Slightly AU!
WRITTEN FOR QLFC, SEASON 9
Puddlemere United
Chaser 1: Coven
Prompts:
(setting) Forbidden Forest
(word) venture
(setting) dusk
Word Count: 1894
The summer dusk brought glorious, magenta-purple skies as the last sun-rays of the day kissed the forest floor.
It reeked of age. Centuries of splintering branches crashing to the forest's floor and rotting silently produced a woodsy incense that was hard to forget. Unfamiliar creatures prowled under the sprawling limbs of the occult-like trees, and a composting, organic smell rose in waves like a miasma around them. Needles of bristly moss swung from the dusky wealds.
As the sun began to set over the horizon, the rabbits came out to forage and play. They moved slowly, lolloping in their ungainly way, grazing as they went. At the slightest noise, they were up on their hind legs, black eyes staring in all directions, for the Forbidden Forest was full of predators, both magical and Muggle.
The darkness came, and under it, everything in the forest was hidden. Even the stars and moon cowered behind a dense layer of cloud, giving the air that tincture most people associated with an upcoming storm.
Then, the atmosphere began to change. Whimpering sounds resounded through the dank air; Acromantulas hissed as they chased after their prey, and centaurs tapped their hooves nervously, looking up at the silent sky. Grotesque fungi stained the floor of the mottled-brown forest. A deathlike hush started to fall upon all the living creatures of the forest.
All was silent. All was still. Except for the two witches venturing through the umber-brown forest.
One witch was tall and willowy, with long golden-blond hair and blue eyes, while the other was short and curvy, with short jet-black hair and dark eyes. Despite their physical differences, they both were in the forest for the same purpose: to gain acceptance and closure.
"Are you sure it's this way, Daph?" the dark-haired witch asked, glancing around nervously. She fiddled with the wand in her robes, her instincts on edge. She had never been in the Forbidden Forest before, not even when she was a Hogwarts student.
"Positive. Astoria told me if we kept on the right track, we'd reach the clearing in twenty minutes," Daphne Greengrass said, looking over her shoulder at her friend, Pansy Parkinson.
"Your sister's going to be there, too?" Pansy asked, still looking around. Coils of the vaporous mist enshrouded the shaggy heads of the oak trees. They writhed around the arcane trunks like ropes from an Incarcerous spell, sensuous and illusory. They reminded Pansy of the times her classmates had been tortured by the Carrows, and she shivered in fear. She tried not to let the atmosphere get to her. "Why? She wasn't in the… the war."
The dreaded word was like a guillotine hanging over their heads. Just the mere mention of it made Pansy feel as though the entire forest had stilled. Maybe it has.
"Neither were we, Pansy, but we all have… memories." Her voice turned soft, and Pansy knew her friend could feel the difference in the forest, too.
Neither of them spoke as they continued to venture forth towards their destination. Pansy kept her hand on the hilt of her wand, wondering if they weren't about to walk into a trap. She thought back to her conversation with Daphne that morning.
Dressed in her finest robes, Daphne Flooed into Pansy's house for brunch. The two witches sat down at the table to enjoy the delicious spread Pansy's house-elves had made. The scent of cinnamon rolls, banana pancakes, caramel apple cobbler, and mango smoothies made the atmosphere more relaxed and informal.
During their light-hearted conversation, Pansy asked, "And what is Astoria up to these days? I haven't heard from her in some time."
"She's doing very well. Oh, this reminds me!" Daphne wiped the crumbs off her lips daintily and leaned forward, her blue eyes shining with excitement. "Astoria told me that Ginny Weasley told her about a coven that's been gathering in the Forbidden Forest."
"A coven? For what?" Pansy wasn't able to hide her curiosity.
"She said that after all that happened in the war, a lot of witches haven't been able to reach their full potential while performing spells and incantations. I have to admit that I've noticed it, too," Daphne explained. "So, the witches gather every Friday around dusk, and they try to find ways to combat their fears and trauma."
"Why do they gather at dusk?"
"Remember Professor McGonagall taught us that a witch's core was most powerful at dusk and a wizard's at dawn? Something about masculine and feminine energy? Besides, I think it's more for the aesthetic than any real reason. Can you imagine how cool it would look? A coven of witches gathered around a circle in the forest, chanting and holding hands?"
"Daphne, you've been reading too many Muggle novels. You know that's not how covens work," Pansy said, rolling her eyes in exasperation. Honestly, Daphne should know better.
"I know how covens work, Pansy. Let me imagine it," Daphne said, rolling her eyes as well. "Anyway, this coven is here for only one purpose. To help witches get over the fears they developed during the war."
Pansy quietly sipped on her mango smoothie before saying, "This idea reeks of Granger."
Daphne grinned but nodded. "Tori said that it was Granger's idea, but because she needs help just as much as everyone else — possibly even more — she asked someone more experienced to head the coven."
"Who is it?"
