Now that the adventure has launched, here's a brief brush-up on our heroes:
Helga Hufflepuff (formerly known as Anna Nilsson) is a small sixteen-year- old Swede, who has a difficult time with her English, often resulting in her saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. Despite this, she is all right. Her extreme simplicity of heart, almost dumbness, relieves the quartet in dire times.
Then we have Salazar Slytherin, previously referred to as Erich Feidler. Though nineteen-years-old, his pampered upbringing has resulted in him being a bit immature. It's not that the heart of this gangly, carrot-topped boy wasn't in the right place. It's simply that he was not used to living the rogue life with other people his age. His entrancement with Helga often made him feel stupid, and his jealousy of Godric winning Helga's attention gave him mood swings. Yet the journey was still young, and he managed to smother his immature emotions for the most part.
As for Rowena Ravenclaw (who I need not introduce), she was a tough, witty young lady whose caution often backfired. Despite her uncanny ability to solve a problem, her rough edges often led to her making the problem worse rather than doing what she knew was right. Though the other three occasionally commented on her appearance (tan skin, jet-black hair and coordinating narrow black eyes), which was foreign to what they were used to, she merely grunted and spoke no more of her heritage.
Last but not least, we have Godric Gryffindor. Being powerfully built and possessing a hockey-player's haircut and forming goatee, even Rowena (though she spoke nothing of it) admitted he was devilishly handsome. Yet he cared not an inkling about his looks. He was too concerned with the quartet and their mission. Having been raised on his own in the streets, he knew one thing all too well: never reveal your emotions. And so he was capable of hiding all but happiness, making him seem like a carefree, easy- going lad who always knew what to do. It was this type of attitude that Helga adored and Salazar wished for. All the while being sandwiched between contrary emotions, Godric carried out his duties on the mission respectfully. He never complained nor doubted anyone. Though far from perfect, he was (though no one knew it) to be the one in which the group's fate depended on.
The quartet slowly made their way northwards, all the way learning more about each other's personalities. As the early April spring blossomed to life, the quartet's moral skyrocketed. The woods in the spring were simply lovely. The aroma of fresh bark and the sudden explosion of colors around them softened their conflicts with one another. Salazar and Rowena, the two moodiest members of the quartet, even stopped bickering and traveled in harmonic peace for a good while.
Helga was very much the mother of the group. For one, she was the only person who knew how to cook. To Rowena and Godric, having been raised on the streets, cooking meant pick-pocketing an apple whenever one could. As for Salazar, he'd had servants cook for him his whole life. Helga was relatively good-natured, and was always delighted to whip up a good meal.
And while she played mother, she was also considered (though no one ever told her), the baby. Being only sixteen, she was the youngest in the group by a few years. The three others would often wake to find her missing, and she would arrive at the campsite hours later carrying a bundle of flowers. Rowena was not at all accustomed to such joyous behavior, and it made her wrinkle her nose in disgust and kick at a log to smother her anger. As for the men, Godric merely smiled and accepted her innocent happiness, and Salazar, well, he remained speechless around her.
One such occasion happened a week into their journey. It was high noon, and the overbearing sun shot through the forest trees and beat down on their necks as they trudged uphill.
"Godric," panted Helga, "may vee stop please? I cannot move another step."
"Stop your whining," commanded Rowena, who was still disgusted at Helga for making the group stop so she could make a flower tiara, which lay droopingly on Helga's sweaty forehead. "We're all going through with this."
"Helga dear," Godric called her this, for he had quickly learned that she would usually do whatever he said when he called her by 'dear,' "can you make it to the top of this hill here?"
"I'll die," she muttered miserably. "You'll haf to carry me."
"Very well," Godric sighed and knelt down. "Climb on my back."
Delighted at her luck, the blond girl climbed onto his strong back, and she smiled widely as he transported her up the hill. Salazar eyed Godric jealously, silently wishing he would trip over a root. As for Rowena, well, you can only guess her anger.
When the cruel sun finally set and they stopped to camp, Rowena snuck off into the woods and immersed herself in Miss Banks' tiny book. She did this often. She said that she was determined to learn everything in it, but it had also become a good tool for excusing herself from Godric and Helga's flirting.
Back at the camp, Salazar was hunched over a collection of pebbles, tapping at them with his wand and trying to make them dance. He kept shooting furtive glances at Godric and Helga, who were bent close together, enwrapped in what seemed to be a deeply interesting conversation. Salazar angrily tapped one of the pebbles, accidentally sending it shooting across the campsite into Godric's forehead.
"Ow! Salazar, what was that for?"
"Sorry," Salazar looked down at his pebbles sheepishly. "Accident."
"It's all right," Godric forgave him as Helga examined his bruise concernedly.
When they turned back to their conversation, Salazar stood up, kicked the pebbles furiously, and stormed off into the woods.
He walked for quite a while, not allowing himself to turn back to look at them. Oh, they made him so sick. The way she was examining his forehead as if it were an actual wound! Why did he like her so much, anyway? It was quite obvious Helga didn't like Salazar back, so why hadn't he just given up on her already? From the start, he had hoped to be friends with both of them, maybe even more than friends with Helga. But things were messed up. Helga liked Godric, it seemed. Godric showed little expression but he did not stop her. And it was that fact that he did not stop her that made Salazar angry. If it was himself who Helga loved, then he would treat her lovingly, as well. But no. Things just weren't like that.
Salazar suddenly stopped walking. Someone was sitting on a stump a few steps in front of him. It was Rowena, hunched over that little book of hers again. He slowly crept up and leaned over her shoulder.
"Whatcha reading?"
She gave a frightened start.
"Good God, Salazar!" she breathed, hand on her heart, "You scared me!"
He smiled mischievously.
"I'm reading about this levitating charm." she said. "I'd like to try it, only I don't have my wand."
"Where is it?" he asked.
"Back at the portal. I dropped it when the OFER captured us."
"Well you can make a wand, you know," he advised.
"Really? You know how to?"
"It's quite simple," he said. "First, you find the right type of bark and take two strips of it. Then, you find a magical creature and take a certain part of that. It's different for every creature. For instance, if it were a veela you'd take a strand of her hair. If it were a dragon you'd take a bit of its heartstrings. Whatever you choose, you take a bit of it and sandwich it between the two bark strips. Then, you ask someone with a wand (which would be me), to perform the Encasing Charm. This would encase the piece of the animal in between the two strips of bark, giving you a home-made wand."
"Let's do it, then," she decided, standing up.
"Right now?"
"Yes. I've been wandless for too long. I must have one before I forget how to use one."
He shrugged. "Very well, then."
And so with Salazar's help, Rowena was able to construct her second wand. First, they collected two strips of birch bark. Then, they had to find a magical creature. This part was not easy. They decided to try a unicorn. The way to catch a unicorn is for a virgin to sit in the woods alone and sing. The unicorn would theoretically come to her, and sit beside her.
While Salazar hid in the bushes, Rowena sat up against a tree, singing the only song she knew. It was a queer song, one that seemed to be in a different language. Its strange melody was beautiful, and it entranced Salazar. It therefore did not take long for a unicorn to arrive. When it did, it knelt on its knees beside Rowena. She stroked its silver fur, humming all the while. When its pale blue eyes had been shut for a few minutes, and Rowena was sure it was asleep, she plucked a hair from its white mane. She crept back to Salazar, who was waiting with the two bark strips.
"I got the hair," she whispered, not wanting to wake the unicorn.
"What was that?" he awed in a hushed tone.
"What was what?"
"That song! It was beautiful! I'd never heard anything like it. What were you saying?"
"Oh, that," she waved her hand as if brushing off a fly. "Just a little something I know. Now, the wand."
"Right," Salazar took the bit of silver hair and sandwiched it in between the two pieces of bark. "Hold this," he handed it to her.
Taking out his own wand, he closed his eyes and muttered to himself a bit. After a while, he said, "OK, I think I remember now," he cleared his throat. "Duos birchus!"
An electric-blue glow rose from the half-wand, and the two birch strips sealed together, locking the unicorn hair inside.
Rowena smiled and tapped the end of her new wand. "Does it work?"
"I dunno," Salazar said, "why don't you try it out?"
"There's a spell," she said, still examining the wand, "that I've been reading about in Miss Banks' book. I think I shall try it."
"Go for it."
She smirked mischievously and pointed her wand at him. "Petrificus totalus!"
Salazar's arms sprung to his side, and his petrified body keeled over. Rowena laughed hysterically as he tried to speak yet could not open his mouth. When she regained control of her laughter, she waved her wand and spoke the counter curse.
"Well," said Salazar, briskly standing up and brushing himself off, "I'm glad to see your wand works."
"Do you suppose," Rowena smiled, for she was still trying to smother her giggles, "that Anna and Thom--Helga and Godric will want wands, too?"
"'Course they will," Salazar said with a hint of malice. "But let's wait and see if they notice you have one."
Rowena was perplexed. "But ... it just seems, efficient ... I mean, not just for them, but for the whole group."
