Disclaimer: Universe based of that created by JKR. There are a few original characters, and the story will probably not follow HP canon timelines.
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There was a bowtruckle on the tree.
Its long fingers dug into the pieces of bark, trying to carry its small, wood-like body up as it made a steady ascent. Every few inches it paused, wiggling a finger around small holes in hopes of finding grub. The bowtruckle remained oblivious of the fact that it was being observed, as bowtruckles are rarely ever noticed. Instead, it pulled a plump, off-white larva out of a hole, skewered by one of its claws, and stuffed the squirming thing into its flat face. With no noise at all, it chewed, taking a moment to bask in the golden rays peeking through the little tree's limbs and trickling down between the leaves before deciding to continue its journey.
Eri had been very careful in crafting a spell just for these occasions. She had been able to walk soundlessly through the woods, leaving the creatures unaware, for the most part, that she was watching. She spent several minutes like this, crouched down in a squat while the bowtruckle climbed. With all the talk about the Dark Arts and mischief going on at school and in the news, she made a mental note of just where this wiggentree was, in case she needed to find it again. Of course, not much had happened near the muggles; the Ministry tries to run a tight ship. She wondered if anyone in the Ministry had marked this area out or if these woods would remain unbothered by outside wizarding forces that would surely take this tree and any others they found to make wands and the like. Eri preferred the woods as they were: peaceful and whole.
The little bowtruckle had made its way up and into a knot in the tree's trunk. Eri risked getting a little closer just to peer inside. The bowtruckle had cozied itself up in the knot, full of grub and ready for a summer afternoon's nap. A light breeze blew a few loose pieces of dark brown hair into Eri's face and rustled leaves around her. The tree creature was unfazed and Eri decided she had infringed on its privacy for long enough. She was quick to rise, tucking some of the loose hair behind her ear and back into her bun where she could before stepping back on the path she had been following. She'd first noticed the trail sneaking back into the trees while walking home from the town pub where she worked and had decided to take a looksee at it on her next day off. Unfortunately, with school starting in two weeks and the costs of her supplies coming up, she hadn't taken a day off in a month before now. Finding such an inconspicuous beast, however, had made a day without pay worth it.
She reckoned the trail led towards the lake that connected the backs of several nearby neighborhoods and thought it'd be nice way to end her adventure before starting back home. By the end of her still-silent trek, she was out of breath from the unexpectedly steep, uphill climb. Careful to check and make sure the large tree next to her was bowtruckle-free, she sat down on one of its protruding roots and looked towards the water rippling under the sun's gaze in the small valley below. The lake was not big at all and Eri could easily see across the banks. She had never been to any of the muggle neighborhoods around the area, but knew that somewhere beyond the hills children would be playing in their front yards, parents would be coming home from work, parking cars and making dinner preparations. The thought of dinner made her stomach growl and she was suddenly very thankful for the spell she'd placed on herself. She'd have to figure out what to feed Fornax later as well. It made her feel awful, but she couldn't bring herself to let him out to hunt while away from other witches and wizards, and she was sure he was slowly going stir-crazy from being cooped up in the house for so long.
Several other concerns started crossing her mind and it put a damper on the view. This would be her last year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, which also meant she had N.E.W.T.s to worry about, careers to consider, and who knew what else would end up coming her way. There was a fluttering of nerves deep in her gut and her heart started to race at the thought of the sheer amount of work that would be coming up. The O.W.L.s had been difficult enough, although she'd fared well. The memory of other students strewn across halls, grounds, and other public areas in near-manic stages attempting to cram countless facts into their brains and practice spells until their arms wanted to fall off made her shudder. She was so distracted by the idea of the N.E.W.T.s, she didn't see the boy lounging on the incline of the hill a few feet below, reading an old book with a loose cover, dressed in ill-fitting and mismatched, muggle clothes, with a dark, polished wand in his hand. She didn't notice the flicks and motions or muttered incantations; not even the sound of flipping pages could pull her back to reality. So, when the incantation was complete and the POP! sounded, followed by a flood of large, white flower petals, Eri gasped loudly and stood up. Again, she was very thankful for her silencing spell. The boy, now surrounded by petals, had gone back to reading whatever book was in his hand, and Eri remained unnoticed.
She couldn't see more than the top of his head and mismatched shoes, but the thought of finding a wizard here in the midst of all these muggles was both terrifying and exhilarating. She wanted so much to have at least some link to her world, any link at all during the times she came home, but at the same time, if any of the strict elitist of her house saw her working amongst muggles (much less serving them), there would surely be hell to pay. She couldn't tell who the boy was, much less if he went to Hogwarts or whether or not he was in her house. Everything in her ached to reach out, to make contact, to ask questions, but she couldn't bring herself to. She couldn't bring herself to risk so much.
