Chapter Two

An Everlasting Pact

"Immortal?" I asked. I knew what the word meant, but the concept itself was strange. "So I'll never die?"

"Well, you'll die, just not permanently," Adam explained. He looked to Amanda. "You want to help me out here?"

"Not at all Professor," Amanda said, leaning back on the bed. "This is a show I usually have to pay to see."

"Oh come on Amanda, you can be a little more open minded than that."

"I've seen what happens when one of us gets caught up in fantasy Adam. Remember what happened to Richie?"

Adam shook his head, flustered.

"But I am a wizard," I said. "Like my mother and father were before me. And no offense, Ms. Montrose, but you're the ones telling me that I'll live forever. I doubt you go advertising it to the muggle world."

"What on Earth is a Muggle?"

"Non magical people." Adam explained for me. "Normally that counts as our kind. Accept their magic doesn't affect us."

I looked at him curiously.

"But you said you were one of the first teachers at Hogwarts. Why is it I've never heard of Immortals before now? For that matter why don't they teach us?"

"That's another thing I had a hand in," Adam sat back. "I spent fifty years teaching Muggle Studies at Hogwarts. In that time Godric and Salazar had an explosive argument that nearly destroyed them both. It was mutually agreed that Salazar must leave before someone innocent suffered.

"In spite of their parting ways, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff agreed that they still wanted a fourth to represent the Slytherin. Godric said that I possessed many of the qualities inherent to the Slytherin household, and that he was thankful for the years of loyal service I put into the school.

"After what seemed like too short a time, Rowena passed on and the Ravenclaw house was passed to her successor, followed shortly by the death of Helena. Godric and I remained close friends until it became obvious to many of the school's alumni that I was not getting any older. So it was once again, mutually decided, that the head of Slytherin must again leave Hogwarts.

"Before I left, Godric and I had a long discussion about the future of our two unique races. The founders had spent long hours working on spells and charms that would hide the castle from muggle sight. But much to their surprise, the magic didn't prevent me from seeing it, no matter how powerful the spells. And it didn't help that there was now a group of muggles, who were dedicated to studying and recording the lives of Immortals."

"The Watchers," Amanda added. She sounded less skeptical of Adam's story as he went on.

"Right. And Godric feared what would happen if the muggle world ever discovered the truth of wizards, witches, and magic. If other Immortals led the Watchers to Hogwarts the consequences might have been disastrous. So I made a pact with Godric, never to keep Hogwarts off the Watcher's radar as long as I lived. And in mutual good faith, Godric decreed that none of the professors in Hogwarts would ever teach their students about Immortals."

"Wow," was all I could say. How else did you respond when a footnote just got crammed into the history of your world? I finished my soda and tossed the cup in the trash.

"And this is where things get tricky," Adam said. "Because you are in a position to be a great danger to everything you know and love."

I didn't understand at first. Then I thought about the pact and how Adam had spent nearly a thousand years keeping muggles from discovering wizards. It was all a lot to take in one night, so much in fact that all I wanted to do was go to sleep and never wake up.

"What am I supposed to do?" I asked.

"That's where I come in," Amanda spoke up. "That is if Gandalf here is finished."

Adam went back to finishing his soda. He winked at me as Amanda removed the sword from her trench coat. It was wiped clean, but it was definitely the one she used to kill me.

"Adam and I have both been in the Game for a long time now. But we didn't get this old by playing Dungeons and Dragons twenty-four, seven. If you want to survive you'll have to learn to use this."

She stepped away from the furniture, presumably for more room and held the handle out, gesturing for me to take it.

I glanced at Adam, nervously. He nodded. I went to where Amanda was standing and reached for the hilt. It was heavier than I expected and it fell from my hand.

"That'll get you killed," Adam remarked.

"We agreed it was my turn," Amanda said.

"Sorry."

"But yes, Cedric, dropping your sword is not going to get you very far."

"You'll have to bare with me," I said, awkwardly. "We didn't find too much use for swords in Hogwarts."

"Well that's what you get when my curriculum recommendations get tossed out the window."

"Adam!"

