My update speed might slow down since I'll be starting University next week. I will try to keep up with the updates though. I want you all to know that the reviews you lot have been giving me are appreciated, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I hope you all stick with me through this story!
Chapter 8
Magical Banks
"Oh, nice scarf," John complimented the Doctor as she walked into the main console room of the Tardis.
She was surprised that he had changed into a tartan scarf for the occasion of landing on Earth. It had to be a hint as to where they were landing. However, she wasn't a big fan of that hat. He simply grinned at that as she placed her hands into the pockets of the jeans she was wearing. Skinny jeans had begun to get popular in the mundane world of her universe and she liked keeping an eye on the latest fashion so she could blend in easier. It would most likely make her stand out in the nineteen seventies but then again, she traveled with the Doctor, it was to be expected. She really wasn't afraid of standing out like others of the magical community.
"What exactly is a Gryffindor?" He questioned as he looked at the front of her jersey.
"Oh, the house I belonged to at Hogwarts," She answered, "House of the brave and chivalrous, the house of the lions."
"Quidditch?" He asked again.
"A sport played on a broomstick, around a few hundred meters in the air," She grinned at him, "I was a chaser for a while, just a stand-in, the jersey is quite comfortable."
"Broomstick," He muttered, "How would that work? How does it fly?"
"Rune work mostly," She answered, "I was planning on taking a detour into London to see if the magical community even exists in your world, if it does then I can see what I can do there."
"Like what?" He asked with a frown.
"Well, I need to see if the noblest and ancient house of Holmes and Watson are a thing here," She shrugged, "My best friend was my cousin and his family no longer has magic in their line so the power for the house fell to me, but I wonder if that is true here."
"How long would this take you?" He asked.
"Not too terribly long," She answered with ease, "I'll be able to appear back at the Tardis, or rather where she'll have been if you decide to move her."
"Teleportation?" He asked.
"I've been working on that," She answered with a wry expression as she ran a hand through her messy hair, "More like being sucked through a tube, it's rather uncomfortable really."
He made a sound at that and they finally landed as Harry and Sarah appeared. Sarah took one look at the jersey and simply shrugged it off, she had seen stranger clothing in her travels. Harry, on the other hand, had quite a few questions at the sight of it. He had a feeling that it had something to do with the mention of a broom back at Nerva Beacon.
"Let's head out," The Doctor stated.
They headed out and John breathed in the fresh air of Earth. She had missed the slightly damp scent of the planet. She hadn't expected that, but then again, she never thought she would leave the planet. She gave the Doctor a nod and apparated from the spot as soon as she memorized the area.
The sounds of London met her ears as she appeared in an alleyway. She let her stomach settle for a few seconds before exiting the alley. People stared at her and she kept her chin up high and continued to walk. She was on the right road and she smiled as the Leaky Cauldron appeared. She headed up to it and immediately all the staring stopped. She walked in through the door and she was greeted by the barkeeper. She didn't realize that he had hair at one point. It was a bit of a surprise, but one that wasn't unwelcome.
"Here for a drink, Lass?" He asked her.
"No sir, just bank business," She answered as she walked through the pub, "I'll be sure to come for a glass of fire whiskey one of these days."
He grinned at that and she headed through the doors that lead to Diagon Alley. She took a deep breath; she knew that a war was happening now, and she was preparing herself to fight off any death eaters that came her way. She narrowed her eyes at that thought as she tapped the correct pattern on the brick wall. It revealed an alley that hadn't been through the second war, one that was still bright and somewhat cheerful even through the pain and hardship. A gentle smile appeared on her face, even though she felt like crying, as she walked through the open archway and looked around the bustling alleyway at all the familiar buildings.
She had forgotten about the ice cream parlor. It had never been the same after the owner was killed. He would always help students with their history homework when they sat in his shop. The sweet man didn't deserve the fate he was handed. He had given her the chance for a summer job when she had been sixteen and became a grandfather figure for her.
She shook such thoughts from her head and continued towards the white marble bank that didn't have a dragon-shaped hole in the dome. She passed through the metal doors and a few of the goblin workers looked at her with narrowed eyes. She went to one of the tellers and gave a respectful nod. Something that piqued his interest.
"Greetings may your enemies be brought before you and their deaths be slow, Gnarltooth," She greeted in a proper fashion as she quickly gleaned his name from his nameplate.