The boy raised his wand again and then, wordlessly, completed another spell, spewing water from the tip of his wand towards the lake below. Perhaps he was simply practicing, but Eri knew she had never seen a spell for flowers like that. It had most definitely never been taught in a class. She wondered if, like she had, the boy had created his own spell. She couldn't worry about that now, though, as the boy had closed his book and was starting to get up. His long, black hair draped over his shoulders and a large, patchy shirt swallowed his lanky frame, but Eri couldn't see his face and the sun was beginning to set. She thought it best to take her leave, in case the boy planned to use the same trail she had. Regardless of her sprinting through leaves, bramble, and stones, not a single creature heard her coming and barely noticed she was there, which meant the boy would never know she had been watching.
She was nearly home before the spell wore off. She could tell when it did because everything around her seemed to get the smallest bit louder and she could hear her own footsteps against the cement sidewalk. It grew steadily darker along the way until, when she finally reached her street, the moon was bright overhead and the sky turned black. Cicadas buzzed, hidden in patches of woods. At least, Eri thought, it was cooling off now. With the small breeze continuing on from the day, it meant a cool home to sleep in. She turned down the tiny, dirt path that marked her house. To a muggle, the little trail would take then towards the tree line. However, a few steps in and they would get turned around, popping back out of the trees where they started. But for Eri, the sole Secret Keeper of 13 Foxridge Lane, a medium-sized, two-story building, kept standing by magic alone, stood just within the slight forest.
She opened the door and was met by loud, mewing protests.
"Fornax, please. It's me." Eri said, closing the door behind her before the monstrosity of thick, jet black fur could escape. What should have been a cat, but seemed just too big, was sweeping himself around Eri's legs, clearly agitated. "I know you would like to go out, but I just can't risk something happening to you." Eri stooped down to look Fornax in the face. "Let's face it, you look like a bloody monster sometimes, Fornax. The muggles would try to capture you for sure."
At this Fornax hissed and padded off through a dark hall and towards the kitchen. As her only friend in this place for almost her entire life, reading him was second nature to Eri. "Fornax, please don't pout. I promise, as soon as school is finished this year, I'll get a true witch's job. We'll move far away from the muggles if you'd like." She followed after the cat, lighting the Victorian lamps lining the halls with her wand as she went. Fornax did a circle around the kitchen before jumping on the marble countertop and looking back down the hall towards the family portrait hanging there, staring back towards them. She noticed Fornax's staring and looked over her shoulder. A man with bright blonde hair stood beside a gorgeous woman with lusciously brown curls cascading around her face and over her shoulders. Both were dressed in bright, regal robes. In front of them stood a white-blonde baby boy, only a few years old. His father's hand rested on his shoulder whether from pride or to hold the boy in place, Eri couldn't tell. The boy's young face held the delicate features of his mother with ease. The entire family was beautiful.
Eri turned back and walk towards Fornax. His tail flicked back and forth. He was still annoyed that she wouldn't let him out, but he allowed her to pet him. She ran her fingers through his coarse fur. "I miss him, too," she said softly. There was a dull ache in her chest; there was always an ache when she thought of him. Fornax began to purr, which sounded a lot like grinding due to his size. "He promised to come back when he found what he was looking for. He'll be back soon, I know it." Eri said this more for her own comfort than Fornax's. The letters that normally arrived ever few weeks had ceased and the two of them had been met with only silence for months. Eri was worried that something terrible had happened, but there was no way to know for sure unless it was reported in the news somewhere. She'd sent an owl at the end of the last school year and had yet to hear a response. It would be useless, maybe even dangerous, to send more.
She sighed. "Let's find you some dinner, yeah?" Fornax swished his tail once more. Eri let herself grin, trying to lighten the mood. "You'll never believe what I saw today," she said while rummaging around in the pantry. "A bowtruckle, can you imagine? How many people can say they've seen one in person? And so close to home." Fornax remained silent, but the way his eyes followed Eri as she cooked and how his ears pointed and flicked gave the impression that he was listening thoroughly.
"I finally had enough time to go along that trail I told you about. It gave me a chance to practice that new silencing spell, too. I don't even think the bugs knew I was with them. But, if a bowtruckle lives in that tree, it makes me wonder if fairies are around there as well. I'll draw a picture of the little thing when I write about it and show you. Of course, you probably knew they were around here, yeah?" She cut a glance at the cat. He flicked an ear and licked his lips. "I figured you might've. I really do wonder if anyone else knows what's out there. Not the muggles, obviously, but I'm sure I've read somewhere that wiggentrees are used in potions."
