A/N: You guys, don't let this stupid show get you down. Fuck spoilers, fuck everything, just remember the love you have in your hearts for these two.
I hope this story isn't getting drawn out and boring. This middle section is kind of dull but it is all important towards the conclusion. We haven't reached the climax yet so bear with me. There are still about 7 scenes left after this one and believe me when I say there will be some more twists along the way. On a side note... 100 reviews! That's so awesome, thank you all so much.
To the anon who left the 100th review, I like you're reasoning but, well... you'll see ;)
It was rather balmy for being a day in late February. The mid-afternoon sun felt good on Santana's face but the fingers laced with her own felt even better. Brittany smiled at her girlfriend, swinging their attached hands between them gently. Their hands remained locked as they made their way down to the Forbidden Forest with the rest of the students.
There was still a sense of awe about the day for Santana. She remembered the weight that had been in the pit of her stomach three months ago as she traveled to the first task alone. Now, the second task had arrived and everything was different. Things finally felt as though they had returned to normal.
The grass was soft beneath their feet. Murmurs of speculation filled the air around them. Brittany shared a small and secretive smile with Santana at the conversation of the other students. Though they also had their own amount of speculation, curiosity and question about the impending task, they at least had an inside view of what was to come.
Santana had stayed in the Ravenclaw common room the night before. The librarian kicked them out at half past twelve. They had made little progress on the rest of the riddle so decided to continue their efforts in the comfort of four-poster beds. Santana wasn't going to lie about using it as an excuse to sleep over. Although, those nights were becoming more and more frequent once again. Just thinking about it put a smile of Santana's face. Brittany smiled back.
"Quinn should be more confident," Brittany said thoughtfully.
Santana nodded in agreement. The other Ravenclaw was smart, immensely so. That fact wasn't unknown to the school. When Quinn had been chosen instead of Santana, the Slytherin had first felt jealousy. After going over everything in her head, realizing how blind she herself had been, Santana came to the conclusion that Quinn was rightfully chosen as champion. She understood the world in a way Santana didn't know was possible. Quinn had a sense of social and technical awareness in areas that Santana lacked. And she had an ambition unlike any other. Sometimes Santana wondered why she hadn't been sorted into Slytherin instead.
Her one flaw was the one thing she kept hidden from everyone else except those she was closest with. Quinn had no self-confidence but made up for it with her wit and charisma. It made her appear mental at times.
"Yeah, she should be," Santana agreed.
"She's just making things worse by freaking out. Her head works like one of those Muggle devices. What are they called, processors?" Brittany pondered.
Santana shook her head and laughed, not really knowing what her girlfriend was talking about but trusting her instincts. Before she got a chance to respond fully, they had reached the erected stands for the second task.
The setup was similar to that of the first task but this time the seating areas followed the edge of the Forbidden Forest for several hundred yards. Three tents stood between the stands and the trees. They were the champions' tents, spread evenly apart every hundred yards and Santana knew that Quinn had been led to one of them after breakfast that morning.
Bewitched, levitating orbs were once again scattered near the stands, providing a means of which to see the impossible from outside the forest. Brittany pointed to a row of seats off-centered from the middle tent and close to several spectator-globes. Santana nodded her agreement and allowed herself to be dragged along by her girlfriend.
Brittany was starting to feel the nerves rising within her. She was a complete mess of different emotions and it was a stark difference from the first task. Santana was with her this time and it helped quell her unease for Quinn. She was still nervous for the girl, though.
Santana walked past her and pulled Brittany up a few rows before choosing a place to sit. When Brittany made a move to sit next to her, however, Santana stopped her with a shuffle and a shake of her head.
The brunette patted the seat directly in front of her, one row below and smiled widely back at Brittany. Warmth spread through the blonde's cheeks as she sat down, Santana's legs bracketing her sides and fitting perfectly into place. She couldn't help but lean back into the other girl and was graciously met with strong arms wrapping around her shoulders from behind. Santana rested her chin on Brittany's shoulder and held her as close as possible.
