This series is my interpretation of the background of the Founders. Their lives, how they came together, how Hogwarts was formed etc. That being said, a lot of the things that happen in this story are correct for the time period, which is from about 500 to 800 CE. The beginning chapters are each founder's life story, and now it is time for the Gryffindor debut.
Please read warnings for every chapter, as they will all be very different.
Warnings: None for this chapter.
Chapter 2: Courage, Part 1
"Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live."
Godric stood quietly at attention as his father stood before him, his sword laying bare in his hand. They were outside just after dawn in the large training field on the Gryffindor estate. It was a dirt field, with lines drawn in chalk. A large fence surrounded it, and targets and training dummies littered the sidelines.
Godric Gryffindor's father, Kennard Gryffindor, was a stern and tall man, towering above his young son's head. He had brown hair, almost black, and blazing green eyes. His body was mottled with scars, and his face was always caught in between stern and stoic.
Godric had gotten most of his looks from his mother, his bright red hair, and the small quirk to his lips were solely her's, but he had his father's eyes.
His father was a knight in service to the King of England, one who specialized in a particular kind of job.
Witch hunting.
Gryffindors had been witch and magic hunters for generations; that was in fact how they had earned the last name when they were finally given land and title, as well as the Griffin Rampant as their coat of arms.
Godric had turned six the day before, and it was finally time for him to begin his training to take his father's place come his death.
Sir Gryffindor spoke again, "We will start with strength training, you will need to build up your muscles. Grab a practice sword, and follow my movements. Once you have memorized them, you will do them to my count until we are done for the day."
"Yes, sir," Godric nodded respectfully, and began to follow his father's orders.
Up, down, up, down, step, back, step, back, Godric found himself falling into the pattern, and moved to his father's count for the rest of the morning.
At noon, his father stopped him, and they both went inside to freshen up before dinner.
After finishing their meal together, Kennard went off to work, and Godric went to study with his mother for the afternoon.
~~.~~
"When you are using a levitation charm, you must focus on the object, not the area surrounding it," Lillian spoke quietly, and with a wave of her wand, she raised the ancient tome that sat between them.
"You should be trying to focus on lifting the object, not on moving it. As if you were lifting it with your hand. You don't care about what is surrounding it, just that you have the strength to lift it. This is the strange part though, so pay attention, you can lift much heavier things with your magic then you can by your hand."
She then lifted the table with a wave of her wand, and Godric stared in awe.
"This has to do with the strength of your mind, not your magic as some will say. Magic is your will power. True, it will be easier for people with more power to do greater things, but what truly sets wizards apart is the strength of their belief," she smiled, and carefully placed the table back down.
"Which means it is time for meditation!" She clapped, and Godric let out a small groan.
"Mother, again?" Godric had a small frown on his face, "Can't I actually do something with magic instead?"
Lillian smiled, though it was a touch sad, "If we were anywhere else dear, yes...but here you must have control before we even start."
Godric nodded, his face scrunched up, "because of Father."
Lillian shook her head gently, and ran a hand through his hair, "Your father is a good man, he just spent his entire life learning that magic was evil."
"Yes, and now he is trying to teach me the same thing!" Godric grumbled, "What am I supposed to do?"
Lillian sighed, "Well, meditate on that then."
Godric sighed and fidgeted to get comfortable. He then closed his eyes, and breathed deeply.
~~.~~
Godric curled up in his bed, and a giddy smile touched upon his lips. Today had been so much fun. He was finally going to be able to learn to be a knight! and protect people, and all kinds of other amazing things!
He pouted a little at the magic problem, but rolled over in his bed with delight anyway, deciding to ignore it for now. He quietly rolled out of his bed, and sat at his desk, all the lights in his room were out, and he made sure that nothing was making a sound.
He closed his eyes and concentrated on his core, like his mother had taught him. His eyes scrunched as he saw it, because he could never get the next step of his meditation done correctly.
His core was there! He just...couldn't connect to it...
Godric would try to pull strands out, and weave them into his hands like his mother did with her wand, but it was like there was an invisible shield in between him and his magic.
He hadn't told his mother about it, he wasn't quite sure if he could. He had never shown signs of accidental magic like his mother had talked about. She had spoken to him about all of the mischief she had gotten into as a child, but she seemed to believe that his meditation is what was stopping his magic from causing chaos.
