**Disclaimer** I do not claim to own anything that's not mine (J.K. Rowling wrote these amazing things before I could even dream of them). I do claim my main character, Dee.
I awoke to birds chirping and the smell of bacon. Bacon? I don't remember bringing any bacon…
"Morn-in gal. Fixed us up some good grub. Yewz need-in some more flesh on yee bonez. Soz I made plenty. Come, come et it up." Ol' Lark sat the tin platter of cooked bacon in the middle of the small table. There was also a pot of coffee and some sliced apples. I pulled myself out of bed feeling weary. I didn't really want to get out of bed. I felt so drained, but I was so hungry I thought Ol' Lark may need to cook some more bacon for himself. I didn't bother to make sure I looked presentable. I knew Lark didn't care and so I didn't either. I sat myself down at the table and started digging into the food. "Slooz it down girlie or yee bound to make yee self sick." He cautioned me of how fast I was shoving the food into my mouth. "Ey promise yee there be plenty. Ey ain't bout to hog it fro yaz." He said with laughter in his voice. I smiled widely though my mouth was full of food. "Yee never had such appetite. Ey member when yee was wee bit thing. Must be yee grow-in." I laughed, nearly chocking on the food.
"I shouldn't be growing. I am full grown already. You know that." I replied while my mouth was empty for a second. Ol' Lark cocked an eye brow at me and cackled.
"Yewz a stupid gal if Ey ever saw one." He commented rudely as he shoved his own bacon into his mouth. I frowned at him, pouting my lip at him partially. "Don be give-in dat look again. Yee knowz it aint no effectin on me heart." He said with food still in his mouth. I stuck my tongue out at him and he rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Yewd think yeez was just a yougin agin." He said reproachfully. I sighed and settled into ignoring him while I finished eating.
When I was finished, I belched loudly, not bothering to even excuse myself. Ol' Lark would take it as a complement, not rude behavior. I smiled broadly at him and he nodded his head in understanding. I turned and began to pack up my belongings.
"Yew leav-in me sooz soon gal?" He asked me from the table. I looked up at him with a confused look.
"Yes… Isn't that what you were saying I should do last night?" I asked.
"NOz! Ain't never said such. Ey waz sayin yee needz to get yer self married gal. Yew get-in old n wrink-lin like mez." He said brashly, though I knew he was just teasing. I laughed and continued to pack my things. Suddenly I was stopped from moving by his gnarly cane. The stick whacked my knuckles lightly, but hard enough to sting and make me snatch my hand back. "Yew ain't leav-in. Yeez jus gonna have ta wait it out bit longer." He said with a tone of finality that offered no room for questions or defiance. I was confused as heck, but I did not question him or try to argue. I knew better than to make that mistake. Ol' Lark never lost an argument. At least if I didn't argue, I might be able to coax out of him better why he had taken a stand. He didn't usually make commands of me. He only did so when he thought it was best for me. I sighed in resignation and unpacked my bag.
B~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~B
"I don't understand you." I said in frustration from my spot in front of the fire.
"O course yee don. Me own lee make cents to dat who is smartzee nough." Ol' Lark replied seriously. I growled in frustration and he gave me a wide eyed look that pointedly said he thought I was acting ridiculously. He went back to carving on a stick. I decided to put the fact that he had me totally confused aside. I watched him meticulously carve on the stick.
"What are you making?" I asked with a soft smile. He stopped abruptly and looked at me in exasperation.
"Ain't non yeez biz neez." He replied and went back to carving. I huffed and decided to go on a walk. "Don wander too far there dearz. Yeez lible to fall inta a nest o veeperz if yaz do." He warned me without looking up as I walked out the door.
The sun was past mid-day and the air was still and heavy. A few birds chirped here and there but not too noisily. It was almost as if a hush had fallen over the land. I invisified myself just to be a little more precautious. I didn't know what roamed these forests now and Ol' Lark wouldn't have warned me for no reason.
I wandered without any real direction or purpose. I found myself in front of a small lake or maybe just a large pond. The water lapped lightly at the shore from the breeze that was picking up around me. Trees came up to the edge of the water at some spots around it. The roots angled into the water, their surrounding soil eroded away into the water. I spotted on such root that was huge and decided it would be my perch. Stripping down to my under wear, I made to swim across the pond to the roots I'd decided upon.
B~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~B
I had spent the afternoon swimming and perched upon that root, but my growling stomach forced me to head back to my shack. Ol' Lark sat outside the door, still carving on his stick. He looked up at me and smiled.
"Yee smell li' natua'. Best way uh woman cud smell." I blushed. He cackled.
"Leave me alone old man. I've had enough of your sass." I said with a pout. He laughed some more. "What's for supper old man? I expected you to have it fixed upon my return." I said with a smile and hands on my hips.
"Ey ain't yew maid nor yer cook." He said simply while still continuing to sit and carve. I laughed and turned, setting myself to the task of cooking us some food to eat.
