Author's Note: Sorry this chapter took a while! But please enjoy it If not, then…..errrr….. sorry I wasted your time? Well, um, anyways- cheers! ^^
Disclaimer: I do not own any Harry Potter book because I am not J.K Rowling. Yup, sad fact that I was forced to come to terms with. :'(
Godric Gryffindor wished he had some alcohol.
But do not get the wrong idea; Godric's need to drink alcohol was for a legitimate reason. His intention wasn't to get drunk, but rather to get warm. Warmth was desperately what he needed at the time. He cast several warming charms on himself silently, but alas to no avail. Even the warming charms did not help with the mordant weather and Godric was afraid that pretty soon his toes will fall off.
This had all been Salazar's fault. It all started with Salazar catching a small cold. Later in the day the small cold erupted into coughing convulsions and Helga, being the sweet girl she was, insisted that Godric should go out into the violent snowstorm and get the herbs needed to nurse "poor kind-hearted Salazar" back to good health.
"Kind-hearted my arse," Godric replied under his breath. Which earned him a smack on the head from Rowena.
And now he was going to die from hypothermia. Yup, life is good thought Godric humorlessly.
It was then that he saw it. A small muggle village that looked like heaven in Godric's eyes even though the huts looked tattered and old. The huts were becoming slightly buried under the snow. The village looked vacant, but Godric knew that everyone was inside. After all, who would go outside in this kind of weather?
All Godric could imagine was a warm fireplace and a couple sips of alcohol….. just to become warmer of course. His entire body felt numb and his clothes felt like weights. He felt like he could fall down in the snow at any second in defeat, but he willed his feet to trudge though the snow and to the nearest hut. What took 30 seconds to reach the hut felt like 30 minutes in an icecube.
Finally he lifted his blue shivering fist and knocked on the door. He waited for approximately 27 seconds (yes he was counting) until desperation kicked in. Godric usually was not desperate for anything and never begged, but when there is a possibility of dying from hypothermia he figured he would make this exception.
"P-P-Please let m-me in!" Godric stuttered. "I-I n-need t-to get in! P-p-please!" his throat felt dry.
He felt like giving up and walking to the next hut when suddenly he heard a sharp voice say, "Who are you?"
"G-Godric C-Clevertend," Godric would not give his name to anyone that could be a potential enemy.
The door opened a small crack and revealed a middle-aged woman with her hair sleeked back tightly into a bun. She opened the door wider and inspected his rugged state and shivering body. She frowned and stepped aside so that he could come in
"Come in quickly," she said and shut the door behind him. The room was not very warm, but it was an improvement from outside. The lady led him to the fire in the back of the room and immediately got his some blankets. She gave him a cup of steaming tea and Godric muttered, "Thank you ma'am."
The lady's mouth twitched into a smile, "You are welcome, sir." She inspected him again. Once she seemed satisfied that Godric was comfortable she sat across from him in a small stool. Godric glanced around the room. It was very small. There was a small fireplace, a chair, a stool, and a bed. He noticed wild black hair poking out from a bundle of blankets on the bed. Was that her young son perhaps? She seemed quite old to have such a young son.
The lady must have caught him staring because she quickly said, "I found him outside a couple of days ago." Godric raised in eyebrow in disbelief. From what he could see of the boy's form, he looked as though he could be five. Why would such a young boy be out in a snowstorm without anyone else?
As if she was reading his mind, the lady sighed and said, "I don't know why he was outside either. He was so young and two days ago I looked outside to see how bad the weather was becoming, and I saw him a couple of yards away from the house. He was just lying there face-flat on the snow. I thought he was dead, but when I took him in he was still breathing. He has been unconscious since." The lady suddenly looked even more tired then before and she sat up and strode to look at the boy lying peacefully in the bed. Worry filled her tired eyes and Godric realized then just how caring this lady was.
"That was very kind of you to take him in."
"I couldn't just leave a young kid there to die."
Godric smiled. As stern-looking this woman looked, she still had a personality that reminded him of Helga. If only Salazar could see this caring side of muggles instead of the muggles' destructive nature.
Godric walked up to stand next to her, "I'm sure he will reawaken soon," he said. The lady turned to him and smiled back at him. Godric thought this made her look years younger.
"Yes I think so too," she said. She smoothed back the boy's hair and Godric saw a long curious cut on the boy's forehead. He could have sworn it looked like a lightning bolt.
"What's that?" Godric asked as he pointed toward the boy's forehead. The lady frowned once again and pushed back the boy's hair on his forehead again.
"I wondered about that too, " she said quietly. "Odd shape for a scar isn't it? Quite manly in my opinion." Godric snorted in humor.