If only that was actually true.
~~...~~
Kennard blocked his strike with ease, and pushed him back without a thought.
"Faith," He spoke, and sidestepped a lunge, "That is the code I stand by, that my father stood by."
He swung at Godric, and Godric grunted as the sword met his.
"My grandfather chose Justice as his."
Godric took a step back, and calmed himself, rebalancing even as his father slashed up to the left.
"You will choose one as well, a trait that defines what you are trying to protect, what you stand for."
"Are.." Godric huffed out a breath, "Are there other common ones?"
Godric's father nodded his approval, "Yes, remember this list, Faith, Justice," with each word he swung, "Charity, Sagacity-"
"Sagacity?" Godric asked, and rolled under the blade, skipping back, a small smile lighting on his father's face.
"It is similar to wisdom in a sense," his father then continued, "Prudence, Temperance, Valor, Resolution, Truth, Hope, Liberality..."
He suddenly sprang forward, and with a swift moved knocked Godric's sword out of his hands.
"And Diligence," His father finished, and gently lowered his sword.
"These are the Codes we live by, the things that a knight must hold over all else. We tend to choose one that we feel the most closely with as a basis for what we fight for, but to hold true to all of them is to be a knight. Do you understand, Godric?"
"I understand the concept, father, but it might take me a bit longer to truly understand," Godric spoke quietly, and another rare smile flitted over his father's face.
"You are wise beyond your years, now grab your sword and let us start again."
~~.~~
"Guh," Godric grunted, and fell into his seat, his mother laughing at his pain.
"It takes time to get used to the workload, but at least we have a way to get rid of all of your excess energy now!" She smiled at him, and he grumbled in defeat.
"Mother...I have a question..." Godric trailed off and looked up at her with confused eyes.
"Yes dear?"
"Why did you marry Father if you knew he hated magic?"
Lillian sighed, and placed her hands together in her lap.
"When I first met your father, he in fact saved me from an evil sorcerer. I was being attacked at the time because the sorcerer was trying to kill all of the muggles in the village I was staying in, he didn't know I was a witch, so he targeted me as well. Your father came in, and saved my life, but the sorcerer was able to apparate away. He was gravely injured after the battle, and I took care of him for days on end. After that, he kept coming back to the village, and it was only after months of secretly courting that I found out what he did for a living."
She gave a wistful smile, "And at that point it was far too late for me to turn back."
She twisted her hands in her lap, "He does kill those with magic, that is true...but he is usually only called out for those that have gone to far, that are killing non magicals in plain sight."
Godric hummed, and leaned back in his chair, "But...if he found out about you, about us..."
Lillian's smile turned melancholy, "He mustn't find out...it would be the worst betrayal for him."
"I understand," Godric moved forward in his seat, and his mother nodded in return.
"Today, we will be practicing a spell-"
Godric jumped in his seat, his face shuttering closed.
"Godric?" Lillian looked over at him with concern.
"I...I can't" Godric whispered, eyes forced shut.
"Oh, honey, of course you can, it might be difficult at first but-"
'No , mother, I really can't, I can't access my core at all!" Godric half shouted, and then flinched back.
Lillian looked down at him with concerned eyes, "What do you mean?"
Godric sighed, and ran hand through his hair, "My magic is there,I can feel it, but I can't reach it! It is like there is an invisible wall between me and it!"
Lillian blinked once, and then let out a sharp gasp causing Godric to crouch back, not wanting to see the disgusted look on his mother's face.
"Godric," her voice was filled with awe, and he looked up with shock.
Her eyes were wide and bright, a large smile on her face, "Godric, can I check for you? I need to make sure?"
"What does it matter!" Godric nearly cried, "I can't do magic! I'm...I'm a failure..."
"Hush, honey," a warm and comforting hand rubbed his shoulder, "You can do magic, I know you can, let me check something, and then I will be able to tell you exactly what has happened."
Godric grumbled, but froze, and felt his mother's warm magic flow over him.
She stood still for a time, eyes closed, and her magic slowly flushed over the room.
Godric found himself captured in a tight hug, "Oh, Godric, you are a miracle!"
"W-what? Because I can't use magic?" Godric cried out in shock, and his mother laughed and drew him closer.
"Yes, well no, you can use magic, but...here, let me show you," She moved back, and immediately fired a spell at Godric.
