The Griffinqueen- Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Under Cover of Darkness

That night, for whatever reason, Morgana couldn't sleep. She got up and grabbed a drink of water from the kitchen. She was walking back to her room (where everyone was sleeping) when it happened.

One minute she was walking distractedly down the hall, and the next she was sprawled on the floor, half her drink now sinking into the carpet.

"Morgana!" Uric gasped. "I am so sorry, really I am. I'm so clumsy. Did I spill your water? Here, let me clean it up..."

"It's OK," Morgana interrupted. "Relax."

"I'm sorry, was I babbling? I do that sometimes when I'm really nervous. Does it upset you? I really hope you don't mind..."

"Uric, get a grip." She took him by the shoulders and shook him hard.

"I'm sorry," he apologized, noticing how close their faces were: only inches apart. "Can you forgive me?"

"Of course, silly," she whispered. "And it's not your fault. I wasn't looking where I was going."

"What am I supposed to say to that?" Uric asked, breaking the mood.

"Nothing. Nothing at all," she answered. Then, on impulse, "Come fly with me, Uric."

At least now I know what to say, he thought. Out loud he said, "I'd love to."

* ~ *

The she-griffin dived from the windowsill. On her back was a young man, thrilled and exhilarated, whose heart soared higher than the wings of the Griffinqueen.

* ~ *

They landed on the windowsill all too soon. Morgana transformed back and faced Uric. They had no need for words. They had just shared something that no words could fully describe, a complete trust and unity, there in the clear starry night. Under cover of darkness their hearts were in sync.

Morgana felt a magnetic pull towards Uric. Closer and closer their faces went...

Somewhere in the house a clock struck one in the morning.

The pull was broken. "We'd better go to bed," Uric mumbled.

"Yeah."

They left for their separate beds.

* ~ *

Morgana groaned and opened her eyes blearily. After a little while trying to go back to sleep, she groaned again and climbed out of bed.

Everyone else is already up, she thought. Oh well.

As she was pulling her clothes on, an idea occurred to her.

* ~ *

Perfect.

Morgana's mother sat alone at the table, reading the Daily Prophet.

She doesn't like to see me reading over her shoulder, she says, Morgana thought. So she won't see me.

Grinning, she whispered, "Concealae."

After a few milliseconds, an innocent bystander couldn't have picked her out in a thousand years. She was totally invisible.

Morgana advanced to her mother, peering at the wizard newspaper spread on the table.

A particular article caught her eye, tucked though it was in an obscure corner.

OUTCRY AT THE MINISTRY

It seems that yet another convict has managed to escape Azkaban, writes Rita Skeeter, special correspondent. You would think there would be extra security after the escape of the infamous Sirius Black, the murderer of twelve innocent Muggles and one wizard. But apparently extra precautions have not been taken.

Reliable sources have reported that Silas Atalasa, a convicted murderer, escaped from Azkaban early this week. Atalasa has been tried in the murders of several wizards.

"We're not worried," said Cornelius Fudge earlier today. The Minister of Magic added that, "The man is so completely off his rocker he'll be easy to catch."

The public is warned, however, that Atalasa is a known Animagus. In his cobra form there is said to be no remedy once bitten.

As she read, a tendril of some lost thought brushed her mind, and Morgana wondered if this Silas Atalasa could possibly have something to do with her.

"No.... it couldn't be," she whispered, causing her mother to turn and look for the source of the noise. There was, of course, nothing to see, but suddenly Morgana lost her appetite for reading.

* ~ *

As she walked outside in search of the others, Morgana was met with a surprise.

"Hi," Kiri greeted her calmly.

"How did you get here?!" gasped Morgana. "I thought you were supposed to be in America with your parents!"

Kiri grinned. "They made the mistake of leaving the window open."

"But how'd you know where to come?!"

"That's easy. I followed the bus. Although once I did get tired of trying to keep up with all those twists and turns and simply latched onto the top. When I was sure where your house was, I went to see my parents."

"So that was the noise we heard... you hitting the top of the bus."

"Oh!" Kiri exclaimed, adopting an exaggerated French accent. "So, you caught me, eh? Shall I execute you, Corporal?"

"No thank you, General Kiri. You know, I have a nice comfy straitjacket in my closet..."

"Haha, mutiny!" Kiri mock-accused, laughing. "To the guillotine!"

They walked off to join the others.