Eri turned back to the food, charming a spoon to stir whatever concoction she had brewing on the old stove. She continued talking about interesting bowtruckle facts, knowing fully well that Fornax was more magic than cat and probably knew all of it firsthand. Still, he listened, even happier to do so when Eri poured dinner onto a plate and placed it in front of him. With a wave of her wand, she had everything cleaned and putting itself away as she leaned against the counter beside Fornax to eat. She continued talking to Fornax, telling him about her worries with work and with affording her school supplies. She even discussed the anxieties she had about the N.E.W.T.s coming up in the new school year. Her palms got sweaty just thinking about it again.
"I mean, I know I know all the spells we've covered and those I've read about outside of the classroom. I know I can successfully do all of the spells. I'm just worried I'll forget which spell counteracts another and so on. I feel like I'm going to get them jumbled up." Eri shuddered again. "Maybe I should just practice more. I can spend all year practicing. I'll probably have to." Fornax responded by licking his plate clean and then licking his lips and paws.
Eri imagined herself in the library at Hogwarts, reading book after book on spells as she chewed. She could see herself out by the Black Lake practicing whatever spells came to mind at the time. The thought of a lake suddenly brought back images of the black haired wizard she'd seen earlier. "How could I forget," she mumbled, thinking about the boy and his original spell. "Fornax, did you know there was a wizard living nearby?" She looked at the cat. Fornax made a sound halfway between a purr and mew. She made a face at him. "Why didn't you tell me before now? You know how bad things could have ended up if any of them saw me? I know I'm not well-known at school or anything, but you know how those in the house can be. You've heard how some of them whisper about the muggles. They think them little more than animals. To find out I worked with them, that I take orders from and served them…" Eri shook her head. "I could honestly be in danger."
Fornax flicked his tail, annoyed again. "I know, I know… I'm over thinking it, you wouldn't let that happen, Rider wouldn't have left me with that kind of risk when he got me the job at the pub, but…" Fornax interrupted with a soft growl—a warning. Eri frowned. "Yeah, well, it's hard for me to put my trust in someone that can't even tell us if he's alive," she said sharply.
The cat, clearly upset by Eri's comment, hissed at her before jumping off the counter and bolting out of the room. Eri, truly alone now, exhale noisily before placing both elbows on the counter and burying her face in her hands. Her eyes stung as they watered, but she wouldn't cry. She was tired of crying over Rider and wondering endlessly what could have possibly happened to him. She took a few deep breaths, steadying herself as best she could before putting the plates in the sink and leaving the kitchen. She stopped at the portrait on her way to the stair case, and looked up at the blonde boy's face. Her hand was drawn to it, edging closer and closer to one of his plushy, pink cheeks. A blur of fur, swishing along, caught her eye and she froze, a mere inch from the boy's face, before withdrawing her hand. She looked around the room for Fornax, but he was gone and she was alone again. "I'm sorry, Fornax. I shouldn't have made a comment like that," she called out. Once more she looked at the cherub face of the young boy. "He'll come back. He promised." The words came out as a whisper once again for her own comfort. As much as her heart ached, she had to believe he'd come back. A few moments more and she turned away, shaking her head. She'd put Rider out of her head, yet again. Too much was about to start happening for her to worry about him anymore.
She climbed the steps to her room, suppressing the guilt bubbling in her gut. Her heart hurt, but her brain was still working, and she knew that no matter what, Rider would want her to carry on, handle her business, do what needs to be done, and live her life whether he was alive or not. She knew it and that's what she'd do. Even if Fornax was angry about it, he had to know that's exactly why Rider left him with her.
The house was still for a long time after Eri fell asleep. In the study down the hall from her room, a black, furry mass perched on the windowsill, looking out at the main street. Fornax sat unmoving— watching. The hair on the back of his neck prickled and stood up. Out on the street, a wrought iron light shone brightly. Partial shrouded in the shadows underneath sat a fox, equally still. It wasn't possible, of course, for an ordinary fox to see a house hidden by the Fidelius Charm, yet there it sat, staring up at the exact place the house should have been. Fornax's left ear twitched ever so slightly, almost positive that the fox was staring, not just at the house, but at the bright, amber eyes peering into the night from the second floor.
Together they sat like this for the better half of the night. No movement or sound until the sky started to grow light. Before the first few honeyed rays could break over the horizon, the fox stood abruptly. The next moment it was gone, trotting away from the house into neighboring yards and zigzagging between buildings. Fornax sat for a few moments more, watching the fox until it was completely out of sight, before letting out a yawn. The fox would be back, of course, under the light, as still as could be, looking up at a house that wasn't really there, just as it had been every night for a fortnight.
He hopped down from the sill and padded towards Eri's room. In one motion he was on the bed, burying himself in the blankets at the small of her back. Eri didn't notice.
Let me know what you think, what you like/don't like, what I am missing, etc... Feel free to review or send me messages. More chapters to follow and my hope is that this will only get better.
-LadyGhoul