Elizabeth woke up to a dull ache in her head. Her vision was slightly hazy, but it cleared after a few seconds. She saw the familiar ceiling of the Hospital Wing above her. Someone must have brought her here, either her friends, or they'd fetched someone to get her.
Her initial grogginess was also wearing off and left her with memories of what had taken place before she passed out.
The tingly feeling in the back of her neck. Hairs standing up on the back of her neck. The shaking. She knew what this meant. She had seen it before.
"Madam Pomfrey?" Elizabeth called, sitting up and looking around. She needed to talk to someone, and immediately. She had to know what damage had been done already.
The mediwitch came out of her office and walked briskly over to her. "Yes, dear? How are you feeling?" She asked.
"Fine." Elizabeth said, even though she hadn't really much time to register how she was really faring. "Madam Pomfrey, something terrible has happened. I need to go out onto the grounds, now!" She exclaimed.
"What could have happened? I understand that you are eager to go to the task tonight, but you're still recuperating from your injury. And I still haven't determined the cause of your accident. Did you eat anything out of the ordinary? Something that could have sparked a delayed allergic reaction?" Madam Pomfrey asked her.
"It wasn't an allergic reaction! It was a warning! I need to go!" Elizabeth insisted.
"Enough! All this stress is not helping your mind. In fact, I think this is only worsening your condition and making you perceive false danger. Now, you shall lie here and relax calmly, or I will give you a dreamless sleep potion to ensure it. Understand?" Madam Pomfrey ordered.
Knowing that there would be no way to sway her, Elizabeth agreed. But that didn't mean she would give up. This was an emergency, one she knew that only one other person could cause. And that person was someone she now knew was still alive, and stronger than ever if the dreams Harry had been having all year were right.
This was crazy. Insane. Quite possibly one of the stupidest things she'd ever done. Who would sneak out of a hospital and run straight into danger? Apparently, her.
Elizabeth learned that the third task had started a while ago, and currently Harry, Viktor, Fleur, and Cedric were all in a maze searching for the Triwizard Cup. Until Madam Pomfrey received an urgent Patronus from Pomona Sprout, saying that Cedric and Harry had tied for first place, but when the boys touched the cup, at the same time, they had disappeared. Pomona said that they would most likely need her, whenever they came back.
No one knew where they had gone. But Elizabeth knew who they were with. And it filled her with panic. Panic that she could barely keep squished down as Madam Pomfrey explained that she needed to leave, and told her to stay in the Hospital Wing, and that everything should be fine.
She was obviously lying to her to try and keep her calm. Elizabeth smiled and nodded, pretending that she was fine, when internally she was anything but. How could she be fine, knowing one of her closest friends was missing and was in terrible danger?
Madam Pomfrey left, and as soon as the doors to the Hospital Wing swung shut, Elizabeth ran over to one of the large windows. Below, she saw crowds of people watching the very large, extravagant maze. She saw her mum, Dumbledore, Fudge, and several other Hogwarts teachers all huddled in a group, talking worriedly. This only increased her fear.
Still in her hospital nightgown, and also barefoot, Elizabeth sprinted over to the doors and flung them open. Wasting no time, she sped off down the corridor, ignoring the odd looks she received from the people in the paintings she was passing.
When she got out onto the grounds and reached the area where the professors and minister were, she could tell things were getting more panicked.
"It should have been impossible for them to leave! There are centuries-old wards on the school and its grounds. No one can penetrate or manipulate them!" Flitwick said passionately, clearly worried for the sake of Harry and Cedric.
"Dumbledore, you agreed to all the terms of the task! Don't tell me you went off and tampered with how it would end!" Fudge exclaimed.
Hearing enough, Elizabeth stepped in.
"It wasn't Dumbledore's fault! The wards can be taken down, but he wasn't the one to do it!" She insisted.
Fudge looked a little put off by her arguing with him, while Minerva and Madam Pomfrey looked worried, the latter also appearing quite annoyed.
"Miss Gryffindor, I told you not to leave the Hospital Wing!" she scolded.
"This child escaped the Hospital Wing?" Fudge asked.
"Yes, I did! I tried to tell you, Madam Pomfrey, but you didn't listen! What happened to me wasn't an accident, it was a warning! I know what's happened, and I'm the only one who can fix it!" Elizabeth yelled, trying to get anyone to listen to her.
There was silence. All the teachers and Fudge were looking at her.
"Miss Gryffindor, if you would, please enlighten us." Dumbledore asked.
