Perfect Woman
Chapter Three: Stars of Twilight Fair
Disclaimer: I still own nothing.
A/N: Thank you to all my readers and reviewers - I hope that you like this next chapter, and continue to read and review the story!
Her eyes as stars of twilight fair;
Like twilight's, too, her dusky hair;
But all things else about her drawn
From May-time and the cheerful dawn
"What is wrong, my lady?" Salazar asked her worriedly. Her face had paled and she had her hand pressed against her breast, presumably to still the frantic beat of her heart. He could feel her accelerated pulse in her wrist – she had not removed her other hand from his grasp.
She took a deep breath. "I suppose it should not matter, really, because the events that led to your… reputation…have not occurred yet – but you do not have the most… flattering personality, at least according to the history books of my time." She looked up at him nervously.
He did not know what to say. "What do you mean?" he asked her.
"Well… you have quite the repute for not liking children of non-Wizarding heritage," she said, her eyes studying the coverlet on her bed with feigned interest.
"…I see," Salazar replied, confused yet thoughtful, "I suppose that the history books do not mention the fact that my father's father was a Muggle? We were very close – unfortunately, he died when I was fifteen, but prior to his death we shared a close relationship, even when I began to study magic in more depth."
She stared at him, nonplussed. "No, they do not mention that salient detail."
He burst out into laughter, and this time it was Minerva who was captivated by the sound. She joined him in his merriment, her own giggle causing him to look at her, the amount of love present in his gaze causing her to blush.
"Never fear, my lady, I have no anti-Muggle sentiments whatsoever," Salazar continued, serious again, once their laughter had died down.
"I am glad," Minerva replied, "My heart would have broken if you had. I would not have allowed myself to get to know you better… and I would not have allowed myself to love you."
He raised her hand to his lips again, eliciting another blush to blossom across her ivory cheeks. They stared at each other, lost in the moment, but were prematurely brought back to reality as Rowena entered the hospital wing.
Rowena had not gotten much sleep last night. After awaking from her dream of Salazar and the girl's future together, she spent much time trying to figure out a way to send the girl back to her own time. Rowena refused to analyse her sudden change in heart – after all, had she not told Salazar that the girl was meant to be here? She knew that her hasty desire to return the girl to her own time was a result of the dream that she had… the dream where she wore the dress Rowena made for her own wedding as she married Salazar…
Rowena checked her thoughts there. Plenty of time to think that over once the girl is back in her time, Rowena thought to herself. She found her notes on the time-travel spell, and rushed to the hospital wing, the precious pieces of parchment clutched in her hand.
"I have found a way to transport you back to your own time," Rowena told Salazar and the girl without preamble. "We can perform the spell right now, and you will be sent back to your own time post-haste."
The heartbroken look the couple shared only slightly dampened Rowena's enthusiasm. She watched Salazar caress the girl's hand lovingly, before rising from his seat on the bed.
"May I have a word, Rowena," he said, his grey eyes glinting like steel. Without waiting for a response, he took her elbow somewhat forcefully and pulled her out into the hallway. He closed the door to the hospital wing and placed Silencing charms around the immediate area.
"What are you playing at, Rowena," he hissed, the fury in his eyes causing Rowena to take a step back in fear.
"No-nothing," she stammered, "I'm not playing at anything! I thought over your words last night, and I realised that you were right. She cannot stay here."
"Well, I disagree," Salazar snapped, "I was wrong. She was meant to be here. And even if I was right, I refuse to let you perform that spell without Helga and Godric's consent." With that last remark, Salazar spun on his heel and flung open the door to the hospital wing. After he closed it, Rowena could hear him performing warding, locking, and Silencing charms on the doors and windows.
Rowena marched back to the library, furious at Salazar. How dare he accuse her of having ulterior motives? He was supposed to be the cunning one. Even as she thought this, her conscience nagged at her. She did have an ulterior motive – she wanted to win Salazar's love. She would never achieve that with the girl here. As scenes from her dream merged with the tender touches she witnessed in the hospital wing merged, Rowena grew angrier. That girl had no right to Salazar's heart. She was meant to be the woman in his life, not that girl. How dare he do this to her!
Helga woke up to the bright morning sun streaming through the enchanted glass windows. Sitting up in bed, she let out a screech when she realised that Godric stood in the doorway of her quarters.
"Good morning, Helga," Godric said cheerfully, ignoring the shriek of surprise that had just escaped Helga's lips, "How are you on this fine morning?"
"Godric! What in Merlin's name are you doing here?" she hissed, frantically searching for her dressing gown.
"I went back up to the hospital wing this morning to see if you were still there," he began, sitting down in an armchair he Conjured, "And you were not there – no one was. I was worried, but then I saw Salazar enter the room. He looked angry. He locked the door with quite a few charms. I then saw Rowena hurrying away from the hospital wing, looking angrier than I have ever seen her. I am worried, Helga," he ended, taking a deep breath and waited for her reply.
Helga looked deep in thought. "I suppose Rowena wanted to send the girl back to her own time," she said slowly, becoming more confident in her assumption with each words she uttered, "And Salazar disagreed. That is why they are angry."
Godric looked confused. "But Salazar wanted to send the girl back to the future, did he not?"
"Oh, Godric," she sighed, "men can be so blind."
"Pardon me?" Godric said, fighting to keep his temper in check.
"Really, Godric. There is no need to take that remark personally. It is simply a fact of life," Helga sighed, before continuing, "Could you not see that Salazar and Rowena were in love with each other before the girl came? Well, in Salazar's case, it was more of an infatuation. He is in love with the girl, she with him. Rowena is jealous of them."
Now it was Godric's turn to be lost in thought. "Are you quite sure that you are correct?" he asked her.
"Yes," she replied firmly.
Godric sighed. "I hope that Rowena does not do anything rash…"
In the hospital wing, Salazar rejoined Minerva on the bed, once again taking her hands in his.
"What is going to happen next, Salazar?" she asked him, worry written across her face.
"I refused to let her perform the spell. When you first arrived in this time, unconscious, Rowena told me of a prophecy that said you were supposed to be here. At first, I objected, but last night and this morning changed my mind. You are supposed to be here. Rowena said she changed her mind as well – that she now believed that you were not supposed to be here. She wanted to perform the spell immediately. I told her she could not, and, that even if my original assertion was correct, that you were not meant to be here, Helga and Godric would have to agree with her before I would even consider performing the spell."
Minerva's worried face relaxed. "Thank you, Salazar," she breathed, and moved closer to him. He shifted in his position on the bed and moved so that his back was against the wall. Minerva moved closer to his warmth, and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Looking down into her eyes, they drew closer and closer to each other before their lips met in their first sweet kiss.
Rowena, rummaging through her private library, crowed in victory upon finding a crumbling scroll. She opened it carefully, laying it out upon the table, before Summoning a pot of ink, a quill, and a fresh sheaf of parchment. She dipped the quill in ink and set in on the blank piece of parchment, before waving her wand over the disintegrating scroll and murmuring, "Duplicatus Scriptum." As the quill began to write the contents of the scroll on the fresh sheaf of parchment, Rowena beamed.
"They shall pay," she whispered vindictively, rolling up both the scroll and its duplicate, storing them carefully in an enchanted chest for the right time. "They shall pay."
