A/N: Hello to anyone reading! It has been a while since this has been updated because I've been writing Uni essays and have my exams soon so I'm trying my best to keep up to date- for now, enjoy!

The Four Founders

Chapter 10 – Godric

It would have taken them an entire day to get to Aston and back if they had taken the road so Godric couldn't understand why the girls kept complaining.

"I am covered in mud and stings!" Rowena practically screamed as she fought a holly bush that was sparring with the hem of her dress.

Godric knew he shouldn't laugh; Rowena was in bad state as it was, what with Hugh and the baby, but watching her at the end of her tether and stuck in a bush was quite funny.

Fortunately, Salazar was far more practical than Godric and he got his wand out and pointed it at the holly bush. He muttered two different spells in a row and the holly bush relinquished its grip on Rowena's dress which had also suddenly become clean of mud.

"Thank you." She uttered as Godric offered her his arm. Rowena took it, probably because they were walking across quite uneven land but Godric allowed himself to believe that she just wanted to hold his arm.

Over his shoulder he heard Helga asking Salazar if he could clean her dress too.

"So," Godric started, looking directly ahead of him, "do you want to talk about Hugh and the baby or…"

"No."

No. Godric had expected that. But he now wasn't sure whether she meant it or not. When a woman said no it could mean a lot of things.

"Do you mean no or do you really mean yes but you said no?" He asked.

"No."

"No?"

"No."

Godric decided to leave it.

Over his shoulder he listened in to the others' conversation, hoping it would be more interesting than the one he had had.

"So, the spell for cleaning things is rep-ee-rio?" Helga asked, sounding out the made-up word. Godric used the term made-up because her pronunciation was absolutely appalling.

Salazar laughed, "No, repario." He corrected her.

"Rep-ar-io" Helga tried again.

"Pretty good." Salazar hummed.

He sounded amused and Godric envied his friend for having a walking partner who wanted to talk. He looked across to Rowena again. She was stony faced and her eyes were on the floor. Should he try and interact again? Fortunately, Godric didn't have to make the decision himself.

"I'm sorry." Rowena spoke to the floor but Godric presumed he was supposed to answer.

"For what?" he asked.

"For not telling you the whole truth. I should have been honest with you from the start."

Yes, Godric thought, she should have.

"No," Godric said, "it was your choice to tell me however much you wanted. I had no right to be angry about not knowing."

Rowena met his eyes. Hers were bright blue and beautiful, as always.

"I know it's my choice Ric. But from now on I'll be honest with you about everything because you're a good friend and I really need you right now."

Godric felt his heart warm slightly and he reached across to squeeze Rowena's arm gently with his other hand.

"And I'll be there Ro. You know I will." He reassured her.

Rowena nodded and sniffed slightly. It was unusual; Godric had never seen her so upset, apart from when he had dragged her from her castle just hours ago. But then she had been in hysterics.

"Thank you, Ric."

XXXX

Godric watched as Salazar magically cleaned Helga's dress for the seventh time.

"It's amazing!" Helga grinned, patting the material that had been covered in mud seconds before.

Godric rolled his eyes. It really wasn't any more amazing than it had been the last six times but Salazar seemed to love watching Helga's expression of excitement every time.

They had just reached Aston and were walking through the streets, following the sounds of shouts and cheers. All the houses and public squares in the city were abandoned, most likely in favour of the royal parade.

"The King will be headed for the royal manor to the north of the city." Salazar said knowledgably. Godric trusted him; if anyone knew about the royal family, it was Sal.

They kept walking north, through empty streets until, up ahead, Godric spotted the back end of a crowd of people. He jogged to catch up with it and, being tall, peered over the heads of the people in the crowd.

It was extremely loud and Godric wished he could perform a quick 'silencio!' but he feared this may get him noticed. He could see a procession way in front with a few people on horses, surrounded by men in armour with long spears. Godric knew this must be the royal party.

"What can you see?" Helga asked him. He looked down at her; she was standing on her tip toes trying to see but all she was getting was a view of the back of a man's head.

