Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, or any of its locations/characters.
This is my first ever attempt at writing fanfiction, hope you enjoy!
2nd May, 998 AD - Black Lake, Hogwarts
Helga Hufflepuff sighed contentedly as she gazed over the vast expanse of the Black Lake. The cloudless sky and lack of wind gave the surface the appearance of a perfect mirror, making it difficult to tell where the lake ended and the sky began if you looked to the horizon. On the nearest shore of the lake sat around two-dozen students, laughing with one another as they drew sketches of the Grindylows basking in the warm shallows. Some of the more adventurous students had removed their footwear, rolled up their trousers and were splashing around happily, seeing which of them could get closest to a Grindylow before it noticed them and shot away into the weeds.
It has been a little over two years since Salazar and Godric's falling out, an incident that had eventually led to Salazar abandoning the Hogwarts project, claiming it was doomed to fail. At several moments in time since that day, it had seemed that Salazar was right - their collective dream of turning this mystical, seemingly sentient castle into a world-class centre of magical education was absurd. Yet the remaining three founders persevered, collectively overcoming nearly every challenge that came their way - logistics, curriculum, housekeeping, Centaurs.
Unfortunately, they still hadn't come up with a way to banish Peeves or an argument convincing enough to persuade Godric that having that awful, singing hat of his sort the children into houses was a terrible idea. But Helga and Rowena continued to brainstorm about that particular issue.
"Ho, Lady Hufflepuff!" a deep, booming voice called from over her shoulder.
She turned towards the sound of the voice and saw a Centaur galloping his way towards her from the direction of the Dark Forest. She recognised it as Lorian - with his white-blond hair billowing over his shoulders, blue eyes the colour of sapphires gleaming in the late-afternoon sun. Lorian was one of the elders of the Centaur clan that resided within the Dark Forest, and the only Centaur she had met that seemed truly comfortable conversing with humans. It was he who had lead negotiations on behalf of the Centaurs when the four founders had initially arrived at the site where they decided to build their castle, and also he who had sort out the founders whenever the Centaurs had issues they wanted to raise.
Last week the Centaurs had found two students blundering about aimlessly just inside the treeline, apparently under the influence of some hallucinogenic berries they had found. Rowena had lectured the students on the dangers of entering the forest unaccompanied by a teacher, whilst Godric had joked that they should rename it the Forbidden Forest. Helga prayed silently that the students had listened and Lorian had some other issue to raise with her - having to escort more intoxicated minors back to the castle would not go down particularly well with the rest of the clan's elders. Dealing with the Centaurs had become a lot more bothersome now that Salazar was no longer here to intimidate them.
"Lorian, my dear friend, what brings you out of the forest this fine day?" asked Helga as Lorian slowed his pace and trotted over to her. All the students were now watching them, apparently deciding that this palomino Centaur was a far more interesting prospect than the Grindylows they were meant to be studying.
"Nothing good I'm afraid, Lady Hufflepuff. The skies grow dim, clouded with smoke and brimstone. I believe it best if I were to continue this conversation in the presence of Lady Ravenclaw and Lord Gryffindor, and not where your younglings can overhear us." responded Lorian gravely, glancing at the students who were now doing a poor job of pretending that they hadn't been eavesdropping on the conversation.
Helga nodded, sensing the serious tone with which Lorian was speaking and quickly dismissed her class with the notice that they had some leisure time before dinner. She then sent off Patronus messages to Rowena and Godric asking them to join her on by the Black Lake urgently, the ethereal badgers shooting away to opposite ends of the castle.
Rowena arrived quickly, soaring down from the tower she had taken for her house in her eagle animagus form. She smoothly transformed upon landing, quietly greeted Lorian before joining Helga in waiting for Godric. It only took a couple of minutes before a red-faced Godric jogged out of the castle's main doors and traipsed over to them, muttering under his breath about the stupidity of holding classes in the dungeons.
"Greetings, Lady Ravenclaw and Lord Gryffindor," Lorian began once Godric had recovered from his tiresome journey. "I come to you today with a message from our elders. Our clan has been reading the skies over our forest for centuries. We have watched the planets predict wars, famine and even your arrival to build your school here".
