Gilderoy was the first to wake, again, and rolled out of bed to peel back the flap of the tent. The storm had vanished, the azure, sunny sky replacing the dark clouds. He looked North and saw there were more storm clouds building behind the mountains. They would receive rain again today.
"Dunstan, wake up!" Gilderoy called as he changed into his clothes.
The silver-eyed man slowly woke and Gilderoy could see a flash of silver under his pillow. There was no doubt that it was his silver dagger underneath the pillow. Gilderoy briefly wondered what dangers a man has faced to sleep with a knife under your pillow, but realized that Dunstan must have had his fair share of sleepless nights if there was a kernel of truth in his stories.
"Storm's let up, but I think we'll get some later today." It was Gilderoy's turn to play weatherman.
"To be expected," Dunstan grunted as he looped a belt around his waist and sheathed his dagger into place, "We should go see if we can get a good breakfast from that house."
They decided to leave most of their belongings underneath the overhang. There was no way to know whether or not the denizens of the house were Muggles and it was best not to take any chances. Dunstan dunned an overcoat and opted to leave his dagger in the tent. He replaced it with his wand and thought whoever lived in the house wouldn't question a stick around his waist. Gilderoy slid his wand into his pocket and brought out a fresh shirt so they didn't seem like a pair of drifters.
Approaching the house, Gilderoy could smell something sweet and smoky even from a distance and his stomach grumbled. They had nothing but small provisions they would have to save for the treacherous mountain pass. Even then, there was barely enough food to get them home, but they could at least Apparate after they survived the ordeal. If they survived the ordeal.
"We can't stay longer than a day," Dunstan gave out last instructions before they knocked on the door, "Hopefully we can just get some food. If they ask, we're on a mountain expedition and we like hiking."
"Do I look like a hiker?" Gilderoy worriedly asked.
"Not in the least, but flash those pearly whites and they'll be blinded enough to not notice," Dunstan smirked.
Always with the teeth jokes. Is it my fault I'm blessed with perfect, straight teeth?
Dunstan knocked heavily on the door and dusted off his jacket. Gilderoy did the same, realizing they had to make a good impression if they wanted any chance at fresh food. The smell was making his mouth water and Gilderoy made note to be as charming as possible.
"Who's there?" a voice called out from behind the door. Dunstan looked at Gilderoy as if to say, Told you they'd be suspicious.
"Just a pair of hikers hoping to get some food!" Dunstan called back.
"And how do I know that?" the man asked again.
"We have nothing here with us," Dunstan held out his arms and twirled around and Gilderoy looked at him in confusion. The older man jerked his head towards the window and saw a pair of blue eyes staring at him. Starting, Gilderoy mimicked the motion to reveal he had no weapons.
"It's a long hike through the mountains and we'd love to get some food for the day. Please, sir," Dunstan turned up the charm, his voice rising to a pleading tone. He impressed Gilderoy with the way he could add a certain convincing lilt in his voice.
The door wrenched open and a rotund man with a big butcher's knife looked at them wearily. Dunstan held out his arms again and Gilderoy foolishly repeated him.
"What are you, his little whipping boy?" the round man asked.
Gilderoy bristled at the accusation, "I'm his partner."
The man continued to stare at them, his eyes darting back and forth to ascertain their worth. Dunstan sighed and lowered his arms, "Please, sir, it's another couple days journey through the mountains and we were caught in that torrential rain last night. We'd love to just get some breakfast."
Gilderoy could see the man didn't want to relent, but then a woman, presumably his wife by her age, popped out from behind him. She was pretty, in that middle-aged way, and looked at the pair of them with slightly less suspicion.
"You're not going to make any trouble?" Her voice was sharp and accusing.
"No, m'am," Dunstan replied with a bright smile, "We took shelter at the overhang over the cliff bluff," he pointed in the general direction, "Just want a good breakfast before we head into the mountains."
The man narrowed his eyes and gripped the knife tighter, "And what business do you have in those mountains?"
"Just hikers going through the country," Dunstan pleasantly answered.
The husband and wife looked at each other and for a moment, Gilderoy thought they were going to deny them that warm meal that was cooking inside, but after a look, they finally relented.
"No funny business!" The man pointed his knife at the pair of them before stepping back and letting them inside.
"George! Manners!" The wife scolded him after he pointed his knife, "I'm sorry about him. We get a lot of stragglers out here trying to steal our crop and food, so we tend to be a bit suspicious, but you two don't look like any stragglers."
Gilderoy threw a bright smile at her and the older woman blushed underneath his gaze.
Still got it.
"We promise to be out of your hair as soon as we can," Gilderoy continued to smile at her, hoping to put the woman at ease.
"Ingrid! Set some extra plates and get some chairs from the back," George barked.