"Rictumsempra," she smiled, and Godric bounced back, waiting for something to happen, but nothing did.
"Mother?" Godric looked up at her, and his draw dropped as she was literally hopping with joy.
"Oh, I can't believe it, my little boy! Oh, we have to start everything over, I never expected this to happen, I thought it was a myth!"
"Mother?" Godric moved forward a little, and she seemed to notice his tension and calmed down.
"Oh, my little lion, you have just inherited one of the greatest gifts any wizards could ever hope to have. That barrier around your core, is actually the outer edge of your magical skills. You can stop magic. My great great grandmother had this ability as well, if she focused and paid attention, she could stop any spell from affecting her. She made a grimoire of her experiences and spells she used, it has been passed down the family for generations in case of of her descendants was the same."
"And it's you, and this is the best thing that could have happened to you! What with training to be a knight, this will certainly keep you safe," Lillian grinned, and hugged him close again.
Godric felt the beginnings of tears stream down his cheeks, "You mean I can do magic?"
"Of course, darling, you never should have doubted it. You will be fantastic, I know it."
~~...~~
"A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones: their blood shall be upon them."
Godric was kneeling in front of the cross in the small chapel on the side of the estate. His father was standing before him, looking at the crucifix.
"Witches and wizards are heathens unto the Lord. They are not to be allowed to live. They take the gifts of life that all of us are given, and pervert them in unnatural ways. There is no mercy for those who practice witchcraft, they must be put to death."
His father turned around and looked down at Godric, "The next few weeks, instead of practicing with different kinds of weapons, we will be studying how to identify and fight against magic."
Godric's eyes were wide, and his father misinterpreted the look, "That is right, magic is something to be feared, but it can be fought. Magic can be taken down as easily as a common bandit's sword."
He gestured towards a small pew off to the side of the room, "Let us first look at different kinds of battle magic, and how to see which spells are going to be used."
"The first thing that sets apart normal humans from witches is that they must have a focus. A staff, or stick seems to be the most common, but others can use different kinds of materials."
He stalked back and forth in front of the pew, "What you must be most wary of though, son, is those who have familiars. Those of magic who chose to keep monsters by their sides are by far the most powerful of them all. Be it from white cat to dragon, if you see someone who is constantly with an animal, be on high alert."
"And lastly," he stood still and tall, his shadow falling over Godric's wide eyes, "There are some that you cannot fight, some that you must turn back from. There is no dishonor in this act, for if you had stayed to fight you would not survive."
He turned his back, the scar that crept around the back of his neck standing out harshly in the torchlight, "They have no need for wand or staff. They hid themselves in plain sight and let their magic fester around them. If you can feel their devil's aura around you, around where they are. You run. And you do not look back."
~~.~~
Godric flexed his hand as he walked quickly behind his mother, making sure to keep his head up straight and walk with purpose. He glanced at his mother again, and she was still wearing that small smile, so they must not have been caught yet.
"Calm down, Godric," Lillian spoke with a small chuckle, "You don't need to worry, everyone here is like us."
Godric's eyes widened, and he stared down the rows of houses, noticing for the first time how the laundry was flitting about on it's own, or how the children were running through the street, with their parents casting spells on them with their wands to keep them in line.
"Wow," Godric stared, raptured, at all of the magic around him. His mother chuckled a second time, and gestured forwards.
"Why are we here, Mother?" Godric asked as they past by another group of houses.
She hummed, and a small smirk drifted across her face, "Well, I thought it would be nice for you to see that there are large groups of witches and wizards out there, but also...I think it is time we got you a wand."
Godric stopped in his tracks, frozen, jaw to the ground, "A w-wand? But I just barely learned how to cast spells through the block!"
Lillian nodded, "Yes, and I think a wand might help you control that flow of magic easier. At least we can try and get one for you now, it could always help in the future."
"But, what about Father, he would surely notice a wand during our dueling!" Godric ran to catch up with his mother again.
"There are a few quite easy charms you can lay on objects to make people not notice them, and they work well. I have left my wand out in plain view once or twice and he hasn't seen it at all."
"Mother..."
"Come on little lion, where is your courage," she sent a smile at him, and he blushed to the tips of his ears.
They continued to walk through the little neighborhoods until they got to a cobblestone street, stores dotting the sidelines.
