For Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry: Assignment #9
Journalism, Task #4: Write the backstory of a minor character from canon.
For The Houses Competition, Year Six, Round One
House: Slytherin
Class: Charms
Prompts: [action] Being chased
Drabble/Standard: Standard
Word Count: 1162 (excluding A/N and title)
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AIMLESS
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"How long until the brook?" Gornuk wheezes, clutching a stitch in his side.
"Not long now," answers Ted, looking carefully around for any sign of Snatchers or worse, Death Eaters.
Gornuk rolls his eyes, although Ted cannot see him do that. "You keep saying that," the goblin mutters under his breath.
Was that a clump of leaves that had just moved? Ted pulls out his wand from its holster, pointing it at the wild hedge. When it is but a large grey jackrabbit jumps out of the bushes and scampers away out of sight, Ted heaves a sigh of relief. Tucking his wand away, he turns to face Gornuk, who barely reaches his waist.
"That's because it's true, Gornuk," Ted tells him, in reply to the goblin's previous words. "But can you not hear it? The brook, I mean?"
Gornuk sighs, "Pardon my poor hearing, Ted, I am not that young, you know."
"And neither am I."
The man and the goblin talk amicably as they make their way through the forest, its floor strewn with dry leaves and twigs that crunch noisily beneath their shoes. The nascent September sun filters through the canopy, casting a mellow pink light on everything it falls.
"I don't understand why we aren't using magic. Why walk so much if you can just Disapparate?" Gornuk says after a while, panting and almost tripping on the root of a tree. Ted quickly grabs his arm and helps him up.
"We could avoid all this if you just wave your wand, you know," Gornuk grumbles. "This is not good for my kneecaps. Not good at all."
Ted laughs a little when Gornuk shakes his head. "Your kneecaps won't be of much use if you're killed by Death Eaters, Gornuk."
"Could we sit here for a while, then, at least?" Gornuk asks, then plops down right there on the ground without waiting for Ted to say anything.
"I guess we could," Ted replies, sitting down cross-legged beside his comrade. He keeps his wand at the ready, just in case, and rests his head against the tree trunk. Soft snores have already started coming from the goblin beside him.
The sun is more intense now, which indicates that morning is here. They had been walking all night without halting, and it seems like months have passed since they have left home, but in reality, it has been only two weeks.
Another jackrabbit leaps out of the thicket, making Ted's eyes widen for a split second. But instead of bringing relief, the sight of that specific animal makes Ted's heart sink. It reminds of his daughter, his precious Nymphadora. He had seen her last in July, and then she had joined the Order while he had to go into hiding. He wonders whether he'll ever see her again, and shuts his eyes, only to have her smiling, pink-haired, bubbly self appear in his mind's eye.
He has almost dozed off when a few minutes later, a soft crack pierces through the slightly nippy air. Immediately, Ted's eyes snap open - a trait acquired from the years of Auror training, which, now he thinks, is actually proving to be beneficial.
"Ah, what do we have here?" croons the larger man, who has just appeared near the oak tree in the distance, flashing his yellowing teeth in a crooked grin. He pulls his wand out from the pocket of his pinafore, and the lack of appropriate robes tells Ted that this man is not a Death Eater. There is still the possibility of him being a Snatcher, though.
Ted gropes around for his wand, which has apparently fallen from his grip while he had dozed off. He ducks right on time as the Snatcher shoots a Petrificus Totalus at him. The sound wakes Gornuk up, and the goblin's eyes widen in horror.
"Expelliarmus!" Ted shouts, and the man's wand flies away from his hand.
Quickly, Ted lifts Gornuk onto his shoulders while the man tries to locate his wand in the clump of grass and thorn. By the time he has found it, Ted starts running in the other direction, as fast as humanly possible with a goblin weighing around forty-five pounds on his shoulders, gripping his wand in one hand.
"Filthy Mudblood!" the man behind them roars angrily as he sprints behind them, firing hex after hex at the two. One of them hits Gornuk on the back of his head, and he doubles up and cries out in pain. Ted stumbles.
"Ow - "
"Can - can you just - stay put for a while? Please?" Ted pleads, turning around and blindly throwing Stunning Spells at the stranger and missing each, partly because his eyes are shrouded by Gornuk's legs.
"I wish goblins were allowed to have wands," the goblin mumbles under his breath.
Ted dodges and fires another spell behind him. "Please, Gornuk," he says, "keep your trap shut - it'll be beneficial for the both of us."
Gornuk feels absolutely sorry for himself - in spite of his kind not being allowed to hold wands, he has never had to fear any wizard for years, none of his family have. He feels like a disgrace, and utterly helpless because no matter how much he wishes otherwise, he is nothing but a burden for Ted right now. If ever they manage to survive this whole ordeal, he'll owe it all to Ted.
But he is broken out of his reverie when another jinx narrowly hits Ted on the shoulder. The man inhales sharply at the blow, one hand coming up to touch the offending area.
"Ted! You OK?"
"Yes, yes, I am. How far is he?" Ted says. Gornuk turns around, eyes widening at the sight of the man baring his teeth in fury and running towards them. His hefty form, however, prevents him from catching up with them - but he doesn't look like the type to give up easily, especially on such easy yet precious prey.
"Not far, but not close either."
Ted's legs tremble from running so much, it's been years since he's run this long. Taking another deep breath, he turns and shouts, "Stupefy!"
"Arggh - "
The red light hits the man smack in the middle of his forehead. He drops, unconscious, onto the ground, his large form sprawled out on the leaf-strewn floor.
Ted and Gornuk sigh in unison and Ted helps the goblin down.
"Thank you, Ted," Gornuk says firmly, shaking Ted's hand.
Ted looks surprised and confused but appreciates the gesture notwithstanding.
"What an adventure," Gornuk says with a laugh, "but I still need my sleep, you know."
"What? Didn't you learn anything from this incident, Gornuk? We'll rest only when we reach a place that's safe enough. A forest in the middle of nowhere is anything but safe."
The goblin groans. "Argh, fine."
"Come on, then."
And the two then resume their journey. They don't have a destination, and it'll be very tough, but maybe - just maybe - they'll survive this together.