Brittany hummed at the feeling and settled into the position. Everything was so much better than it had been three months ago. Brittany had purposefully avoided the main seating area at the first task, knowing Santana would most likely be there. Now she would be able to cuddle with the other girl as they both supported Quinn in her task.
It took a few more minutes for the rest of the students, local and visiting alike, to settle in around them and fill the stands. Once everyone was seated, their attentions were drawn to the center champions' tent where professor McGonagall had just emerged from, the director of the Department of Magical Games and Sports beside her.
"Welcome to the Second Task!" McGonagall announced with a voice that was louder than it should be. It made Brittany jump slightly in Santana's arms.
"And welcome to the Forbidden Forest. While normally thriving with life, today our champions will be met with silence," McGonagall explained. Santana went over the words of the riddle again in her head, piecing them together. McGonagall continued, "Something haunts these ancient trees and it is up them to defeat it. They must do this to rescue the beasts of the forest. It is imperative that they complete this task, for they will not be able to proceed on to the third without freeing the creatures of the wood.
"Champions will enter from different points along the forest edge. Each has their own beast to rescue." The headmistress announced. A face of each of the champions occupied the globes closest to them, Quinn's in the center.
Brittany sat up slightly in Santana's arms to turn around and looked at her girlfriend. Santana raised an eyebrow slightly and met Brittany's gaze.
"Here we go," Santana said, pulling back on Brittany's shoulders to have her settle comfortably between her legs. Brittany allowed her to do so and wrapped her arms around Santana's calves, squeezing them slightly.
"At the sound of the canon, the champions will enter the wood. They have one hour to complete the task," McGonagall said. "Champions ready!"
Santana laced her fingers with Brittany's just before the roar of the canon echoed off the forest edge. They saw Quinn rush out of the tent nearest them, nothing but a mere flash of blue, bronze and blonde before passing through the first row of trees.
Santana directed her gaze towards Quinn's projection, Brittany's eyes following. All three of the champions could be seen on the screens in front of the stands, each reference flickering and changing as the students made their ways further into the forest.
Seeing the familiar trees sparked a memory in Brittany's mind. Santana and her had only returned to the Forbidden Forest a few times since their first kiss but that would always be her favorite memory.
The trees were thin at first, their trunks narrow. Leaves riddled the forest floor and everything truly was silent. Brittany had never imagined the forest could ever be so quiet. The wood was a thriving place where even the smallest creatures lived and died. There were no animals in the wood that day, neither big nor small, at least from what they could see.
Quinn had her wand raised, its tip glowing in a bright blue light. She moved it back and forth, up and down as she searched amongst the trees. The champion stopped and knelt to the ground, using her wand tip to search the forest floor. She reached out and gently touched the fallen leaves at her feet.
"What is she doing?" Santana whispered in Brittany's ear.
The blonde shifted slightly in front of her and turned her head to whisper back without removing her eyes from the image in front of them. "Animal tracks," Brittany said. "I can't tell what they are from here, though. Or how old, but she might."
Santana nodded and kissed Brittany's temple. She smiled at herself remembering Brittany's love for Care of Magical Creatures.
Quinn rose and took in her surroundings again. She looked up into the trees and listened. Again there was nothing.
The trees grew thicker and Quinn quickened her pace slightly. Brief glances at the other champion projections indicated that it was the same for all of them.
Brittany's eyes were locked onto the image in front of her, flicking back and forth. Santana pulled gently on her shoulders making the blonde realize she had shifted forward in her seat.
"Sorry," she whispered to Santana.
"It's okay," Santana responded, giving her a gently squeeze with her legs, "you alright, love?"
"Yeah," Brittany said. She squinted at Quinn as she checked behind a tree. "Does anything strike you as odd about all this?"
Santana chuckled behind her. "It's all odd if you ask me, how come?"