The girl in question revealed herself and Gilderoy found himself looking at the blue eyes that were peering out the window. She was very pretty, her blonde hair curling around the nape of her neck and a small, delicate nose that sparkled against the firelight. Her blue eyes were exquisite, the same color as the sky and her body was pleasant and still growing. She looked to be no older than sixteen and Gilderoy flashed her a smile as well. She blushed, much like her mother, and meekly said hello.
"That's Ingrid, my daughter," the mother boasted.
"But you haven't told me your beautiful name," Gilderoy teased, used to this game.
The woman giggled girlishly, "I'm Angie. And you are…"
"Sir Dunstan Wilkinson," Dunstan held out his hand for a friendly handshake.
"Sir?" Ingrid blurted out with raised eyebrows.
Dunstan smiled genially at her, causing a crimson blush to spread across her pale skin, "Yes. Her Royal Majesty did the deed herself some few years ago."
"And what'd you get knighted for?" George came back, asking him with his hands on his hips.
"Helped out during The Troubles," Dunstan gave the same story, omitting the part where he killed the Bastard of Shankill.
"Well, you two can't be all that bad!" Angie blustered, "Imagine - a knight under our roofs! Ingrid, get the good china."
Ingrid smiled at Dunstan and shyly crept away to set the table. Granted a moment of reprieve from the family, Gilderoy looked around to survey the house. It was a medium-sized house with only one floor but plenty of space. They entered though the living room and the kitchen was to their right, two steps raising it above the rest of the room. There was an island counter in the middle of the kitchen where a medley of ingredients were splattered about. The fire burned brightly in the corner while George cooked away at the stove. They were definitely Muggles by the look of it. Between the living room and the kitchen was a hallway that Gilderoy surmised led to their bedrooms.
"And you?" Angie turned to Gilderoy and he realized he had yet revealed his name.
"Gilderoy Lockhart," he introduced himself, "Adventurer extraordinaire!"
"Oh, a traveler! And where have you been?"
"Well…you see…" Gilderoy hadn't thought that lie out and looked to Dunstan pleadingly. Dunstan had a twinkle in his eye and shook his head but intervened nonetheless.
"We've journeyed as far East as India and as far south as Somlia. We left school together and made a pact to travel the world and explore the edges," Dunstan sat down on a chair.
"Left school together?" Angie looked back and forth between them, "You must be at least a couple years older than Gilderoy over here."
"We went to a boarding school. I sort of took him in as my protégé," Dunstan smoothly lied. Gilderoy was impressed again. Was that the key to all of Dunstan's success? He had pulled that lie out of thin air and silkily passed it along as the truth with nary a pause. On the other hand, he stuttered through the first question with on plan at all.
"Well, isn't that precious," Angie gushed, "We're glad to have you here then. Come on! Food's almost ready."
There was an assortment of food, bacon and hashers and waffles among them. Gilderoy ate greedily, not knowing when he was going to receive his next good meal. It became clear that Angie did most of the talking. Ingrid interrupted every now and then with her own little anecdote, but it was obvious she was very shy and blushed every time she made eye contact with Gilderoy or Dunstan. George grunted answers, probably still weary of his new guests, but he warmed up eventually, asking a few questions of his own.
The family owned the plot of land through heritage and grew crops and other food for neighboring towns and villages. It was a decent living and the family was usually counted on to bring in a good harvest. Their daughter was home schooled since there weren't any schools for some distance, but they hoped she would attend University when the time came.
"I'm sure she's very smart," Gilderoy winked at her lightheartedly and Ingrid buried her head in her food again.
"Brilliant!" Angie clapped her hand excitedly as any proud mother would, "Poor thing's going to have to come out of her shell when she moves away."
"Mum," Ingrid gasped, "Stop it!"
"Oh shush, Ingrid, you know its true."
Gilderoy chuckled, finding their interplay honestly amusing. He was sore from the long walk the day before and enjoyed sitting down to eat a good breakfast by the fire. Dunstan seemed to enjoy the food as well as he dug into the apples.
"These apples are delicious…ripe for the picking," Gilderoy munched into the apple as he looked at Ingrid's blue eyes.
"Picked them just a few days ago," George puffed his chest proudly, "Should bring in a decent haul."
"I have no doubt it will," Dunstan answered, "So…delicious," he looked at Ingrid yet again and Gilderoy looked at Dunstan, puzzled, but the older man didn't meet his eye.
"How do you get all this food to the towns anyway? I don't see a broom," Gilderoy honestly wondered how they did it but realized his folly too late.
Dunstan didn't overtly glare at him, but he did look pointedly at Gilderoy while the rest of the family stared on in confusion. Tugging the collar of his shirt, Gilderoy smiled weakly.