Potions ingredients, books, scrolls, clothing, anything a magic user could dream of seemed to be on that street.
"We can take a look around after, here is the wand shop," Lillian pushed her son forward, and then took a step back.
"I'm going to pop down the street for a bit, I will come back after your wand chooses you and then we can pay, understood?"
"Yes, Mother," Godric looked up at the store with some trepidation, but then resolutely moved towards the entrance.
As he walked in, a small bell sounded from somewhere that was hidden by the piles of thin boxes piled up to the ceiling, most likely only kept up by the liberal use of magic.
"Welcome lad." A voice spoke from directly behind him, and Godric whirled automatically standing back in his proper dueling stance, his hand clenching open in the air where his sword hilt would have been.
"Now, now no need to be violent," a thin, reedy man spoke, his eyes glinting silver in the dusty light.
"Sorry,sir," Godric gave short bow, and relaxed.
"No worries, good reflexes, excellent dueling material," The man nodded,"With that hair you must...Lillian Monday's child."
Godric nodded, "Godric Gryffindor, sir."
"Ah," the man let out the sound with a breathe of soft air, "indeed. Well, Mr. Gryffindor, you are here for a wand, are you not?"
Godric nodded quickly, and a small smile flitted over the store owner's face.
"Well then, let's begin, if you could hold out your...sword arm," he said the last words with a little chuckle.
Godric outstretched his left hand, and the man flitted over with a measuring tape. Just as the tape reached Godric, it froze, and let out a loud shriek.
Godric pulled his arm back with alarm, and stared as the shop owner easily grabbed the measure back.
"Why wouldn't...ah, she was of that lineage, wasn't she," the owner muttered to himself, and then shook his head, looking back up at Godric.
"I'm sorry child, but you will find no wand for you here."
Godric opened his mouth, then shut it tight, confusion evident over all of his features.
"You carry the lineage of the Monday's I fear, that magic nullifier. You must have come here to see if a wand would help with control, yes?"
Godric nodded.
"Unfortunately, none of these items can help you. Oh Miss Terrille Monday had the same problem, I remember her coming back in here waving some kind of metal monstrosity she had made herself, which was the only thing she could actually use. It seems since she was involved with the creation her magic was able to flow through it as it should," he had a small smile on his face.
"I see, well, thank you for your time, sir," Godric bowed once more, hiding his disheartenment, "May I wait here until my mother arrives?"
"Of course, of course..." the man then trailed off and looked towards the door, an infuriating smirk spreading over his lips, "In fact, I insist."
The man then vanished into the back of the shop, and Godric sat down on a small couch off to the side.
He was going over another list of rules his father was having him memorize when the door opened, and two children entered. One was a boy, most likely the same age, and the other was a girl just older than him.
They had hair as red as his, and Godric smiled at them "Well, that is an unusual shade."
"To you as well," the girl laughed back, "Are you here for a wand?"
He grimaced, "I was, but so far none have worked for me...I'm not quite sure what it means, honestly..." he made sure not to bring up his magic, he wasn't sure if he wanted it getting out.
"Sometimes it happens, child, it is nothing to worry about, rather, you will probably find something else that is more in tune with your nature," a voice from behind the girl and made her jump, and she whirled around to see a strange looking man leaning against the shelves.
"Two customers, lovely, you must be the Hufflepuffs, yes, I can feel your magic in the earth even now,now, which one wants to go first?"
The girl gestured for the younger brother to go first, and turned back to Godric.
"So if you aren't getting a wand, what are you doing here?" she asked.
"I'm waiting for my mother, we had to sneak out, you see. Father doesn't...well... let's say if he found out I was a wizard it would be unpleasant," Godric shrugged.
"I'm sorry," she frowned, but Godric waved it off.
"It isn't too bad, honestly, Mother makes sure I can control myself, and we haven't had any problems."
"And that is the one, Eleven inch, willow, with unicorn tail, surprisingly swishy," the shop owner spoke out, making both of them turn back to him.
"Next is you, young lady."
The girl stepped forward, and the shopkeep was about to begin, when he stalled in much the same way he had with Godric.
"Oh my, well this is such a surprising day, hold a moment please," he then vanished into the back.
He came out with a small twig, and handed it to her, "Make that grow."
