Romance on the Moor
The two of them emerged into the overworld, the dim sunlight stinging their
eyes that had been lost in the dark for so long. Grey clouds loomed above them
ominously as thunder rumbled in the distance. Minka climbed out of the stone
tunnel from which they had come and stood upon the moor. She could see Tom
ahead of her, exploring the lifeless plain. Since they had left Alastor, Minka had been
dying to tell Tom the truth; that she really did have feelings for him. He had been
deeply hurt by what Alastor had told him; she had seen the pain in his eyes. How
much longer could the two of them go on like this? Tom had only talked to Minka
when it was necessary, and he was obviously avoiding her. Where would she go
once they reached a city? Minka hadn't really thought about it until now. She had
run away with Tom to escape the pain she suffered with Alastor, but she hadn't
planned on staying with him.
"Hurry up," shouted Tom as he disappeared behind a hill.
Minka ran to catch up with him, almost tripping over a heap of dead
branches. When she reached him, she was not surprised to see him hissing at a small,
brown snake in the grass. By now, she had realized that Tom had a connection with
snakes. Whether it was fighting off the sea serpent or summoning the two slithering
monsters in the cave, it was only he who could communicate in parseltongue. In
only seconds, the snake began to slither away into the shade of the grass.
"Well," Tom began, not looking at her; "there is supposedly a small village in
the valley over there. It's probably about a day's walk, so we'd better start." He
began walking away but paused when Minka shouted at him.
"I'm not going anywhere," snapped Minka.
"What did you say?" said Tom, his pale skin flushing as he turned to stare at
her.
"I said I'm not going. At least not until we sort out this fight," she said
turning away.
"Well alright. No one asked you to come anyway," he said, and began
marching away.
Minka wasn't going to let him win that easily.
"Well I said I'm not going. until you apologize!" she said stubbornly.
"Apologize?" hissed Tom furiously. "Apologize? You're the one who should
be apologizing. I've treated you how you deserve to be treated! You lied to me and
betrayed me. I've actually been nice considering how much you hurt me."
"I never lied to you," she shouted back. "I. I really did. like you."
But Tom had no reply to this. He simply stared at the ground pretending he
was all of a sudden interested in the ladybug snoozing on a blade of grass. Minka
stepped closer and took Tom's hand.
"Did you hear me?" she asked softly this time. "I've liked you ever since we
met."
As much as Tom tried, he couldn't keep his lips from smiling. But this smile
wasn't like his usual plastered grin; this smile was genuine, born of goodness.
He finally looked up into her hazel eyes and all his fears and worries
vanished. Basking in the radiance of her beauty, his heart swelled with love for her.
In the corner of her eye, a silver tear appeared and in its reflection Tom saw a bolt of
lightning from the darkening clouds above.
"We'd better find a place to rest before the storm begins," he called to her
over the increasing howl of wind.
They both ran hand in hand down the hill, and once they grew out of breath
they slowed to a fast march; after an hour or two, they had to use all their might to
stop themselves from being blown over by the now overpowering winds.
"We're not going to make it," yelled Minka to Tom.
"We have to keep going," he called back miserably
So they continued, moving very slowly against the pressure. Both of them
collapsed several times, but somehow they managed to get back on their feet and
continue. All of a sudden, they both collapsed in unison on to the soft floor of the
moor, panting. Just when they thought things couldn't get worse, the heavens looked
down on them and began to pour. Torrents of rain erupted from the clouds above
them, and they got soaked to their skin.
At first, they frowned at each other in misery, but after a few seconds, they
both jumped up and began running up and down the smooth slopes of the plain.
Drunk with glee, they screamed merrily, laughing as they tumbled down the hills
and sunk into the soft weeds, letting the raindrops bathe them.
Soon the howling wind slowed and only the soft trickle of a light shower filled
the air. They both lay hand in hand for a while, staring up into the sky with smiles of
pleasure. Relieving themselves of their heavy clothes, they let the beads of water rush
upon their bare flesh. Tom and Minka lay together in silence, pressing their bodies
ever closer as the rain continued to cool them. Minka rested her head on Tom's
shoulder and he could feel her warm breath massage his neck. They looked at each
other affectionately, and Tom stroked her soft skin with his finger. He slowly bent his
head to her level and kissed her gently on her smooth lips. Suddenly, a power unlike
any other surged between them. It was true love that connected them then, so strong
no force could break it. And then something extraordinary occurred, something that
happens only when two wizards truly fall in love. A natural force is altered to reflect
the passion of the two in love. For them, the shower of rain had become a shower of
rose petals, falling from the sky slowly as the moon began to peek through the
clouds. The dead moor was slowly changed into a scarlet wonderland of beauty, and
the two of them lay in happiness as a blanket of petals covered them.
The rest of the night was a blur for Tom, like swirling colors while riding a
carousel. Though eventually the excitement faded into a peaceful dream where he
and Minka were together in bliss.
The burst of dawn from the horizon woke Tom as he opened his eyes to
golden clouds high above a soft mist on the moor. Minka had already woken, and
had put her damp clothes back on. She was smiling at him as she used her wand to
get rid of the bags beneath her eyes.