Brittany gnawed on her bottom lip and kept her eyes forward. "Does it seem darker in the forest to you?"
Santana glanced up and focused on the images in front of them. Though accurate, they were not the clearest projections. "I can't really tell, Britt-Britt," Santana answered truthfully. Brittany had always been her guide in the forest, even when she had traveled there to search for rare and important potions ingredients. "What makes you ask?" She turned her.
Brittany sighed and sunk further back into Santana. "I thought I saw something but I can't be sure."
"Really?" Santana asked and curiously returned her eyes to the forest. Perhaps it did seem darker.
"I can't be certain," Brittany whispered.
"No, Brittany. I think you may be right," Santana said. "Darker."
Just then, Quinn stopped her trek into the forest. "Lumos maxima." Her voice wafted towards where the students sat, watching and waiting.
A bright ball of light burst from her wand tip and levitated a few feet in front of the Ravenclaw champion. It illuminated the cove of thick trees she was standing in and that was when Brittany saw it again.
It was a shadow that did not belong, unnaturally cast and darker than the others. It was barely noticeable. As the light dimmed slowly, the shadow retracted until nothing remained in its place. It was something that could have been easily missed unless you knew what you were looking for.
Brittany saw it, however and judging by the tenseness in Santana's arms around her, the brunette noticed it too. Brittany just hoped Quinn had seen it as well.
"What was that?" Santana asked Brittany.
"I don't know," Brittany said quietly. She flicked through magical creatures in her head. She had always loved learning about them and could probably name more than a hundred at the drop of a Galleon.
Quinn took a step back and the simple movement made it obvious she had seen the same thing. They were met with silence once more. When nothing seemed to change after several minutes, Quinn continued moving forward, wand held higher than it was before. With each step further into the forest, the darker the space between the trees became.
Another flash of light erupted from Quinn's wand. It was quite obvious this time and what Brittany saw shocked her.
The shadow was dark, its source unidentifiable. There was just one but when it moved it sent shivers down Brittany's spine. It rippled, much like a cloak would and that's when it hit her.
"No," Brittany said in disbelief. She shook her head back and forth slowly.
"Brittany?" Santana asked her softly.
"They wouldn't," Brittany gasped.
"Brittany, what's wrong?"
Brittany tore her eyes away from Quinn and the creature to meet Santana's eyes.
"There is nothing else it could be."
"Tell me, love," Santana said, meeting Brittany's eyes. The blonde returned her gaze to the forest and Santana followed.
The shadow had retracted slightly, Quinn circling it slowly as though she was trying to get a better look at it.
"No longer bound by sleep," Brittany repeated. "It makes sense now. Santana, it's a Lethifold."
"A what?" Santana said confused.
"A Lethifold. They're very dangerous," Brittany said in disbelief. "But the sleep, the patronus… the silence. It all makes sense now."
"You lost me, Brittany," Santana said.
The Ravenclaw was about to answer when their attention was captured by Quinn on the screen. A flash of blue light and a wisp of silvery mist spewed from Quinn's wand. It was a patronus but a weak one. It did the trick, however, and Quinn darted between the trees and away from the creature.
"No one knew what they even really looked like until five years ago," Brittany said quietly. This was one magical creature she never cared for that much but it was still one she had come across in her studies.
"How did anybody even know they existed then?" Santana asked in bewilderment.
"Well that's the big question, isn't it? The part in the riddle about sleep is what made it so hard," Brittany explained. "They're killers. They stalk their prey as they sleep and then devour them whole. They were more of a myth than anything else until someone caught one. Most people thought they were just phantoms."
"And they're using them in this tournament?" Santana asked, suddenly feeling sick to her stomach.
"They must have found a way to catch and control them. All creatures under ministry control used to be wild," Brittany said matter-of-factly.
"Sounds like a load of rubbish to me," Santana huffed. Brittany squeezed her hand but couldn't help but feel the same way. "At least you were right about the patronus then?"