"You know - to sweep all these apples in."
They were still looking at him with odd stares, but Angie slowly answered, "Well…we usually take the car, but the front wheel got a flat the other day."
Gilderoy almost slapped himself in the forehead.
Of course, a car! Muggles…they're Muggles.
"A flat?" Dunstan tried to veer the topic away from Gilderoy, "Well, we could help. It's the least we could do for this amazing and delicious breakfast."
"Don't think you'll be much help, lad. Got to wait until someone from town brings in a new tire," George grunted.
Dunstan's eyes shined and he let out a sly grin as his eye curiously caught Ingrid's again, "I've learned a trick or two in my day."
So they stood up after finishing breakfast, Dunstan's hand casually glancing with Ingrid's as they reached for the same plate. Ingrid snapped it back and her eyes were wide as she looked up at Dunstan's towering form. Dunstan smiled at her and Ingrid quickly grabbed her plate and deposited it in the sink, fleeing to her bedroom. Gilderoy rolled his eyes at Dunstan and waited until the husband and wife were out of earshot.
"Stop flirting with the poor girl! She's going to swallow her tongue if you smile at her one more time," Gilderoy admonished him, but there was no sting in his voice.
Dunstan shrugged with a mysterious smile, "I can't help it."
Gilderoy was glad Dunstan was sent to the back to help with the Muggle car. Gilderoy offered to wash the dishes, but Angie would have none of it. Instead, he entertained her with altered versions of his youth, careful to omit anything that might have been magically suspicious. Angie bought it all, laughing and hooting at all the right times and offering advice in others.
It was about an hour later when George and Dunstan returned from the back where they presumably kept the car. Judging from the wide grin on George's face, Dunstan had probably managed to fix the tire.
"I might have thought the worst from both of you, but fixing that tire was nothing short of a miracle!" George had apparently forgave them for intruding into their lives.
Dunstan shrugged sheepishly but Gilderoy could tell he didn't mean it, "Just a bit of magic is all."
"Magic it was. Still don't know how you managed to fix that gaping hole," George was smiling and shaking his head to himself as he wiped off his hands, "Please, stay for dinner! I bought some turkey a couple days ago and we're cooking it tonight. You have to stay. It's only polite."
Gilderoy was about to tell them they should be on their way to avoid the storm, but Dunstan suddenly interrupted him.
"Sure! We'd love to stay!" Dunstan eagerly replied.
Gilderoy looked at him questioningly, wondering if he had forgotten the instructions he gave to Gilderoy this morning. Dunstan was still smiling at the couple but shook his head with a small motion and looked at him as if to say, Later.
There was nothing Gilderoy could do but agree and so they stayed at the house for dinner, exchanging stories throughout the afternoon. Once or twice, Ingrid would dash to the kitchen to get a snack, but apparently the pair's presence was too much for her as she immediately retreated to her room each time.
"Forgive her, she's a bit shy," Angie said.
"It's quite alright," Dunstan said, "She's very beautiful."
"Takes after her mother," George beamed at Angie.
They continued small talk until it was time for dinner. George and Angie stepped into the kitchen and started cooking, moving about in perfect choreography. It smelled absolutely wonderful again and Gilderoy suddenly agreed with the decision to stay. They had a wonderful dinner with turkey and potatoes and the family informed them they had a guest bed room with a pair of beds they could stay for the night. Gilderoy initially declined, but the storm had returned and there was no choice but to stay.
"Is our stuff going to be okay?" Gilderoy asked when the family called it and a night and he and Dunstan were alone.
"They should be. No one else should be coming along that overhang anytime soon. We'll leave tomorrow."
Gilderoy nodded as he turned in for bed. He had one more question before he slept, however, "Why'd you want to stay?"
Dunstan waited a long time answer what was supposed to be a simple question. In the end, he finally said, "No reason."
Gilderoy couldn't really find a good rebuttal and it was as good an answer as any, so he fell asleep, grateful he wasn't out in the torrential downpour.
He woke first, the soft snoring of Dunstan letting him know the adventurer was still asleep. Unable to stay in bed any longer, Gilderoy dressed and headed towards the kitchen, hoping someone else was awake at the early hour. To no surprise, Angie was standing in the kitchen, sipping on some tea.
"Tea?" she asked when he stepped in the room.
Gilderoy accepted the offering gladly, drinking the earthy contents. George came in through the door, grumbling about something or the other but brightened when he spotted Gilderoy.
"Gilderoy, do you mind helping me out at the crops? I'm not as strong as I used to be," he asked, his eyes pleading.