"That's better," she said cheerfully, putting her wand back into the shelter of
her robes. "I want to reach the village today."
Tom pulled himself up and got dressed. He stared into the calm mist that was
slowly rising and took a deep breath of the moist air. Then he remembered what he
had wanted to tell Minka for a long time.
"Minka," he began softly, "I.er.have something to tell you."
"Is it bad?" she asked, judging by his nervous tone.
"No," he said quickly, "It's just important. Remember when I wanted to talk
to you at the Howling Hag before we.er.kissed?"
"Yes," said Minka slowly, now very curious.
"Well I was going to tell you that I'm not only who you think I am." A
puzzled expression sat on Minka's face.
"Well who are you then?" she said.
"I'm, well I'm the. er. the."
"Spit it out Tom!" she said impatiently.
"Theheirofslytherin!" he mumbled.
"God bless you," she said, thinking he had sneezed.
"No!" he said. "The heir of Slytherin."
There was a slight pause before Minka said anything.
"You mean, the heir of Salazar Slytherin? One of the founders of Hogwarts
and Durmstrang?"
"Yeah," said Tom quietly, waiting to see what her reaction would be.
But Minka simply burst out in childish laughter.
"You? The Heir of Slytherin? That's a good one Tom. I never thought you
had a sense of humor." She said in between giggles.
"I'm serious!" he said angrily. "Why don't you believe me?"
Minka stopped her laughing abruptly. She looked into his large grey eyes and
became pensive. Could this man really be the wizard the prophecies told of? She had
learned about them at her wizarding school in France, how a descendent of Slytherin
would rise again and regain the power once held by the great dark lord. How could
this innocent friend of hers be capable of terror and mass destruction. On the other
hand, he had an affinity towards snakes just as Slytherin did.
"Are you sure?" she asked gently now.
"I'm sure," he said. "And what I really wanted to talk to you about was.
well, there is some place I need to go, Egypt to be exact, to do something
important. I can't tell you about it yet, but I was wondering if you wanted to. to
come with me."
Minka stared at him, her brain thinking quickly. She had admitted to herself
last night that she loved Tom, and as a damsel in love, she would do what any other
woman would do. She would follow him off the face of the Earth, and she would
certainly come with him to Egypt.
"I'm in!" she said excitedly. Tom ran over to where she was standing and
hugged her in happiness. Now that he knew their feelings were mutual, he felt
relieved and overjoyed. With Minka at his side, nothing could stop him now. He was
sure he would succeed in gaining immortality now.
The two of them now began to walk through the rising mist towards the
village, full of a newborn confidence and camaraderie.
The two of them emerged into the overworld, the dim sunlight stinging their
eyes that had been lost in the dark for so long. Grey clouds loomed above them
ominously as thunder rumbled in the distance. Minka climbed out of the stone
tunnel from which they had come and stood upon the moor. She could see Tom
ahead of her, exploring the lifeless plain. Since they had left Alastor, Minka had been
dying to tell Tom the truth; that she really did have feelings for him. He had been
deeply hurt by what Alastor had told him; she had seen the pain in his eyes. How
much longer could the two of them go on like this? Tom had only talked to Minka
when it was necessary, and he was obviously avoiding her. Where would she go
once they reached a city? Minka hadn't really thought about it until now. She had
run away with Tom to escape the pain she suffered with Alastor, but she hadn't
planned on staying with him.
"Hurry up," shouted Tom as he disappeared behind a hill.
Minka ran to catch up with him, almost tripping over a heap of dead
branches. When she reached him, she was not surprised to see him hissing at a small,
brown snake in the grass. By now, she had realized that Tom had a connection with
snakes. Whether it was fighting off the sea serpent or summoning the two slithering
monsters in the cave, it was only he who could communicate in parseltongue. In
only seconds, the snake began to slither away into the shade of the grass.
"Well," Tom began, not looking at her; "there is supposedly a small village in
the valley over there. It's probably about a day's walk, so we'd better start." He
began walking away but paused when Minka shouted at him.
"I'm not going anywhere," snapped Minka.
"What did you say?" said Tom, his pale skin flushing as he turned to stare at
her.
"I said I'm not going. At least not until we sort out this fight," she said
turning away.
"Well alright. No one asked you to come anyway," he said, and began
marching away.
Minka wasn't going to let him win that easily.
"Well I said I'm not going. until you apologize!" she said stubbornly.
"Apologize?" hissed Tom furiously. "Apologize? You're the one who should
be apologizing. I've treated you how you deserve to be treated! You lied to me and
betrayed me. I've actually been nice considering how much you hurt me."
"I never lied to you," she shouted back. "I. I really did. like you."
But Tom had no reply to this. He simply stared at the ground pretending he
was all of a sudden interested in the ladybug snoozing on a blade of grass. Minka
stepped closer and took Tom's hand.
"Did you hear me?" she asked softly this time. "I've liked you ever since we
met."
As much as Tom tried, he couldn't keep his lips from smiling. But this smile
wasn't like his usual plastered grin; this smile was genuine, born of goodness.
He finally looked up into her hazel eyes and all his fears and worries
vanished. Basking in the radiance of her beauty, his heart swelled with love for her.
