The Curse of Eternity


Chapter Three: The True First War


"Madeleine!" Stark's anguished cry echoed over the grounds. He was quickly on his knees beside her, lifting her lifeless body up, cradling it to his chest. Hearing a ferocious growl, Stark looked up to see Godric looking up at Salazar with the murderous expression.

"How dare you," Godric's voice almost sounded inhuman with rage. The male Gryffindor seemed to be glowing with power. With a roar sounding much like the symbol of his House, Godric launched himself at Salazar.

With an audible crash, Godric slammed into Salazar that took them both off the stage and into the ground with the force.

"Godric!" Rowena, who was beside Stark slowly stoking her daughter's hair sadly, looked up at the two wizards fearfully.

"Go help him," Stark told Rowena, "Nothing else will happen to Madeleine. I swear." Stark's voice cracked at Madeleine's name but he sounded determined. With a hesitant nod, Rowena's gaze flinted toward Madeleine once more looking crushed, before a fierce look overtook her and she sprang up and went to help her husband.

Stark watched helplessly, as gentle, loving Helga rushed by screaming out a battle cry with many of her animals following behind her, toward the three other adults.

It seemed to Stark that Salazar was preparing for this day for a long time, because suddenly, hundreds of people in black cloaks came pouring out of the forest, followed by Dark creatures. Older students from Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw, and brave parents were helping shield the younger students from flying spells while the professors were helping them get inside the castle for safety.

Stark knew that it would not be safe to stay where he and Madeleine currently were, so he gently lifted her into his arms and took off for the castle. He raced through the grounds dodging spells and flying debris. He kept Madeleine held tightly to him, not wanting to risk dropping her. He kept running at full speed, even after he was safely in the castle. He ran up the stairs to Rowena's and Godric's quarters.

When he got into the main room, he gently set Madeleine's body down on the couch. Stark knelt down beside her and gently brushed a curl away from her face. He noticed that with ever muscle on her face relaxed and a faint smile, she looked much younger than usual. Stark took one of her ice cold hands in his and pressed his ear to her chest. He released a shaky sigh and one tear when he heard no heartbeat.

After placing one last kiss on her forehead, he drew himself up to his full height, his face emotionless. He marched out of the room and into battle without looking back.


Rowena looked over at her husband. Godric's cloak had been tossed to the side sometime during the fight. He had small slashes through his bottoms and one partially nasty wound on his left bicep. He had a gash that was dangerously close to his eye and a bloody lip. The left side of his hair had been burned off, as well as part of his beard.

Rowena wasn't much better off. As the fights got more vicious, she sliced off the bottom of her dress so it stopped at her knees so she would be able to move around easily. Her hair, haven long ago undone out of the braid she put it in for graduation, was swinging around her body in crazy curls. Due to a well placed curse, she had a deep cut traveling from her hairline, down to her chin. The blood from it was dripping down from her neck to the neckline of her dress, creating a horrible distraction.

Godric looked over and caught her eye. She could see every emotion in them. Rage, fear, agony, hurt. Neither of them understood why Salazar used Madeleine for his revenge. Rowena would have easily given her life to save her daughter's. She was only a child after all.

Another sob escaped Rowena as she used a slicing hex to slit a person's throat.

Meanwhile, Godric was forcing his way through any people that got in his line of fire. He was trying desperately to get Salazar. As Godric was taking down people he was thinking about his daughter, desperately hoping that she wasn't dead and just knocked out somehow.

He was looking around for Salazar, when the atmosphere around him got cold. Startled, Godric looked around to find Dementors gliding into the fight. Knowing he had to cast a Patronus, he searched his mind for some kind of happy thought.

"Momma?" Godric opened one eye to see his wife facing him in bed still sound asleep. He popped up his head to see a four-year old Madeleine trying to shake her mom awake, her chocolate brown eyes wide and tearful. Godric quickly cast a wandless, wordless Tempus charm. It was 2:30 in the morning.

"Madeleine, love." Godric's voice was gruff, "What's wrong?"

"I had a bad dream," Madeleine's voice was shaky and quiet.

Smiling grimly, Godric dipped his head down to press a kiss against Rowena' forehead, waking her up.

"Godric? What's wrong?" said Rowena sleepily, rubbing one of her eyes with her fist. Godric smiled lovingly down at his wife, before jerking his head at Madeleine. She turned her head to see her daughter standing beside the bed, her eyes red and puffy.