Seeing as how there was nothing else to do until Dunstan woke up, Gilderoy agreed despite his reservations about getting his hands dirty. He wished he could just wave his wand and transport all the bags into the wheelbarrow, but he couldn't reveal himself in front of Muggles. Angie followed them out back, plucking apples from a tree and other crops that had already grown.
It took about an hour's work, but as Gilderoy looked North to the mountains, he found nothing but clear skies. Hopefully, the storms were over. He didn't quite envy trying to navigate the mountains under rain and thunder. They ventured a bit further into the crop field, Angie following them along as they threw more things to collect in the wheelbarrow. It was hard work and Gilderoy didn't particularly enjoy it, but what else was he supposed to do for the family that fed them for a whole day? Mercifully finishing, they trudged back towards the house and walked through the door, hot and sweaty even in the slightly cool air.
"Ingrid! Set the table!" Angie called out to her only daughter.
But there was no response and Angie frowned. "Ingrid?"
The three of them waited, curious as to why Ingrid wasn't responding. According to Angie, Ingrid was usually an early riser and would probably be awake by the time they finished picking crops. They continued to wait until they heard a muffled noise.
"Ingrid?" There was worry in Angie's voice now as she quickly hurried to her bedroom. She flung open the door, Gilderoy and George behind her but found no one in there.
"Ingrid?" Angie cried out in a more worried tone.
They heard another muffled sound, but this time it was coming from the guest bedroom. Before Angie even started for the separate room, a feeling of dread was creeping along Gilderoy's spine. There was something. There was something incredibly wrong with the situation and Gilderoy wanted nothing more than to weld the door shut so he didn't have to know. He quickly followed Angie to the door, hoping he was wrong.
He couldn't have been more right.
Dunstan was hunched over Ingrid, shirtless and his pants crumpled around his ankles. His hand was clamped over Ingrid's mouth and the blonde girl looked tiny in Dunstan's arms. Gilderoy would never forget the haunting, pleading look in her eyes. Her short was halfway pulled off and her trousers were pooled down around her knees, leaving no mistake as to what happened.
Angie let out a cursed wail, her nails scratching and drawing blood along her cheeks. Gilderoy could feel George trying to peak into the room, desperately trying to discover what happened, but Gilderoy was blocking him. He knew the big man had a temper and if he saw…if he saw…if he saw…
What was Dunstan thinking?
"Petrificus Totalus!" Dunstan procured the wand amidst the commotion, freezing Angie on the spot. Angie's arms snapped to her sides and she fell forward like a stiff plank and Gilderoy only caught her in time to save her a broken nose.
The movement allowed George to enter the room and he gasped, his voice catching as he saw Ingrid scramble backwards on the bed, away from Dunstan, to cover herself up. Dunstan had pulled up his pants, but he was already pointing his wand at George.
"Petrificus Totalus!" he yelled again. This time, it was George who froze, his face beet red with anger, and Gilderoy only just managed to avoid his large weight as he crashed into the ground.
He was breathing heavily, that much he knew, and Gilderoy finally had a moment to survey the situation. The two parents were frozen on the ground while Ingrid was crying and whimpering, pushing as far away as she could from Dunstan. Dunstan was looking upon the scene with a cool indifference, his silver eyes not betraying any amount of guilt.
"What are you doing?" Gilderoy cried, throwing his arms in the air as he finally found words.
Dunstan didn't answer, only turning towards Ingrid with a dangerous gleam in his eyes. Gilderoy leaped up and pulled out his own wand. He didn't know what he could do to Dunstan with all his experience, but he would be damned if he let happen what he thought would've happened had they not arrived.
"Relax," Dunstan drawled, "I'm just making sure they forget everything."
"Forget? Forget? How?" Gilderoy questioned as he lowered his wand, still keeping a tight grip on it.
"Move," Dunstan ordered and Gilderoy had no option but to comply.
Pointing the wand at the girl, he said, "Obliviate."
Gilderoy watched as the girl's eyes glazed over and her arms slumped to the side. She looked to be catatonic and while Gilderoy recognized the spell, he was unsure as to what it did.
"You'll forget all about this. Some strangers came by to take your food and that's all that happened."
Gilderoy thought Dunstan was speaking to him, but when he turned around, it was clear that he was speaking to Ingrid. Ingrid nodded dumbly and Gilderoy finally realized what spell Dunstan had used. It was the Memory Charm! It replaced one's memory with whatever the caster said. It was a difficult charm to master and not one Gilderoy had ever attempted, but it seemed Dunstan was very good at it.
He repeated the process on Angie and George, telling them that strangers had taken their food for a night, but they vanished and the family never saw them again. He leaned them against the wall, lifting the Body-Binding Curse and ordered Gilderoy, "Get the rest of our stuff and go to the overhang."
Gilderoy hesitated, not wanting to leave the family behind with Dunstan.
