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The Warty Hog
"A warty hog led her to a cliff by a lake in a dream? You cannot be serious, Helga," Godric said. "How can we know that what she saw was true?"
"Do not mock her, Godric, she is sure," Helga insisted.
Godric did not seem convinced and neither did Salazar for that matter, though he had managed to keep his thoughts to himself.
Helga meanwhile, chivied her horse to move faster so that she could catch up with her friend who had been leading the group for the last hour.
"Rowena, perhaps we should return another day? The hour is late and it would be unwise to remain out here after nightfall."
Rowena did not appear to be listening. Suddenly, she stopped and the corners of her mouth curved upwards to form a triumphant smile. "I would advise you not to lose faith in me so easily, Godric," she said, turning to face her companion. "We have arrived."
They dismounted their horses and came to stand by the cliff edge.
Salazar moved to stand beside Rowena. "We did well to follow you, Rowena," he said after a moment.
For the first time in a long time, longer than she could remember, Rowena's pale cheeks turned a light shade of pink.
Muggles
The wrought iron eased shut and Rowena passed her hand over the bars. It was done, and yet they had only accomplished a microcosm of what they had set out to do. The prospect of what was yet to come filled Rowena with excitement yet worry too, as one could never be certain about how successful such an undertaking would be.
"Your wards are powerful," came a voice from the bushes.
Rowena turned as Salazar walked towards her. "Helga and I worked on them together," she said, twirling her wand absent-mindedly between her fingers. "We believe the castle will be better protected now."
"I am inclined to agree," Salazar said. "It is important to keep muggles away."
Rowena frowned. "That is not the only reason, Salazar," she told him, with a hint of a warning tone in her voice. "It is best for both parties."
She began to walk up the path to the castle. Salazar followed.
"I saw you speaking with that muggle at the market yesterday," he said. "Helga tells me you have seen him frequently these last few days. I would advise you not to make a habit of that."
Rowena stopped and turned abruptly. "You advise me do you?"
"I do."
"Why?" Rowena snapped - indeed, she did not like being told what to do. "How does what I do in my spare time matter, in any way, to you?"
An unusually cold look settled on Salazar's features. "Because he is not one of us. None of them will ever be."
Rowena's eyes flashed dangerously at him. "I would advise you, Slytherin, to keep away from matters that do not concern you."
And on that last note, she turned on her heel and entered the castle alone.