"I know, I know," Salazar nodded. His true intention was to test how much Godric and Helga really cared about the group. Surely if they cared about something other than themselves, they would immediately notice Rowena's good attitude, and if they really cared about her then they would ask what was making her unusually happy. "But let's just see if they notice."
Rowena was perplexed, but agreed.
Salazar's expectations had been lower than he thought. He predicted it would take at least a week for Helga or Godric to notice something was different about Rowena, given she did not tell them by then. Yet it only took two days.
"Elisabeth," Helga said one cloudy day, forty-eight hours later. The two girls were hurrying through the woods (for it was to rain soon and they wanted to make good progress that day), while the boys were a hundred yards in front of them, checking to make sure the path was safe.
"Rowena," she corrected.
"Dat name is too hard to pronounce," Helga wrinkled her nose.
Rowena shrugged -- a habit she had been adapting in place of her usual "deal with it" 's.
"Dat is exactly vat I vanted to talk to you about," Helga almost yelled, catching Rowena's attention. "You are not mean anymore."
"Oh?"
"Not dat I am complaining," (Rowena snorted silently, for Helga did have a tendency to complain unceasingly), "but it is impossible to miss. It is nice, yes, but why de sudden change of heart?"
Rowena considered what to say. Salazar for some reason wanted to keep it a secret that she had a wand. Why this was she did not know, but there was little entertainment during these times, and so Rowena capitulated to the game.
"Let's just say I have something that I've been wanting for a while," she hinted.
"Go on."
"I did have one a while ago," Rowena said slowly, choosing the words to her riddle, "but now it's gone. I've gotten a replacement."
Helga had a hard enough time with riddles in her own language, let alone English. This one took her a good five minutes to think over.
"So," she said at last, "vat you're saying is you haf found someting you alvays vanted?"
"Yes, perhaps."
"Someting dat you used to haf," Helga continued with effort, "but lost ... and now a new one?"
Rowena nodded, and Helga continued.
"One dat is ... better?"
"Right on."
"Oh I don't know! Vat is it?" Helga cried.
"You have to guess."
"I really don't know," she pondered more as they continued walking down the woodsy path. "Does Godric know?"
"Only if Salazar told him."
"Ah! So Salasar is in on it, too?"
"I guess you could say that."
"I shall ask Godric when we stop to camp," Helga concluded.
"I doubt that'll do any good," Rowena said, trying to make it sound like a big event, "after all, why would Salazar tell Godric such an important thing?"
"Godric likes Salasar." Helga told her. "He told me himself. He said he feels he is not being nice enough to Salasar. He said he wants to be friends vith him."
"Did he, now?" Rowena considered this. It suddenly dawned on her why Salazar wanted to keep it a secret. He was obviously jealous of Godric. He must enjoy knowing something Godric didn't, otherwise he would not have wanted to keep such a small thing a secret.
"And plus," Helga smiled, unwary of Rowena's discovery, "I tink I know vat it is, anyway."
"Oh?"
Helga simply smiled and shook her head. "Vee shall see."
Rowena did not pursue. After all, whatever Helga was thinking was probably way off, anyway.
When the group gathered and set up camp for the night (setting up camp meant starting a fire and clearing a good soft spot on the ground for a bed), Helga wasted no time in secluding Godric and herself from Rowena and Salazar.
"Godric," she whispered, even though Elizabeth and Salazar were on the opposite side of the camp, "I think someting funny is going on vith Rowena."
"And what's that?"
"I tink ... this may sound, er, vat is dat vord?"
"Weird?" he suggested. "Odd? Far-fetched?"
"Yes! Far-fetched. Dis may sound far-fetched, but I tink dat Rowena is, er, romantic vith Salasar?"
When Godric understood what she was saying, he chuckled. "That is doubtful. Very doubtful. Why do you say so?"
"Because today she told me dat she and Salasar were in on a secret but didn't want to tell me. Did Salasar tell you?"
Godric shook his head. "If he did, I've forgotten. But that certainly does sound questionable. But I still doubt--"
She put a finger to his lips. "Shh! Look over dere," she pointed across the campsite.
Rowena and Salazar were both huddled over, their backs turned to the other two. They were practicing spells from the Little Book, but Anna and Godric could not see this.
Godric raised one eyebrow. "That is a bit queer. I'll ask him tomorrow."
"No!" Helga said hurriedly. "Don't mention it to 'im. I don't vant Rowena to tink I am a snitch. I don't vant to lose her trust."
"How could anyone think you were a snitch?"
She smiled back at him, entranced by his brown eyes. In that short moment Helga felt trapped. She had felt trapped many times before at home, when she could not leave the house. But this was a different type of trap. This kind she liked.
"I will talk to him tomorrow," Godric said at last. "But indirectly. I promise I will not let him know of our conversation."
"You swear?"
He put his hand to his chest. "Upon my heart."
"Vell now, I vouldn't vant to break your heart, eh?"
"I would certainly hope not," he smiled, and continued talking before they got caught in another nervous moment. "But now the sun has set, and we must put out the fire before the werewolves find us. Goodnight."
~*~
The next day was just as the previous: gray. The steel clouds encased the land, threatening an unexpected downpour.
"Salazar," Godric said once he was sure they were far enough ahead of the girls, "I believe I have an apology to make."
"Eh?" said Salazar.
"Yes," Godric mustered as much confidence as possible, "as the only men in this group, we should be best friends. I'm sorry if I've been snubbing you this whole journey."
"Oh, not at all," lied Salazar.
"It's just, well, I'm used to living on my own, and I don't converse with other people very well. I am ashamed of my poor friend-making skills, of course, and I truly am sorry."
"All crimes are forgiven," Salazar said with little expression.
"But we are still not friends," Godric persisted. "This may sound odd, but I really don't know how to make friends. If ever I do have a friend, they sort of come to me."
"Then why don't you ask the women how to make friends," Salazar cocked his head in their direction. "They seem to know a lot about that sort of stuff."
"Well that would be odd, don't you think? Asking them how we can be friends? What do you think they'd say?"
Salazar considered. He was not easily deceived, so he naturally assumed Godric was getting at something. Yet he humored him as best he could. "I suppose they would tell us exactly what friends do."
"And what would that be?" Godric asked, acting like a teacher trying to get a student to figure out a problem.
"I dunno ... er, share secrets?"
"A shallow way to show friendship," Godric shook his head. "But if that's what you think they'd say, then let's see. Why don't you ask me a question, and then I ask you?"
"All right, then," Salazar knew exactly what he was going to ask Godric. All last night, Salazar had been spying on him and Helga from the other side of the camp. While he and Rowena had been working on enchantments, Godric had been enchanting Helga, or the other way around. Who was enchanting who did not matter. What mattered is that he wanted to know something, and so he would try and find out. "Tell me, Godric. What exactly is your business with Helga?"
Godric cleared his throat. "She's a wonderful girl," he admitted. "Very kind. Very considerate of others."
"Is that what you love about her?"
"Who ever said anything about love?" Godric asked defensively.
Salazar shrugged. "If you say so." Yet they both knew Godric's true feelings toward Helga.
"Well then," Godric continued, "what about you?"
"What about me?"
"You and Rowena."
"Oh, you aren't serious, are you?" Salazar started laughing. "Rowena? She's a good partner. But me and her? You can pretend to not be smitten with Helga, but this is outrageous."
"Why? Is Rowena not good enough for you?"
"It's not that," said Salazar hastily. "You misinterpret me. We just think alike, and therefore find common interests. Like I said, she's a good partner, but nothing more," he paused and then continued. "And plus, with you always off talking to Helga."
"Am I? Are we?"
"Don't tell me you haven't noticed," said Salazar. "You and Helga are always off together. It's why it seems like Rowena and I are always together."
"I'm sorry," Godric bowed his head. "We should have conversations like this more often."
"Hm," Salazar agreed, "but how about a different topic next time? Like the weather."
"Over-used."
"No, seriously," Salazar pointed a finger to the sky. "Look up."
The steel-gray sky had morphed into formidable cumulonimbus clouds.
"Well now," said Godric, "I think we ought to find shelter, don't you?"
He did not wait for Salazar's answer, but turned around and beckoned for the girls to catch up.
"We need to make shelter," he commanded when they had hustled over. "It's going to downpour any minute."
"We know," Rowena nodded. "It's started drizzling already."
"But 'ow can vee make a shelter dis fast?" cried Helga, crossing her shivering arms across her chest.
No one had any time to answer. A crack of thunder shook the forest, followed by a torrential downpour.
"Head for the trees!" yelled Salazar as they all drew their cloaks over their heads.
"Which trees?" Rowena screamed back. "We're in the woods!"
"Follow me!" Salazar led them to a colossal beech tree, where they cowered in the corners of its massive roots.
Salazar whispered in Rowena's ear, "Got any bright ideas?"
Rowena always had an idea. "The bubble charm," she whipped out her wand and, waving over her head, screamed, "Bullus!"
An aqua-colored liquid rocketed from her wand like a geyser. It shot upwards and came back down, forming a semi-transparent, liquid dome just big enough to surround the four of them.