"Now," Dunstan said icily.
Giving one last apologetic look, though it meant nothing to their incapacitated brains, he left the family, walking up the hills to find their belongings still underneath the overhang. He packed them up and waited for Dunstan to return. Return he did, still as indifferent as he had been inside the house. Donning his ornate cloak, Dunstan slung the Bottomless Bag around his shoulder and continued North without a word.
What have I gotten myself into?
Gilderoy made sure to walk ten paces behind him, his hand constantly on his wand as he watched Dunstan stride forwards. They had started up the mountain and Dunstan seemed to be following a path he already knew. Gilderoy's mind kept flashing back to Ingrid's haunting blue eyes as she wordlessly begged him for help. It occurred to Gilderoy that he didn't know what type of man Dunstan was. He knew he was an adventurer, but he had taken that light-heartedly because all of his stories were so fantastical that he seemed harmless. The more he thought about it, however, the more he realized that a man that procured all of these items had more than a dangerous streak to him.
He thought back to the story of how he killed his father after he caught the man trying to rape his sister. Had it come full circle? Had Dunstan become his father? Gilderoy knew of the familiar saying, like father, like son, but was it really true to that degree? It didn't help that Dunstan hadn't spoken a word, not bothering to claim innocence or even to tell Gilderoy what direction to go. The silencing was unnerving him and he wanted to know the truth before he kept going.
"Why'd you do it?" Gilderoy asked Dunstan's broad back.
Dunstan stopped and Gilderoy stopped with him, still a few paces behind him to keep distance. Dunstan looked over his shoulder and snorted.
"Because I wanted her."
The answer was simple, but chilling, a declaration of intent that what Dunstan wanted, he got. Gilderoy pulled his cloak tighter around him, the cold wind funneling through the mountain. Dunstan was still standing still, looking over his shoulder but not really looking at Gilderoy.
"Dunstan…that was wrong," Gilderoy lamely said.
Dunstan's shoulders dropped and he turned around to face him. Surprisingly, his face was apologetic and he winced as he said, "I know. I got carried away. All this traveling and sometimes you forget that normal girls aren't just wenches."
Gilderoy didn't answer, too dumbfounded to find a reply. Was that it? Was Dunstan so used to buying his sexual exploits that he tried to force himself on a young girl? Gilderoy tried to convince himself that's all it was, but deep inside, he knew that wasn't he full truth. The whole truth. There was something else. Yet, there was nothing else could say.
"Alright. Just…don't do that again," Gilderoy said.
Nodding solemnly, Dunstan replied, "I won't."
They continued on their journey, Gilderoy still behind Dunstan. It was a tough climb and the obstacles were a good distraction for Gilderoy. He didn't want to think about Ingrid's blue eyes or Angie's wail at the sight of her daughter. He wanted to keep believing Dunstan was just some world traveler that got a little out of control. Still, as he climbed over a boulder, Gilderoy couldn't shake the feeling that he had misread Dunstan.
The mountains loomed above them, taunting their miniscule size as obstacle after obstacle presented itself. Dunstan knew the path, from experience or information Gilderoy didn't have, and lead the way without too much conversation. He didn't raise the subject of Ingrid again, preferring small talk and pointing out dangers as they continued.
They rested for the night in a small alcove and Gilderoy was grateful there was no more rain. Still, he felt suffocated by Dunstan's presence and slept uneasily that night. He had dreams, nightmares of Ingrid calling out to him and then a giant wolf devouring her. He awoke in a sweat in the middle of night, looking over at Dunstan. The older man was still snoring and Gilderoy was struck by how harmless he looked while he was asleep. If Ingrid was any indication, Dunstan was more than harmless.
They continued on without a word, Gilderoy still not speaking much to Dunstan. They climbed narrow, jagged edges and the sharp rocks were abrasive against Gilderoy's hands. He didn't dare don gloves. Gloves were nowhere near as sure as hands and one fell slip meant death. It was half-way through the fourth day of the journey when Dunstan signaled for him to stop.
"Are we here?" the eagerness edging into Gilderoy's voice despite the previous events.
Dunstan shook his head, "No. It's something else. There's people."
He lowered himself to the ground, pressing against a rock that was on a ledge. Gilderoy followed suit, slowly crouching his way towards him. Dunstan put a finger to his lips and pointed over the edge, creeping over ever so slightly. Gilderoy peeked over, trying to catch a glimpse of these supposed people.
Below them was a flat landing and two people around a fire. They were raggedly dressed, their clothes mismatching and patched. Gilderoy wondered what they were doing in the middle of the mountains with no shelter around. He saw a few bags and an improvised sleeping mat, but there was nothing else.
"Muggles?" Gilderoy whispered as he pulled himself off the ledge.
