...
Word Count: 3,200
Former Word Count: 2,555
...
What Might Be Called a Quandary
...
[September 1, 1994: About 150 kilometers from the Altair Institute of Magic]
The girls had finally calmed, and were moving slower now, taking the break from chaos presented to transfigure cups from stones and fill them with water, gulping down the fresh water. The air buzzed with bugs, but one of Luna's repelling spells worked fine to keep them at bay. It had been roughly six hours since they had started hiking, and Hannah thought they had likely managed some distance between 30 and 40 kilometers.
"We have a bit of time then," Azalea said, "still more than two days, right? Marcus said we had three days, so really all we have to do is keep going."
It was quiet for a while, despite the somewhat ominous rustling and eerie calls that echoed faintly off of the mountains. Figuring they still had some time, most of the breaks that they took were for the girls to look at the vibrant flowers that sprouted from the ground even in fall, though Hannah did enforce a rule of not touching anything they didn't immediately recognize—magical plants, when dangerous, were exceptionally dangerous. Sometimes one of the plants on the edges of the trail would creep towards them, or one of the high tree branches would sway and shudder their way, but for a few hours it was just quiet conversation. There were also the occasions when magical beasts would wander across the trail, but none seemed particularly interested in the young humans.
Eventually they reached a wide chasm, high cliffs suddenly appearing in a formation that was in no way natural. The cliffs were mostly stone, most of the surface shrouded in vines and soft flowers. There were dark pockets in the walls where some creature probably slept, but the most noticeable feature was the single narrow bridge that crossed the chasm, and a beautiful Sphinx before it.
Her body was that of a great lioness, golden fur shining slightly from the sunlight that poured through the break in forest coverage that the chasm provided, and her face was that of a beautiful woman, with dark eyes and long black hair. She wore necklaces and a head covering, though the only thing on her body were golden bands where her ankles and wrists might have been.
"Stop!" the Sphinx commanded rather dramatically, eyes focused not on them but forward, "Who would cross the Bridge of… Death… must answer me these questions three, ere the other side he- er… she sees."
Azalea remembered that from somewhere. Something she had seen with Sirius and Remus, maybe? The realization came just as the Sphinx began to frown, and Azalea's expression brightened considerably.
"Ask me the questions three, Bridgekeeper," Azalea declared, grinning wildly, "I am not afraid."
Her companions were, for the most part, incredibly confused. Hannah looked rather concerned, though Luna looked rather like she was delighting in the somewhat-nonsensical things Azalea was saying. It was Susan though who Azalea had seen the movie with, and it was Susan who was beginning to mirror Azalea's grin.
"What" the Sphinx boomed, "is your name?"
The lady Sphinx looked rather delighted that Azalea had recognized where her quote was from. In all likelihood, most of the Altair students would have been raised in a magical environment and would not have watched Monty Python.
"Callisto Potter-Black," Azalea answered cheerfully.
"What is your quest?" the Sphinx continued before Azalea could ask to pass.
"Ehm…" Azalea hesitated, "to seek the… err… Institute of Magic."
With a solemn nod, the Sphinx asked the third question: "What is your favorite color?"
"Green."
"Right. Off you go," the Sphinx stood, shaking out her mane and moving to the side to allow Azalea to pass. When Azalea didn't move, one of her eyebrows rose in curiosity.
"But Bridgekeeper, as far as I know, each question grants one person passage. Since I answered three questions, is it not right for three of us to pass?" Azalea asked cautiously. She was fairly certain that none of her friends knew where the capital of Assyria was.
The Sphinx frowned, lips pursing in displeasure but she did acquiesce. "You have a point, little human," she said, "Fine, then. I will give the last of you a proper riddle. Who will answer me?"
"I would!" Luna said, bouncing forward, "The wrackspurts love to tell me all sorts of riddles."
Azalea wasn't sure about wrackspurts, but Luna had told her all about the riddles the guardian of Ravenclaw tower asked.
"A boy has as many brothers as he does sisters," the Sphinx began to ask rather solemnly, "but each sister has only half as many sisters as she does brothers. How many brothers and sisters are there in the family?"