Had it not been thunder storming, perhaps Godric and Helga would have noticed she had a wand. But it all happened so fast and so perfectly that their initial reaction was 'thank the Lord we have shelter' rather than 'why does she have a wand?' So naturally, the thought lingered in their mind for a mere fleeting second.
"What an interesting little contraption," Godric observed, pushing his hand through the liquid wall. It came out the other side, as if the walls were a dome-shaped waterfall. When he pulled his hand back, however, it was dry. "Very interesting."
"Pleasure's all mine," muttered Rowena.
"I am so c-cold!" shivered a soaking Helga. She plastered herself to Godric's side, though he was just as wet.
There was an awkward silence, in which Rowena pretended to be drying her hands on her sopping robes, Salazar cleared his throat several times, Godric blushed a rarely-seen blush, and Helga noticed nothing of it all.
"I wonder how long this storm will last," Salazar said to break the silence.
"Oh not long, I'm sure," replied Rowena. "Heavy thunderstorms shouldn't last long."
For once, she was wrong. The quartet was stranded in their bubble, listening to the millions upon millions of beads pelt the surface of their impenetrable dome. It was a good day before someone snapped.
"That's it!" cried Rowena, suddenly jumping up from her seat on the beech root (for although they had a covering, they had no floor). "I'm going to go find food."
"I'll come, too," Salazar suggested hastily. He, as well as Rowena, had put up with being in the same room as Godric and Helga for long enough. For twenty-four hours they sat next to them, as they laid in each other's arms as if nothing was wrong.
They quickly leaped out of the liquid wall, while Godric shouted after them, "Don't be gone too long, now!"
"Vhy not?" asked Helga.
"Well they're going to get soaked--"
"You vorry yourself too much." she put a hand to his cheek. "Relax for a second."
"How can I relax?" Godric asked with an edge in his tone. "We're running from the OFER while traveling northward everyday on a mission that we don't know much about and don't even know if we will succeed! What are we doing this for, anyway?"
"Shh," she put a finger to his lips. "I do not like it vhen you yell. Vee are doing dis because vee have noting else to do. And de rewards for success are so great dat it is vorth de chance."
"That's very insightful of you," commented Godric.
She flashed her curly eyelashes up at him. "Dat is vhat I am here for, no?"
He smiled a smile that gave Helga the same feeling she had had before -- trapped. They held each other's gaze, and the world seemed suspended. He started to lean forward, and Helga closed her eyes.
Just at that moment, Salazar burst back into the shelter, followed by a panting, dripping Rowena.
"Look at what we've found!" Salazar brandished a piece of soaking wet parchment in the air. He was too excited to notice what he had walked into.
He tossed the wet paper to them, and Godric held it up curiously. Though its ink was severely smudged, it was still legible.
REWARD
A reward of twenty galleons per criminal shall be awarded to whomever turns
in any of the following people:
There was a blurred image on the paper, in which a sketch of Rowena, Helga, and Salazar could be seen.
The only identified member of this gang of criminals is Erich Feidler. The two women are unidentified. Suspects are most likely armed and dangerous.
"Where did you find this?" asked Godric.
"On a pine tree," answered Rowena proudly. "Can you believe it? Our faces are posted all over Britian!"
"We think," added Salazar.
"Look!" cried Helga. "Dere I am! I am on a WANTED poster!"
Rowena rolled her eyes and Salazar sighed.
"They make it sound like you guys are murderers," commented Godric. "Suspects are most likely armed and dangerous. I mean, all you guys did was lead a jailbreak, right?"
"Nothing more," Rowena assured him.
"Twenty galleons!" Salazar raged. "I'm worth at least fifty galleons!"
"Most people in this country haven't even seen two galleons next to each other," said Rowena coolly. "And I speak for Godric and myself. Twenty galleons to us poor folk means a lifetime of riches. I'm sure folk are swarming the country like ants on candy in search for us."
"Vhat shall vee do?" Helga asked hopelessly.
"Continue the journey, of course," Rowena said. "And when we finally reach our destination -- that hill in the mountains on a lake -- we'll form a refuge like none other. We're gonna put a cork in this war, I tell yeh. Miss Banks lived and died for her cause, and so will we."
~*~
It was a good while before the rain clouds moved on, and the quartet could emerge from their protective bubble to feel the much-missed sunlight warm their faces.
They quickly hurried northward through the muddy forest, anxious to make up for the time they had lost hiding from the weather. This time, however, they traveled as a group rather than the men walking ahead. The WANTED ad they had found certainly made them more cautious.
"Let's play a game," Helga suggested after they had been walking in silence for nearly an hour. "I say dat I am going on a picnic, and I name someting dat I am bringing. You all haf to guess vat you can bring, and I tell you if you can bring it or not. De items must fit under my category. Get it?"
"I guess," said Godric.
"Sure," said Salazar, though he really had no idea.
"OK den," Helga thought. "I am going on a picnic, and I am bringing flowers."
"Can I bring a tree?" asked Godric.
"Yes," Helga allowed.
"Can I bring dirt?" queried Salazar, cottoning on.
"Yes."
"How 'bout an ax?" asked Rowena.
"Certainly not," Helga scoffed.
"Is it things in nature?" guessed Godric.
"Nope!"
"Can I bring my wand?" asked Salazar.
"Yes."
"How about my house?" asked Godric.
"You don't haf a house, silly," Helga giggled.
"Can I bring it anyway?"
She shook her head. "Keep guessing!"
"How about not," suggested Rowena.
Godric asked, "Can I bring fire?"
"Yes."
"Is it things we've seen on our trip?" Godric guessed.
"Yep!"
Godric did a victory dance, making everyone laugh.
"OK, my turn now. I'm going on a picnic, and I'm bringing a cake."
"Can I bring a mace?" asked Rowena, who was getting a pounding headache from the game.
Godric considered. "Sure."
"How about a broomstick?" said Salazar.
"Why not."
"Can I come?" asked Helga.
"Of course."
"Is the category Everybody-Comes?" Salazar hypothesized.
"Almost, but no."
Salazar said, "Then what do a mace, broomstick, cake, and Helga have to do with eachother?"
"Are they things you like?" asked Rowena.
"Damn straight."
The group laughed again, Helga the loudest and giddiest.
When they set up camp that night they paired off to find dry firewood. It was an almost impossible task, for all the sticks and logs were still soaking wet.
Godric and Helga immediately paired off together. Salazar shrugged and said to Rowena, "Let's get cracking, then."
In an hour Salazar and Rowena had only found two somewhat-decent sticks for firewood. Distressed and annoyed, Salazar excused himself and said he was going to look for firewood elsewhere. He trudged back to the camp in the dark. He was hungry, cold, and tired.
When he came within seeing distance of the camp, he was quite surprised to see a flamelight flickering through the trees. He started running the wet leaves muffling his heavy steps. When he was a few steps away from the campsite, he could see Godric and Helga sitting by the fire -- kissing!
Enraged, flaming with jealousy, and determined to upset their relationship, Salazar began to sprint toward them. He had barely taken a step, however, when his worn-out shoes slipped on the wet leaves, and he went crashing to the ground.
"Vat vas dat?" Helga broke away, suddenly staring into the woods.
Salazar stayed as low as possible, breathing into the soaking foilage.
"Probably just an animal." shrugged Godric.
They went back to their business, and Salazar slowly crawled away. When he was far enough away from the campsite, he got up and stormed off, not quite sure of where he was going and not caring.
How dare they! They were endangering the mission with their relationship! Things could be ruined; it could all go to waste just because of their selfishness! Salazar thought of all the bad things that could come out of Godric and Helga loving each other. He was so mad that he did not even notice Rowena, and walked right into her.
"Ow! Watch it!" Rowena yelled.
"Hmph." Salazar continued to storm off.
"What's with you?" asked Rowena.
"Why don't you go back to the campsite and see for yourself!" Salazar yelled back.
Rowena did, and her reaction was not unlike Salazar's. She did not try and run in on them, but instead she waited until they stopped kissing and came walking in with dry branches.
"Oh you've got a fire going already!" cried Rowena. "How ever did you do that?"
Godric smiled at Helga and shrugged. "We're just good, that's all."
Rowena clenched her teeth and dropped the branches. "Well then, you won't be needing these, I presume. I'd better be getting to sleep now, anyway. We've got a long ways to go."
"OK." said Godric.
There was a pause.
"You two should get some rest, too." suggested Rowena. "It's getting quite late."
"We will." said Godric. "We're not really tired, though. By the way, have you seen Salazar?"
At this, Rowena flung her hands in the air. "NO." She turned away and stormed off.
~*~
The next morning Salazar and Godric had gone off to find something for breakfast while Rowena and Helga prepared the fire, which had gone out overnight.
Rowena had feeling to sour to talk much, and Helga's happy humming was putting her on edge.
"Did you sleep vell?" asked Helga.
"Like you care." muttered Rowena.
"Vat vas dat?"
"Did you sleep?" Rowena pressed.
"Ack." Helga rubbed an eye. "Very little. It vas very uncomfortable ground, you know."
"Hm." Rowena narrowed her eyes but said nothing. Helga and Godric had kept her up all night with their talking. They were enwrapped in a conversation until just before the crack of dawn.