Immediately Rowena picked Madeleine up and settled the young girl between herself and Godric. "What's wrong darling?"

"I had a nightmare," Madeleine sniffed. She burrowed her way into Rowena's side as the older woman wrapped her arms around the four year old.

Wordlessly, Rowena patted the bed between Godric and herself. Madeleine quickly scrambled onto the bed and sat with her parents, immediately drawing comfort from there. Godric and Rowena shifted closer to Madeleine until they were practically encasing her in their arms.

Rowena swept Madeleine's crazy curls away from her face while saying, "What was it about darling?"

"Well," Madeleine sniffled, "I was just in the kitchen having breakfast with you guys, and then suddenly you were gone!"

Rowena and Godric waited for her to continue the nightmare, only to realize that that was it. Godric knew that for a four year old, not being able to find their parents must be a scary thing. He wrapped his arms around Madeleine and pulled her into his lap while Rowena got closer to them.

He made sure that Madeleine was looking into his eyes before saying, "Now listen cub, I know that this dream scared you, but you have no need to worry about something like that happening, because your mother and I will never leave you, do you understand?"

Madeleine's teary gaze switched back and forth between him and Rowena before she nodded slightly. Godric smiled at his only child, who returned a same one of her own.

"Do you want to stay here with us tonight Madeleine?" Rowena asked.

"Please," Madeleine said quietly. With that the three Gryffindors snuggled down into the sheets while Godric and Rowena wrapped their arms around their daughter protectively as if to keep the nightmares away from her.

Godric smiled grimly at the memory. He would do anything to protect his family.

An eight year old Madeleine and Rowena were dancing around their kitchen, singing and cleaning. Unbeknownst to the girls, Godric had arrived home and was leaning against doorway, smilingly fondly at his family. At the moment, Rowena had Madeleine standing on one of their dining chairs while Rowena danced around her with a dish rag in one hand, and her wand in the other.

As Rowena spun around, she noticed Godric looking at her and Madeleine. She winked and jerked her head in their daughter's direction, motioning him to join in their activities. He silently walked up behind Madeleine before grabbing her waist and twirling her around. Her ecstatic giggles echoed through the kitchen bringing smiles to her parents' faces.

When Godric set Madeleine down, she twirled around and attached herself to her father's leg. "Daddy!"

"Hello princess," Godric chuckled, bending down to hug her. "How was your day?"

"Great! Mommy and I made cookies!"

Godric quickly looked up at Rowena, with a smirk on his face, "Cookies?"

Rowena pointed her wand at him in warning, "After dinner."

Godric sighed dramatically as he picked Madeleine back up and swung her around before settling her down on his hip. "What do you want to do, love?"

"Color!" Madeleine squealed, clapping her hands.

Laughing, he let Madeleine get down and sit at the kitchen table while he accioed the books he and Rowena made for her and her coloring utensils. She immediately opened one of the books and continued coloring the picture of Salazar's dragon Draco.

A misty lion burst out of Godric's wand immediately making the Dementors draw back.

Rowena's eyes followed Madeleine anxiously as the ten year old rode her broom around the backyard.

"Roe, calm down," Godric took a seat next to his wife, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

"I can't help it. Are you sure this is the right age?" asked Rowena.

"Love, this isn't the first time she's ridden a broom," Godric snickered.

"This is the first time she's ridden something other than her play broom, Godric! I just don't want her to get hurt."

"Rowena-," Godric started.

"-I know Godric," Rowena sighed, "before anyone can truly ride, there has to be an accident."

"Exactly," Godric smiled.

"So can't we just not let her ride?" asked Rowena.

"No," said Godric, chuckling, "she has a natural talent Roe. Anyone can see that. I won't let it pass."

Rowena rolled her eyes, "Of course."

Whatever Godric was going to say was cut off by Madeleine's piercing scream. Both Godric and Rowena's eyes shot to their daughter and watched in horror as she fell of her broom. Godric lunged into action and caught her in his arms, her weight sending them to the ground.

Rowena rushed over, desperately wishing that her daughter was okay. Her heart sank when she heard Madeleine whimper.

"Her arm is broken," Godric said gruffly, after he had pulled out his wand and swept it over her. "Love, come hold her arm."

