Chapter 66
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With the ball finally over, all they wanted to do was relax.
In the middle of the Chamber, as soon as Rebekah began to say her words in Parseltongue, there appeared a pool of beautifully hot water in the ground. It was tinted a slight pink due to the salts, and rose petals, and small sprigs of lavender on the sides and surface of the water.
Clothes were scattered all around the poolside as they slid into the shallow pool in their swimsuits. The water was hot and steaming, sending off rivets of lilac coloured smoke as the water evaporated.
Talpey popped in and left a few different bowls on floating trays. He snapped his fingers and all of their fallen dresses, gowns, suits, and shirts were quickly stashed in their rooms and replaced by thick black dressing gowns and towels to dry off with later.
"How brilliant is this?" Daphne said, slowly sinking into the hot water.
"Bloody brilliant," Theo nodded back as he put his arms behind his head.
Rebekah sat on the edge of the huge pool-like bath, her legs carefully tucked into the water as she grabbed the bowls of snacks and drinks and placed them on the water, letting them float across the water without spilling, or tipping, or getting soaked.
"Just wait until you start to feel the Basilisk against your feet," Just as Rebekeha finished, they all screamed as they felt the cold scales of the serpent against their toes. They jumped completely out of the water, still screaming as Rebekah began to laugh full heartedly. "I'm kidding!"
"That was cruel!" Tracey complained, quickly using a hand to splash Rebekah. "That's what you g— AHH!"
Rebekah had placed her foot onto the pool wall, launching herself at Tracey and tackling her into the water. Everyone almost cackled a deep satisfying laugh as they watched the two struggle in the water. Rebekah tried to drown Tracey in good humour as the other tried to get the Potter Heiress off of her before trying to drown her also.
They waited for them to finish the water fight but cringed when both Witches suddenly stopped struggling and turned to them, grinning menacingly.
"Oh, Merlin," Daphne mumbled.
Theodore and Blaise jumped out of the way.
Pansy screamed, "NOT THE HAIR!"
But it was useless, all seven members of the group were in the water and fully submerged.
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"You might want to get under the water, this won't be pleasant," Rebekah commented as she dunked the egg under the water and hoped her theory was correct and wouldn't fail and destroy her eardrums.
"Come seek us where our voices sound,
We cannot sing above the ground,
And while you re searching, ponder this:
We've taken what you'll sorely miss,
An hour long you'll have to look,
And to recover what we took,
Come seek us where our voices sound,
We cannot sing above the ground,
And while you're searching, ponder this:
We've taken what you'll sorely miss,
An hour long you'll have to look,
And to recover what we took,
But past an hour- the prospect's black,
Too late, it's gone, it won't come back."
"How… Informative…" Blaise frowned at it before turning to face them better. "Come seek us where our voices sound, we cannot sing above the ground. So you have to go somewhere under the water, the lake?"
"Definitely the lake, there's Merpeople there," Pansy nodded. "What does it mean by we've taken what you'll sorely miss? Does it mean you have to find something underwater within an hour, or you won't get it back?"
"Then what could it be?" Rebekah asked as she placed the egg on the side before lifting herself out to sit on the edge.
Tracey just floated on the water's surface, staring at the ceiling. "Something we'll have to figure out…"
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Turning the hourglass thrice, Rebekah went back in time with a sigh. She had to hurry back to her dorm to grab the baskets before someone saw her past self running towards the lake with her friends and compared it to now running down to the dungeons again.
After her conversation with Magorian a few nights ago, she had decided to research Centaurs in depth.
They had a long and in depth history because of their long life times. Unlike Humans who didn't live more than about a hundred years at average, Centaurs lived to be three hundred perhaps five if they were exceptionally healthy.
By reaching maturity by the age of five Human years, Centaurs were able to study the skies much earlier than Humans. They remembered much more and could apply their knowledge to the skies from many years ago to years later, creating links through the trends and disturbances in the Magic of the stars of planets.
Rebekah stood barefoot but still in her dress in the Forbidden Forest, a foot or two away from the territory line. She waited until one of the Centaurs, one she knew was named Bane, before saying her question of wanting to see Magorian.
Bane was angry as he stomped one of his front hooves. "You dare speak his name?"
"Would you rather I use a Human suffix before it to portray his superiority over me?" Rebekah retorted with a raised eyebrow. "I doubt a Centaur would want to be called anything that would be used for a Human."
"What is it you want, Witch?" Bane huffed, crossing his arms swiftly over his chest as he looked down his dark nose at the young Witch still dressed in a gown and robe.