"Oh dear." sighed Helga.
"What?"
"Vee seem to be out of firewood. Do you mind getting some?"
At this, Rowena stood up abruptly and screamed, "WHY DON'T YOU DO SOMETHING FOR A CHANGE? THIS MISSION ISN'T ALL ABOUT YOU!"
She turned and stormed off into the woods. Helga galloped after her.
"Elisabet--"
"It's Rowena." she growled.
"Rowena--"
"If you took our mission seriously, then maybe you'd know my name by now."
"Vat is de problem?" Helga asked, grabbing her arm.
Rowena yanked away. "You should know."
"Rowena!"
She chased after her, Rowena running blindly away.
"Rowena, stop at vonce!"
Rowena said nothing, just kept running. She weaved through the trees, jumped logs, crashed through grasses, and ran straight into a boulder. She stumbled backward, grabbing her forehead. The collision left her temporarily blind, but her vision came back after a minute or two. When it did, she could see what she had ran into.
"Ro-eee-nnaa!" Helga panted, stumbling into the clearing.
She tugged on Rowena's arm. "Rowena, please! Tell me vat is vong!"
Rowena just stood with her mouth open.
"Rowena?"
Rowena raised a tan arm and pointed at the thing in front of her.
What she had crashed into was not a boulder at all. It was a statue of a unicorn.
"How pretty." observed Helga, walking forward to get a better look.
"Helga! Do you know what this means?!" cried Rowena, dashing to the horse of stone.
"Erm, no."
"This is the lead!" Rowena was searching the unicorn up and down with wide eyes. "This is what Miss Banks told us about! It was in the book! She said that when we came across a unicorn made of stone, we were on the right way!"
Helga gasped and started talking so fast that she didn't even realize she was speaking Swedish. Rowena didn't notice, she merely marveled at the wondrous statue.
"Vee must find Salazar and Godric!" cried Helga.
"Yeah ... you go do that." Rowena's eyes were still glued to the statue in wonder.
Helga ran back into the woods, leaving Rowena to examine the unicorn. There was nothing really to examine; it was simply a unicorn made of stone.
"Vat'ss disss?"
"Back already?" Rowena said upon hearing Helga's voice. "Did you find them?"
"Human? Ah, not ssseen human in sssoo long. Sssooo lonnnggg."
Rowena whirled around. "Helga, what are you--"
Rowena screeched and jumped back. It was not Helga at all! Rather, a giant worm-like creature that towered a good three feet above Rowena. It held the face of a woman, only hideous beyond belief. Though the face itself was not all that bad, her red eyes, pointed teeth, and hair of hissing green snakes was enough to make someone die of fright.
It sniffed. "Ahh, human smellsss sssoo good." It licked its lips with its snake-like tongue and gazed down at Rowena hungrily.
Rowena shut her eyes tightly. She recognized this creature. It was a wormwraith. Anyone who looked into its eyes was turned to stone.
"Are you fressshhh?" it hissed, advancing on Rowena.
Rowena glued her eyes to the ground and found herself breathing heavily. Don't say a word.
"You sssmell fresshhh."
It now came so close that Rowena could see the texture of its repulsive leathery skin. She back up a few paces, and was suddenly pinned against the unicorn.
"Come now, human. Disss von't hurt a bit."
As it lowered its head, there came a crashing noise from the brush behind it. Rowena looked up (though careful to avoid its stony gaze) and saw her three companions running into the clearing.
"Close your eyes!" she warned them.
The wormwraith whipped its head around, but not before the other three humans had their eyes closed.
Rowena slipped under the unicorn and crawled into a shrub patch.
"Rowena, what is this thing?" cried Godric, staring at its disgusting form.
The creature roared in anger. "Thing? Vhat is dissss thing?" it advanced on Godric, who fixed his eyes on the ground and stayed planted in his spot. "Long have we wormwraithsss been exiled from the human world! We have long lived in dese woodsss, fearing the brutality of man! Vhat have vee ever done to human? Dey judge usss! In self defense, vee eat dem! I haf not even touched you ssscrumtious little human, and you already call me a 'thing'? Vee are de few and de proud decendents of Medusssa, our mother who was ssso mercilessly murdered by a human! Vee protect ourselfss and dis foresst from humansss. Vee make sure a human does not again kill von of uss, for vee only defend ourssselfss! All vee vant is ressspect! And sssince you little humanss cannot provide dat, you shall die!"
It launched its head at Godric, jaw stretched wide open. Godric ducked and rolled away, his eyes closed.
"RUN!" Rowena yelled, jumping up from the shrub patch.
They ran after Rowena, though it was a failed attempt. One launch of the angered wormwraith would move it forward at least ten human steps. It whipped its tail around, catching Salazar.
"Help!" Salazar cried as it lifted him in its tail.
It hissed as he kicked his long legs.
"Hey! Put him down!" Godric yelled, pitching a rock at it.
Rowena and Helga followed suit, and the creature and its head of snakes hissed in anger as the rocks pelted it. It was useless, however. They merely bounced off its leathery skin.
She opened her mouth, revealing ominous fangs, and sunk them into Salazar's shoulder. He cried out in pain.
At this point, Rowena whipped out her wand. "Petrificus totalus!"
The wormwraith's body shuddered. Her head of serpents stood on end. Like a flame going out, she gave one last hiss, and fell to the ground.
Salazar tumbled from the grasp of its slimy tail. His companions rushed to his side.
"Salazar!" cried Rowena.
He was lying face-down on the ground. She rolled him over. His breathing was shallow, and pulse slow.
"Look at de cut." said Helga concernedly. Rowena pulled open a tear that had formed in the collar of his cloak. There were two bloody cuts, one from each fang, and venomous green veins were stretching both the wounds.
"This is very poisonous." remarked Rowena, lightly touching his wounded skin. "If we don't find an antidote, he'll leave us very shortly."
"How long do you give him?" breathed Godric.
Rowena sucked in air through her teeth. "Not long. I don't even know the antidote."
"Vhat can vee do?" asked Helga.
Rowena stared down at her companion. His breathing was slowing now. She knew there was only one choice, one chance, his only shot at life.
"I'll have to suck the venom out." she said at last.
"But Rowena--" started Helga.
"You can't." pointed out Godric. "Then the venom will be in you."
"Not if I do it right." Rowena grimaced, touching his wound lightly. "I must do it. It's his only chance he has left at life."
She looked up at the sky. It was a clear and beautiful day--not at all the mood. Oh why had Miss Banks said to come here? Had she known what would happen to Salazar? Was he just meant to die?
"Rowena ..." Godric said.
"Right." she looked back down at Salazar, and as she swooped to his neck, she whispered under her breath, "Don't go just yet."
It took hours. Rowena would have to suck out the poison and spit a thousand times, and she still would not be close to done. Helga and Godric sat around and watched. They offered to take over for her, but she would not stop for even a second.
"With every second," she spat out the venom on the grass, which had turned an awful black color, "his life is draining away more." she sucked out more venom, and then drew away to spit again. "We cannot waste time."
It had been late morning when they fought the wormwraith. It was now bordering on dusk. They had spent an entire day in this clearing, with nothing to look at but a stone unicorn and a petrified wormwraith, and nothing to listen to but Rowena's spitting.
They watched the yolk of the sun ooze down the sky and under the horizon, introducing a black sky with trillions of twinkling stars, like a black dress with diamonds sewn onto it.
Orion was directly overhead by the time Rowena's spitting stopped.
"Rowena?" whispered Godric.
"Shhh, he's coming to."
There came a coughing noise, undoubtedly that of Salazar.
"Salazar," breathed Helga, crawling over, "can you see me?"
"Of course he can't see you, it's pitch black out." remarked Godric.
Salazar coughed again. "W-what happened?"
Rowena breathed a deep sigh of relief. "Relax." her voice had gone hoarse. "The venom is out. Just ... rest ..."
Rowena fell to the grass.
"Oh no, what now?" Godric crawled over. "Ack, it's alright. She's just fallen asleep. No wonder, I'd be exhausted, too."
"From what?" asked Salazar.
Godric shook his head. "Just go to sleep, we'll explain in the morning."
Salazar persisted. "Wait, wasn't I just about to be eaten by that wormwraith?"
"He doesn't remember." remarked Helga to Godric.
"I don't remember what?" demanded Salazar.
"Do you remember being bitten by that creature?" asked Helga.
Salazar scratched his head. "I dunno ... it's kinda hazy. I recall her sinking her head and ... I don't really remember."
Helga sighed. "Vee need sleep."
"But what happened?" he pressed.
"Go to sleep!" barked Godric.
"Fine." Salazar gave in and rolled over on the grass. "But when I get up, I'm waking you up to tell me what's going on."
There was a silence for quite a while, only broken when Salazar said, "Hey, why's Rowena so wiped out?"
~*~
Author's Note:
OK so there's the second chapter. It is 1/3 shorter than the first chapter. I hope you like. And please excuse any gRaMmAtIcAl mistakes. This one will be a short author's note, so ... please write a review!