Azalea frowned. She had never been good with riddles—the sheer amount of time she had taken trying to figure out "spider" the last time she ran into a Sphinx was testament enough to that. She did still try to figure out the answer—it just didn't go well. Hannah looked equally as confused as Azalea, though Susan looked rather like she at least understood what the question was asking. Luna, though, smiled brilliantly like it was a wonderful question that she knew the answer to immediately.
"Why, four and three, of course!" Luna replied, "It was very nice to meet you, Lady Sphinx! Would it be alright if I came to visit?"
The lady Sphinx laughed, but gestured with one large paw for them to cross the bridge. While it was certainly longer and skinnier than any bridge had right to be, it wasn't the rickety mess that appeared in horror movies. It was a simple wooden bridge, only wide enough for one person at a time, with a mildly ominous dip downwards in the middle. It didn't shake enough for Hannah to refuse to cross it—which was good, because the last fork in the trail was at least ten kilometers behind them—though she did have to cling to Susan the entire way.
At the bottom of the chasm there was a brilliantly clear stream, though Azalea wasn't quite sure where it came from, because it was running in the opposite direction (she thought) as the river they had crossed earlier. It didn't really make any sense, but it was Altair Institute of Magic. In the letter they had sent before the Hogwarts students arrived, they made it very clear that distortions happened every once and a while. The stream was edged with bright blue flowers that seemed to glow in the shadow of the canyon's walls, and Azalea faintly picked out the figure of a goat of some kind at the bottom.
The other side of the bridge was bizarrely treeless—there were only a few minutes of trees before it cleared into plains filled with tall grass and flowers. From what Azalea remembered from being on the cliffside, the forest went on for much longer than it looked like now.
"Should we stop for lunch?" Hannah asked, out of breath.
They'd walked a ways into the field—well, Luna had skipped most of the way, singing some tune about flowers and sunshine—and Hannah and Susan had slowly started to lag behind. Azalea and Luna, the only two with any real experience with outdoor exercise (even if Azalea's experience was running from Dudley and Quidditch practice) weren't quite as tired.
"Let's." Susan agreed.
"Yeah sure," Azalea agreed readily, they were in a relatively open area where they could see at least a little ways around them, "did you bring any food?"
Susan and Hannah froze, terrified expressions crossing their faces.
"So no," Azalea said, "that's alright, Remus made a dozen or so sandwiches like the mother-hen he is."
"Are they safe to eat?" Hannah asked reluctantly, though she knew she'd probably eat whatever was provided.
"They better be," Azalea muttered, "Or they'll be regretting it rather soon."
Thankfully, the sandwiches were safe to eat, and it gave the girls an opportunity to rest. They all pulled off their shoes and socks, Hannah remembering a healing charm to deal with the blisters that had appeared from the extended walking. The blisters hadn't bothered them most of the hike, but once they'd sat down it became incredibly clear that they had been walking for a long time. Hannah's spell didn't fix everything, but Luna had the foresight to bring cloth (though Azalea wasn't sure what Luna actually intended it for) and they wrapped their feet before getting ready to go on.
"Should we keep going until nine or ten?" Susan asked, "Then we can sleep decently and be ready to go early enough that if it gets hotter tomorrow, we'll still have a lot of hiking time in."
"We should probably just go until we get tired," Hannah said, "if we're exhausted at eight there's no use in hiking further, is there?"
"Good point."
"Well come on then, ladies!" Azalea said, swinging her backpack over her shoulder, "Let's get going!"
She set off rather dramatically towards the trees, some of the flair lost from her lack of billowing cloak and ominous slamming of doors. Luna skipped after her, practically bouncing down the trail. Hannah and Susan exchanged a weary glance, already knowing that this was what they would likely have to deal with for several months.
The plains they were in didn't last long, with bright yellow flowers being replaced by tall dark trees and shrubs, the only color coming from iridescent fungi that Azalea was rather certain would be poisonous. The tree canopy thickened until the light was terribly dim, and Azalea couldn't help but be reminded of the time she was goaded into finding the Acromantula colony in the Forbidden Forest. Grimacing at the memory, she pulled out her wand to cast Lumos Solem, the little orb of light rushing out of the tip of her wand and illuminating the area in a cool blue glow.