"Not much." He said, honestly, "The King's party is up in front with armed guards. I can't really make out any individuals."

"Ollivander must be there." Salazar said determinedly, "He's old and has a long grey beard. You'd know him if you saw him Ric."

Godric tried not to lose his patience; he knew exactly what John Ollivander looked like. "Well then, we'll have to push our way through these crowds, Sal." He fixed his friend with a defiant glare and Salazar's eyebrow twitched.

Without a moment's notice, they had both dived into the crowds, pushing and shoving to get through. Behind him, Godric heard Rowena call out, "Ric! Salazar! Wait we should stay together!" But he ignored her. He would get to Ollivander before Salazar.

"Ouch!" A small, plump woman screeched as Godric ploughed into her unceremoniously.

"Sorry!" He yelled, before barrelling through ten more people.

He'd completely lost sight of Salazar. The crowds seemed endless and then, suddenly, Godric found himself tumbling into an open space and he was surrounded by horses.

"OY!" a gruff voice shouted at him and Godric realised he had pushed himself through to the royal contingent of the procession. A rough looking guard with a spear was now shouting at him and jabbing his spear in Godric's direction. Perhaps this had been a mistake.

Godric readied himself to pull out his wand to defend himself and probably give himself away to the King for being a wizard, which would be literal suicide, when a horse came between himself and the angry man with the spear.

"Woah there, sir!" A voice came from above Godric. He looked up and found himself looking into the elderly face of a man with a grey beard; John Ollivander himself.

"I believe you're incurring upon our stroll, my boy." Ollivander continued, "Best be on your way now, if you don't want out friend here to stick you with his spear."

The guard peered around Ollivander's horse and grinned at Godric maliciously.

"Please, Sir," Godric said loudly so that he knew the old man would hear, "my friends and I require your services."

At once, Ollivander's expression changed. It had been mild amusement and pity at Godric's unfortunate position but now the old man became guarded and he frowned down at the red headed youth, "My boy, you ought not to speak so publicly. Come to me this eve at the castle and I will admit you. We can talk then. For now, be off with you!"

And with that, Ollivander grabbed his reigns and urged his horse on, past Godric, to catch up with the royal procession, which had continued up the road without him.

Just then, Salazar emerged from behind a large man, coughing and spluttering.

"What happened to you?" Godric asked.

Salazar's eyes flashed green, he fixed Godric with a glare, "I was pushed over and trodden on."

Godric put his hand on his stomach in an attempt to physically stop himself laughing. It almost worked.

"I don't know what's so funny, Ric. You're an idiot! You should have let me talk to Ollivander because he knows me! Then we wouldn't have to wait until this evening."

So Salazar had overhead that bit.

"It doesn't matter." Godric muttered, "We'll see him- now, this evening- what does it matter when?"

Salazar opened his mouth to reply but a female voice, one that Godric knew very well, interrupted.

"I'll tell you why it matters when Ric, just look over to your right." Rowena said.

She and Helga had appeared from the last few draggles of people who were rushing after the royals now that the procession had passed the place where Godric and Salazar stood.

Godric looked where she had told him and his stomach lurched. Sitting on a stool next to a market stall was an old woman, nursing a small boy. But that wasn't the problem. Above the stall was a sign that read 'Plague Cures'.

"This sickness is spreading. Like wildfire, Godric." Rowena said.

"But, if that old woman has a cure, surely it's all alright?" Godric asked hopefully.

Rowena snorted, "If she has a cure I'll eat my own wand. The boy she's nursing looks ill as a dying animal."

She wasn't wrong. The boy was sweating profusely and his eyes were closed and sunken into his head. Godric looked away quickly.

"So the sooner we could have procured a wand for Helga, the better. That way she has more chance of being able to cure the sickness." Salazar concluded and then looked at Godric pointedly.

"Exactly." Rowena agreed, standing next to Salazar.

Godric realised he must have annoyed them both, an awful lot, for them to agree on something.

"You're too rash, laddie!"