"May yours find themselves in agony over any misdeed they do unto you," Gnarltooth greeted back, "What can I do for you today?"
"I wish to take a blood test," She answered in a low tone, "I'm not quite sure if I have an account with you here, if not then I would like to start one and invest wisely."
His dark eyes glittered at her words. She was giving him good information and he closed his counter. He hopped off the stool that all the Goblins stood on and beckoned for her to follow. She did so and followed at a respectful distance.
"Not many witches and wizards show respect to Goblins nowadays," Gnarltooth stated in an offhand tone.
"Which is such a pity," John said with a wry smile, "They should treat those who deal with their money and accounts with respect, they've grown lazy and have no idea how to invest wisely and you never know when a business might mysteriously go bankrupt."
Oh, he was going to enjoy this transaction. John allowed her mind to wander for a few seconds as they walked down a handsomely decorated hallway. She was worried about the Doctor and the others. She didn't really remember what was going to happen, and as much as she'd like to be there to keep them safe. She needed to find out if she had any money in this world. She needed to have a way to make a living if the Doctor grew tired of her and dropped her off.
"This room," Gnarltooth informed her.
She hurried into the room and he followed. He quickly explained the process of a blood test. Prick a finger with a silver dagger and hold it over a piece of enchanted parchment. She quickly did so, she had no qualms about pricking her finger, and allowed a few drops of her gold blood to hit the paper. The color confused the Goblin for a split second before they looked at the writing on the paper.
Johana Rosalind Watson
Age 23
Affiliations: The Doctor (Present, Relationship: Unknown), Sarah Jane-Smith (Present, Relationship: Close friend), The Tardis (Present), Hogwarts (Past), The Order of the Phoenix (Present), Order of Merlin Class A (Present), The Ministry for Magic (Past), Queen's Magical Guard (Past), and UNIT (Present).
Linage: Last of the house of Watson and Holmes, unknown bloodline
?: Armageddon
Bank Statement: Vault 303 of the Watson house amount 13,000,450 Galleons est., Vault 221 of the Holmes house amount 18,000,420 Galleons est. and books from both vaults.
Species: Unknown
Origin: Universe Delta Six Point Sixty-Nine, Planet Earth, Liverpool, England.
John stared at the parchment with an emotionless expression. She slowly moved to where she was sitting cross-legged and placed her cheek in the palm of her hand. So, not even magic knew what she was anymore. She decided that it didn't matter. Cogito, ergo sum and all that rot.
"Lady Watson, or would you rather Lady Holmes," Gnarltooth asked.
"Just John, please," John smiled slightly at Gnarltooth, "I've never believed that I was above someone else just because of a circumstance of birth, I'd rather we talk as equals."
"John," Gnarltooth stated as a smaller goblin opened the doors to the room and walked in with a small mahogany box, "We of Gringotts would like to help with the growth of your vaults, but to do that you must accept the rings of your house."
"I will request that a proxy be used in the Ministry for my seats," John nodded as she accepted her house rings and placed them on her right hand and watched as they melded into one silver band with an opal stone in the middle that housed the rune mark of her house, "I would ask for the head of the Potter Family to be my speaker, our families have always seen eye to eye about the magical community."
"It shall be done," Gnarltooth stated with a small nod as he sent off the smaller goblin to do that, "Anything else?"
"How far down are the vaults?" She asked with a toothy grin that was based on the Doctors.
Gnarltooth returned it.
An hour later John was walking around the Alley with her nose in a book and a messenger bag slung across her chest that she had gotten from the vaults. She was happily reading about Runes that were used for elemental magic. She blinked as she realized that she had forgotten about the Doctor and the others. Guilt bubbled up in her and she closed the book with a forlorn expression on her face. She had gotten so caught up in being back in the magical community, something that was so familiar to her, that she had chosen to forget about him and her friends. She looked towards the potion shop and decided to stock up on her supplies. She knew that she should most likely pick up a few books and something that would entertain the Doctor.
A few hundred galleons later and a bag of every flavored jelly babies that were a test by Berties, also a few boxes of every flavored jellybean for Sarah and Harry, she decided to apparate back to the Tardis. It was easier the second time and she barely had to wait for a few minutes. The Tardis unlocked for her and she walked in. She got a hum in greeting.
