The Legend Of Godric's Hollow
Prologue
To say that Ronald Crane was a hero would've made many people laugh hysterically. For one thing, it is questionable to think that a paranoid schoolteacher, such as Ronald, would ever have the strength to be a hero. For another, well, no one knows exactly what became of him.
The day Ronald Crane came to Godric's Hollow in hopes of filling the vacant schoolmaster's position, was the day his life would change forever. He had no way of knowing of the dangers that lay ahead of him. He had no way of knowing the secrets of the of the Headless Horseman.
Sadly, Ronald is not the only one, whom had disappeared, never to be seen again. It would seem that he had taken with him, the beautiful Luna Van Tassel. A feat that no doubt, would have left Draco, Luna's courtier shall we say, furious indeed, had he not had an unscheduled appointment with the Horseman.
I am sure by now that you all are well aware of the legend of Godric's Hollow? No? Shame on you! You should never enter Godric's Hollow without prior knowledge of the Horseman. Perhaps hearing poor Ronald Crane's tale will be enough to convince you. I'm sure the intriguing thoughts of what may have happened to the poor schoolmaster would be enough to interest you into staying for a while.
You see Ronald Crane lived at home with his mother, father, brothers, and sister. The family was quite poor but they lived peacefully enough. Ronald, while quite frightened of many things, found that he really needed to start a life for himself and so he set off. That was how he came to Godric's Hollow. He'd read in the prophet that Lord Xenophilius Van Tassel was looking for a new schoolteacher to teach the children of the town, who were under the age of eleven. Ronald was quite obliged to fill the position.
Now, it is not particularly in one's best interest to enter a town without knowing its history. Much like yourself I might add. Ronald, unfortunately, was another soul who came to the town without any prior knowledge of the Horseman. I'm afraid to say, it seems to have gotten the better of him. In most cases, there's really nothing to worry about if you enter a town without prior knowledge of its history but in the case of Godric's Hollow, well, you're better off just not coming here at all.
The legend of the Headless Horseman has been passed around for centuries and it is quite common for one such as yourself, to disbelieve such an outstanding and rather insane tale. But I assure you, the facts are true and the events are as real as the skin on the back of your hand. The truth of the Horseman's history has never been quite clear. In fact, I'm sure only the Horseman himself can relay the tale of how he became such. However, one without a head would be, shall we say, incapable of relaying such knowledge?
The most common story of how the Horseman became is the tale of a young man who was but a soldier for the imperial army. He had supposedly betrayed his fellow soldiers and was on the run from captivity. Had he stayed and adhered to his punishment, what he would have received wouldn't have been so severe. However, he chose to run and that by nature of his fellow soldiers' ways meant nothing less severe than a beheading.
Away he flocked, galloping at tremendous speeds atop his black horse. He made it as far as the wood just beyond Godric's Hollow before the soldiers tracked him down. The young soldier had been trapped by his fellow soldiers, and the chief of the army pulled his saber. Not a sound was heard as the chief swished his blade easily, severing the neck of the young soldier who had betrayed them.
Now, this is where the story branches out into variation. Some people believe that the soldiers buried him along with his head in a grave under a particularly gruesome looking tree. Others say that he was buried without his head and that he constantly searches for it on his trips through the wood at night. Still others believe that he wasn't buried at all. Though no evidence of a body has ever been found, buried or not. I for one am sure that that is simply because no one has the guts to attempt to dig up a body. The only way to know for sure if the tale is real is to do so.
Oh, have I startled you? Honestly, I did not mean to, but I thought it best to give you a background on the specter that has been haunting Godric's Hollow for years. It would be more intricate for the tale of Ronald Crane to make sense. Do you not wish me to go on? There is more that must be known before I tell you of Ronald's sad story. No? You're all right with me continuing? Fine then. I am glad to hear that you weren't too startled that you did not want me to explain more.
As I've already said, no one knows exactly what happened to the Horseman or how he truly became but there is evidence that he does exist. Unfortunately, that evidence is depicted in the slaying of innocent townspeople. Every single case is always the same. Their body is found, missing its head and the head, is nowhere to be seen. To this day, the townspeople have yet to discover what becomes of the victims' missing heads. No one knows exactly what the Horseman does with the heads.
One theory is that he uses them temporarily in place of his own head, disposing of them whenever he gets a new one to take its place. However, some believe that if this were the case, the Horseman would stick to strictly beheading males and leave the females alone. They highly doubt he'd like a woman's head in place of his own. And so this theory is probably the least likely since both men and women have fallen at the fate of the Horseman's hands.
What's that you ask? You wish to know if it still happens now? Well, while bodies with a missing head are occasionally found, the number of deaths has dropped significantly since Ronald's disappearance. Some say he and Luna are to thank for that. And that my dear friend is why we call Ronald Crane a hero, despite all the unlikeliness that he is one.
Now, might I offer you a drink or a bit of food perhaps? You are going to be here for a while. The tale of Ronald Crane is quite a long one. I expect you'll want to be fed and watered so that you may not become famished during the story. It is quite a spectacular tale. I'm sure you will enjoy it immensely. While I myself have told it many a time, I never tire of it. I was there you know and the experience of the whole thing is never quite as good as a tale. However, I assure you, my story is one that will make you shiver with horror in all the right places. The townspeople have always said I know how to spin a tale. Well tonight, my dear friend, I intend to prove it.
A/N: And welcome to The Legend of Godric's Hollow. I'm quite sure by now that you've all figured out that this story is based on The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. I've spun it with a Harry Potter twist that I hope you'll all like. It's an idea I just couldn't resist. Anyway, please, please, please review. It's the only praise we authors get and it always compels and motivates me to write more.