Hermione Granger landed on a puddle-strewn path with a smack and a loud yelp of pain. She knew it had been a stupid idea flying brooms when there was a storm oncoming but as ever, Ron and Harry hadn't listened to her words of wisdom; well, not so much wisdom, more like common sense. Hermione picked herself up from the dirty floor, her clothes tainted with specks of mud. The broom she had been flying was snapped in two. Hermione had no idea where she was and had no way of getting back to Gryffindor. She had rarely left the safe confines of the city walls before; once or twice she had snuck out with the boys but they hadn't gone very far. Hermione looked around; she couldn't see far thanks to a thick layer of mist which enveloped her surroundings. She was glad she kept her wand on hand at all times. Hermione cast a Lumos charm and peered into the fog.
She appeared to be in the middle of a forest and a very large one at that. Hermione wished Harry and Ron were with her at that moment, even though it had been them that had essentially landed her in this situation. She knew the boys were too noble to leave her alone in the wild; she also knew they were too rash to fly back to Gryffindor and get some help. Hermione knew her logical mid could probably help her out in a scenario like this. She dreaded to think what Harry or Ron would do if they were in her shoes...something stupid no doubt. Hermione left the tattered pieces of broomstick on the ground and began to walk.
Hermione had no idea how long it would take her to get out of this forest. Night was falling and the mist was getting thicker and thicker the further she walked. She knew that there was no chance of getting back to Gryffindor soon so – difficult though it was – Hermione decided she was going to have to sleep rough.
"Lumos Maxima" Hermione said loudly, casting more light from her wand than before and pointing it in every direction so as to dispel as much mist as possible. Then an idea sprang to mind; it was going to be difficult and it was unlikely to work but it was worth a try at least. Remus Lupin, friend of Harry's dad James had taught the three teenagers how to cast a Patronus. While Hermione was very well known in Gryffindor clan as being the brightest witch of her age, Harry had had less trouble casting the spell than she. Hermione pictured a good memory in her head – the time her parents had bought her first wand for her eleventh birthday – but when she said the words Expecto Patronum all that appeared from her wand was a feeble silver wisp. She tried again, thinking of the time she had won the school duelling competition to the annoyance of the show-off Cormac McLaggen but that didn't work either. And then she thought only of her friendship with Harry and Ron - for it was then she wished to see most - and all the crazy things they had done together. A smile escaped Hermione's lips as she said the incantation and a beautiful silver otter emerged from the tip of her wand and it flew through the sky, parting the mist as it went. Now all she could do was sit and wait.
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
A week had passed since Salazar Slytherin had sent word to Rowena Ravenclaw of their meeting which was to happen on this very day. Only minutes ago, Slytherin's owl had zoomed through the window with a letter and a small parcel attached to its leg.
"What does it say, my Lady?" Flitwick asked her.
Rowena read it aloud.
My dear Lady Ravenclaw,
Enclosed in this package is a magical item crafted by one of my finest alchemists. We call it Floo Powder and it will bring you to the location of our meeting. It is very simple to use. Firstly you must light a fire and into the flames throw the powder. When the tendrils of fire flash green, step into the fire and say very clearly 'Fawnhill Forest'. The powder will transport you to the forest where we will meet. I expect to see you soon.
Salazar Slytherin.
"Stepping into a fire sounds like a ridiculous idea" Xeno said.
"For someone who spends their hours hunting Nargles I'd say it's fairly run-of-the-mill" Rowena retorted.
"But couldn't it be some sort of cheap trick to have you killed?"
"I could put out flames in a second, imbecile. If Salazar Slytherin wanted to assassinate me he'd find a far more efficient way to do it" Rowena said.
"Like lure you into a forest alone?" Kingsley Shacklebolt said in his deep voice.
"I won't be going alone though." Rowena said "Shacklebolt, Flitwick, we're departing in a moment. Xenophilius, light a fire will you?"
Rowena pulled Kingsley and Filius aside as Xeno muttered Incendio.
"Unlikely though it is, we may have to fight our way out of this. If Salazar's Slytherin tries to murder me, we fight to kill him and his men. I'll deal with Slytherin himself. Have your wands at the ready" Rowena said.
She picked up the Floo Powder package and threw the green grains of powder into the fire that Xenophilius had created. The flames quickly flashed from orange to green and Rowena stepped tentatively into them.
"Nothing. I can't feel a thing" Rowena said, astonished, standing in the green fire "Fawnhill Forest"
And just like that, Rowena disappeared.