"I did bring you back a small item that you might like to look at," She smiled as she brought out a crystal globe, "It projects music and holds onto memories."
A hum of intrigue caused her to smile. A small compartment opened, and she placed the globe in it. Within seconds the sounds of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata the first movement began to play. She smiled as the Tardis let out frequencies that followed the music. The ship was singing to music that it enjoyed, and she was glad that she could give something that brought joy to the sentient ship.
"I should most likely find the Doctor and the others," She stated, "Knowing them, they're probably in trouble."
The Tardis gave her a hum of understanding and she headed out of the ship. She closed the door behind her and took out her wand. She let out a soft sigh and knew it was going to be harder to get away with magic around the Mundane. She felt a small smile appear on her face, she needed to make something with a rune that stopped the Ministry from being able to detect her magic, it would never list her as dead it just wouldn't let them take note of her magic being used.
"All right," She muttered as she twirled her wand in her fingers, "Locate Sarah Jane."
A set of coordinates appeared in the air before her and she raised her brows in thought at that. She knew where that was, it was an infirmary. Did Sarah get hurt while she was gone? John ran a hand down her face in slight worry. Sarah was usually safe with the Doctor, well for the most part. She winced as she remembered some of the hostage situations that Sarah had found herself in. She was a bit curious about everything, something she could understand.
She put her wand away and apparated to the area. She raised a brow as guns were pointed at her. She supposed that her sudden appearance could scare someone. This was a bit overkill in her opinion. The Uniforms caused her to make a face, UNIT no wonder they were ready to shoot her at her appearance.
"I'm looking for Sarah Jane-Smith," She stated as she raised her hands in defense, "Let her know that John is looking for her."
"Johana Watson?" One of the officers stated, a young man with chiseled features and short black hair.
"Yes, sir," She nodded.
"At ease men," The man stated, "Head right inside, Miss Watson."
"Thank you," She smiled.
She quickly headed towards the brick building. Once inside her nose crinkled at the strong smell of disinfectants. The white walls and floors of the building caused her eye to twitch, it was such a change from the stone walls she was used to. Magical society was stuck in the Victorian age for the most part. There have been a few technological advances such as the wireless wizard radio, but those were far and in between. She was brought out of her thoughts by someone vaulting into her.
"John, where have you been?" Sarah asked her as she was shaken a bit.
"I was taking care of some business elsewhere, what happened?" John asked her in an urgent tone.
"Harry was shot," Sarah explained, "Sister Lamont said he was lucky that all the bullet did was graze his skull."
"That is lucky," John muttered in slight surprise as the Doctor came around the corner with a man behind him.
"Who is this?" The man asked in a slightly posh and proper tone.
"John Watson, a pleasure to meet you," John introduced herself.
"Brigadier Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart," The man introduced as they shook hands.
"Right," John nodded and released his hand before turning to the Doctor, "Will Harry be all right?"
"He should be, he just needs time," The Doctor informed her.
"Which we don't have much at," The Brigadier reminded him.
John watched as slight annoyance flickered across the Doctor's face. She was a bit amused at that and gave him a small smile and pat to the shoulder. He sent her a look at that, her amusement growing at that. She was enjoying this a bit too much for his liking.
"Sorry, but you have fun with that," She informed him, "I'll stay by Sarah's and Harry's side so that nothing happens."
"We'll keep you informed if there's an improvement in Harry's condition," Sarah told him.
He nodded at them before leaving with the Brigadier. John looked towards Sarah with raised brows. She was slightly surprised that she hadn't been shot after she appeared. Sarah had to agree with her on that one, though she didn't realize it, UNIT sometimes shot first ask later.
"Want a Jellybean?" John questioned as she held up a small box filled to the brim with strange colored beans.
"Sometimes you and the Doctor are very alike," Sarah commented with a slight smile as she reached into the small box of beans, "I've never seen jellybeans like this."
"Berties every flavor and they mean every flavor," John warned, "I once got a vomit flavored one during the first day of Christmas holiday, that had turned into an interesting train ride."
Sarah stared at the bean for a few seconds before nibbling on the end. She felt some relief at the taste of strawberry sundae. She popped the bean into her mouth and grinned at the witch. They walked back to Harry's bedside to watch over him. He mumbled something in his unconscious state and remained asleep.
"So, what were you doing?" Sarah quietly asked as the last Sister left the room.