Her friends mimicked her, and soon there were four blue lights flickering around them, Susan's hovering just above their heads while the other three pushed ahead. It gave them a good enough view of their surroundings that Azalea's tense posture relaxed some.
"Girls?" Azalea asked carefully, "are any of you capable of body shields?"
The lesson Remus had given her on them had been rather painful. She'd found bruises for weeks afterwards from the stinging spells he sent her way, and Sirius had done nothing but laugh.
"Auntie's talked about it before," Susan said, "but I've never cast one."
Susan was warier now, too, picking up on Azalea's discomfort. Anything that got Azalea Potter worried enough to cast preemptively was definitely concerning enough for Susan to follow suit.
The other girls had never heard of it before- and with a little exhausted sigh, Azalea explained.
"The spell is 'armum corpus,' which basically means 'body shield.' It creates a thin shield around your body, kinda like a second skin. The more magic you put into it, the stronger it is, and if you focus on the spell you can power it more or less without recasting the spell. Kind of like if you were making a bluebell flame brighter or dimmer," as she watched her companions nod, Azalea modeled the spell, a shimmery blue shroud enveloping her and resting an inch from her skin.
"Unfortunately, you can't hold the shield and cast much at the same time. Charms like our lights are fine, and some other simple things, but it's best to not risk it,"Azalea explained. It took a few tries for the girls to get it- Susan got it first, likely a result from the light training her Aunt had given her. When they'd finally gotten shields working, Azalea continued; "If something attacks us, push more of your magic into the spell. It'll only block a little physically, but it'll still hurt a bit. If it's not something that can be avoided, Sue, you should do offensive spells while Hannah shields you, and Lu you'll shield me, alright?"
"Yes, Mistress Azalea!" Susan said teasingly, though she nodded in agreement. It made Hannah laugh, some of the tension she felt easing at their calm. Azalea smiled faintly, glad that her friends trusted her before starting to walk again.
It was quiet, even the sound of trees softening slightly in the dim light.
It didn't last.
The little sunlight peeking through the treetops all but vanished, and an growing unnatural, creeping cold grew clear as their breath froze in the air. Hannah shivered, stuttering out a concerned word as she pointed into the trees. Something chittered softly, and dark shapes flitted through the trees as the air crystalized.
The shapes circled closer. The cold air burned each breath the girls took, and Azalea's hand grew clammy in its grip on her wand.
"Shit." Azalea whispered, "They have to be lethifolds! I know the feeling of dementors by heart—this isn't it. Lu, patronus on 3. Hannah and Susan, try if you can, light things on fire if you can't!"
"3…" one of the lethifolds crept closer, and Azalea directed her sol at it, breathing a brief sigh in relief as it shied away, "2…" the chittering grew louder and more menacing. Susan felt like her legs were locked in place, this was too much like- too much like
"1.."
One of the lethifolds shrieked. They rushed forward, an ominous wind whipping their black skin wildly and making the girls gasp.
"Now!"
"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" they shouted as one. Only Azalea's patronus escaped her wand on her first try. The stag it was in third year was gone, replaced by a wolfish grim, the embodiment of her guardian's promise to keep her safe. The canine howled in fury, the sound silent but the action clear as it lunged towards the nearest lethifold, teeth tearing at the black creature.
The three other girls cast again, Luna's hare bounding from her wand in the opposite direction of Azalea's grim-wolf. Susan tried twice more before casting a shield around them, Hannah deciding a ring of fire was a better defense.
Their body-shields had snapped and their lights vanished, the only glow left was a mix between the flickering orange flames of Hannah's fire and the brilliant white of Luna and Azalea's patroni. The two patroni did not seem to be enough, as lethifolds crept between them to rush at the girls, hesitating only at the flames.
"Expecto patronum!" Azalea shouted a second time, her stag appearing brightly and rushing the lethifolds, just as enraged as the grim-wolf. She staggered, only stopped from collapsing by Hannah's quick grip on her arm.