"Dumbledore, you can't be serious! She's mad enough to leave the Hospital Wing when she's clearly still recovering from an injury," Fudge gestured to the bandage still on her head, "can you really trust what she says? Her history speaks for itself."
Minerva walked over to her adoptive daughter, placing a hand on her shoulder, in an attempt to pacify her as Elizabeth crossed her arms, her patience waning further and further.
"If I may, Minister, there has not been any evidence of madness in any of my current students. Elizabeth has gone to considerable lengths to reach us, I believe it is only polite to hear her out and let her explain herself." Dumbledore defended. Elizabeth smiled, and he nodded, showing his support to her.
Fudge huffed. "Very well. Say your piece." he said, not looking at Elizabeth.
Finally, her chance had come to explain! She only hoped that they would actually take her seriously.
"You all think that the wards that prevent apparating or portkeys or any other form of teleportation on Hogwarts grounds cannot be broken. But, they can." She said, giving them a few seconds to let the message sink in.
"The wards were constructed when I was a child. Helga Hufflepuff wanted to further protect the school, even from other wizards and witches who might not have good intentions. How they did it was that each founder donated some of their own blood to the Hogwarts land itself, and they created a powerful protection spell that still stands." She continued.
"And how does this pertain to you?" Snape asked drily.
Elizabeth had to fight the urge to roll her eyes. "It pertains to me because I am of founder lineage and blood, directly descended, at that. Rowena Ravenclaw was the one to add an attachment to the spell. She said that in times of crisis, direct teleportation to Hogwarts might be necessary, so she and the others crafted a spell that allowed only those of founder blood to take the wards down, and reinstate them."
Elizabeth paused, stealing herself up for what she would have to say next.
"I am one of the two people in the world who can remove and reinstate the wards that protect this school, and I can assure you that I would never take them down. There is only one other descendant of a founder alive, and I believe he is the one behind Harry and Cedric's disappearance." She further explained.
There were gasps from some of the professors, and she could feel Minerva's hand on her shoulder squeeze it, her grip tightening from fear at what she was implying.
"And how does this connect to your accident?" Madam Pomfrey asked.
"That was the warning that the wards were taken down. It shouldn't have been so intense, but the spell was designed to send a signal to every other founder descendant. Theoretically, they were supposed to know what it means and arrive at Hogwarts to put the wards back. I've felt the warning once before, my parents undid the wards so that I, my brother, and Helena Ravenclaw would know what it means. The intensity of the spell should have been more diluted, but since I am the only one left to feel it," her voice broke a little at that, "I got the full dose of it." she finished explaining.
There was silence for a moment, everyone else digesting what she had told them.
"So, you know how to reinstate the protection, yes?" Sprout asked.
Elizabeth nodded. "I do. But, I should wait until Harry and Cedric return. They could be counting on apparating or a portkey to bring them back." she did not voice her fears of whether or not they would come back. Talking about, or even thinking about, one of her closest friends being in such danger was almost too much to bear.
"I propose we allow her to do what she thinks is right. Miss Gryffindor was born into a time of knowledge we do not fully understand. We are lucky to have her to interpret and help us with our shortcomings within that era of time. We should allow her to put her knowledge to use when we are in need." Dumbledore proclaimed. Elizabeth smiled a very wide, grateful, smile.
Fudge clearly had reservations but did not speak of them. Elizabeth supposed that was because he was unsure of what to think, and supported Dumbledore because it was easier than to think for himself.
"What does this process require, Elizabeth?" Minerva asked. Elizabeth paled. She knew the spell by heart, it was actually the first spell she ever learned, but she knew her adoptive mum would not like what it entailed.
"A large dose of magic and concentration. I'll need to be alone to truly focus." She said. Minerva pursed her lips.
"Please, Mum. I need you to trust me." She said, looking Minerva in the eye.
Minerva sighed but nodded. She knew her daughter was a brave, selfless spirit. She put others before herself so many times she was sure it was an unbreakable habit. Elizabeth had come this far already, she knew that trying to stop her at this point was probably futile.
And, she could piece together the consequences if she held her back. Letting He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named weaken Hogwarts in a way he had never done before.
"Be careful."
Elizabeth stood in front of the same patch of grass Harry and Cedric had vanished from. She needed to be at the same place that they disappeared from. Now, she painstakingly waited for Harry and Cedric to return. It was torture. Harry was somewhere with Voldemort, and she had no way of helping him. Or even knowing what was going on.