"Seems that way," Brittany said as she watched Quinn run quietly through the forest. The champion would throw glances over her shoulder every five yards. "It's the only charm known to repel them."
"Do you think Quinn knows what they are?" Santana asked, nodding at Brittany's words.
Brittany pondered her girlfriend's question. She and Quinn had on occasion completed their Care of Magical Creatures homework together but her fellow Ravenclaw never seemed to be that enthusiastic about it. She knew Quinn was book savvy, however, and there was a definite possibility that the champion knew what was hunting her.
"Possibly," Brittany settled, not being able to know for sure. At least Quinn hadn't hesitated in trying the patronus right away.
"You're a genius, you are," Santana breathed in her ear, hugging her closer. "I couldn't have figured this out, Brittany."
"I'm sure you would have," Brittany said honestly, having the utmost belief in her girlfriend's abilities. It didn't stop Brittany from smiling and holding Santana closer, grateful that she was safe in her arms and watching the task rather than completing it. Her heart was still clenching at the notion of her best friend facing those terrible creatures, however. Brittany bit her lip and hoped Quinn could produce the full-powered charm necessary for victory.
Quinn traveled another hundred feet into the forest. She didn't need to cast a spell to see the shadows anymore. By that point they were so thick and dark that they blocked out anything that should be expected to appear normally. It put Brittany on edge for her friend.
Another flash of silver light and the non-corporeal patronus surrounded the nearest Lethifold, subduing it. The shield continued to hold as more of the dark, slithery creatures attempted to reach the champion. When the pressure became too great, the spell vanished causing Quinn to stumble backwards.
The creatures made no move towards the champion right away and for a moment it seemed as though all was normal once more, save for the ever-pervasive silence.
They attacked again and once more Quinn could only produce the non-corporeal form of her patronus. It did the trick for a few seconds but after the charm faded, the champion had no choice but to run and even that seemed futile. The Lethifolds were everywhere, bearing down from all directions and soon it seemed as though Quinn would be engulfed in deadly darkness.
"It's not working," Santana said. Brittany could tell she was nervous by the edge in her voice. "It's not strong enough."
Brittany nodded in agreement. "She's going to have to find that memory," she murmured. "She needs a full bodied patronus if she is going to stand a chance. There are far too many of them."
"She looks spooked," Santana said, nodding her head towards Quinn's projection. They weren't even paying attention to the other champions or their progress. "Do you think she'll be able to concentrate hard enough?"
Brittany didn't answer right away. She thought to herself instead and considered the possibilities. "I think she probably believes she won't be able to. She's strong enough, but she has to believe that first."
Santana gave her a squeeze and nodded against her. They fell silent again as they continued to watch Quinn flee from the shadow-like creatures.
The champion collapsed against a thick tree trunk, wand held high as she threw her head back to catch her breath. She swallowed hard before turning and peeking around the tree. There had to be at least a dozen shadows growing and pulling from the forest around her, drawing nearer and closer.
Quinn closed her eyes and Brittany watched as the champion held her breath. Several steady seconds ticked by and the hint of a smile fell across Quinn's face. Brittany would say she looked peaceful, relaxed even. It was almost as though she had entered a sacred place within her heart that brought her some sort of comfort amongst the oppressing shadows.
That was when Brittany knew Quinn had found it. Whatever memory it was, it had come to Quinn at the moment she needed light the most in her life. That memory, whatever it was, was her salvation.
Hazel eyes snapped open and the champion took a long and steady breath. The smile played on her lips as she pushed off the tree trunk and spun around to face her enemies. Quinn's voice was strong and true when she uttered the charm once more.
"Expecto patronum!"
Light burst forth from the wand again but this time brighter and stronger than before. It was nearly blinding to those watching and from it a form took shape. Great-feathered wings spread out, the span as big as an eagle's. Monstrous claws took form along with a wise, talon-feathered head. The bird flapped its wings and burst up into the air. It paused, hovering in a regal form and it became clear.