"No," Dunstan was working quickly, pulling things out of his Bottomless Bag, "Wizards. I saw them light the fire with a wand."
Gilderoy looked back at the edge though he could see nothing. "Can't we just go around them?"
Dunstan's head snapped up, perhaps at the anxiety in Gilderoy's voice. His face hardened and his eyes became a shade darker underneath the setting sun.
"No, they're blocking our way to the last part of the path. We're going to have to take them down."
"Take them down?" Gilderoy tried his best not to sound like an anxious school boy, "Why do we have to take them down? What if…what if they're just real hikers?"
Dunstan snorted in derision, "Don't be stupid, Gilderoy. Look at their clothes. They're not hear just wandering around. They're here for another reason."
"What reason?"
"The same reason we're here," Dunstan finished as he pulled the knife out.
Gilderoy's eyes widened as he saw the knife gleam from the sunlight. It was much larger now that it was out of its sheath. It looked to be an inch thick and especially pointy at the end. No doubt there was some secondary purpose the dagger contained if Dunstan indeed got it for killing a vampire.
"We're not going to kill them, are we?" Gilderoy said in a hushed whisper.
Dunstan grinned, "Not yet."
Gilderoy paled and pulled out his own wand. He didn't want to kill anyone. He wasn't even sure if he wanted this damn treasure anymore. It seemed to be more trouble than it was worth and the more he found out about Dunstan, the scarier the other man seemed.
"You're going to have to take out the other one," Dunstan informed him.
"Right," Gilderoy said as if he were in a daze, "Me. I'll take him out."
Dunstan arched an eyebrow and Gilderoy was suddenly drawn to the scar on the man's face and wondered how he received it.
"You're good with that, right? You're going to have to get your hands dirty if you want this treasure."
Gilderoy nodded and moved to the ledge as if his arms and feet were moving out of their own accord. He couldn't really process what was happening, still in a daze, but as soon as Dunstan jumped down to attack the man closer to the fire, he snapped out of it. Gilderoy jumped down too, avoiding an initial spell. He wasn't that skilled in dueling, but they had the higher ground and the advantage of surprise. Gilderoy stunned him in just a few seconds and the other man was already incapacitated.
"You good?" Dunstan asked as he placed his boot on the man's shoulder.
"I'm good," Gilderoy looked back at his downed man and felt just a small semblance of accomplishment. Yet, it was quickly doused as he wondered if they were fellow treasure hunters as well.
"Should we wake them up? See what they're up to?" Gilderoy suddenly asked, looking up at Dunstan.
Dunstan shrugged, apparently indifferent, "Sure, but wait until after I've looted the rest of their stuff."
Dunstan grabbed what ever he could from the other man's bags. They had supplies similar to them, food and ropes they would need for the mountain climb. Dunstan stuffed it into his Bottomless Bag and then tied both of the strangers up. Convinced that the ropes would hold, Dunstan consented to waking them up.
The first man that woke up was skinny. His skin was blotchy and red, his sandy hair straggly but bright in the sunlight. He resembled one of the carrots Gilderoy had tossed into the wheelbarrow, but his stomach lurched as he thought of Ingrid and the family again. He shook his head to clear his mind as he woke the other man up. The other man was taller and more solidly built, with the face of a bear. He glowered angrily at them as soon as he woke up and Gilderoy swore he even growled at some point.
Dunstan kicked both of them in the legs, causing them to howl in pain. He made sure to brandish his dagger in full view in case either of them had thoughts of escaping. He crouched in front of them and pointed his knife at skinny.
"You. What're you two doing so far away from home?" Dunstan casually asked.
"What's it to you?" Skinny answered in a nasally voice.
"It's nothing to me, but what you answer lets me know whether or not I should let you out of those ropes."
Skinned looked hesitantly at his bear friend but mustered enough pride to sneer, "Just taking a look at the pretty mountains."
Dunstan cocked his head, "No, I don't think that's what you're doing here. What about you, bear face? What're you doing here?"
Bear face didn't answer, grunting and glaring at Dunstan. Dunstan stood up after a few more questions that got nothing but noncommittal responses. He looked back and Gilderoy and walked a few paces away so they could talk in private but still keep an eye on the bound pair.
"What do you think?" Gilderoy asked as he nervously looked back at Skinny and Bear Face.
"Up to no good," Dunstan concluded, "But they could just be low lives traveling."
Gilderoy thought of Ingrid's house that lay between the mountains and the village. Dunstan was apparently thinking the same thing because he immediately shook his head, "It isn't any use trying to warn them. George is a smart man. These two already look like trouble and he won't let them in."
"I hope not." Blue eyes flashed across Gilderoy's face.