Godric whirled around. Behind him stood a small man with beady black eyes and long black hair which was mostly hidden by a massive pointy hat that sat atop his head.

"Who're you?" Godric demanded. This man seemed to have appeared out of nowhere and joined in their conversation.

The man grinned widely, he had an unsettling grin, one that oozed mischief.

"Now that, is none of your business Godric. But your friends here are right; you're too rash and full of yourself to get the job done."

"How do you know who I am?" Godric demanded, "And it's none of your business what we were talking about!"

"What my friend means is, how did you come to interrupt our conversation, sir?" Rowena butted in helpfully.

But the black-eyed man just giggled, "No no, it's none of your business, missy! You're a little know-it-all, just ask my hat!" he trilled.

Rowena made a startled noise which Godric assumed was her being offended at being called a 'little know-it-all'. To be fair, the man was right.

"Um, what did you mean, sir, by 'just ask my hat'?" Helga said timidly.

The man began to laugh hysterically and then, suddenly, he stopped. He pointed to the hat on his head and grinned again, "Listen!" he whispered eagerly.

He leaned in towards Godric and the other three and then, from nowhere, the hat on his head opened a crease at its front and let out an enormous belch.

"Ugh!" Helga and Rowena cried, stepping away from the black-eyed man, looking disgusted.

"That was disgusting." Salazar noted.

"Pah!" The man exclaimed, "What do you know, you pompous, court kissing, ninny!"

"Oy!" Salazar shouted, "You don't even know me you little-"

But the man had begun to sing, "Court kissing ninny! Court kissing ninny!" He went on and on and Godric watched Salazar getting angrier and angrier.

Helga tried to stop him but Salazar lunged for the man, his fists flying through the air. But the black-eyed man saw it coming and ducked easily, laughing again. Salazar continued his attack and the man ducked and weaving, all the time singing his refrain. Then, suddenly, Salazar grabbed the hat from the man's head. The man gasped and shrieked, "Give it back! Give it back, it talks to me!"

Salazar, panting from the effort of the fight, shook his head and took one last swing at the man. The man ducked again and, apparently seeing that he would not get his hat back, turned and sprinted away.

Godric frowned, what on earth did the man mean? The only thing he had seen the hat do was belch at them.

Salazar stood, defeated in the abandoned street, looking as if he had just run a mile. Godric wasn't too sure whether the man had even been real or had he imagined him?

"Well, we'll get that wand this evening." Godric said eventually, "There's nothing more to be done now. Why don't we buy some food, I'm starving."

XXXX

They ate carrots whilst sitting on a wall near the market place and Godric thought about Hugh. Had he suffered much after they left? Would he have hated Godric if he had known the truth- that his best friend was really a wizard? And that his best friend was in love with his wife?

Stupid question, Godric thought, of course a man would be angry if someone else loved his wife. If it had been the other way around and Godric had married Rowena, he would probably have duelled Hugh over the matter. So Godric had been right not to tell anyone about his feelings, although he knew Salazar had guessed and Rowena couldn't be that oblivious. Heck, maybe even Helga knew.

The four of them sat in silence, munching noisily. For some unknown reason they had decided to keep the black-eyed man's hat and it was sitting next to Godric on the wall.

Godric watched passers-by with little interest until one man in particular caught his interest, mainly because he had an ear missing. Immediately he gripped Salazar's arm.

His friend glanced at him in confusion and Godric shook his head noiselessly, "Over there." He whispered, "Red coat, no ear. It's him again, isn't it?"

Godric was sure he was right, it was the man who had attacked them that night at the King's Arms. He looked to Salazar who nodded slowly, "Yes. Yes, it's him alright. What do you think he wants?"

Godric considered. The one eared man was walking very slowly towards the wall where they sat, looking at various market stalls along the way, probably to seem inconspicuous.

"I don't know." Godric murmured.

But he found out when the one eared man suddenly picked up his pace, strode right towards the four of them and then leapt at Helga.

Helga didn't have time to scream, the man clapped his hand over her mouth and had a small knife at her throat in seconds.