"Sorry."

"All right," Amanda said, picking up her sword and returning it to its place. "You need some rest and then we have to get out of here. Take this into the bathroom."

Amanda handed me the plastic bag that Adam brought in with the food.

"I had to guess at your clothing size since all you're wearing is those robes. I know you take all this "wizard" stuff seriously, but those won't get you far in the mortal world. Not unless you want to go into a convent for eternity. Get cleaned up. See what fits you and when we've had a few hours to rest we'll get out of here."

I took a good whiff of myself for the first time that day. A mixture of aged blood, sweat and soil nearly gagged me. It was a wonder I didn't notice it at first, or that they didn't toss me in the bathroom first chance.

"Do you have a particular place in mind?" I heard Adam ask.

Amanda's tone seemed to drop a few pegs as she considered her response. I set to figuring out the knobs on the shower, so as not to tip them off.

"I really don't to tell you the truth. There's no place in the whole UK that's safe for a junior immortal. And I'll need a good deal of time to train him."

"Why not let me do it?" Adam asked.

"He needs to learn to fight Methos. He doesn't need you to encourage his delusions."

Methos, I repeated.

I fidgeted with the knobs until I figured out how to get comfortably warm water to come out of the faucet. Most of the conversation was drowned out over the sound of the water.

My head spun with questions that I would need them to answer. There were also questions they couldn't answer.

Would I ever see my family again? Did the pact Adam-Methos?-made with Godric Gryffindor prevent me from ever having contact with other witches and wizards? After all, being an Immortal didn't stop me from being a wizard. Shouldn't I still be among them the way Adam and Amanda were still parts of the mortal world?

When my hair and body was as clean as it would get, I turned the water off and managed to catch the last half of their conversation. It sounded pretty heated.

"-the Ahriman prophecy no one listens. But then I tell you people what actually happens and you treat me like I'm grandpa at the nursing home, just rambling nonsense."

"It's not about believing you Methos. This is about a life at stake. I didn't survive by chasing around wild fantasies all my life. And it's not like you've always had the best of common sense with so called legends. Hell, you were ready to kill me over the Rebecca's stones just to save your precious-"

"Don't you dare bring her into this. You only wanted to pawn them off to the highest bidder anyway."

I opened the bathroom door slowly.

"Should I step out of the room?" I asked.

Amanda smiled.

"Of course not sweetheart," she noted my appearance and smiled. "Do you like the clothes?"

I was wearing a gray sweater and a pair of jeans. Hufflepuff had plenty of muggle-born students sorted each year, so I became an expert on muggle clothing.

"Yes, thank you."

Adam seemed to sense my awkwardness.

"We get into little arguments like that all the time," he explained, putting his arm around Amanda. "Just a disagreement that's all."

"I understand," I said.

"All right Cedric," Amanda said, pushing Adam's arm away. "This is one of the things we were discussing. And now that it's out in the open I think we should leave it to you to decide."

"Decide what?"

"You need a mentor Cedric, someone to teach you what you need to know to survive as a mortal. That includes fighting with a sword and blending with mortal society. Adam here has far more experience than I do and he's better with a sword."

"You're asking me to choose between the two of you?"

"Immortals rarely have more than one mentor at the same time," Adam explained. "But I'll understand if you'd rather take Amanda over me. My goal in life is to hide below the radar and avoid trouble at all costs, which is how I've survived so long. But Amanda has pulled herself out of tighter situations than I've been in because she doesn't hide. She can definitely teach you the tricks of surviving in the mortal world."

I sat down on the bed and thought about this. I wasn't getting any sleep tonight.

"Before I make my decision," I said, finally. "I need to ask someone a lot of questions. And I think you're the only one who can answer them, Methos. Amanda, is that okay?"

"That's fine with me," Amanda answered. "But don't take too long. Tomorrow at noon I catch my plane and if you don't meet me at the airport, I'll assume you've made your decision."

I nodded to show I understood. I put my old shoes on and secured my clothing in the bag.

"Come on," Adam said, gesturing to the door. "I have a feeling I'm gonna need a beer soon."