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
Slytherin stood in a clearing of Fawnhill Forest waiting patiently. In the centre of the clearing was a small bonfire which was flickering slightly, lighting up some of the dark forest. He was awaiting the arrival of Rowena Ravenclaw who was to step out of the fire at any moment so that the two could discuss certain subjects that were more suited to face-to-face conversation than to private letters. He had asked her to come alone although he highly doubted she would. He, of course, had two dozen of his most loyal subjects concealed behind trees in the nearby forest. She didn't trust him enough to come unguarded and, he had to admit, with good reason. Salazar Slytherin was a cunning man.
The flames flashed a garish green colour; Slytherin's eyes darted to the tall, slim figure of Rowena Ravenclaw striding out of the fire in a flowing sapphire blue robe. A thin smile appeared on his deathly pale face.
"Lady Ravenclaw. You came" he said, bowing to her.
The flames turned green again. Tiny Filius Flitwick stepped out of it, wand in hand.
"But not alone, I see"
"No, although I don't believe you have either" Rowena said.
"You'd be right. I have men in the woods" Slytherin admitted.
Ravenclaw narrowed her eyes.
"What for?"
"The same reason as you, no doubt"
"My men will wait here while we discuss...tactics" Rowena said.
"And mine will stay where they are" Slytherin said "Unless their service is required"
"Which will not be necessary" Rowena said with a fake smile.
"Of course"
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
Tonks threw open the door to Hufflepuffs office, panting.
"Sorry I'm late...been teaching...how to fight" she said breathlessly.
"That's quite alright...take a seat" Helga said, showing her to a chair.
"What is it?" Tonks asked.
"I need to travel to Gryffindor clan quickly. Obviously I can't go alone, you'll be coming with me, and I'll be leaving Amelia Bones in charge while I'm away"
"What's the problem then? We'll leave right away" Tonks said, standing up.
"Gryffindor's spy in Slytherin gave word to Godric that Salazar and Rowena are meeting together at some point. We don't know when exactly but this means they could be acting sooner than we expected"
"So we need to get to Gryffindor clan really quickly"
"Precisely. Normally I'd take unicorns but travelling on land isn't fast enough. We're going to have to fly" Helga said.
"But you hate flying!" Tonks said indignantly.
"Yes but my own personal phobias are far less important than the safety of our clan. We'll go by Hippogriff" Helga replied.
"We'll have to fly fairly near to the vicinity of Slytherin clan" Tonks mused "Which means they could have guards patrolling the skies"
"That's why I'm bringing you along, Nymphadora. The best dueller in all of Hufflepuff clan" Helga said with a smile.
Tonks grinned back.
"You're not half bad yourself"
The two left the office together to get to the stable. When they arrived, handsome stable boy Cedric Diggory was feeding the unicorns and stroking their silvery manes tenderly.
"Afternoon Lady Hufflepuff" Cedric smiled, bowing respectfully.
"Good afternoon to you too Cedric" Helga said, exchanging pleasantries as was the norm in her clan "Can you get us two hippogriffs please?"
Cedric led to of the enormous creatures out of their stables. Helga and Tonks mounted their animals steadily. Helga was taking deep breaths. It was common knowledge that she preferred having her feet on the ground than to flying.
"Ready?" Helga asked uncertainly.
"Ready"
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
Ron and Harry flew through the darkness together. The wind had slowed down but it was still stormier than usual, the rain continuing to thunder down from the grey clouds overhead.
"We're never going to find her!" Ron said despairingly "Hermione could be anywhere!"
"We need to keep going!" Harry responded.
"We've been flying for hours! I'm tired, we need to land"
"Fine then, we'll land"
The two boys soared downwards and descended from their brooms onto what looked like a grassy field.
"Looks like we'll be sleeping here tonight" muttered Harry "Then tomorrow we'll continuing looking for Hermione"
"My parents are gonna kill me" Ron mumbled.
"They'll understand, as long as we bring back Hermione safely"
"Of...of course she'll get back safely. She'll be fine, won't she?" Ron said uneasily.
"Yeah...yeah, of course. She's tougher than she looks, is Hermione" Harry said.
Ron and Harry both lay down under a tree, pulling their robes tightly over to keep them warmer.
"Night Harry"
"Night Ron"
"Sleep well"
Harry drifted off to sleep fairly quickly. Ron, however, could not slumber. It was too cold and he felt frankly a little bit scared in the wild. There were all sorts of things running around these parts...terrifying things; dragons, acromantulas, dementors –
" – otters?" Ron said aloud.
Harry awoke with a start.
"Wh...wha...otters?"
"Yeah, look it's an otter...a silver otter! Harry! It's Hermione's patronus!" Ron said excitedly.
The two boys scrambled up and followed the drifting silver otter through the mist, wands and brooms in hand. The patronus was travelling at quite a pace meaning the two boys had to jog along at fairly fast speed. The two boys were puffing and panting as they raced after the silver otter which glided seamlessly through the air. Ron and Harry were exhausted but their desire to see Hermione overrid the pain.