Spitting off a cliff edge, Dunstan took one look back at the bound pair before turning to Gilderoy and saying, "I'm going to look ahead to scout and see if they have any friends. Keep watch."
Dunstan walked along the path and disappeared around the bend while Gilderoy returned to the two drifters. He double checked the ropes, making sure that these two were contained before sitting on a rock and pulling some bread out of the Bottomless Bag.
"Hey pretty boy," Skinny said, "Let us go and we'll kill the other guy for you."
Gilderoy snorted, "Don't think you'll be able to kill him. He's been around that one."
"My friend here can snap his neck as soon as he comes back. Come on! Let us out!" Skinny pleaded.
Shaking his head as he continued eating, Gilderoy answered, "You two aren't going anywhere."
Bear Face stayed silent but made his displeasure known by his facial expression. Skinny fell back and shook his head at Gilderoy disapprovingly.
"What are you doing out here anyways? You two don't look like you need work," Skinny continued to interrogate him with that nasally voice even though he was the one tied up.
How wrong you are.
Gilderoy didn't see what the harm in telling him was and he had been dying to tell someone about this supposed treasure. He told Skinny that they were looking for a dragon instead though.
Skinny started laughing along with Bear Face, hysterically hooting. The echoes carried around the mountain and it sounded as if the mountain itself was laughing at Gilderoy. Fuming, Gilderoy stood up and kicked Skinny to shut him up. Skinny stopped but smiled up at Gilderoy.
"What are you laughing for?" Gilderoy demanded as he towered over them.
Bear Face chuckled and Skinny answered for them, "You think there's some treasure that only appear at night and its protected by a dragon, don't you?"
Gilderoy froze. How did they know? Had they already discovered the treasure? Were they looking for the treasure? Is that why there were out here? Before he could ask any of those questions, Skinny spoke up again.
"Did the big man tell you that? He tell you there's treasure?" Skinny taunted him.
Gilderoy didn't answer, but his hesitation gave it away. Skinny laughed again, quieter this time, but no less annoying. For the first time, Gilderoy started to doubt the purpose of this trip. Was there treasure? Dunstan had offered no evidence besides his other trinkets. He had already seen a side of Dunstan he didn't even know existed and here was Skinny, spinning the exact same tale.
"Boy, I have a secret for you," Skinny leaned forward and whispered, "There ain't no treasure."
He reeled back, pointing his wand at Skinny. Gilderoy's mind was racing and he looked around the bend to see if there was any sign of Dunstan but he had yet to return. He looked back at Skinny, his heart racing at the implication.
"Tell the truth! What do you mean" Gilderoy asked as his hand wavered.
Skinny held his bound hands up in mock surrender, "I swear. There's no treasure. That's just a wild tale they make up to get people into these mountains. There's nothing here but rocks and bones from everyone dumb enough to try."
It couldn't be true! It just couldn't! Gilderoy had traveled all this way with the promise of gold and treasure beyond measure, but the doubt was already settling in his stomach. Why should he believe Dunstan? Had Dunstan given him anything but wild stories of far-off lands? And then there was Ingrid and what Dunstan had attempted back at the house. Would a man that tried to rape a girl be capable of luring someone else into a false trip and if he did, why was he taking Gilderoy into the mountains?
Skinny kept laughing and Gilderoy wanted nothing more than to shut him up, but he needed more information, "How do you know that? How do you know if there's no treasure?"
Pointing at Bear Face, Skinny said, "He's lived here all his life. I needed him as a tour guide. He's a bit slow, but big and able to get me to the other side of the mountains. He's heard the dragon stories, too."
Swiveling and pointing his wand at Bear Face, Gilderoy commanded, "Speak. Tell me the truth."
Bear Face smiled and Gilderoy could see molded and falling out teeth. He said, "Dumb Wizard."
Skinny hooted at that, falling back and rolling around on his back. Gilderoy lowered his wand, dispirited. Was it true? Was there no treasure?
"Obliviate! Obliviate!"
The spells came from above and Gilderoy sprang back as he lifted his eyes to find Dunstan standing above them. He was angry and Gilderoy feared he had heard Skinny. If Skinny was right, Dunstan would surely kill Gilderoy now. He had no use for him now that he knew his secret. He hopped off the ledge and told Skinny and Bear Face to scram and leave the house alone.
Turning to Gilderoy, he said, "I couldn't stand his infernal laughing. What was he laughing about anyways? I could hear him even when the bend turned around to lead me back here."
Gilderoy narrowed his eyes at the older man and spoke slowly, "He was laughing at a joke Bear Face told him."
"Bear Face?" Dunstan looked at the larger man and then back at Gilderoy, "I can see it."
Did he not hear?