Much love and distress, ~*Luna*~
P.S. Thanks for editing, Alyssa ~_-
Helga Hufflepuff (formerly known as Anna Nilsson) is a small sixteen-year- old Swede, who has a difficult time with her English, often resulting in her saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. Despite this, she is all right. Her extreme simplicity of heart, almost dumbness, relieves the quartet in dire times.
Then we have Salazar Slytherin, previously referred to as Erich Feidler. Though nineteen-years-old, his pampered upbringing has resulted in him being a bit immature. It's not that the heart of this gangly, carrot-topped boy wasn't in the right place. It's simply that he was not used to living the rogue life with other people his age. His entrancement with Helga often made him feel stupid, and his jealousy of Godric winning Helga's attention gave him mood swings. Yet the journey was still young, and he managed to smother his immature emotions for the most part.
As for Rowena Ravenclaw (who I need not introduce), she was a tough, witty young lady whose caution often backfired. Despite her uncanny ability to solve a problem, her rough edges often led to her making the problem worse rather than doing what she knew was right. Though the other three occasionally commented on her appearance (tan skin, jet-black hair and coordinating narrow black eyes), which was foreign to what they were used to, she merely grunted and spoke no more of her heritage.
Last but not least, we have Godric Gryffindor. Being powerfully built and possessing a hockey-player's haircut and forming goatee, even Rowena (though she spoke nothing of it) admitted he was devilishly handsome. Yet he cared not an inkling about his looks. He was too concerned with the quartet and their mission. Having been raised on his own in the streets, he knew one thing all too well: never reveal your emotions. And so he was capable of hiding all but happiness, making him seem like a carefree, easy- going lad who always knew what to do. It was this type of attitude that Helga adored and Salazar wished for. All the while being sandwiched between contrary emotions, Godric carried out his duties on the mission respectfully. He never complained nor doubted anyone. Though far from perfect, he was (though no one knew it) to be the one in which the group's fate depended on.
The quartet slowly made their way northwards, all the way learning more about each other's personalities. As the early April spring blossomed to life, the quartet's moral skyrocketed. The woods in the spring were simply lovely. The aroma of fresh bark and the sudden explosion of colors around them softened their conflicts with one another. Salazar and Rowena, the two moodiest members of the quartet, even stopped bickering and traveled in harmonic peace for a good while.
Helga was very much the mother of the group. For one, she was the only person who knew how to cook. To Rowena and Godric, having been raised on the streets, cooking meant pick-pocketing an apple whenever one could. As for Salazar, he'd had servants cook for him his whole life. Helga was relatively good-natured, and was always delighted to whip up a good meal.
And while she played mother, she was also considered (though no one ever told her), the baby. Being only sixteen, she was the youngest in the group by a few years. The three others would often wake to find her missing, and she would arrive at the campsite hours later carrying a bundle of flowers. Rowena was not at all accustomed to such joyous behavior, and it made her wrinkle her nose in disgust and kick at a log to smother her anger. As for the men, Godric merely smiled and accepted her innocent happiness, and Salazar, well, he remained speechless around her.
One such occasion happened a week into their journey. It was high noon, and the overbearing sun shot through the forest trees and beat down on their necks as they trudged uphill.
"Godric," panted Helga, "may vee stop please? I cannot move another step."
"Stop your whining," commanded Rowena, who was still disgusted at Helga for making the group stop so she could make a flower tiara, which lay droopingly on Helga's sweaty forehead. "We're all going through with this."
"Helga dear," Godric called her this, for he had quickly learned that she would usually do whatever he said when he called her by 'dear,' "can you make it to the top of this hill here?"
"I'll die," she muttered miserably. "You'll haf to carry me."
"Very well," Godric sighed and knelt down. "Climb on my back."
Delighted at her luck, the blond girl climbed onto his strong back, and she smiled widely as he transported her up the hill. Salazar eyed Godric jealously, silently wishing he would trip over a root. As for Rowena, well, you can only guess her anger.
When the cruel sun finally set and they stopped to camp, Rowena snuck off into the woods and immersed herself in Miss Banks' tiny book. She did this often. She said that she was determined to learn everything in it, but it had also become a good tool for excusing herself from Godric and Helga's flirting.
Back at the camp, Salazar was hunched over a collection of pebbles, tapping at them with his wand and trying to make them dance. He kept shooting furtive glances at Godric and Helga, who were bent close together, enwrapped in what seemed to be a deeply interesting conversation. Salazar angrily tapped one of the pebbles, accidentally sending it shooting across the campsite into Godric's forehead.
"Ow! Salazar, what was that for?"
"Sorry," Salazar looked down at his pebbles sheepishly. "Accident."
"It's all right," Godric forgave him as Helga examined his bruise concernedly.
When they turned back to their conversation, Salazar stood up, kicked the pebbles furiously, and stormed off into the woods.
He walked for quite a while, not allowing himself to turn back to look at them. Oh, they made him so sick. The way she was examining his forehead as if it were an actual wound! Why did he like her so much, anyway? It was quite obvious Helga didn't like Salazar back, so why hadn't he just given up on her already? From the start, he had hoped to be friends with both of them, maybe even more than friends with Helga. But things were messed up. Helga liked Godric, it seemed. Godric showed little expression but he did not stop her. And it was that fact that he did not stop her that made Salazar angry. If it was himself who Helga loved, then he would treat her lovingly, as well. But no. Things just weren't like that.
Salazar suddenly stopped walking. Someone was sitting on a stump a few steps in front of him. It was Rowena, hunched over that little book of hers again. He slowly crept up and leaned over her shoulder.
"Whatcha reading?"
She gave a frightened start.
"Good God, Salazar!" she breathed, hand on her heart, "You scared me!"
He smiled mischievously.
"I'm reading about this levitating charm." she said. "I'd like to try it, only I don't have my wand."
"Where is it?" he asked.
"Back at the portal. I dropped it when the OFER captured us."
"Well you can make a wand, you know," he advised.
"Really? You know how to?"
"It's quite simple," he said. "First, you find the right type of bark and take two strips of it. Then, you find a magical creature and take a certain part of that. It's different for every creature. For instance, if it were a veela you'd take a strand of her hair. If it were a dragon you'd take a bit of its heartstrings. Whatever you choose, you take a bit of it and sandwich it between the two bark strips. Then, you ask someone with a wand (which would be me), to perform the Encasing Charm. This would encase the piece of the animal in between the two strips of bark, giving you a home-made wand."
"Let's do it, then," she decided, standing up.
"Right now?"
"Yes. I've been wandless for too long. I must have one before I forget how to use one."
He shrugged. "Very well, then."
And so with Salazar's help, Rowena was able to construct her second wand. First, they collected two strips of birch bark. Then, they had to find a magical creature. This part was not easy. They decided to try a unicorn. The way to catch a unicorn is for a virgin to sit in the woods alone and sing. The unicorn would theoretically come to her, and sit beside her.
While Salazar hid in the bushes, Rowena sat up against a tree, singing the only song she knew. It was a queer song, one that seemed to be in a different language. Its strange melody was beautiful, and it entranced Salazar. It therefore did not take long for a unicorn to arrive. When it did, it knelt on its knees beside Rowena. She stroked its silver fur, humming all the while. When its pale blue eyes had been shut for a few minutes, and Rowena was sure it was asleep, she plucked a hair from its white mane. She crept back to Salazar, who was waiting with the two bark strips.
"I got the hair," she whispered, not wanting to wake the unicorn.
"What was that?" he awed in a hushed tone.
"What was what?"
"That song! It was beautiful! I'd never heard anything like it. What were you saying?"
"Oh, that," she waved her hand as if brushing off a fly. "Just a little something I know. Now, the wand."
"Right," Salazar took the bit of silver hair and sandwiched it in between the two pieces of bark. "Hold this," he handed it to her.
Taking out his own wand, he closed his eyes and muttered to himself a bit. After a while, he said, "OK, I think I remember now," he cleared his throat. "Duos birchus!"
An electric-blue glow rose from the half-wand, and the two birch strips sealed together, locking the unicorn hair inside.
Rowena smiled and tapped the end of her new wand. "Does it work?"
"I dunno," Salazar said, "why don't you try it out?"
"There's a spell," she said, still examining the wand, "that I've been reading about in Miss Banks' book. I think I shall try it."
"Go for it."
She smirked mischievously and pointed her wand at him. "Petrificus totalus!"
Salazar's arms sprung to his side, and his petrified body keeled over. Rowena laughed hysterically as he tried to speak yet could not open his mouth. When she regained control of her laughter, she waved her wand and spoke the counter curse.
"Well," said Salazar, briskly standing up and brushing himself off, "I'm glad to see your wand works."
"Do you suppose," Rowena smiled, for she was still trying to smother her giggles, "that Anna and Thom--Helga and Godric will want wands, too?"
"'Course they will," Salazar said with a hint of malice. "But let's wait and see if they notice you have one."
Rowena was perplexed. "But ... it just seems, efficient ... I mean, not just for them, but for the whole group."
"I know, I know," Salazar nodded. His true intention was to test how much Godric and Helga really cared about the group. Surely if they cared about something other than themselves, they would immediately notice Rowena's good attitude, and if they really cared about her then they would ask what was making her unusually happy. "But let's just see if they notice."