"I was at the bank," John smiled, "The wizarding bank, Gringotts, I needed to stock up on potion ingredients in case I needed to make more healing potions. Money was needed for that and for the second time in my life I was forced to take up Ladyship of two magical houses, a bit annoying on that part."
"You seem sad," Sarah pointed out.
"I saw people that were killed in the war," John admitted in a small tone, "One of which owns an ice cream parlor, he was killed helping mundane borns escape persecution, such a sweet man."
"Ice cream?" Sarah asked with a small glint in her eyes.
"Yes, such as orange cream with cream pops inside that would burst in your mouth," John grinned as she explained, a childlike glee that hadn't been on her face in years, "Raspberry swirls that were of all different colors, and mint that made your breath visible for hours."
"Sounds wonderful," Sarah chuckled, "Is it a family recipe?"
"Oh, it is," John nodded, "But guess who had an internship there for a summer?"
Sarah grinned at that before they both sobered up. It wouldn't be the same if Harry couldn't enjoy the sweets with them. John let out a low sigh and knew that his healing was a bit sped up. She wasn't stupid. She knew that traveling with the Doctor was bound to get one hurt, so she made sure that a small healing rune was on the items she had given them.
She dug around in her bag and retrieved her book. She picked up on the page she had been on and went back to reading it. It was quite interesting and there were runes in it that she was sure to use in the future. She knew that she had Sarah's attention and slowly lowered it so the brunette could read with her. The moving pictures depicting what the runes could do were enough to entertain anyone.
They sat like that for some time. Harry let out another sound and started to stir. John quickly shut her book and placed it in her bag as Sarah moved to help him. He frowned as he blearily looked around, the pain was evident in his features.
"Hello Sully," John greeted with a slight grimace, "It's nice to see you awake."
"John," Sarah sighed as she elbowed the witch.
"Sarah…John," Harry moaned out as he moved.
"Harry, it's all right," Sarah informed him in a soft tone.
"What's wrong?" John asked.
"There's a man on the beach," Harry mumbled.
John and Sarah had no clue what he meant by that. A sudden hand on their shoulders caused them to jump in slight surprise. John quickly put aside her fear and narrowed her eyes at the person who had snuck up on them. It was one of the sisters, and she had a look of surprise on her face.
"Sister Lamont," Sarah sighed in relief, "I didn't hear you, he's coming round."
"Doctor Sullivan, how are you feeling?" Sister Lamont asked Harry.
"Harry, what did you find out?" Sarah asked him, "Did Munro tell you anything?"
"Who?" John asked.
"The man on the beach, the one who was shot," Sarah supplied.
"The rig," Harry muttered, "The rig was shaking, falling."
"Sarah, go call the Doctor," John quietly requested, "Let's give Harry a few minutes to gather his thoughts."
"Right," Sarah nodded, "Stay with him."
John gave a cheeky salute to lighten the mood and Sarah rolled her eyes in response. Once the brunette left the room John felt her smile fall as she looked towards her bedridden friend in slight worry. He wasn't looking too good as he tried to get his bearings. Sweat was rolling down his face as he moved about in slight pain. She gave his hand a gentle pat.
"The rig smashed to pieces…nothing left," Harry muttered out, "Munro in the water, struggling…cold…hypothermia."
He then shot up in the bed and John moved back in surprise. She felt something behind her, and it covered her mouth before she could react. Her world went black for a few seconds and when she came to Sarah was pushing on her shoulder. She let out a groan.
"Y'know I used to be a general in a war," John stated, "My old teacher would be appalled at how I keep getting knocked unconscious."
"That's the least of our worries," Sarah hissed, "Is there a way to get out of this room?"
"I'll unlock it," John informed her, "This is a lock I know."
John knelt in front of the door and studied the lock. A simple unlocking spell wouldn't do the trick, too many springs, and latches. She needed to do it manually. She took out her wand and began to use a levitation charm on the springs and latches. Sarah stood behind her with worry on her face. She ran a hand down her face and jumped as the door opened.
"Doctor, you are so lucky I didn't stun you," John informed the man with a slight sigh, "Where are we?"
"The decompression chamber," He answered, as he walked into the room to look them both over for injuries.
He seemed happy that they were all right. A bit annoyed that they had been targeted but relieved all the same. John got up from the floor and let out a low curse as the door closed again. The lock shut on them as she felt her left eye twitch in annoyance.