"You still not going to tell me what you're making?" I asked as I put a pan over the fire and pulled out some corn flour. Corn cakes sounded good to me. Ol' Lark though didn't answer my question. I rolled my eyes and continued with my task.
B~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~B
The days and evenings had continued like that for another week. I wandered the forest and he sat carving. I tried several times to watch what he was doing but somehow he had enchanted whatever he was carving to suddenly become invisible whenever I was trying to look directly at it. I was quite frustrated.
"Ey tell yaz when it finished. Til then quit yee arsk-in." He said in irritation as I once again tried to ask him about what he was making. "Whyz not do som-tin produnctive whilz yew wait-in?" He added as if trying to help me.
"Like what?" I asked as I lay contentedly against the cool stone of the unlit hearth.
"Suez som-tin." I raised my eye brows at him, in question but he wasn't paying any attention.
"Sew? What am I to sew?" I asked.
"Suez a damn blanket fer all I carez. Well, Ey cud uz a damn blanket…" He said considering how he would like a blanket I would sew him. I sighed in resignation and got up. My body ached and the coolness of the hearth had helped me feel better. I groaned loudly as I got up. Ol' Lark's eyes shot to me in alarm. "Yew dy-in o ther gal?" I laughed.
"No, Ol' Lark. I'm not dying. I'll be fine. Just a little sore today. Must be from all the extra physical exercise. I haven't done this much swimming in a long time." I went to my bed. I kept my bag partially packed beneath it so that I'd be ready to go in a hurry if need be. As I ducked down to grab my bag I noticed a rolled up piece of parchment on the floor further under the bed. At first I was confused where it had come from but then I remembered that I had received a letter via Holly right before Ol' Lark had shown up. I had forgotten all about it. I pulled the parchment out and broke the seal so I could read the letter.
L~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~L
My Sweet Dee,
I miss you already, though it hasn't been very long since you've left. I keep arguing with myself that I should have insisted on going with you even though I know that you going alone was best. I hope that your adventure is going well and exciting so far. It's probably best not to send any letters now anyways, but I had to send this one to you. It's not safe to be communicating by owls now. The ministry is intercepting any owl they can get their hands on now. It's also been found out that the name of You-Know-Who has been traced so that anyone who says it can be tracked down. So beware and do not use it. I don't want you to be in any more danger than you already are. It's been quite boring around here without you and without Annie. Her mum has ordered her on house arrest until school starts. Fred is especially unhappy about this. Though I hear they are settling well at the Diggorys. I wanted to let you know also that Mum says that—
L~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~L
The letter was snatched from my hands. I squeaked in protest and shock as I looked up to realize that Ol' Lark had snatched it from my hands and was reading it.
"Excuse you. Give that back please." He finished reading the letter without even responding to me. He laughed at some point and then turned and tossed the parchment into the roaring fire before I could stop him. I threw my arms up in anger.
"Lark! What the bloody hell was that? I hadn't finished reading that!" I shouted at him. He blinked calmly at me.
"Oop. Sorr-ay gal." Was his only reply before he turned back and sat down to continue carving.
I stood there in shock for a moment.
"Are you going to tell me what the rest of the letter said?" I said finally, annoyed.
"Nope." He chimed. I wanted to scream. No. I wanted to blow something up. So I did.
I'm sure from the outside of the shack it would have looked like the shack took in a deep breath and then breathed it out. I was surprised, later, to realize that the magic didn't knock the whole shack down on us. But I had been too angry to care. Ol' Lark's coffee mug that sat need to him shattered and exploded, the pieces floating in the air from the current of magic that was flowing through the room from me. I distinctly remember seeing Ol' Lark's green eyes go pure black before I passed out.
B~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~B
I awoke with a head ache and feeling sick to my stomach. I lay in my bed. I heard the fire crackling from across the room and the sound of Ol' Lark's knife biting at the wood of whatever he was carving. I tried to sit up but couldn't get but a few inches off the bed before my strength wore out and I let myself droop back down to the mattress.
"Yewz a powerful witch, yewz is. But yewz overdid it. Such a simple magic shudnt huv broke ya so. Though yew did put a powerful punch in et. I reck-in yaz needs to rest up for quite a bit." Lark said to me from across the room in a soft, kind voice.
"How long do you think I need to rest for?" I asked, surprised when my voice came out hoarse.
"Til I get done mak-in this here ting." He replied, indicating the mystery item he had been carving. I wanted to sigh and roll my eyes but didn't even feel like I had the energy to do those small things. I closed my eyes and allowed myself to slip back into sleep.
***This chapter was harder to write. I love Ol'Lark but the spell checking w/ him is a pain. Lol. Hope everyone liked it. I know there's not a lot going on but it's the little things in these chapters that matter. Look for clues to what's to come. Thanks for Reading. Please Review.