark. "Clever Godric."
"That's great, but does anybody know how we're going to explain to our new students that their abilities come from a being from another world." Salazar quirked an eyebrow, waiting for any suggestions.
"I believe you said something interesting, Salazar." Rowena said in a teasing tone."You called the cubes magic. It would make sense to keep with the mythologies of our time. So this True Energon will be called Magic!"
"Ah, yes!" Salazar's eyes were alight with a mischievous glint. "Magic!"