"Of course," She muttered in a dark tone as she knelt back down to work on the lock, "Always something."
She paused as a loud humming filled the air. They all looked towards the wall. It hadn't sounded good. John shook her head and went back to working on the lock. She was moving through the lock at a much faster pace then she had been.
"What was that noise?" Sarah asked the Doctor.
"I don't know, but that's not the air conditioning," He answered with a frown not liking the idea of not knowing something.
Within a few minutes, it got harder to breathe. John paused in her attempt to unlock the lock and let out a cough. She noticed that Sarah and the Doctor were struggling as well and waved her wand. Small bubbles appeared around their heads and it got a bit easier to breathe.
"I feel rather silly," Sarah commented as the Doctor poked at the bubble around his head.
"It helps to breathe underwater," John informed her as she got one of the springs to move, "I suppose it'll help us last in this chamber, at least for a while."
"Have you made any progress with the lock?" Sarah asked her as she looked over John's shoulder to see how she was doing.
John gave her a strained smile as a small white line went into the lock and wiggled around. It was crude, but it had worked before. She usually used this charm on locks she knew. This one was familiar, but she had never used magic to unlock it before. It was one of those times that she cursed the fact that Sherlock had taken her lockpick kit. It would've come in handy. A loud click sounded, and she used her magic to overwhelm the system that caused the decompression chamber to work. Air hissed and the door swung open.
"After you," John smiled at Sarah.
Sarah quickly got out of the chamber and the bubble around her head gave a quiet pop and she was left with the distinct smell of vanilla and mint. It was rather pleasant. The Doctor walked out of the chamber next and soon John came out. Her wand was back in her sleeve and there was a distinct impression that she had liked the challenge the lock gave her but would have liked it even better if the situation had been better.
"You act as if you've never seen a decompression chamber," Sarah pointed out.
"I haven't, we use potions and charms," John explained, "The Magical community is still stuck in the Victorian age, very classist and very unwelcoming to those who come from the modern age."
That had caused a lull in the conversation as they moved to regroup with one of the UNIT soldiers, a man by the name of Benton who had taken a liking to the witch. She had in return given him a jellybean, he had some serious luck that it was toast. A smile had appeared on her face as she imagined the horror stories that would have been told about her if he had happened to get grass or even earwax. Perhaps it was for the best. She tuned into the conversation when it turned to how the entire area seemed like it had been gassed.
"Everyone in the village is affected," Benton stated.
"Must be nerve gas," John commented as she thought back to Baskerville, "One that could affect the consciousness, if so then it should wear off after a while."
"Should I be worried that you know about chemical warfare?" Benton asked.
"Not really," She answered as she put her hands into her pockets, "You should be more concerned with who knocked out the entire village and what for."
"It just doesn't make any sense," Benton muttered as he thought about it.
"Yes, it does," The Doctor stated as he shuffled through his pockets, "Someone or something wanted to pass unseen, you are still on duty, correct, Mister Benton?"
"Yes, sir," Benton confirmed with a curt nod of his head.
"Then get outside and scout around," The Doctor ordered.
Benton quickly left the room. John watched him go with a slight wince, the Doctor was slightly annoyed and was taking it out on UNIT. She wondered if he had ever thought about resigning so they wouldn't call on him anymore. She began to twist her ring in thought.
Sarah was leaning against the wall watching as everything went down. The Doctor was still shuffling about in his pockets and the owner of the Fox Inn, Huckle, was staring at John with narrowed eyes. The witch seemed to feel his eyes and narrowed hers at him. There seemed to be recognition between the two.
"You look like one of them," Huckle stated.
"Please don't play the pronoun game," John requested, "If you have something to say just come out and say it."
"One of those types that keep causing trouble for the rest of us," Huckle said and it seemed to dawn on her what he meant.
"You think I'm," She cut herself off with a bark of a laugh, "Believe me, mate, I'd rather die than be a part of their bleedin' circle."
"You aren't?" He questioned.
"I'm not, here," She smiled as she dug into her pocket and handed something over to him.
He opened it and a slight smile appeared on his face before the paper burned up in his hands. He grinned at that and clapped her on the shoulder. Sarah and the Doctor had watched that exchange with slight confusion. It had to be something that was happening in the world that John belonged to.