Godric watched in awe as the small twig began to move and shake, twigs and leaves sprouting out of it. He could feel the magic pouring around the girl, and making the room vibrate with the intensity.
The old man sighed, "Who would have thought for two in one day."
"Excuse me?" the girl squeaked out.
"You can't have a wand, young lady, none of them could possibly work for you. You magic is tied into nature itself, every one of these wands would only be able to handle a portion of your magic. Such as the young lord there, you will have to find your own balance. This is the first time in over four hundred years since this has occurred. And twice in one day," the man looked thoughtful, "your futures will change the way of the world, no doubt about that."
Godric looked at the man closely, the way he spoke, it was as if he knew something was going to happen, but that was impossible, wasn't it?
The girl nodded and handed the twig back to the man, "Well, thank you all the same."
"No problem, no problem," the man vanished back into the rows of wands, and the girl whirled around. They stared at each other with matching looks of confusion.
"Weird."
"Yes."
Godric hear a light tap on the window, and saw his mother standing outside, "Oh, that is Mother, I have to go, it was a pleasure to meet you..."
"Helga Hufflepuff," she held out her hand primly, and he skimmed his lips over her knuckles.
"A pleasure, Miss Hufflepuff, I'm Godric Gryffindor, good day to you both," Godric nodded to her younger brother and hurried out of the shop.
"Well?" His mother spoke brightly, and he gave a small cough, "ah, well he said that they won't work with my magic..."
His mother gave a small sigh, "Oh well, I was hoping that it would work out..."
Godric quickly spoke again, "He said great-great great grandmother Monday had to make her own object to work with."
His mother hummed, and they walked down the street, "Well, your magic isn't settled enough for you to make your own wand yet...it seems we will have to make sure that you can control it without one for now."
~~...~~
Godric sighed, and stretched his arms after a long bout with one of the travelling knights who was staying there.
His father always had many visitors, travelling nobles and knights, who wanted to hear the best ways to get rid of magicals and their ilk. Godric smiled through the shared stories of beheadings and drownings, ignoring the heavy weight in his chest.
He knew if his father found out about him or his mother, they would be killed post haste.
At least it gave him new people to practice with.
"That was a fine bout, young Lord Gryffindor," the knight gave him a small bow, and Godric returned it.
"It was, that dodge you used at the end was inspired, I thank you for allowing us to have a fight Sir Roderick."
The knight grinned, "Always best to practice with a lot of people, learn new styles and techniques, though with where you will be headed, I guess people aren't the best ones to fight."
Godric blinked, "What do you mean by that?"
Roderick to off his helmet, "Well, you are a Gryffindor, young lord, you will be called to kill many creatures of menace, and those who have filled their mind with the devils talk."
"Yes, of course," Godric nodded.
Roderick and Godric walked up the stairs to the front of the manor, "It is most likely that you will be joining your father in hunts soon, to make sure that you will know how to handle yourself against those monstrosities," the knight grinned, and clapped him on the shoulder, "Well, good luck to you lad!"
Godric nodded again, and walked down the main hall to his father's study. His shook his head, and relaxed his face.
"Father," Godric knocked on the door, and a gruff word echoed around the chamber.
He entered, and froze in place. There were papers strewn on the floor, and the chair his father used was toppled to the ground. The man himself was standing tense at the window, fist clenching and unclenching.
"Father? Has something happened?" Godric moved to the center of the room, squaring his shoulders.
"Indeed. I have just gotten news that the entire Slytherin main branch family has been killed in a mysterious fire," Kennard spoke slowly.
"Slytherin family?" Godric asked, and his father nodded and turned around.
"One of the richest and oldest noble families, they have been quite helpful in research against how to kill magical beast, they wrote that book that you read about the difference between cockatrices and basilisks."
Godric nodded in remembrance.
"They were good people, had three daughters and one son, he must have been seven or eight...damned hell creatures."
Godric's eyes widened, "It was a witch?"
Kennard nodded, eyes narrowing, "Most likely. There was a fire, but from what we can tell it burned too hot and too quick for an accident. One of my men questioned the people and town, and all they would talk about is how God would punish them for their actions, they were terrified and wouldn't even go near the wreckage."
His father let out a small sigh, and then looked into Godric's eyes, "This is why we fight, Godric, to protect good and pure people from the monstrosities that stalk them. Go, you have lessons with your mother for the rest of the day...I have work to do."