In the corner of her eye, a silver tear appeared and in its reflection Tom saw a bolt of
lightning from the darkening clouds above.
"We'd better find a place to rest before the storm begins," he called to her
over the increasing howl of wind.
They both ran hand in hand down the hill, and once they grew out of breath
they slowed to a fast march; after an hour or two, they had to use all their might to
stop themselves from being blown over by the now overpowering winds.
"We're not going to make it," yelled Minka to Tom.
"We have to keep going," he called back miserably
So they continued, moving very slowly against the pressure. Both of them
collapsed several times, but somehow they managed to get back on their feet and
continue. All of a sudden, they both collapsed in unison on to the soft floor of the
moor, panting. Just when they thought things couldn't get worse, the heavens looked
down on them and began to pour. Torrents of rain erupted from the clouds above
them, and they got soaked to their skin.
At first, they frowned at each other in misery, but after a few seconds, they
both jumped up and began running up and down the smooth slopes of the plain.
Drunk with glee, they screamed merrily, laughing as they tumbled down the hills
and sunk into the soft weeds, letting the raindrops bathe them.
Soon the howling wind slowed and only the soft trickle of a light shower filled
the air. They both lay hand in hand for a while, staring up into the sky with smiles of
pleasure. Relieving themselves of their heavy clothes, they let the beads of water rush
upon their bare flesh. Tom and Minka lay together in silence, pressing their bodies
ever closer as the rain continued to cool them. Minka rested her head on Tom's
shoulder and he could feel her warm breath massage his neck. They looked at each
other affectionately, and Tom stroked her soft skin with his finger. He slowly bent his
head to her level and kissed her gently on her smooth lips. Suddenly, a power unlike
any other surged between them. It was true love that connected them then, so strong
no force could break it. And then something extraordinary occurred, something that
happens only when two wizards truly fall in love. A natural force is altered to reflect
the passion of the two in love. For them, the shower of rain had become a shower of
rose petals, falling from the sky slowly as the moon began to peek through the
clouds. The dead moor was slowly changed into a scarlet wonderland of beauty, and
the two of them lay in happiness as a blanket of petals covered them.
The rest of the night was a blur for Tom, like swirling colors while riding a
carousel. Though eventually the excitement faded into a peaceful dream where he
and Minka were together in bliss.
The burst of dawn from the horizon woke Tom as he opened his eyes to
golden clouds high above a soft mist on the moor. Minka had already woken, and
had put her damp clothes back on. She was smiling at him as she used her wand to
get rid of the bags beneath her eyes.
"That's better," she said cheerfully, putting her wand back into the shelter of
her robes. "I want to reach the village today."
Tom pulled himself up and got dressed. He stared into the calm mist that was
slowly rising and took a deep breath of the moist air. Then he remembered what he
had wanted to tell Minka for a long time.
"Minka," he began softly, "I.er.have something to tell you."
"Is it bad?" she asked, judging by his nervous tone.
"No," he said quickly, "It's just important. Remember when I wanted to talk
to you at the Howling Hag before we.er.kissed?"
"Yes," said Minka slowly, now very curious.
"Well I was going to tell you that I'm not only who you think I am." A
puzzled expression sat on Minka's face.
"Well who are you then?" she said.
"I'm, well I'm the. er. the."
"Spit it out Tom!" she said impatiently.
"Theheirofslytherin!" he mumbled.
"God bless you," she said, thinking he had sneezed.
"No!" he said. "The heir of Slytherin."
There was a slight pause before Minka said anything.
"You mean, the heir of Salazar Slytherin? One of the founders of Hogwarts
and Durmstrang?"
"Yeah," said Tom quietly, waiting to see what her reaction would be.
But Minka simply burst out in childish laughter.
"You? The Heir of Slytherin? That's a good one Tom. I never thought you
had a sense of humor." She said in between giggles.
"I'm serious!" he said angrily. "Why don't you believe me?"
Minka stopped her laughing abruptly. She looked into his large grey eyes and
became pensive. Could this man really be the wizard the prophecies told of? She had
learned about them at her wizarding school in France, how a descendent of Slytherin
would rise again and regain the power once held by the great dark lord. How could
this innocent friend of hers be capable of terror and mass destruction. On the other
hand, he had an affinity towards snakes just as Slytherin did.
"Are you sure?" she asked gently now.
"I'm sure," he said. "And what I really wanted to talk to you about was.
well, there is some place I need to go, Egypt to be exact, to do something
important. I can't tell you about it yet, but I was wondering if you wanted to. to
come with me."
Minka stared at him, her brain thinking quickly. She had admitted to herself
last night that she loved Tom, and as a damsel in love, she would do what any other
woman would do. She would follow him off the face of the Earth, and she would
certainly come with him to Egypt.
"I'm in!" she said excitedly. Tom ran over to where she was standing and
hugged her in happiness. Now that he knew their feelings were mutual, he felt
relieved and overjoyed. With Minka at his side, nothing could stop him now. He was
sure he would succeed in gaining immortality now.
The two of them now began to walk through the rising mist towards the
village, full of a newborn confidence and camaraderie.