"Keep running" Harry said as he sprinted.
"I'm not planning on stopping" Ron responded, breathing deeply "I'm going to keep running until I find – OOF"
Harry wasn't sure at first what had happened but after a few metres he realised he was running alone. He stopped in his tracks and swivelled around to see Ron sprawled out on the floor, entangled with –
"Hermione?"
Harry ran over to the two. Hermione and Ron both picked themselves up from the ground, grinning but at the same time wincing in pain.
"I found Hermione" Ron with an embarrassed smile.
"By running into her?" Harry laughed.
"How was I meant to know she was there?"
"I can't believe you found me! I didn't think my patronus would find you – thought I was lost forever" Hermione said with relief.
"We'll get back home tomorrow. I promise" Harry said "But for now I want to sleep because somebody woke me up"
"Yeah, and it's lucky I did, wasn't it?" Ron said.
"You two are idiots" Hermione said, shaking her head but smiling with pure relief.
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
Rowena Ravenclaw followed Salazar Slytherin deeper into the woods. It was shady under the trees and colder than Rowena had expected. She would've much preferred meeting in the warmth of a castle but she agreed with Slytherin that the middle of a forest was a much more secretive place. She also agreed with Kingsley Shacklebolt that the middle of a forest was a great place for a murder. Rowena reached for her pocket, her long white fingers gently closing around her highly prized wand made from silver lime. Rowena was a powerful witch, confident in her duelling abilities and also highly underestimated by her opponents. The two made for a lethal combination. She knew that Salazar was also a skilled duellist; while her spells were likely more impressive and powerful, Slytherin would know a large range of lethal dark magic that would make for a difficult fight.
Rowena convinced herself that nothing was going to happen and that the meeting of the two was merely to discuss their plans and to form a stronger bond of allegiance. However, Rowena Ravenclaw hardly trusted the man and she most certainly did not like him.
After a short walk in silence, Salazar Slytherin stopped and turned to Rowena.
"I think we are far enough away from prying ears" he said to her.
"There would not be any ears to pry if you had not brought along quite so many guards. Two dozen, you say?" Rowena replied. She was going to be tough with him.
"Yes, that is true. They are merely here as a precaution"
"Precaution?" Rowena laughed silkily but with a slight tinge of harshness "I hardly imagine my two guards are going to start a fight with your twenty-four"
"I was unaware of how many people you'd bring along. For all I knew, you could've been bringing along an entire army" Slytherin said, and then, very dismissively "But enough of that. To business"
"Indeed. So what to do about Gryffindor and Hufflepuff?"
"I suggest we first deal with Hufflepuff. Of the four clans, Helga's is by far the weakest"
"I agree. How will we attack?"
"She'll be prepared for a regular invasion so I say we play to her weaknesses"
"I'm intrigued. Please do elaborate"
"What's Helga Hufflepuff's most significant quality?"
"Her loyalty" Ravenclaw said. Everyone across the land knew Helga was famous for her undying loyalty.
"Exactly. We can use this to our advantage" Slytherin explained.
"Clever. How do you suggest we do this?" Rowena asked.
"It's simple. Hufflepuff is allied with Gryffindor. We are allied but we are not friends. Helga and Godric, however, are both"
Rowena Ravenclaw thought she had an idea where this was going.
"If we attack Gryffindor – or at least pretend to – then Hufflepuff and her army will go to Godric's aid, leaving her clan undefended" Slytherin said.
"Even Hufflepuff wouldn't leave her clan unguarded. And how do you suggest we announce a fake attack on Gryffindor?"
"One step ahead of you there. I have a spy in Gryffindor, a spy who could easily feed Godric Gryffindor our story"
"But what about Hufflepuff?"
"I think our two combined armies could easily deal with whatever defences she puts up" Slytherin said, sounding relaxed.
"Very well. You get your spy to fool Gryffindor into believing the lie. When will we attack?"
"I'll send you an owl once Severus has done the deed"
"Severus? Your spy?" Rowena asked.
"Yes, Severus is very highly ranked in the Gryffindor clan. The silly fools think he's spying on us for them" Slytherin said.
"Maybe he is" Rowena mused.
"Believe me, if Severus Snape was on the side of Gryffindor, I'd know" Slytherin said, sounding irritated. He turned away and strode towards the clearing.
"I'll owl you soon. Prepare your army, Rowena. Be ready at all times"
A/N. Hello there. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I don't think it's quite as long as the previous two. I will be continuing this story because I am having so much fun writing it! If you could spare the time, I'd love to read some reviews on what you think about my little fanfiction (but don't feel you have to, I don't like pressurising people!) Thanks to anyone who has read, followed, favourite or reviewed, it's great to know some people have been enjoying it. You're awesome. Goodbye until the next chapter!