The giant owl swooped down towards the deadly foes, slashing with its talons and forcing the Lethifolds to flee. Only after the last one had slunk back into the forest, retracted into the shadows from whence it came, did the owl grow calm and return to Quinn's side.
Brittany could see the look of wonder on Quinn's face as they all took in her patronus. It was a wise and regal bird, its magnificent features shown out in the silver embodiment of the owl. It was a beautiful sight to behold.
"Wow," Santana breathed out into Brittany's ear and the blonde had no choice but to agree. "An owl?"
"Yeah," Brittany said almost breathlessly.
"It fits," Santana nodded.
"It does."
The bird flew low to the ground, in front of Quinn as they continued to travel further into the forest. The silver embodiment of Quinn's corporeal patronus cast enough light to lead the way. Many of the shadows retracted, shying away from the protective light. On a chance one tried to attack, the owl did not hesitate to swoop in and subdue it.
It stayed with Quinn until they broke through into a secluded thicket. There, at the far end, stood a Hippogriff. It was alone but chained, imprisoned and held hostage by the forest. The owl flickered and faded into a whisper of blue smoke. Quinn looked caught off guard. The memory must have wavered upon seeing the chained animal in front of her.
The sound of rustling outside of the thicket made the champion jump slightly. The Hippogriff pawed the forest ground in front of it, jumping up on its hind legs occasionally and letting out a roar of disapproval to its current state.
"That's how she's going to fly," Santana said. "It has to be. 'Set them free… take to flight to reach the skies and burning light,'" she quoted.
Brittany agreed whole heartedly and focused on Quinn's attempt to tame the wild beast. They had had interactions with Hippogriffs before in their Care of Magical Creatures lessons but this one seemed much wilder.
They watched as Quinn slowly stepped forward. Her footsteps were unsure but steady. The beast continued to rein and maul the ground. Quinn halted when she was several paces away from the creature. She paused and met its eye as the beast cried out. They held each other's gaze for several long moments and the Hippogriff grew silent. It watched as Quinn slowly bent at waist until her torso was parallel to the forest floor.
The champion held that position for what felt like ages as time ticked by. Seconds felt like minutes, or hours, Brittany couldn't tell. Everyone around them on the stands was holding their breath until slowly and surely the beast lowered its head in formal greeting.
Quinn rose slowly and began to approach the chained creature at a careful pace after placing her wand inside of her robes. It squawked, making her take a step back slightly but it settled and allowed her to remove the chains from around it. Great, grey wings spread instantly and it clawed at the ground, squawking in thanks. Quinn took a step back to watch the creature in its joy with a subtle smile on her face.
Once the Hippogriff had calmed, it took a step towards Quinn and knelt down in front of her. It was offering its back and, though hesitant at first, the champion accepted the gesture. She stepped forward, running her hand along the giant feathered back before throwing one leg over the animal. She sat just behind the wing joint, gripping the creature with her legs as she leaned forward.
"Alright boy, let's go home," the champion spoke clearly.
The Hippogriff squawked and nodded its giant head before taking off in a run. It burst into the air right before hitting the trees at the far end of the thicket.
The projection disappeared, catching both Santana and Brittany off guard.
"What happened?" Santana huffed.
Brittany shook her head but then she heard it. A squawk in the far distance and her head shot to the sky.
"There!" she shouted, pointing towards the tree tops in the distance. Sure enough there was a creature flying towards them and on its back it carried the Hogwarts champion.
A/N2: So definitely double check my facts on this. It was a tid-bit I remember from when I first read Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and I was completely fascinated by the Lethifold (so I really wanted to use them).
What do you think of Quinn's patronus? More specifically, it is a Eurasian Eagle Owl. Beautiful creatures. And before you ask, I don't know what her memory was so give me some ideas.
Cheers!