Godric bowed and left the room, crossing over the wing where he had his "studies." As he got closer to the room, he heard the sound of muted sobbing coming from inside. He quickened his pace, and threw the door open, striding forward quickly to kneel beside his mother.
"Mother?" Godric placed a hand on her shoulder, startling her.
"Oh, Godric, forgive me," she wiped hastily at her eyes.
"Mother, what happened?" Godric helped her into a chair, and the dainty women dabbed at her cheeks with her handkerchief.
"Oh Godric, I've just heard the most dreadful news. The entire Slytherin family was killed only last week."
"Father said the same thing, he seemed to think it was a witch or wizard, did you know them, Mother?"
His mother let out a small laugh, and shook her head, "Oh, Godric, the Slytherin family is the oldest, noblest, magical, family in Ireland. There reputation allowed them to help wizards and witches in trouble, and introduce bills and laws to fight against the witch burnings. They even gave your father some books on hunting creatures that are dangerous for all people, so he would have less time to hunt witches and wizards."
Godric blinked, once, twice, and then a third time, his brain having to catch up with the information.
"They...did they help you? With hiding?"
His mother nodded tightly, "Yes, they also helped in telling me how I could raise you and keep your magic a secret, many of those meditation techniques came from their family..."
Godric moved to sit on one of the chairs, before speaking quietly, "Do you think it was someone with magic that killed them?"
His mother shook her head, biting her lip enough to draw blood, "No...the fire was strange, as they had wards on their properties, but I just got an owled letter that some nearby wizards used veritaserum on them. It seems the nearby muggles thought they were strange, and burned down the house."
"But I thought you said they hid it well!"
"They did...but we know that the muggles burned it down...they may have had help however, and because of that most of the witches and wizards in Ireland have gone into hiding."
She sighed, and dabbed at her eyes, then cast a small spell to hide the fact she had been crying.
"Let's...let's move on now, Godric, you seem to be doing quite well with transfiguration now that you can control your magic blocker. We should move on to larger and longer transfigurations. Let's start with the desk."
"Does..does this happen a lot? I mean, Father usually kills creatures, but he has told me stories about killing magic users...how...how many has he killed?"
His mother flinched,"Godric...this world is dangerous for anyone-"
"No!" Godric shouted, his face taking grim lines, "That is just an excuse, you know father kills people, innocent people, and you know if he found out about us, about you-"
"Godric," Lillian raised her voice, but he just glared and continued to speak.
"This, this is so wrong! Do you realize how horrible it is to see these knights like Sir Roderick and Sir Owen who go on and on about killing creatures and monsters. They think it is a game, a sport. They have books written up on how to kill people, like it is some kind of step by step process to kill someone with magic! How can you stand it?"
Godric was breathing harshly after his outburst, glaring furiously.
His mother's face was white, and she was blinking her eyes rapidly.
Godric ducked his head, a small sense of shame filling him for shouting at his mother.
But he wasn't going to take back what he said.
Godric swiftly turned on his heels and left the room, closing the door quietly behind him.
~~.~~
Godric sat in his room, staring blankly out of the window as night began to fall.
With a small wave of his hand, he changed the small desk in front of him into as many different objects as he could think of.
It was apparently a speciality of his family, his magical family. Changing one thing into another, changing its properties. It was why his gift was so useful. He could stop and separate the magic, have it make the changes he wanted, and even change spells midcast.
He leaned back, and let out a small sigh.
A light knock on the door, timid and sharp, had him roll to his feet.
"Come in," Godric called, and hunched his shoulders as he saw his mother enter his room.
"Mother...I"
Lillian gave him a small smile, and then coughed lightly. She moved across the room, and sat on his bed patting the spot next to her.
Godric moved and sat down, shoulders unnaturally tensed.
"Godric..." she began, but stopped to take a breath, "I have taken it upon myself to get you a new tutor."
Godric started, looking up at her sharply, "Mother, what? No, why would you think that...I love having you teach me!"
She smiled and placed a hand gently on his shoulder, "Thank you, Godric, but quite sincerely there is not much left for me to teach you. You have nearly perfect control, and can even use your special ability amazingly well. But, you were right, earlier. This is a dangerous world, and I believe I have been trying to...deny it for some time."
"Mother..."