Shaking, Rowena kneeled down and gently grasped Madeleine's right arm, her heart breaking when Madeleine grimaced in pain. Godric immediately started waving his wand over her arm, and murmured an advanced charm, and Rowena watched as Madeleine's arms slowly began to straighten out.

By the time Godric was done, Madeleine was out cold and Rowena was shaking wildly from trying to hold her emotions in. Gently Godric picked Madeleine up and motioned for Rowena to follow him.

He took his daughter up to her room, and set her down on the bed and kissed her forehead before pulling Rowena out of the room.

Godric cried out in agony as a scorching pain suddenly went through his right shoulder.

"GODRIC!" Rowena's heart-wrenching shriek hurt worse than the injury. He looked up to see her running toward him.

She had fury in her eyes and she was looking past him. She raised her arm and shouted "AVADA KEDAVRA!" the emerald green light shot past him and he whirled around to see it hit a man just behind him.

When Rowena reached Godric, he finally let the tears run out of his eyes. She looked horrible, bloody and basically destroyed.

"Godric, part of me doesn't want to fight anymore since Madeleine's gone." Rowena sobbed.

"I know that I'll probably die today," said Godric soberly, "but I swear to you, I'm taking Salazar down with me."

Rowena's jaw visibly clenched and her eyes hardened as she nodded in agreement.

They quickly turned when they heard a horrible scream.

"NO!" Rowena ran off toward the scream. Confused, Godric took off after his wife. After ten steps, he froze.

Helga was lying on the ground in a puddle of her urine and blood, convulsing on the ground as someone in a black cloak was standing above her with his wand trained on the red-head.

"Avada Kedavra!" Godric shouted, and paid no attention as the man fell dead. He was too busy dropping to his knees beside Rowena who was trying to get Helga's attention.

"Helga? Red? Come on sweetie! Look at me!" Rowena was slightly shaking her best friend.

With obvious strain, Helga turned her face to look at the couple. "Godric, Rowena, listen to me."

Her voice was so weak, that they had to lean in closer in order to hear her.

"I'm about to die," if the situation had been any less serious, Godric might have laughed at her dramatics. "Please…promise me that Salazar will not come out of this battle alive."

"We promise Red," Rowena said immediately.

Nodding, Helga suddenly looked very peaceful. A faint smile appeared on her face. "I will see you both soon."

Godric let out a shaky breath as he watched one of his best friends close her eyes and become still.

A sob escaped from Rowena before she was up and running across the grounds. Cursing, Godric leapt up and followed his wife for the second time in ten minutes.

They were dodging spells while throwing off their own while searching for Salazar. Finally, they found him.

He was in the middle of fighting one of the parents of a child when after a bright flash of green light, the parents crumbled to the ground.

"SLYTHERIN!" Rowena yelled out his last name, pure hatred in her tone. Salazar froze when he saw the couple charging toward him.

A sneer twisted his face almost unrecognizable. "Gryffindors. Come to beg for death?"

Godric snarled. "Why did you kill Madeleine? What possessed you to kill an innocent child?"

"You." Salazar said simply.

When Godric's face released emotions of confusion, rage, and hatred, Salazar had the nerve the roll his eyes.

"Are you really that dense?" Salazar asked as if they weren't in the middle of battle and just having a regular conversation. He suddenly pointed his finger at Rowena.

"This has always been about her. Did you ever know that?" asked Salazar, staring at Godric.

"This has nothing to do with my wife," Godric growled.

"Are you sure?" Salazar sneered, "Did you know that when I was younger, I tried to court her."

If Godric was surprised by this, he didn't show it. He just kept staring at Salazar, not wanting to risk looking away.

"She turned me down of course," Salazar said, "I was broken-hearted, and then my best friend goes and gets her. How do you think that makes me feel?"

"You should have talked to me about it, you twisted man!" Godric shouted, "Not kill my daughter!"

"You wouldn't have listened," Salazar spat angrily. "You were in bloody love with her."

"You were my best friend Salazar! Of course I would have listened to you! End things with her? Never! But talk to you, and figure out a way to makes things better, absolutely! But now…"

Godric broke off, letting the rest of the sentence hang. He didn't need to say it. Both the wizards knew that nether would be coming out of this battle alive. But as long as the other was dead, it would be okay.