While she waited, Elizabeth thought back to the looks she'd received as she entered the maze. (All the dangers had been stripped away, making it safe for her to enter.) Everyone in the maze was staring, whispering, pointing. She had been able to see Mrs. Weasley holding Ginny and Ron back from running to the maze entrance. Sirius, however, did not hold back, and ran up to Elizabeth and demanded to know what was going on. She didn't have any time to explain, and left it in the hands of Minerva. Apparently, Sirius would have gone to Dumbledore straight away, but Mrs. Weasley had held him back as well.
Elizabeth sat by the spot, running over the spell in her mind. She could recite it in her sleep but hadn't ever said it aloud before. It was too dangerous, and not something she could mess with.
"Please let me get this right." She whispered, looking up to the night sky.
Minutes later, Harry and Cedric had returned. She so wanted to run and check on Harry but knew she had a responsibility to fulfill.
She got on her knees and placed her knees on the grass. For a moment, she was quiet, willing herself to feel the magic running through her veins. Once she could tell it was there and could sense it profoundly, she began.
"I call my magic onto me,
From the blood running through my body,
To sleep a spell now awoken,
Let me fix what has been broken,
With certainty, I pledge my soul,
However hurt, like burning coal,
To summon forth all my power
Let this danger be devoured!"
"I call my magic onto me,
From the blood running through my body,
To sleep a spell now awoken,
Let me fix what has been broken,
With certainty, I pledge my soul,
However hurt, like burning coal
To summon forth all my power
Let this danger be devoured!"
"I CALL MY MAGIC ONTO ME,
FROM THE BLOOD RUNNING THROUGH MY BODY,
TO SLEEP A SPELL NOW AWOKEN,
LET ME FIX WHAT HAS BEEN BROKEN,
WITH CERTAINTY I PLEDGE MY SOUL
HOWEVER HURT, LIKE BURNING COAL,
TO SUMMON FORTH ALL MY POWER,
LET THIS DANGER BE DEVOURED!
Elizabeth repeated the spell three times, just as she knew she had to. Each time her voice raised higher and louder, her speed in saying the words increased as well. She could feel her magic leaving her hands in floods, rather than the small streams she was used to. As she performed the spell, her eyes were closed. But anyone watching could see golden swirls of magic entering the ground, and Elizabeth practically glowing from the soft glow of the magic she wielded. Her power intensified with each verse repeated, so much so that her hair even started to defy gravity, as did her necklace, both lifting into the air from the sheer amount of magical power present.
When the spell was complete, there was a loud blast, which blew Elizabeth back into one of the walls of the maze. Miraculously, she was unhurt.
More importantly, she saw the ground flicker with a golden light, which told her what she desperately wanted to know.
"I've done it." She whispered in awe.
And she had. The protective charms at Hogwarts were now fully active again, and she had been able to restore balance as best she could.
Elizabeth slowly made her way out of the maze, though she was unhurt, she was left feeling a little drained, and very tired. When it came to using magic, even in large amounts like what she had just done, the magic used always replenished itself, but it took time in some cases. This appeared to be one. She knew that she'd be fine hopefully by morning, but now she wanted nothing more than to make sure her friend was alright, and then go to bed.
Little did she know, Harry was far from alright.
And, that the Wizarding World would be far from alright for a very long time.
I never quite understood how the protective, ani-apparating/anti portkey spells were taken down, so I decided to give that piece of Hogwarts history a backstory of my own. This is an AU, I can do whatever I like! Also, I was struggling to come up with the title for this chapter, so please don't get mad over the title. In this situation, Elizabeth is literally the only way to put the wards back up.
I hope that Elizabeth didn't come off as impulsive or bratty, she was just afraid and desperate, and that just escalated the longer that she was not being heard. Also, none of the adults are supposed to be seen as ignorant, (aside from Fudge) they were just already in a situation they were not prepared for, and then Elizabeth comes with her own unexpected news and plan, which they also were not expectimg. Plus, she's supposed to be in the Hospital Wing, so they weren't even expecting to see her there.
Also, while most of the rhyme spell you guys can figure out the meaning behind the words, I will explain what "However hurt, like burning coal" means. It means that the person doing the spell is so willing to do it, even if they are injured, like a piece of coal in the process of being burned until it is only ash. That line is a test of their loyalty to the spell, as is the line above it, "With certainty, I pledge my soul." Since the spell is so important to the school's well-being, the person restoring the protection must actually mean it and want it to happen. So, those two lines are there to test their intentions and loyalty.
I honestly love thinking up the rhyme spells that she uses, and this one took a while to do, and I just wanted to make sure no one was confused, sicne I know the wording is at times not exactly clear. Hope you enjoyed the chapter!