"How much longer do you reckon' the war'll last?" Huckle asked.
"A few more years give or take," She shrugged, "Not much the order can do since the Ministry refuses to step up and act like a government."
"Too right," He agreed, "Bleedin' idiots."
She grinned at that. It was nice to see someone who had agreed with her and her father. Not many people did. In fact, it had been dangerous at one point to disagree with them. There were several
"I think I'll look around the perimeter," John shrugged, "I'd feel better knowing the area."
She had quickly left before anyone could ask her to stay. Sarah simply sighed at her friends' strange habits before turning towards Huckle. The Doctor had seen the discomfort in John's body language. She was done with the war that was going on in the Magical community, it was something she had most likely grown up in if he was to believe the time frame between the two universes. No wonder she had fled while she could.
John let out a soft sigh as she walked around outside. She waved to Benton, who gave her an enthusiastic wave back, before heading into the grass. She really did want a feel of the land around the small village. It would help if she were to get into any skirmishes. She looked around and gave a slightly fond smile. The area would be a good spot for a quick Quidditch match.
She walked away from the medical center and hit a patch of long grass. It reached her knees and she could feel the dew through her jeans. She heard her dragon skin boots squelching in the mud as she traveled further. It was a break for her, to help her pull her thoughts together. As much as she wanted to join the Doctor in this adventure, she wanted to think back to how sloppy she had gotten.
She slid down a small hill, the mud helping her to travel at a decent speed and slope, and continued walking for quite a while until she came across a small patch of trees. She leaned against one of the trees and closed her eyes. There was a feeling of deep self-loathing that she couldn't ignore. Harry had gotten hurt because she had chosen to go to the bank and see if she had any type of funds available to her.
She knew Doctor Who and she knew the repercussions of meddling with time, all of those who had knowledge of time turners knew that. She wanted to help, but she really didn't know what could happen if she were to drastically change the course of history or the "plot" of an "episode". She knew that she had changed things on Voga, Vorus was meant to die. A part of her couldn't let that happen to him, sure he had been an evil bastard, but he was working for what he thought was the best for his planet.
She looked across the rolling hills and took a deep breath of air. She was close to the heather. She hadn't realized she'd walk that far. Time and distance always seemed like such a trifle thing when she was in deep thought.
She thought back to the Doctor and a small smile appeared on her face. If she could keep him and her friends safe, then wasn't it a good thing if history was changed? She didn't want to lose them, as selfish as that was. She couldn't, not so soon. She let out a shaky breath and strengthened her resolve, it was time for her to step up and help. If she had to call on Armageddon, then she would.
She would let it rain down upon those who threatened her loved ones.
Speaking of loved ones. She blinked as the Doctor appeared before her, he had fallen into the heather. She looked up to see what had been chasing him and stalled for a few seconds. With a simple flick of her wand, she stopped it from coming closer. The Doctor looked up at her in surprise and she smiled down at him.
"So, Loch Ness monster?" She asked in a slightly amused tone.
"Give or take," He answered as he got up to his feet.
She looked back at the creature, Skarasen if she remembered correctly, and noticed it was confused. She stopped her spell and it shuffled in place. She held a hand out to it and it sniffed it for a few seconds before placing its nose against her palm. She gave it a small pat. It was similar to a cat with the way that it was acting. She smiled softly.
"Go home, and stop causing trouble," She told it.
It let out a sound that was a cross between a whine and a sound of acknowledgment. It began to move away from the heather. She smiled as she watched it head back to the water. She felt horrible for the creature, it was being controlled and had been forced to leave the water to chase after the Doctor.
"You all right?" She asked the Doctor.
"Fantastic," He confirmed, "How'd you get out here?"
"I walked, get me in a deep enough thought I could probably walk across England without realizing it," She stated with a slight wince, "It's how I was able to make it to my classes."
He didn't have a response to that one. He moved towards the hill that he had fallen down and began to walk up it. John followed behind him and made quick work of the hill. He had been ready to hold a hand out to help her and she simply sent him a small smile.
There was something different about her like she had come to a conclusion she had been searching for. It was rather refreshing to see if he was being honest. It brought out some of her self-confidence that was normally hidden behind her soft-spoken nature. He began to walk when he noticed that she was waiting patiently for him. They walked side by side as they headed back the way he had come.
It was a rather pleasant walk.