However, as he looked close at the scar, he frowned. He could almost feel the dark magic emitted from the scar. He never felt anything like it before. It was undeniable that this young boy had been touched by dark magic. Godric stared intently at the boy's lightening bolt scar, then his eyes trailed down to two circular wires perched on the boy's nose. What in Merlin's name was that?
"I don't know what that is either," the woman said. Godric gaped at her. If she kept creepily knowing exactly what he was thinking about, he really would mistaken her as a mind-reader! In the wizard world, anything is possible. In fact, Salazar once told him that he believed that there was a way to read someone's mind. "Good luck with discovering how to do that. I'm sure you'll figure it out someday," Godric said sarcastically much to Salazar's annoyance. Perhaps he should kidnap this woman and let her teach Salazar her mind-reading abilities? Nah, Godric thought, he would probably want to get rid of her once he realizes she's a muggle.
The woman went back in the middle of the room to sit on the stool. Godric followed her and sat on the small chair again. "He had a couple of nasty cuts and bruises when I looked over him. He's also malnourished, but these days many children are," the lady sighed sadly.
"He's too young to wander off on his own," Godric said while shaking his head. The woman looked at him curiously.
"Aren't you a bit young to be wandering off on your own in this type of weather?"
"I'm nineteen!"
"Which is still young," she said while raising an eyebrow. Godric rolled his eyes. He was already very independent. He, Rowena, Helga, and Salazar were all independent, but because Godric and Rowena were the oldest of the group, they would usually take responsibility. Rowena and him were both nineteen while Helga was seventeen and Salazar was sixteen. They all relied on each other, but were independent at the same time.
When Godric didn't respond, the lady continued, "So why did you go out in such weather? I didn't think any idiot would dare to do that, but I guess I was mistaken."
Godric glared at her, but a smile played on his lips. Perhaps Salazar and her would be good friends? "My cousin was sick and I knew there was a village out here," he lied smoothly, "I figured the village would have a healer or someone that could help. The snowstorm was just starting and I got stuck in it. I didn't know where I was going after a while, but I made it here."
The lady looked at him sympathetically, "Aah, you must be very worried for your cousin."
Godric resisted from snorting. Worried about Salazar? He would be good as new in no time! Godric would rather like to see Salazar suffer for once. He still was resentful at the time Salazar talked a snake into going into his bead while he was ill.
Of course, he wouldn't tell her any of this, "Yes, very worried," he said instead.
"Are you going to go back soon to take care of your cousin?"
Godric sucked in his breath. Yes, he would have to. He took way too long and they would already be worried. "Bloody brilliant," he muttered, "I suppose I will. I could help to see what is wrong with the boy. I have a small background in medicine," Godric lied once again. He truly was interested in the boy. He knew the boy was magical, quite magical in fact. The boy didn't even wake up yet and Godric could feel the boy's magic in the room.
The woman smiled at him, "Please do. I'm starting to get worried that he will not wake up. And he can't stay here forever either. I don't have enough money or food to provide even a child… " The woman looked distraught, a weary look on her face.
Godric walked over back to the boy. The boy had baggy clothes and on his wrists were scars and bruises just as the woman said. He was very skinny and small. The wires around his eyes made him look even odder.
"Were these really the clothes he was wearing?" Godric asked. These clothes were enormous for him.
The woman shook her head, "No. He actually had this on, but it was wet from the snow and blood was on it so I put some of my clothes on him," she pulled out the boys clothes. "They look very odd, I haven't seen anything like it."
Godric examined the clothes carefully, "Neither have I," he muttered. It looked like a different style, and not a nice one at all. The shirt was gray and baggy while the pants were made of a material he was unfamiliar with.
Godric put his hands over Harry and at once felt the magic running through Harry's veins, mixed in his blood.
After a couple minutes of contemplation Godric said, "I believe he just needs rest and food. It would be good to get rid of those cuts as soon as possible. I know a couple of herbs that would do the trick."
The lady beamed at him and Godric swelled in pride. He walked to the door and peeked outside to find that the snowstorm was lessening, he would be able to make it back home.
"Thank you so much Ms…errrrr."
"Frener. Ms. Frener."
"Ah, thank you Ms. Frener for your hospitality, but I have to go now."
Ms. Frener frowned slightly, "Are you sure, it's still pretty rough out there."
Godric smiled, "I know but it's essential that I get back. My cousin is sick after all." Rowena will be so angry when she finds out I brought back nothing, Godric shivered at the thought.
Ms. Frener seemed slightly disappointed and Godric quickly said, "But I'll visit again soon. I have clothes that would fit the boy," or I'll just transfigure the clothes I have, " and I will be glad to give it to him."
Ms. Frener lips twitched and she said, "It was good to meet you Godric Clevertend."
"You too Ms. Frener."
With that said, he left the lady and mysterious boy in the hut while he trudged back into the wintery snowstorm.
