Chapter 18 - Just A Moment
In the eye of a hurricane
There is quiet
For just a moment
A yellow sky
Hamilton (Lin Manuel Miranda) - Hurricane
There was a nervous apprehension weaving its way through the group of gathered friends and family as the countdown had commenced for the arrival of "The Yanks" as Ron had dubbed them. As the time of their expected arrival came and went, the party gathered to welcome these newcomers was becoming more tetchy, but none more so than Hermione. She headed the small pack, with Draco and Ron both loitering near the back of the huddle smoking, with Neville sadly inhaling the fumes while shooting glances to the far opposite side of Hermione, where his glowing pregnant wife was giggling with Ginny as both of them teased a deaf Hermione about what she could possibly be nervous about. Neville had quit smoking, a habit he picked up whilst living in Morocco during his research years, the moment Luna had told him they were expecting, but he had done so for the sake of his family and future family. Ron and Draco, understanding and respecting the decision their friend had made, were making a grand show of 'taking their disgusting habit away from everyone', whilst managing to still slyly blow streams of smoke to their friend, like some naughty school boys hiding their cigarettes from a passing teacher. Luna simply looked over knowingly and smiled at her husband, whose reddened face made his fellow musketeers laugh loudly and read him for being caught by his wife.
Pacing anxiously, Hermione's eyes followed every twitch and sway of the Forbidden Forest as her mind slowly descended into the pits of her nerves. She could not explain the growing dread that was pooling in her stomach. She had no reason to believe anything other than poor weather and bad Scottish Highland terrain could be the reason for the time, but something within her still nagged at her, whispering terrible thoughts and pulling her attention away from her immediate surroundings. She could feel him. It was as if she had developed a second pulse, a strong thrumming that connected her to him, no matter the distance. The closer he came, the stronger the beat, and now it was a steady marching stride inside her. She could feel the goose pimples on her skin rising against the light breeze, and the hairs on her arms and at the back of her exposed neck slowly rose with the wind. Then, she felt something else, a weird jagged rumble down the bond, and her skin burned like it was on fire. She raised her nose and breathed deeply. Something was wrong.
Harry had been keeping an eye on Hermione since they had arrived at Hogwarts. Since her last encounter with the Viking, she had seemed different somehow, although he could not put his finger on the change. Maybe it was her growth in confidence and joie-de-vivre, or the spring in her step. Or perhaps it was the happy vibe she seemed to have that even overrode her naturally fastidious nature (really, she did sometimes come across as a woman many many years older, sometimes in private he and Ginny had joked about how Hermione was a tartan scarf away from McGonagall). Now, however, something was off, and Harry needed back up, so he managed to alert Ron, Ginny and Draco of Hermione's trepidation. They had formed a horseshoe subtly around her, and slowly encroached upon her, preparing for her inevitable cracking. To their surprise, Hermione suddenly halted in her wearing a hole in the carpet and looked out towards the dark swaying trees of the Forbidden Forest, like a bloodhound picking up a familiar scent. Her features hardened, and her hand clenched tighter around the wand that had previously been simply another thing to twist and turn in anticipation. The group around her ceased their previous conversations when they noted how tense and still Hermione had become.
The jovial mood of the troop changed in a heartbeat. Even the castle seemed to tense and brace itself as the Forbidden Forest ceased its previous gentle murmur and appeared like a portrait before them rather than a living environment. Hermione's hair, previously tied in a tight chignon, had escaped its confines and was crackling wildly with untamed magic, making the others take a step back to look at her. She seemed to be almost feral, with wide piercing eyes and her hands open, ready for an attack. Her body crouched like a predator preparing the final blow, and Draco (although he profusely denied doing so afterwards) let out a small scream when she suddenly launched into the air, flying into the darkness without warning. Suddenly, everyone was on the move, although once they hit the dew misted grounds, they had no idea where they needed to be, instead opting to have each other's back in a round. Harry sent a patronus up to the great hall, as the older members were gathered preparing for a feast in the honour of their new guests (as well as gossip about the antics of their ex-students and friends like parent's at a school dance). Gripping Ginny's hand tightly, Harry took a deep steadying breath and waited.
_-o0o-_
At the first jolt, the company paid no mind, there was nothing unusual about a carriage (even one as magical and splendid as the one they were currently in) bumping on an old road. The second, more violent jolt, however, had everyone's attention. The carriage lunged in an unnatural direction and the company grabbed the nearest available surface, clinging on as it tipped dangerously to one side - all, of course, except for Pam, who was still completely oblivious in a dreamland of her own.
"Ah, what the hell now?" Lafayette cried in irritation, watching the supes in the carriage switch immediately to red alert. Something was wrong, very wrong, and Lafayette had a feeling they were going to be introduced to the reason they were here much earlier than anticipated.