"Drop the fire ring, Hannah," Susan ordered, "we need to move."
Moments later they staggered down the path, Azalea's stag staying close and circling the group as the two other patroni chased down the fleeing lethifolds. Hannah had her arm around Azalea's shoulder as she stumbled forward, the two other girls watching their surroundings alertly. It wasn't long before the patroni faded, only the grim-wolf lingering as a guide ahead until the trees cleared.
The girls realized quickly that they had lost a lot of time in the forest as they watched the sky turn pink and the sun dip below the western mountains. "Tempus," Susan cast, the silvery numbers reading 19:49.
"Check the compass." Hannah suggested, setting Azalea down in the clearing the forest path had emptied into. There was a small mound of elevated ground that was flat enough and high enough that she figured it would work well as a place to spend the night. Azalea was out of it, eyes half-glazed from magical overexertion even as the grim-wolf she had cast prowled the perimeter. Hannah didn't want to tell her to drop it.
"Thank Merlin," Susan muttered as the compass in Luna's hands pointed away from the forest they'd exited.
"We should rest a while," Azalea slurred slightly, "Get some sleep. Some… someone should keep watch though… basic strategy. Moony said so."
"Right. Your tent, Luna?" Susan asked, fishing it out of Luna's bag and letting it pop up as she placed it on the ground. "Hannah, would you mind keeping first watch? Just for two hours."
Hannah nodded in agreement, taking food from Azalea's bag as the three other girls moved inside the tent. It was early in the night, but the sun had set and the extra time they could use still walking was not nearly worth the things they might find lurking in the night.
"19:55" she read the numbers from her tempus, setting an alarm her mother had taught her to tell her when two hours had passed. She looked around the clearing, blinking in surprise at seeing Azalea's grim-wolf still lurking around, patrolling the edges of the clearing with tense strides, sometimes stilling to look off into the woods. Well, Hannah figured wryly, at least I won't be lonely.
…
/ Did I just see what I thought I saw? / Marcus asked. He'd shown up a few hours after the girls had left the "devil-beavers" behind.
/ If you just saw a- what, fourteen? Fifteen? / Reid thought for a moment, / fifteen-year-old girl cast two fully corporeal patroni then yes, you did. The Lovegood girl is fourteen. /
/ The fuck? / another student muttered quietly.
/ From their conversation it sounded a lot like Potter was the one to teach Lovegood how to cast a patronus, though, / a fae added, / which means she'd have to have been younger when she learned it. /
/ By all the righteousness that is Ircoriel in a mood, that has to be impossible. /
/ Did you really just curse by one of our teacher's names? / Marcus asked, amusement palpable, / Our oldest vampire teacher for that matter? And poorly, at that. /
/ And? What are you gonna do about it, Marcus? / the vampire sniped back.
/ Let's get back to the fact that a fifteen-year-old girl just made TWO corporeal patroni, at the same time! / a daemon practically shouted over the link / Granted, she collapsed pretty damn quick afterward, but she still cast them! And one of them is still running around! /
/ Wait, Potter made two corporeal patroni at once? / Reagan Lorenzo asked, / I've been busy watching Weasley and his group lose their minds after practically falling into a baby wyvern nest and then being chased off by the momma. It's pathetic. /
/ Reagan it was gorgeous! Potter cast this big grimmish wolf thing — looked a little werewolf-y if I'm honest, and then cast a stag right afterward! / Marcus said, tone clearly delighted, / You know, if all else, at least she's well and interesting. I've found her, at least, to be delightful so far. /
/ I sure hope you aren't infatuated, Marcus. She's fifteen. /
/ No–what? I have a girlfriend, a very terrifying and wonderful girlfriend- and even if I didn't I wouldn't be. / Marcus objected, his tone slightly harried, / it's just that this girl — who went to Hogwarts of all places — somehow learned how to produce two corporeal patroni. Her defeat of Voldemort was ridiculous, but he was still significantly older and more experienced than her. She's just… interesting. /
/ I'll go ahead and not tell Lirienne you said that. / Reagan returned gleefully.
/ I bet she'd like her too. /
...