"I want a truce for the moment, a parley of sorts," Rebekah lifted the basket hooked at one of her elbows. "I have gifts for the Colony, that is why I ask to see him, so he may judge me and my intentions before allowing me access or turning me away entirely."
"What are your intentions?"
"To say my thanks for the last few years. A friend of mine was saved by a Centaur in our first year when Voldemort was attacking Unicorns. I felt like it was time to repay the debt for her, and then she would be in mine."
"Fine, I will take you to him but I and everyone else will watch you until he deems your fit or unfit," He gestured for her to walk over the invisible line that separated the territories. Bane kept to a slow walk as Rebekah tried to keep up with her smaller, Human stride. "Why does the friend not do it herself?"
"She is MuggleBorn," Rebekah gently nodded her head when Bane tilted his in confusion. "Though academically bright, she is not the most resourceful. I, on the other hand, am both. Having a debt of any kind is not good. And repaying it isn't all I came here to do."
"What else then?"
Rebekah paused, thinking of how to phrase her words carefully before exhaling worriedly. "With the Dark Mark being summoned in the summer, and the march of the Death Eater, something is going to happen. My name was placed into the Goblet and I don't trust the judges in keeping my best interests in mind at the moment."
"Humans only keep their own interest in mind and not others'. It is a fault in Human natu—"
A male voice sworn loudly in the background, barely audible but enough so that the two could hear him.
Something by Rebekah's feet startled her, Emperor wrapped his tail around one of her arms as he shifted until he stood to her hip and semi Lion-like.
Rebekah silently took the Map out of her bag, shuffling it until she found the page that depicted the Forbidden Forest.
Why was Crouch in the forest when he was too ill to even come to the Yule Ball? But the voice didn't sound like Crouch, it sounded similar but with a scottish twang that definitely didn't sit right with her.
"Who's there?" Then Moody's voice shouted with a Lumos lit wand pointed out, letting the light peak through the sides of trees. "Show yehrselves!"
Rebekah ducked suddenly, her eyes still on the Map as it still stated that it was Crouch a few dozen metres away, not Moody.
What was going on with the Map? It never failed her before.
"Let's keep moving," Bane muttered, his dark eyes jutting around to try and get a look at the person as they swore again, this time deeper with a sudden gruffness.
The trees became denser and thicker, and fatter and stronger.
It only took the better part of quarter of an hour to reach the edge of the Camp. Rebekah felt their eyes on her even if she couldn't see them herself. The hairs on the back of her neck bristled and she clutched the robe closer as the wind blew colder and colder. The bottom of her dress was already ruined, ripped in several areas but she didn't care. It could be quite easily fixed with a bit of Magic.
The firepit took up the most room in the camp, with canopies acting as shelters amongst the trees. Some areas had long trees bent down with the thickest leaves, which should have fallen for this season, working well to keep the snow and rain off of the sleeping areas on the ground.
To one side of the camp, a small group of foals gathered round a larger group of mares surrounding the warmest parts of the fire. In the middle of the mares were the smallest Centaurs, barely old enough to freely feed themselves.
The mares kept their children at bay by reminding them that the leader hadn't approved the safety of the Witch. Rebekah knew this was to make sure that the children were safe and Magorian knew that she was here and was okay with her being within the camp.
"Lioness," Magorian's voice sounded from one corner of the camp, quickly coming into the light of the firepit. "And Familiar. You're in two places at once, Potter."
"Only way I could have fit this into my day," Rebekah nodded. "I've gone back three hours to make sure I have enough time."
"Time for what?"
Rebekah lifted up her arm, showing the basket. "I brought a gift for the Colony but I have a few questions about the past, present and future and what's to come."
Magorian turned to Bane, nodding softly before gesturing for Bane to take the basket and distribute the good. "Come by the fire's edge and be in the form which you are more comfortable to be in,"
And with that, Rebekah shifted to lay with her head on her paws, and with Magorian's nod to the curious children, the young centaurs began to pet her like a cat. Emperor suddenly jumped on them, quickly gaining the favor of the young and taking their attention away from Rebekah's maroon fur.
Centaurs were a proud group but even they knew that pride could overthrow duty when it came to their next generation. It was one of the reasons they were civil towards the young of any race, unless those showed aggression towards them. With Rebekah, she had never showed any aggression towards the Centaurs, or Thestrals, nor did she have any past transgressions for them to count against her.
Times were becoming rough as the years were occuring, and having a Human ally who had influence could greatly help the Colony.
They just hoped she stayed an ally.
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