Sookie had a strong hold on Sam's hand, feeling his hackles rise as a small snarl rumbled in his chest. Closing her eyes, she took in a deep steadying breath, a simple relaxation technique that quickly turned to panic when she felt her throat suddenly tighten, her vocals chords almost wrapping around her windpipe in an attempt to choke her. She clutched at her neck and fell, but soon the world went black. She could sense everyone around her, feel Sam's panic running through their bond, even the ghostly touch of Eric's cool hand brushing quickly across her neck. She could hear Lafayette cursing louder, something about a force field around her? Did she hear him right? She tried to speak, to reopen her eyes, but nothing happened. She reached deep within her, focusing her mind on her light, and felt it struggling to the surface, almost as if it were scared to act against the alien attack. Although Sookie could feel every squeeze as the force on her neck tightened, she could not sense where the attacker was. She was getting frustrated, angry, worried for the others, and her light shone brighter and brighter as the rage grew. Suddenly her eyes popped open and she gulped in a strangled breath. She was glowing, she knew. Her light had beaten...whatever that had been!
Lafayette moved quickly from his position to Sookie's side, the site he had fallen to when the carriage had launched sideways, as the carriage righted itself and seemed to calm it's movements before drawing to a jolting halt. He couldn't discern what the hell was going on, but he knew Sookie's light had once again come in just at the right time to save them from the whatever-the-hell. Standing up, he helped the others with Sookie, aiding her to stand and then take a comfortable seat while she cooled off.
"Sookie, what the fuck? Are you ok? Can you hear me? Can you see me? How many fingers...". Sam instantly took to his wife's other side, holding her close and running his hands over her to check for any bumps or bruises, cuts or broken bones.
"Not now Sam, goddamn it! She was just near choked out and you want her to be speakin'?"
Lafayette was not afraid of being in the dark, he knew he didn't know much about where they were, or what they were doing, but he was scared now of the lack of knowledge. Was this just a magical blip? Was something after them?
He didn't have long to contemplate further as the door to the carriage burst open - more accurately splintered to a million pieces of dust - and four hooded figures stood outside, their wands pointed at the confused passengers, their faces shrouded in black. Eric, adopting a protective stance in front of the group, let out a feral snarl that seemed to snap Pam back to the present, where she too assumed a similar position at this flank, coiled to spring, teeth bared and hissing menacingly. The moment of motionless stand-off seemed to stretch on, neither party making the first move. Eric noted this, clearly the intruders were awaiting some form of command. It was then he felt it, then warm trickling feeling that reminded him of blood coursing through his veins, the power that could only mean one thing. He relaxed from his stance and smiled fiendishly, flashing pearly white, sharp teeth and casually flicking a stray strand of hair from his face. Pam remained in battle mode, but she, too, seemed to slacken her stance, perhaps to pounce or to disengage, no one was sure. The inhabitants that could all held their breath when, as if from nowhere, a blinding light burst through the trees in the distance. The light cut through the shadowy figures as if they were made of smoke, a simple illusion, and illuminated the road ahead and behind, the trees dancing in the glow. From the sky, a dark shape rocketed towards the ground, alighting mere inches from the earth to reveal the shape as a young woman, wild crackling chestnut curls framing her delicate features. She was wearing a pair of jeans coupled with simple jumper. If she had walked out of the woods rather than flown, no one would have guessed she had any magical abilities at all. The woman crossed her arms across her chest and stood toe to toe with Eric, with the others looking on agape at her brazen behaviour. She huffed and matched his gaze eye-for-eye, but she was clearly not impressed.
Sookie had no idea what was going on, why was this woman here, what had just happened, who had attacked them, why that woman looked like she wanted to do more than rip Eric a new hole, how far away were they from their destination. So many questions spun through her mind as she watched the interaction unfold, neither statue speaking, one indignant and the other aloof.
"Always have to make an entrance, Viking?". She sounded like a young Julie Andrews, and the thought made Sookie want to involuntarily giggle, although she fought the urge. But when the image of the young woman ascending from the sky dressed as Mary Poppins entered her mind, she could not fight back the sudden fit. Grasping her sides she let out an ungracious laugh that echoed around the well lit glade, drawing the attention of all in the vicinity.
"Well, it has been an eventful journey, I'm sure you could all do with some real nourishment, some warm baths and a catch up on what has been going on. Let me just…"
The woman seemed to animatedly be gesturing at everyone with a large smile on her face. She, too, had been swept up in Sookie's laughter and had joined in, and now was all the glorious hostess. Sookie couldn't put her finger on why, but she instantly felt safety and trust exuding from the pint-sized woman. Sookie tucked some of the resemblances in the back of her mind to chew on later as the woman seemed to call out three random words, closely followed by three loud cracks, and three tiny creatures, clothed in the most ridiculous attire - wait was that a pillowcase and a traffic cone? - appeared beside the young woman. Sookie noted at that point that Eric had stayed doggedly at the new arrivals side, and she in turn seemed to move fluidly around his hulking mass, almost as a point that she didn't need him to be so close. Sookie narrowed her eyes but didn't have much time to mull anything over.
"If you could all please take each other's hands, we can be at the castle in a jiffy? Spit-spot!" The woman looked at Sookie then, hazel eyes shining with mirth as she winked, then turned to grab Pam and Eric's hands. Each linked to a - what were they called, house elf did she say? Damn, Sookie should have been paying more attention - or one another, they stood waiting. The girl nodded at the most outlandish looking elf draped in so many shades of pink Sookie felt newly educated in the colour, and in the blink of an eye, they were transported away.