"Professor McGonagall. Madam Pomfrey's in the coven, too. She's in charge of the healing spells. So is Madam Hooch and Professor Sprout and all the other witches on the staff," Daphne said, listing the names on her fingers. She tucked her hair behind her ear. "Even Madam Pince is in it."
"That's a surprise," Pansy murmured, remembering the hawk-like librarian who had never smiled at anyone in her life. Even Pansy smiled at people now and then.
"Yeah, it surprised me, too, but Tori said that Pince is not that bad when she's away from her precious books. Anyway, the coven is open to anyone who wishes to come, and I was thinking…"
"Daphne, no." Pansy said, frowning at her friend. "You just said McGonagall heads the coven — which was Granger's idea. Who else do you think is in this group?"
"Tori went last week, and she said that there were a lot of familiar faces. She also said that no one made her feel unwelcome — in fact, they made sure she was comfortable with everything that was going on," Daphne explained. She took a deep breath in before she revealed the truth. "Pansy… I want to go and see this coven for myself. We both know neither of us is as whole as we should have been, and it's all because of the war. We all had to watch our classmates get tortured, our friends get killed, and our parents…"
It was then that Pansy interrupted her, not wanting to delve into her feelings about her father and the choices he had made. After a few minutes, she hesitantly given in to Daphne's request to go with her even though she had her doubts and reservations.
There was no way the coven would allow Pansy or Daphne into their ranks, would they? Not only were they Slytherins, but they had also made most of the other witches' lives hell during their time at Hogwarts. The coven was sure to mock them, humiliate them, and maybe they'd even hex the two Slytherins for daring to trespass during their sacred time.
The coven wouldn't care that Pansy suffered from nightmares or that she couldn't cast any spells without thinking of its consequences. They wouldn't care that whenever Pansy walked down the streets, she had to keep looking over her shoulder to make sure rogue Death Eaters weren't following her. No matter how little the sound was, Pansy would stiffen and whip out her wand.
Now, as they heard soft chattering in the distance, Pansy began to regret her decision. We shouldn't be here.
They had ventured this far; they couldn't turn back now.
Daphne reached down to squeeze Pansy's hand in a show of silent support just before they stepped into the clearing. Pansy did her best not to reveal her emotions; she was a strong pure-blood witch, and she would be damned if she—
"Daphne, over here," Astoria Greengrass called out, waving at them. She sat on the ground next to a redhead — Pansy recognised her as the Weasley girl.
Looking around, Pansy paled when she saw the witches gathered around the large fire burning in the middle of the clearing. Except for the Greengrass sisters and herself, the coven had Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs, and Ravenclaws — which meant they were all on the right side of the war.
Pansy swallowed and tried to hold her head high when a few witches turned to look at her. At any moment, they would glare at her and kick—
"I'm surprised you came, Parkinson," a soft voice said from behind, and Pansy whirled around, her wand immediately clenched between her fingers. Her heart raced when she saw Hermione Granger standing there, dressed in a flowy white dress. The burning embers gave the Gryffindor witch a soft hazy look.
"I was forced to," Pansy blurted out, blinking rapidly to keep her face expressionless. She couldn't believe Granger was being so nice to her after everything she had done to make the Gryffindor's life miserable.
Understanding flitted over Granger's features before she nodded. "Nevertheless, you're here. Make yourself comfortable, and we'll begin shortly."
Pansy hesitated as she looked down at the forest floor. They were witches — couldn't they just conjure chairs to sit upon like civilised people?
Granger seemed to notice her expression. She explained, "Witches who are more in tune with the earth are far more powerful — that's why we sit on the ground. Professor McGonagall will explain the rest when she arrives. All you need to know at the moment is that no one is here to judge you — or others. We all have problems, and we're here to get rid of them any way we can. Think of this as therapy for witches."
Pansy bit back an insult, choosing to remain silent. She made her way to Daphne's side and sat down as gracefully as possible. Ginny Weasley gave her a polite nod of acknowledgement, and Pansy was so stunned that she inadvertently nodded back.
Glancing at the witches huddled around the fire, Pansy noticed they all wore sundresses, frocks, and robes. None of them wore anything too restricting, unlike Pansy and Daphne, who were always dressed to impress and had chosen to wear form-fitting dresses.
She also noticed the witches all looked relaxed rather than on edge like she did. She recognised Susan Bones, Hannah Abbott, Luna Lovegood, the Patil twins, Angelina Johnson, Katie Bell, Alicia Spinnet, and even Mrs Weasley. They were all deep in conversation, mingling with each other with smiles on their faces.
Pansy immediately felt out of place; only Daphne's knee pressed against hers stopped her from bolting.
They didn't have to wait too long for Professor McGonagall to arrive with Madam Pomfrey in tow. A hush fell over the gathered witches, and Pansy's heart began to race in expectation.
Maybe, just maybe, she could dare to hope for a better life.