Dunstan dismissed the pair with their altered memories and picked up his Bottomless Bag. He looked back at a frozen Gilderoy with a curious smile and asked, "Are you coming or not, Gilderoy?"
Gilderoy nodded and slung his duffel over his shoulder. Apparently, Dunstan didn't hear Skinny accusing him of lying and making up the dragon. Then again, if he lied about the dragon, couldn't he have also lied about not hearing anything?
They continued for the rest of the day, well into the night. Dunstan kept muttering that they were close, but in the darkness, Gilderoy couldn't see how they were anywhere close. Everything looked the same and he swore they had passed the same bend twice. It was just jagged edge upon jagged edge, a constant threat of falling and death. Gilderoy was still wary, Skinny's laugh ringing in his ears as he thought the dragon and the treasure.
Did it exist? If it doesn't exist, what does Dunstan want from me?
The second question was what kept him from Stunning Dunstan on the spot. There would be no other reason to drag him out into the mountains unless Dunstan was some sort of serial killer but…that just didn't seem to be his motive. There was something else at play and it was gnawing at Gilderoy. After they passed what seemed to be the same boulder again, Gilderoy finally broke.
"Is it real?" Gilderoy blurted out.
Dunstan stopped and whirled around, his silver eyes gleaming under the bright, full moon. He frowned, "Is what real?"
Gilderoy shifted uncomfortably, not wanting to accuse the man of fabricating the entire journey, but he was left with no choice, "Is the dragon real? Is the treasure real? Is it any of it real?"
Dunstan scoffed, "Of course it's real! We're close so if you would stop yapping and -"
"Skinny," Gilderoy interrupted him, "said it was all fake. It was just some story they say to make people go into the mountains."
"No," Dunstan insisted as he took a step closer to Gilderoy, "It's real."
"Dunstan!" Gilderoy pleaded, "Just tell me. You can tell me if you thought it was real too, but it's not. Skinny and Bear Face said it wasn't real."
"Skinny? Bear Face? Why would you trust the likes of them? They're just thieves waiting in the mountains. I've gotten you all this way."
"Dunstan, please," Gilderoy inched away but found himself backed up on a cliff edge while the other man continued to approach, "Just tell me. I'll believe you if you say you were fooled too!"
Dunstan froze, realization dawning on him as he finally put the pieces of the puzzle together. He didn't seem angry and that frightened Gilderoy more than anything. When he next spoke, his voice was calm and indifferent, "You think I'm lying? You think I made all of this up?"
Gilderoy stuttered, his mouth opening and closing, but it was no use. His refusal to answer screamed, Yes! You made all of this up! He looked behind him but saw nothing but the dark abyss of a ravine. He was pinned and Dunstan knew it. Dunstan took two large strides toward him and Gilderoy rushed to get his wand, but he was too late.
He yanked him by the neck and pulled him along by his hair. Gilderoy yelped, pleading for Dunstan to let him go, but the dark-haired man was determined. He frog marched Gilderoy forward, pulling him by his luscious blond locks.
"You think I'm lying? You think I made all this up?" Dunstan growled accusingly as he kept walking forward.
"No - ow!," Gilderoy winced as he had no choice but to keep walking forward, "You could have been fooled by the stories! It's okay!"
Dunstan laughed, his voice harsh and his laugh completely different than its usual merry timber, "I trusted you, Gilderoy."
Gilderoy gasped from the pain and continued to try and wrench free, but Dunstan was too strong. "Please, Dunstan! Just let me go!"
Dunstan granted him his wish and threw him down on a ledge and pointed his wand at him.
This is the end, Gilderoy thought as he closed his eyes, but he heard a completely different spell than the one he was expecting.
"LUMOS!"
Dunstan said the spell with such ferocity that it seemed to shake Gilderoy's bones. The landing below them lit up in a bright wash of light and Gilderoy gasped as he took in the sight.
There were bones, mostly human scattered all around ground. Dried blood also splattered the edges. Some of the stone was burnt, the darkness and different colors indicating there had been several fires. Gilderoy followed the trail of bones, farther and farther as Dunstan stretched the light. The last remaining bones continued into the mouth of a dark cave with an opening so enormous, you could have fit three Hogwarts Expresses stacked on top of each other. His mouth gaped, the sight so unbelievable but validating. It was a few moments until he heard the low, distinct roar that echoed from the cave. That could only mean one thing.
A dragon!
Gilderoy turned around, his back on the ground as he looked up at Dunstan. He was standing with his wand held high, the moon behind him and his silver eyes glowing in the darkness. He looked great and terrible at the same time, excitement and fear written plain across his face.
He looked down and grinned cockily at Gilderoy, "Am I lying now?"
A/N: Leave a review to give me your thoughts. Interesting? Compelling or just boring?