Rowena was perplexed, but agreed.
Salazar's expectations had been lower than he thought. He predicted it would take at least a week for Helga or Godric to notice something was different about Rowena, given she did not tell them by then. Yet it only took two days.
"Elisabeth," Helga said one cloudy day, forty-eight hours later. The two girls were hurrying through the woods (for it was to rain soon and they wanted to make good progress that day), while the boys were a hundred yards in front of them, checking to make sure the path was safe.
"Rowena," she corrected.
"Dat name is too hard to pronounce," Helga wrinkled her nose.
Rowena shrugged -- a habit she had been adapting in place of her usual "deal with it" 's.
"Dat is exactly vat I vanted to talk to you about," Helga almost yelled, catching Rowena's attention. "You are not mean anymore."
"Oh?"
"Not dat I am complaining," (Rowena snorted silently, for Helga did have a tendency to complain unceasingly), "but it is impossible to miss. It is nice, yes, but why de sudden change of heart?"
Rowena considered what to say. Salazar for some reason wanted to keep it a secret that she had a wand. Why this was she did not know, but there was little entertainment during these times, and so Rowena capitulated to the game.
"Let's just say I have something that I've been wanting for a while," she hinted.
"Go on."
"I did have one a while ago," Rowena said slowly, choosing the words to her riddle, "but now it's gone. I've gotten a replacement."
Helga had a hard enough time with riddles in her own language, let alone English. This one took her a good five minutes to think over.
"So," she said at last, "vat you're saying is you haf found someting you alvays vanted?"
"Yes, perhaps."
"Someting dat you used to haf," Helga continued with effort, "but lost ... and now a new one?"
Rowena nodded, and Helga continued.
"One dat is ... better?"
"Right on."
"Oh I don't know! Vat is it?" Helga cried.
"You have to guess."
"I really don't know," she pondered more as they continued walking down the woodsy path. "Does Godric know?"
"Only if Salazar told him."
"Ah! So Salasar is in on it, too?"
"I guess you could say that."
"I shall ask Godric when we stop to camp," Helga concluded.
"I doubt that'll do any good," Rowena said, trying to make it sound like a big event, "after all, why would Salazar tell Godric such an important thing?"
"Godric likes Salasar." Helga told her. "He told me himself. He said he feels he is not being nice enough to Salasar. He said he wants to be friends vith him."
"Did he, now?" Rowena considered this. It suddenly dawned on her why Salazar wanted to keep it a secret. He was obviously jealous of Godric. He must enjoy knowing something Godric didn't, otherwise he would not have wanted to keep such a small thing a secret.
"And plus," Helga smiled, unwary of Rowena's discovery, "I tink I know vat it is, anyway."
"Oh?"
Helga simply smiled and shook her head. "Vee shall see."
Rowena did not pursue. After all, whatever Helga was thinking was probably way off, anyway.
When the group gathered and set up camp for the night (setting up camp meant starting a fire and clearing a good soft spot on the ground for a bed), Helga wasted no time in secluding Godric and herself from Rowena and Salazar.
"Godric," she whispered, even though Elizabeth and Salazar were on the opposite side of the camp, "I think someting funny is going on vith Rowena."
"And what's that?"
"I tink ... this may sound, er, vat is dat vord?"
"Weird?" he suggested. "Odd? Far-fetched?"
"Yes! Far-fetched. Dis may sound far-fetched, but I tink dat Rowena is, er, romantic vith Salasar?"
When Godric understood what she was saying, he chuckled. "That is doubtful. Very doubtful. Why do you say so?"
"Because today she told me dat she and Salasar were in on a secret but didn't want to tell me. Did Salasar tell you?"
Godric shook his head. "If he did, I've forgotten. But that certainly does sound questionable. But I still doubt--"
She put a finger to his lips. "Shh! Look over dere," she pointed across the campsite.
Rowena and Salazar were both huddled over, their backs turned to the other two. They were practicing spells from the Little Book, but Anna and Godric could not see this.
Godric raised one eyebrow. "That is a bit queer. I'll ask him tomorrow."
"No!" Helga said hurriedly. "Don't mention it to 'im. I don't vant Rowena to tink I am a snitch. I don't vant to lose her trust."
"How could anyone think you were a snitch?"
She smiled back at him, entranced by his brown eyes. In that short moment Helga felt trapped. She had felt trapped many times before at home, when she could not leave the house. But this was a different type of trap. This kind she liked.
"I will talk to him tomorrow," Godric said at last. "But indirectly. I promise I will not let him know of our conversation."
"You swear?"
He put his hand to his chest. "Upon my heart."
"Vell now, I vouldn't vant to break your heart, eh?"
"I would certainly hope not," he smiled, and continued talking before they got caught in another nervous moment. "But now the sun has set, and we must put out the fire before the werewolves find us. Goodnight."
~*~
The next day was just as the previous: gray. The steel clouds encased the land, threatening an unexpected downpour.
"Salazar," Godric said once he was sure they were far enough ahead of the girls, "I believe I have an apology to make."
"Eh?" said Salazar.
"Yes," Godric mustered as much confidence as possible, "as the only men in this group, we should be best friends. I'm sorry if I've been snubbing you this whole journey."
"Oh, not at all," lied Salazar.
"It's just, well, I'm used to living on my own, and I don't converse with other people very well. I am ashamed of my poor friend-making skills, of course, and I truly am sorry."
"All crimes are forgiven," Salazar said with little expression.
"But we are still not friends," Godric persisted. "This may sound odd, but I really don't know how to make friends. If ever I do have a friend, they sort of come to me."
"Then why don't you ask the women how to make friends," Salazar cocked his head in their direction. "They seem to know a lot about that sort of stuff."
"Well that would be odd, don't you think? Asking them how we can be friends? What do you think they'd say?"
Salazar considered. He was not easily deceived, so he naturally assumed Godric was getting at something. Yet he humored him as best he could. "I suppose they would tell us exactly what friends do."
"And what would that be?" Godric asked, acting like a teacher trying to get a student to figure out a problem.
"I dunno ... er, share secrets?"
"A shallow way to show friendship," Godric shook his head. "But if that's what you think they'd say, then let's see. Why don't you ask me a question, and then I ask you?"
"All right, then," Salazar knew exactly what he was going to ask Godric. All last night, Salazar had been spying on him and Helga from the other side of the camp. While he and Rowena had been working on enchantments, Godric had been enchanting Helga, or the other way around. Who was enchanting who did not matter. What mattered is that he wanted to know something, and so he would try and find out. "Tell me, Godric. What exactly is your business with Helga?"
Godric cleared his throat. "She's a wonderful girl," he admitted. "Very kind. Very considerate of others."
"Is that what you love about her?"
"Who ever said anything about love?" Godric asked defensively.
Salazar shrugged. "If you say so." Yet they both knew Godric's true feelings toward Helga.
"Well then," Godric continued, "what about you?"
"What about me?"
"You and Rowena."
"Oh, you aren't serious, are you?" Salazar started laughing. "Rowena? She's a good partner. But me and her? You can pretend to not be smitten with Helga, but this is outrageous."
"Why? Is Rowena not good enough for you?"
"It's not that," said Salazar hastily. "You misinterpret me. We just think alike, and therefore find common interests. Like I said, she's a good partner, but nothing more," he paused and then continued. "And plus, with you always off talking to Helga."
"Am I? Are we?"
"Don't tell me you haven't noticed," said Salazar. "You and Helga are always off together. It's why it seems like Rowena and I are always together."
"I'm sorry," Godric bowed his head. "We should have conversations like this more often."
"Hm," Salazar agreed, "but how about a different topic next time? Like the weather."
"Over-used."
"No, seriously," Salazar pointed a finger to the sky. "Look up."
The steel-gray sky had morphed into formidable cumulonimbus clouds.
"Well now," said Godric, "I think we ought to find shelter, don't you?"
He did not wait for Salazar's answer, but turned around and beckoned for the girls to catch up.
"We need to make shelter," he commanded when they had hustled over. "It's going to downpour any minute."
"We know," Rowena nodded. "It's started drizzling already."
"But 'ow can vee make a shelter dis fast?" cried Helga, crossing her shivering arms across her chest.
No one had any time to answer. A crack of thunder shook the forest, followed by a torrential downpour.
"Head for the trees!" yelled Salazar as they all drew their cloaks over their heads.
"Which trees?" Rowena screamed back. "We're in the woods!"
"Follow me!" Salazar led them to a colossal beech tree, where they cowered in the corners of its massive roots.
Salazar whispered in Rowena's ear, "Got any bright ideas?"
Rowena always had an idea. "The bubble charm," she whipped out her wand and, waving over her head, screamed, "Bullus!"
An aqua-colored liquid rocketed from her wand like a geyser. It shot upwards and came back down, forming a semi-transparent, liquid dome just big enough to surround the four of them.
Had it not been thunder storming, perhaps Godric and Helga would have noticed she had a wand. But it all happened so fast and so perfectly that their initial reaction was 'thank the Lord we have shelter' rather than 'why does she have a wand?' So naturally, the thought lingered in their mind for a mere fleeting second.