Godric was the first to shoot off a curse. The true battle began. They were both equally matched from their many years of doing wizard duels together. But Godric had an advantage. Rowena. She was right beside her husband, throwing curse after curse at her former friend.

Godric and Rowena were a well oiled machine. They knew each other perfectly, and were able to work around each others body flawlessly to help protect each other.

Salazar was obviously struggling to protect himself against the couple. Finally he was able to get a spell through to Rowena to fell to the ground with a gasp.

"No," Godric whispered, feeling this world slowly die. "Nonononononono."

Completely forgetting about Salazar, he numbly kneeled beside his dying wife and pulled her into his lap.

"End him, Godric. My love, please," Rowena's voice was a light whisper, "For Madeleine. For Stark. For Helga. For me."

Godric gently set his wife down and her eyes fell shut and he swiftly stood back up only to be toe to toe with Salazar and the dark man's wand digging into Godric's neck.

"Both your daughter and your wife are dead," Salazar crooned into Godric's ear. "Maybe I should just let you live. Live in misery, knowing that you're alone."

Salazar suddenly found a wand at his stomach.

"I'm going to kill you Slytherin." Godric promised. After a moment of silence and death stares between the men, Godric shouted. "Confringo!"

Godric quickly jumped back when Salazar's body was immediately engulfed into flames. Salazar cried out in agony as he failed to stop the flames. "Madeleine-!" Godric could see that Salazar was desperately trying to get out one last sentence. "She's…not…DEAD!"

As Godric's heart dropped into his stomach, Salazar raised his wand and screamed, "Avada Kedavra!"

Godric's world went black.


Eventually every person who had fought in that battle had either escaped or was dead. As the day passed on, eventually brave witches and wizards came back to the school and began to try and restore it. They removed the bodies, taking them to their families so they could mourn the losses, and got Hogwarts looking new again.

People had gone through all of Hogwarts trying to find some clue of what had happened. When some people got to the entrance of Godric and Rowena's private quarters, none of them were able to enter. The entrance had been sealed. The portrait looked abandoned. Many people earnestly tried to get inside, to no avail.

Eventually the room was forgotten about.

The summer quickly past by and soon Hogwarts was reopening with new professors, students, headmaster, and outlook. The school had drastically changed.

When the clock stroke twelve on September 19th, the quarters to Rowena's and Godric's room, unsealed.

The corpse of Madeleine was no where to be found. Instead, an eleven year old girl was lying down, her eyes slowly fluttering open.

When the young girl realized what had happened, she quickly sat up and looked around. This proved to be a bad idea when her vision blurred.

Groaning, she placed a hand on her head. The girl froze. She slowly lowered her hand until it was eye level. It was small.

The girl stood up and darted into the bathroom. What she saw in the mirror shocked her.

Her hair was light brown like she was used to, and slightly wavy. But her eyes. They were a startling shade of green. The girl gasped. She was the younger, girl image of Godric Gryffindor.

"About time you awoke wench," a voice sneered from behind her.

The girl slowly turned to see Salazar Slytherin standing in the portrait on the wall, glaring at her.

"Uncle Sal?" she said in a small voice. "What happened?"

"Welcome to your new life, Madeleine," he smirked.


TBC

*peeks around corner hesitantly*

Um..hey guys(:

Soooo, that's it!

First off, I am SOOOORRY that this took so long, and that it's so late. I'm not really good at battle scenes. Obviously since this chapter freaking sucks. I couldn't find a way to drag it out any longer, and I wanted to end this chapter where I did. so yeah.

I really hope that the next chapter will be out much quicker. Thanks for your patience though!

*LOOK HERE PLEASE!*

This is really important, and I probably should have mentioned this sooner..oops(:

haileydelacour101 sent me a review saying: "um...i really like it...but isn't rowena's daughter named...helena? it's in the deathly hallows..."

Well, you are completely correct! Here's why I didn't name her that. So, when I first decided that I wanted to do this fanfic, I thought..mhmm Helena? I really do not like that name! (no offense to Helena's around the world) So, since this is my fanfic, I changed it!

Plus, this fanfiction is NOT DH compliant. So, anything you read in the Deathly Hallows (except for the Horcruxes of course) will not be in here. If that makes you decide to stop reading, sorry I didn't mention that earlier.

Well yeah, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Let me know what you think! Please let me know if you find any grammar issues since they is not a beta-ed story.

Thanks,

Lil'MissLilyFlower