"What have you seen this time, Lorian?" inquired Rowena.
"That is the problem, Lady Ravenclaw. As I mentioned to Lady Hufflepuff before your arrival, our sight is being clouded. Centaurs will freely admit to misinterpreting the signs of the heavens before, but to not see them at all is almost unprecedented".
"What do mean by 'almost unprecedented', Lorian?" questioned Helga. "Is there a record of this phenomenon occurring before?"
"Not exactly, Lady Hufflepuff," said Lorian, shifting uncomfortably. "One of our clan's oldest tales, passed down from our ancestors is of Epona, also known as the Great Mare. It is said they when the skies grew dark and the heavens locked their gates, that Epona picked up her mighty spear and charged into the heart of abyss at Valynar's Barrow. There are several accounts of what happens next - I doubt any of them are remotely true - but the stories all agree that Epona disappeared and the Centaurs rejoiced, for once again were the heavens open to them."
"Er... well, that's a lovely story for sure, Lorian, but I'm not really understanding why you're reciting it to us." Godric chuckled humorously.
"I tell you this tale because it's happening again, Lord Gryffindor." stated Lorian, as if this were an obvious conclusion.
"And you expect one of us to go gallivanting off into the forest because a millennia-old Centaur fairy-tale says so? No offense, but I'm struggling to see how it's our problem if you lot have to find a different hobby than stargazing." Godric spat angrily. He had never had any patience with Centaurs, that's why he had always let Salazar deal with them when they first arrived here.
"Of course not Lord Gryffindor. We expect one of you to go gallivanting off into the forest because you agreed to in the treaty you signed six months ago." Lorian continued calmly, seemingly oblivious to Godric's quickly worsening temper.
"What are you on about? That treaty clearly states that we only have to intervene if the entire forest is at threat, not help out with every problem you Centaurs can't be bothered to solve on your own." retorted Godric, ignoring the winces coming from both Helga and Rowena at his less than courteous style of diplomacy.
"You are correct of course, Lord Gryffindor. Only when the majoring of our clan's elders consider the entire forest to be under threat will you be tasked with intervention - and as of this morning, we do. This goes beyond our clan being unable to read the heavens. Every tree in the forest whispers about it. Every stream carries warnings of its danger. Animals are fleeing from it, lest they be devoured by its insatiable hunger." Lorian proclaimed, the usual gleam in his sapphire eyes gone.
"What is this it you speak of, Lorian?" breathed Helga, almost scared to hear his answer.
"We do not know exactly. We only hear fragments of what the forest tells us, like trying to hear a whisper in a high wind. What we do know is that the corruption is spreading from Valynar's Barrow - the same spot Epona is said to have perished unlocking the heavens." Lorian replied solemnly.
The three founders looked at each other, none of them sure of how to respond to this mysterious threat.
"Do you mind if we have a couple of minutes to discuss this amongst ourselves, Lorian?" Helga asked, sensing that Godric had some things to say they would probably irreparably damage human-centaur relations if Lorian were to overhear him.
"Of course, Lady Hufflepuff. I will wait for your decision." said Lorian, before trotting off until he was out of earshot.
Godric was inevitably first to speak. "When Lorian talks about something blocking their view of the heavens, are they sure they're looking at the sky? I was gazing at the stars last night with my Astronomy class and could see them just fine."
Rowena sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger. "I believe Lorian was speaking figuratively, Godric. I'm fairly certain anyway."
"Does that really matter?" hissed Helga. "Surely the real problem here is that the Centaurs expect one of us to pop over to Valynar's Barrow - wherever that it - and somehow rid the forest of this 'corruption' that's troubling it?".
"What are the consequences of telling Lorian to bugger off?" asked Godric, a thoughtful look appearing on his face.
"The Centaur clan will consider us to be in violation of the Dark Forest Treaty of 997 AD and will probably declare war. We have nowhere near the resources nor the manpower for any sort of war, so I suggest you shelve whatever hare-brained idea you've just come up with." snapped Rowena.