"What an interesting little contraption," Godric observed, pushing his hand through the liquid wall. It came out the other side, as if the walls were a dome-shaped waterfall. When he pulled his hand back, however, it was dry. "Very interesting."
"Pleasure's all mine," muttered Rowena.
"I am so c-cold!" shivered a soaking Helga. She plastered herself to Godric's side, though he was just as wet.
There was an awkward silence, in which Rowena pretended to be drying her hands on her sopping robes, Salazar cleared his throat several times, Godric blushed a rarely-seen blush, and Helga noticed nothing of it all.
"I wonder how long this storm will last," Salazar said to break the silence.
"Oh not long, I'm sure," replied Rowena. "Heavy thunderstorms shouldn't last long."
For once, she was wrong. The quartet was stranded in their bubble, listening to the millions upon millions of beads pelt the surface of their impenetrable dome. It was a good day before someone snapped.
"That's it!" cried Rowena, suddenly jumping up from her seat on the beech root (for although they had a covering, they had no floor). "I'm going to go find food."
"I'll come, too," Salazar suggested hastily. He, as well as Rowena, had put up with being in the same room as Godric and Helga for long enough. For twenty-four hours they sat next to them, as they laid in each other's arms as if nothing was wrong.
They quickly leaped out of the liquid wall, while Godric shouted after them, "Don't be gone too long, now!"
"Vhy not?" asked Helga.
"Well they're going to get soaked--"
"You vorry yourself too much." she put a hand to his cheek. "Relax for a second."
"How can I relax?" Godric asked with an edge in his tone. "We're running from the OFER while traveling northward everyday on a mission that we don't know much about and don't even know if we will succeed! What are we doing this for, anyway?"
"Shh," she put a finger to his lips. "I do not like it vhen you yell. Vee are doing dis because vee have noting else to do. And de rewards for success are so great dat it is vorth de chance."
"That's very insightful of you," commented Godric.
She flashed her curly eyelashes up at him. "Dat is vhat I am here for, no?"
He smiled a smile that gave Helga the same feeling she had had before -- trapped. They held each other's gaze, and the world seemed suspended. He started to lean forward, and Helga closed her eyes.
Just at that moment, Salazar burst back into the shelter, followed by a panting, dripping Rowena.
"Look at what we've found!" Salazar brandished a piece of soaking wet parchment in the air. He was too excited to notice what he had walked into.
He tossed the wet paper to them, and Godric held it up curiously. Though its ink was severely smudged, it was still legible.
REWARD
A reward of twenty galleons per criminal shall be awarded to whomever turns
in any of the following people:
There was a blurred image on the paper, in which a sketch of Rowena, Helga, and Salazar could be seen.
The only identified member of this gang of criminals is Erich Feidler. The two women are unidentified. Suspects are most likely armed and dangerous.
"Where did you find this?" asked Godric.
"On a pine tree," answered Rowena proudly. "Can you believe it? Our faces are posted all over Britian!"
"We think," added Salazar.
"Look!" cried Helga. "Dere I am! I am on a WANTED poster!"
Rowena rolled her eyes and Salazar sighed.
"They make it sound like you guys are murderers," commented Godric. "Suspects are most likely armed and dangerous. I mean, all you guys did was lead a jailbreak, right?"
"Nothing more," Rowena assured him.
"Twenty galleons!" Salazar raged. "I'm worth at least fifty galleons!"
"Most people in this country haven't even seen two galleons next to each other," said Rowena coolly. "And I speak for Godric and myself. Twenty galleons to us poor folk means a lifetime of riches. I'm sure folk are swarming the country like ants on candy in search for us."
"Vhat shall vee do?" Helga asked hopelessly.
"Continue the journey, of course," Rowena said. "And when we finally reach our destination -- that hill in the mountains on a lake -- we'll form a refuge like none other. We're gonna put a cork in this war, I tell yeh. Miss Banks lived and died for her cause, and so will we."
~*~
It was a good while before the rain clouds moved on, and the quartet could emerge from their protective bubble to feel the much-missed sunlight warm their faces.
They quickly hurried northward through the muddy forest, anxious to make up for the time they had lost hiding from the weather. This time, however, they traveled as a group rather than the men walking ahead. The WANTED ad they had found certainly made them more cautious.
"Let's play a game," Helga suggested after they had been walking in silence for nearly an hour. "I say dat I am going on a picnic, and I name someting dat I am bringing. You all haf to guess vat you can bring, and I tell you if you can bring it or not. De items must fit under my category. Get it?"
"I guess," said Godric.
"Sure," said Salazar, though he really had no idea.
"OK den," Helga thought. "I am going on a picnic, and I am bringing flowers."
"Can I bring a tree?" asked Godric.
"Yes," Helga allowed.
"Can I bring dirt?" queried Salazar, cottoning on.
"Yes."
"How 'bout an ax?" asked Rowena.
"Certainly not," Helga scoffed.
"Is it things in nature?" guessed Godric.
"Nope!"
"Can I bring my wand?" asked Salazar.
"Yes."
"How about my house?" asked Godric.
"You don't haf a house, silly," Helga giggled.
"Can I bring it anyway?"
She shook her head. "Keep guessing!"
"How about not," suggested Rowena.
Godric asked, "Can I bring fire?"
"Yes."
"Is it things we've seen on our trip?" Godric guessed.
"Yep!"
Godric did a victory dance, making everyone laugh.
"OK, my turn now. I'm going on a picnic, and I'm bringing a cake."
"Can I bring a mace?" asked Rowena, who was getting a pounding headache from the game.
Godric considered. "Sure."
"How about a broomstick?" said Salazar.
"Why not."
"Can I come?" asked Helga.
"Of course."
"Is the category Everybody-Comes?" Salazar hypothesized.
"Almost, but no."
Salazar said, "Then what do a mace, broomstick, cake, and Helga have to do with eachother?"
"Are they things you like?" asked Rowena.
"Damn straight."
The group laughed again, Helga the loudest and giddiest.
When they set up camp that night they paired off to find dry firewood. It was an almost impossible task, for all the sticks and logs were still soaking wet.
Godric and Helga immediately paired off together. Salazar shrugged and said to Rowena, "Let's get cracking, then."
In an hour Salazar and Rowena had only found two somewhat-decent sticks for firewood. Distressed and annoyed, Salazar excused himself and said he was going to look for firewood elsewhere. He trudged back to the camp in the dark. He was hungry, cold, and tired.
When he came within seeing distance of the camp, he was quite surprised to see a flamelight flickering through the trees. He started running the wet leaves muffling his heavy steps. When he was a few steps away from the campsite, he could see Godric and Helga sitting by the fire -- kissing!
Enraged, flaming with jealousy, and determined to upset their relationship, Salazar began to sprint toward them. He had barely taken a step, however, when his worn-out shoes slipped on the wet leaves, and he went crashing to the ground.
"Vat vas dat?" Helga broke away, suddenly staring into the woods.
Salazar stayed as low as possible, breathing into the soaking foilage.
"Probably just an animal." shrugged Godric.
They went back to their business, and Salazar slowly crawled away. When he was far enough away from the campsite, he got up and stormed off, not quite sure of where he was going and not caring.
How dare they! They were endangering the mission with their relationship! Things could be ruined; it could all go to waste just because of their selfishness! Salazar thought of all the bad things that could come out of Godric and Helga loving each other. He was so mad that he did not even notice Rowena, and walked right into her.
"Ow! Watch it!" Rowena yelled.
"Hmph." Salazar continued to storm off.
"What's with you?" asked Rowena.
"Why don't you go back to the campsite and see for yourself!" Salazar yelled back.
Rowena did, and her reaction was not unlike Salazar's. She did not try and run in on them, but instead she waited until they stopped kissing and came walking in with dry branches.
"Oh you've got a fire going already!" cried Rowena. "How ever did you do that?"
Godric smiled at Helga and shrugged. "We're just good, that's all."
Rowena clenched her teeth and dropped the branches. "Well then, you won't be needing these, I presume. I'd better be getting to sleep now, anyway. We've got a long ways to go."
"OK." said Godric.
There was a pause.
"You two should get some rest, too." suggested Rowena. "It's getting quite late."
"We will." said Godric. "We're not really tired, though. By the way, have you seen Salazar?"
At this, Rowena flung her hands in the air. "NO." She turned away and stormed off.
~*~
The next morning Salazar and Godric had gone off to find something for breakfast while Rowena and Helga prepared the fire, which had gone out overnight.
Rowena had feeling to sour to talk much, and Helga's happy humming was putting her on edge.
"Did you sleep vell?" asked Helga.
"Like you care." muttered Rowena.
"Vat vas dat?"
"Did you sleep?" Rowena pressed.
"Ack." Helga rubbed an eye. "Very little. It vas very uncomfortable ground, you know."
"Hm." Rowena narrowed her eyes but said nothing. Helga and Godric had kept her up all night with their talking. They were enwrapped in a conversation until just before the crack of dawn.