"The tutor I'm calling in is Cole Wolfe. To the nonmagicals, he is a well known professor, and tutor. For us, he is one of the most prominent duelist of this age."
Godric stared, "Duelist, you mean with magic?"
Lillian nodded, "Indeed, I told him about your situation, and he has already agreed to come down and teach you. I talked with your father as well, and he agrees, though he thinks it is for the educational background of course."
Godric nodded, and let out a sigh, "I'm sorry for yelling mother, I just wish..."
"I know, Godric. I think we all do," Lillian gathered he son into her arms, and Godric breathed deeply, allowing his mind to quiet.
~~...~~
"Dodge, DODGE YOU IDIOT!" A large, man yelled, slashing more spells. The man was tall, taller even the Godric's father. He was bald, but had a large mustache and beard. His face was a bright red color, and scars went all the way up one side, apparently caused by a rambunctious group of draugr he had run across in his youth.
Personally, Godric thought he had gotten into a fight with a cat.
"WHY DO I NEED TO DODGE IF I CAN BLOCK IT!" Godric shouted back at Sir Wolfe, but he did duck under the next barrage.
"YOU DON'T WANT ANYONE TO KNOW OR YOUR ABILITIES, THAT WAY YOU CAN SURPRISE THEM. DON'T SHOW OFF, BRAT, YOU WANT TO SURVIVE!" Wolfe cast another barrage of spells, and Godric skillfully maneuvered around all of them. With a harsh cry he blasted spells back, his hands moving furiously as he and Wolfe continued their duel.
Then, with a massive lunge, Godric moved forward, his hand trailing below him as he transfigured the floor below him, changing its properties just enough to allow him move even faster.
"YEAAAAAAAA," he shouted, and with a snap of his other hand, blasted out a powerful spell, made to cause a massive explosion.
Wolfe moved, but not enough, and ended up getting caught halfway in the blast, causing his whole right side to turn bright purple.
"HOLD!" Wolfe called, and though he had a scowl on his face, Godric could see his mustache twitching with an amused smile.
"Oh, gods finally," Godric collapsed forward onto the ground, ignoring the muffled swearing coming from his teacher.
"Get up, let's see the damage," Wolfe walked over to the mirror, and grinned, "Very well done Godric, come on, boy!"
Godric moaned, and stood up. He wobbled over to the mirror, and looked over himself.
He had some splashes of color on his torso, and a couple on his right leg. Based on the color and the position though, they wouldn't have been fatal, just a bit annoying.
Wolfe huffed, "You still lead with your right leg, how many times have I told you that a wizard's duel is not the same as waving a hunk of metal around."
"Yes, yes, yes..." Godric grouched, and smiled as Wolfe smacked him over the back of the head.
"...that last transfiguration you used was well done, as well as whatever you did with the air after I threw the volley of cutting curses," Wolfe grumbled.
Godric beamed.
Wolfe growled at him, making Godric think of the creature he was named after.
"That's it for today, brat, go on, I know you are going to do something to celebrate your birthday, Gods know how excited your father is that you are finally coming of age, sixteen and still a brat!" Wolfe grumbled, and Godric beamed. Godric waved a hand over himself, and banished all of the the unusual colors.
"Thank you sir!" Godric bowed, and turned.
Then he toppled over as something large and heavy catapulted into the back of his head.
"Oww, what was that for?" Godric rolled over, catching the bag as it slipped off his head.
"Your birthday present, not every day you turn sixteen is it!" Wolfe humphed, and turned when Godric carefully opened it.
Godric's eyes widened. Inside the bag saw a pile of gemstones, maybe rubies or garnets.
"Sir?"
"They are magical stones, used to store and transfer power. From what your mother told me, you will have to make your own wand, or whatever have you," the man grumbled, and then glared at him as Godric was about to open his mouth to thank him.
"Leave."
"But-"
"Don't want to hear it!"
"But, sir," Godric drawled out the last word, a wicked smile on his face, "I just wanted to thank you sooooo much, I mean, this means so much to-OW, stop, okay I'm leaving!" Godric ran out of the room before more stinging hexes could be thrown, tucking the small bag into the leather pouch on his belt.
Godric straightened his clothing, and took a deep breath, relaxing his shoulders and walking with the inner grace one of his standing should.