"Shit," muttered Godric. "You don't think there's any chance those four-legged bastards are lying to us about this threat do you?"
Helga rolls her eyes at Godric's slur. "No, the treaty we signed was a magically binding contract. They wouldn't ask us to intervene unless they genuinely believed the forest to be under threat. Look, I think it's clear that we're going to have to do something about this, so let's go and see how many more details we can get out of Lorian."
The three founders quickly paced back over to Lorian, who was staring over the surface of the lack much like Helga had done before his arrival. "This lake is a thing of indescribable beauty, my Lord and Ladies. Yet not even it will be safe from the corruption when it reaches here. The surface will grow thick with diseased algae, poisoning those that live beneath its surface, either dooming them to a slow and uncomfortable death or twisting them beyond recognition if they are to find some way of surviving."
Choosing to ignore Lorian's rather depressing train of thought, Helga attempted to steer the Centaur back to a more productive line of thinking. "What can you tell us of Valynar's Barrow, Lorian? Who is Valynar? Where is it located?"
Lorian looked down at the floor, grimacing. "Valynar's Barrow is a place shrouded in mystery, Lady Hufflepuff. The story of Epona does not mention its exact location, nor the identity of Valynar. However, the fact that after Epona's disappearance it has never been found suggests that it lies north of Juturna's Tears, the river that runs through the forest about a day's journey outside Centaur territory. Throughout the centuries, every recorded instance of a Centaur crossing Juturna's Tears ends the same way - the Centaur is never heard from again."
"How is that possible?" questioned Godric. "Surely one of you has made it across and back!".
"I'm afraid not, Lord Gryffindor. Juturna's Tears is not simply a river. It is a boundary, between our side of the forest and whatever lies on the other side. The old stories suggest that once you cross the river, nothing is the same. Cardinal directions cease to exist, the notion of time fades away into nothingness. It is said that there is so much magic in the air that you can taste it on your tongue, that it infuses every living thing. Beasts of folklore and myth are said to roam freely, kept alive by the ancient magicks that have long dissipated into nothing in our world. Perhaps those that cross Juturna's Tears are met with a violent and bloody death. Perhaps they simply get lost, doomed to spend the rest of their lives wondering in circles never able to make it home. Or perhaps that once they cross the river, they no longer have any desire to return and leave out the rest of their lives in peace. My Lord and Ladies, whichever one of you crosses Juturna's Tears in search of Valynar's Barrow, I cannot guarantee your survival. In fact, I would probably bet against it. What I can promise is that your name will be revered by our clan for the rest of time, held up in the same esteem and we do Epona." Lorian ended his speech and turned once again to gaze over the surface of the Black Lake.
"Well, that's good enough for me!" joked Godric, desperately trying to bring some levity to the situation.
Helga regarded him solemnly, but did not argue knowing that Godric was the obvious choice for this dangerous excursion. "Are you sure about this, Godric?"
"I am, Helga. I was born a fighter, and whilst I have enjoyed this brief respite as an educator, I have grown discontent in recent months. My heart longs for battle, the feeling of enemies falling beneath my sword. I'll gather some supplies tonight and set off at dawn tomorrow." Godric replied with a serious not often heard from him, before cracking an inevitable joke. "Hey, you never know - just because every Centaur that's tried crossing this river has gone missing doesn't I will. Have you seen the things I can do with a wand?".
And so the three friends bid farewell to Lorian, and set off back to the castle. The next morning at dawn, Godric bade farewell to a tearful Helga and Rowena and set off towards the Dark Forest where he was to meet with Lorian. Lorian and Godric spent the day trekking through Centaur territory until they reach the point where Juturna's Tears could be easily forded.
Godric Gryffindor crossed Juturna's Tears without looking back.
Thirteen days later, the trees and streams fell silent, no longer warning about the corruption spreading from the heart of Valynar's Barrow.
The Centaur clan celebrated, with Godric's name being immortalised in poem and song.
Godric Gryffindor was never seen again.
AN: Bit of a background chapter, we'll be back in the present day next chapter.