"Oh dear." sighed Helga.
"What?"
"Vee seem to be out of firewood. Do you mind getting some?"
At this, Rowena stood up abruptly and screamed, "WHY DON'T YOU DO SOMETHING FOR A CHANGE? THIS MISSION ISN'T ALL ABOUT YOU!"
She turned and stormed off into the woods. Helga galloped after her.
"Elisabet--"
"It's Rowena." she growled.
"Rowena--"
"If you took our mission seriously, then maybe you'd know my name by now."
"Vat is de problem?" Helga asked, grabbing her arm.
Rowena yanked away. "You should know."
"Rowena!"
She chased after her, Rowena running blindly away.
"Rowena, stop at vonce!"
Rowena said nothing, just kept running. She weaved through the trees, jumped logs, crashed through grasses, and ran straight into a boulder. She stumbled backward, grabbing her forehead. The collision left her temporarily blind, but her vision came back after a minute or two. When it did, she could see what she had ran into.
"Ro-eee-nnaa!" Helga panted, stumbling into the clearing.
She tugged on Rowena's arm. "Rowena, please! Tell me vat is vong!"
Rowena just stood with her mouth open.
"Rowena?"
Rowena raised a tan arm and pointed at the thing in front of her.
What she had crashed into was not a boulder at all. It was a statue of a unicorn.
"How pretty." observed Helga, walking forward to get a better look.
"Helga! Do you know what this means?!" cried Rowena, dashing to the horse of stone.
"Erm, no."
"This is the lead!" Rowena was searching the unicorn up and down with wide eyes. "This is what Miss Banks told us about! It was in the book! She said that when we came across a unicorn made of stone, we were on the right way!"
Helga gasped and started talking so fast that she didn't even realize she was speaking Swedish. Rowena didn't notice, she merely marveled at the wondrous statue.
"Vee must find Salazar and Godric!" cried Helga.
"Yeah ... you go do that." Rowena's eyes were still glued to the statue in wonder.
Helga ran back into the woods, leaving Rowena to examine the unicorn. There was nothing really to examine; it was simply a unicorn made of stone.
"Vat'ss disss?"
"Back already?" Rowena said upon hearing Helga's voice. "Did you find them?"
"Human? Ah, not ssseen human in sssoo long. Sssooo lonnnggg."
Rowena whirled around. "Helga, what are you--"
Rowena screeched and jumped back. It was not Helga at all! Rather, a giant worm-like creature that towered a good three feet above Rowena. It held the face of a woman, only hideous beyond belief. Though the face itself was not all that bad, her red eyes, pointed teeth, and hair of hissing green snakes was enough to make someone die of fright.
It sniffed. "Ahh, human smellsss sssoo good." It licked its lips with its snake-like tongue and gazed down at Rowena hungrily.
Rowena shut her eyes tightly. She recognized this creature. It was a wormwraith. Anyone who looked into its eyes was turned to stone.
"Are you fressshhh?" it hissed, advancing on Rowena.
Rowena glued her eyes to the ground and found herself breathing heavily. Don't say a word.
"You sssmell fresshhh."
It now came so close that Rowena could see the texture of its repulsive leathery skin. She back up a few paces, and was suddenly pinned against the unicorn.
"Come now, human. Disss von't hurt a bit."
As it lowered its head, there came a crashing noise from the brush behind it. Rowena looked up (though careful to avoid its stony gaze) and saw her three companions running into the clearing.
"Close your eyes!" she warned them.
The wormwraith whipped its head around, but not before the other three humans had their eyes closed.
Rowena slipped under the unicorn and crawled into a shrub patch.
"Rowena, what is this thing?" cried Godric, staring at its disgusting form.
The creature roared in anger. "Thing? Vhat is dissss thing?" it advanced on Godric, who fixed his eyes on the ground and stayed planted in his spot. "Long have we wormwraithsss been exiled from the human world! We have long lived in dese woodsss, fearing the brutality of man! Vhat have vee ever done to human? Dey judge usss! In self defense, vee eat dem! I haf not even touched you ssscrumtious little human, and you already call me a 'thing'? Vee are de few and de proud decendents of Medusssa, our mother who was ssso mercilessly murdered by a human! Vee protect ourselfss and dis foresst from humansss. Vee make sure a human does not again kill von of uss, for vee only defend ourssselfss! All vee vant is ressspect! And sssince you little humanss cannot provide dat, you shall die!"
It launched its head at Godric, jaw stretched wide open. Godric ducked and rolled away, his eyes closed.
"RUN!" Rowena yelled, jumping up from the shrub patch.
They ran after Rowena, though it was a failed attempt. One launch of the angered wormwraith would move it forward at least ten human steps. It whipped its tail around, catching Salazar.
"Help!" Salazar cried as it lifted him in its tail.
It hissed as he kicked his long legs.
"Hey! Put him down!" Godric yelled, pitching a rock at it.
Rowena and Helga followed suit, and the creature and its head of snakes hissed in anger as the rocks pelted it. It was useless, however. They merely bounced off its leathery skin.
She opened her mouth, revealing ominous fangs, and sunk them into Salazar's shoulder. He cried out in pain.
At this point, Rowena whipped out her wand. "Petrificus totalus!"
The wormwraith's body shuddered. Her head of serpents stood on end. Like a flame going out, she gave one last hiss, and fell to the ground.
Salazar tumbled from the grasp of its slimy tail. His companions rushed to his side.
"Salazar!" cried Rowena.
He was lying face-down on the ground. She rolled him over. His breathing was shallow, and pulse slow.
"Look at de cut." said Helga concernedly. Rowena pulled open a tear that had formed in the collar of his cloak. There were two bloody cuts, one from each fang, and venomous green veins were stretching both the wounds.
"This is very poisonous." remarked Rowena, lightly touching his wounded skin. "If we don't find an antidote, he'll leave us very shortly."
"How long do you give him?" breathed Godric.
Rowena sucked in air through her teeth. "Not long. I don't even know the antidote."
"Vhat can vee do?" asked Helga.
Rowena stared down at her companion. His breathing was slowing now. She knew there was only one choice, one chance, his only shot at life.
"I'll have to suck the venom out." she said at last.
"But Rowena--" started Helga.
"You can't." pointed out Godric. "Then the venom will be in you."
"Not if I do it right." Rowena grimaced, touching his wound lightly. "I must do it. It's his only chance he has left at life."
She looked up at the sky. It was a clear and beautiful day--not at all the mood. Oh why had Miss Banks said to come here? Had she known what would happen to Salazar? Was he just meant to die?
"Rowena ..." Godric said.
"Right." she looked back down at Salazar, and as she swooped to his neck, she whispered under her breath, "Don't go just yet."
It took hours. Rowena would have to suck out the poison and spit a thousand times, and she still would not be close to done. Helga and Godric sat around and watched. They offered to take over for her, but she would not stop for even a second.
"With every second," she spat out the venom on the grass, which had turned an awful black color, "his life is draining away more." she sucked out more venom, and then drew away to spit again. "We cannot waste time."
It had been late morning when they fought the wormwraith. It was now bordering on dusk. They had spent an entire day in this clearing, with nothing to look at but a stone unicorn and a petrified wormwraith, and nothing to listen to but Rowena's spitting.
They watched the yolk of the sun ooze down the sky and under the horizon, introducing a black sky with trillions of twinkling stars, like a black dress with diamonds sewn onto it.
Orion was directly overhead by the time Rowena's spitting stopped.
"Rowena?" whispered Godric.
"Shhh, he's coming to."
There came a coughing noise, undoubtedly that of Salazar.
"Salazar," breathed Helga, crawling over, "can you see me?"
"Of course he can't see you, it's pitch black out." remarked Godric.
Salazar coughed again. "W-what happened?"
Rowena breathed a deep sigh of relief. "Relax." her voice had gone hoarse. "The venom is out. Just ... rest ..."
Rowena fell to the grass.
"Oh no, what now?" Godric crawled over. "Ack, it's alright. She's just fallen asleep. No wonder, I'd be exhausted, too."
"From what?" asked Salazar.
Godric shook his head. "Just go to sleep, we'll explain in the morning."
Salazar persisted. "Wait, wasn't I just about to be eaten by that wormwraith?"
"He doesn't remember." remarked Helga to Godric.
"I don't remember what?" demanded Salazar.
"Do you remember being bitten by that creature?" asked Helga.
Salazar scratched his head. "I dunno ... it's kinda hazy. I recall her sinking her head and ... I don't really remember."
Helga sighed. "Vee need sleep."
"But what happened?" he pressed.
"Go to sleep!" barked Godric.
"Fine." Salazar gave in and rolled over on the grass. "But when I get up, I'm waking you up to tell me what's going on."
There was a silence for quite a while, only broken when Salazar said, "Hey, why's Rowena so wiped out?"
~*~
Author's Note:
OK so there's the second chapter. It is 1/3 shorter than the first chapter. I hope you like. And please excuse any gRaMmAtIcAl mistakes. This one will be a short author's note, so ... please write a review!
Much love and distress, ~*Luna*~
P.S. Thanks for editing, Alyssa ~_-