He walked to his room and quickly changed. He put on a deep red tunic, embroidered with gold trim along the edges. Brown trousers, also trimmed with gold were next, and a belt was put on after, leather and decorated with gold embossment of griffins across the strip. Lastly he slung a brown mantle over his shoulders, the Gryffindor crest emblazoned on the back.
He stretched, making sure the clothes fit, and tucked his feet into fine hide boots.
Then he made his way to the dining hall.
It wasn't the largest coming of age event, just some of the knights his father knew, and some of the local Lords had arrived. Godric also knew that they weren't even coming for the celebration, but to see how he would do with the after event.
When he would leave the grounds and hunt for monsters on his own.
That was what the Gryffindor's did. At the age of sixteen, the sons would leave the home, and travel around the lands to see if they were worthy of keeping the Gryffindor name. It was the ultimate test.
His father had been the middle child of the previous generation of Gryffindors, and he was the only one who had survived the trials, his other brothers had died during their journeys.
"Ah, finally graced us with your presence, haven't you, young Lord, " Sir Roderick beamed, and Godric gave him a small nod.
"Finished the last of my lessons, I am on time, but everyone else seems to have arrived early," Godric looked over the crowd of about twenty people in the room, the knight boisterously talking, and the Lords and Ladies gathered in small circles.
"Well, what can we say! It's not every day that the little youngster Gryffindor comes of age!" Roderick beamed, and then bowed.
"For you, my lord," Roderick placed a package in his hands, and his smile got worse.
"What have you done?" Godric groaned, but the knight ignored him.
"I would suggest opening that later, have a good night, my Lord," Roderick then walked over to a group of knights, and grabbed his tankard off of the table.
"Godric, you should leave that by the mantle for now."
"Mother!" Godric spun around and gathered her close into a tight hug, "How was your trip, I heard the weather was foul!"
"It was, but I needed to get some things, it wasn't that bad, honestly Godric," Lillian smiled.
Godric let go, and gave his mother a light peck on the cheek, before dropping off the gift.
The rest of the night was spent between playing the hosts, and drinking with the knights. It had reached early morning before most had gone to bed, either passed out in the hall, or stumbled to their rooms.
Godric's father gestured for him to follow, and they slowly made their way to his father's study.
"Are you prepared for tomorrow, Son?"
"Your training has more than prepared me, Father," Godric responded.
His father nodded, "That is all I can hope for, then."
Kennard then moved around the desk, and drew out a package. He handed it over to Godric, a small smile hinting on the edge of his lips.
Godric, looked up at the man who had taught him everything he had known about fighting. About surviving and chivalry, what was right and wrong. Even though what his father believed would never match what Godric believed, his hatred of magic and desire to get rid of all magical beings would forever separate them, this supposedly cold man had made sure that Godric knew what he needed to survive and thrive.
Godric hated the twinge of shame in his breast that these sudden thoughts brought. He began to open the package, his mind whirling. His father would kill him for his magic, his mother as well. But, he didn't think he would be able to kill his father.
He finally got the bindings off and let out a startled breath. Beautifully crafted hard leather gauntlets lay inside, dyed red and with stunning golden etchings.
"Father, this is..." Godric couldn't even speak.
His father smiled, and sat down at his desk, "I have one last question to you before you go," His father laid his hands on top of the table, and looked Godric straight in the eyes, " Do you remember when you first began to learn, and I told you that the code I stood by was faith. I want to know what you stand for, Godric."
Godric blinked, looking up from his gauntlets, straightening his shoulders and lifting his head. What he stood for. Well, he couldn't say magic, and it certainly wasn't faith as his father's was.
He thought back to the Slytherin family, who secretly protected and helped magicals, to his mother, who always put him first and taught him all she could, to the stories of knights killing ravenous beasts from monsters. The flitting memory of a girl with bright red hair surrounded by magic.
"Courage, Father, the courage to do what I must."
Kennard nodded, "That is a fine code, good luck, Son."
"Goodbye, Father."
Godric's chapter is now half done! It started getting so long I had to split it in two. The next part focuses on his adventures, so there is a lot of action and exploring, and later on a lovely surprise guest~ (so excited!)
So, Courage Part 2 will be next!
Godric's songs: "Meant to live" Switchfoot, "Runnin'"Adam Lambert, "Blackmore's Night Radio station", Pandora
Please leave a review on your way out! :)
~Not Necessarily in Between