With nothing else to do on that one particular weekend, Galinda found herself roaming the Hogwarts grounds. She really wasn't one for nature or hiking, but Hogwarts was just so beautiful that even the most introverted and anti-outdoors person couldn't help but fall in love with the nature surrounding the castle and it was no struggle at all to get lost in its majesty, wonder and beauty. Galinda was experiencing this sort of pleasure right now, walking around the castle with no real direction or goal in mind other than to enjoy the beautiful autumn day and all the lovely sights that the grounds had to offer. At one point during her walk, one sight in particular caught her eye.
"Thropp?" Galinda narrowed her sapphire eyes. Sure enough, it was the ugly green-skinned Gryffindor. Immediately, Galinda felt her lip curl in anger and disgust. Just seeing the freaky green bean could ruin her day! But then she noticed something. Elphaba appeared to be walking somewhere. Galinda couldn't really explain how she knew, but there was just something about the way Elphaba was walking that implied that she was not just out here to enjoy the lovely day. She had a goal in mind, and now, so did Galinda. Eyes narrowing even further, the little blond Slytherin snuck after the green-skinned Gryffindor, eyes and ears open and hungry for some nice, juicy gossip.
The discovery was disappointing, to say the least. After about a solid 15 minutes of just stalking Elphaba across the grounds, Galinda finally got the answer as to where Elphaba was going. It was an emptier part of the large stretch of land that stood between the castle and Hagrid's hut, which rested peacefully upon the edge of the Forbidden Forest.
"What in Merlin's name is she doing?" Galinda asked herself as she watched Elphaba pause beside a tree in that little woodsy area between the castle and the forest. She removed the satchel from her side and pulled out a giant slab of bloody meat. Galinda recoiled in disgust, but then she nearly shrieked in surprise when something took the bloody steak from Elphaba's hand. The green girl had scarcely pulled it out of her bag and held it out before something yanked it out of her grasp and walked away with it. The most surprising and strange thing of all, however, was the fact that the creature was invisible! Well and truly, Galinda hadn't seen a single other living thing the entire time they walked over here, but as Elphaba pulled more and more hunks of raw meat out, more and more invisible creatures came around and took them from her.
"Huh?" Galinda couldn't help but swallow nervously, wondering what these creatures were exactly, and how dangerous they were. On the one hand, Elphaba was able to feed them by hand with no problem. On the other, however, their diet seemed to consist of bloody meat. Not a very comforting thing. And Galinda had been right in the middle of thinking about this when she felt something large and leathery brush against her leg. Unable to see what had caused this feeling, Galinda shrieked and jumped forward, tripping over the root of the tree she had been hiding behind. Not only did this totally blow her cover, but it sent her tumbling down the little hill on which she had been standing and, as fate would have it, she literally landed right at Elphaba's feet, nose inches away from the green girl's heels.
"Arduenna-Upland!" Elphaba snarled at once, whipping around with a defensive look in her eyes. "Have you been following me?!" there was nothing but pure loathing and wariness in her voice as she sneered down at Galinda, who struggled to look dignified as she stood back up and brushed the dirty, fallen leaves off of her face. She tried to maintain her composure as she replied.
"I noticed you standing out here and I was wondering what on earth you were feeding," she said, intentionally leaving out the fact that she had actually needed to follow Elphaba here before she got to see the feeding.
"Thestrals," Elphaba with a sharp and disgusted, disdainful expression.
But as if saying the name had some sort of magic effect over her, Elphaba turned back around once more and pulled another handful of meat out of her bag. She tossed it in the air and just as it began to fall back down, something stopped its descent in midair.
"Woah!" Galinda couldn't help but exclaim, and Elphaba, for once, gave her a look that held something other than hatred, anger or disdain.
"Can you see them?" she asked, and Galinda noticed a note of severity in her voice. It wasn't one of anger, just intensity... and hope?
"No," Galinda confessed. Elphaba's face suddenly became unreadable once more. It was clear Galinda had not given the desired answer.
"Am I supposed to?" she asked, suddenly worried. Wait. What? Worried? Since when did Galinda care what Elphaba thought? But when Elphaba could only shake her head, something like disappointment and loneliness creeping into her eyes, Galinda couldn't help but worry that she might've just offended the green-skinned Gryffindor and, for once, that thought made Galinda feel bad.
After that first accidental meeting in the woods, Galinda took it upon herself to research the Thestrals. She really wasn't sure what had gotten into her to make her feel as though there was something she needed to apologize to Elphaba for, but it was a feeling that refused to go away. Somehow, deep inside, Galinda knew she had walked in on something intense private and personal, even if she couldn't explain why she knew that. But after doing that research, she had her answer. Thestrals were winged, skeletal horses, but they could only be seen by those who had seen death. The fact that Elphaba was able to see them meant that she had seen someone die. And not only that, but that must've been why she had asked Galinda, with that hopeful yet guarded tone, about whether or not she could see the Thestrals too.
"She had been about to open up to me," Galinda murmured, that sinking feeling in her chest getting even deeper. "And without even realizing it, I betrayed that trust..." perhaps this thought was a bit more far-fetched then the first, but Galinda still had a point either way. Elphaba's visit to the Thestrals had been a very private moment, and for Galinda to stumble in on it would almost have been as disrespectful as if Elphaba had visited a graveyard instead. Feeling deeply embarrassed with herself, Galinda made it a priority to apologize. Much as she loathed Elphaba, even she was not cruel enough to disrespect the dead, especially if it was someone Elphaba loved.
And somehow, imagining that there was a person out there that Elphaba mourned gave her a new dimension in the eyes of Galinda, and Galinda already found herself growing intrigued with this girl whom she so used to despise. Perhaps it seemed like common sense in hindsight that, of course, Elphaba would have at least one person out there in the world who loved her, but for Galinda to find out in this manner really did change her perceptions about the green girl drastically, and now she found herself wanting to know more about the mysterious and fiery Gryffindor...
From that day forward, after seeing that bout of humanity in the very girl Galinda used to so demonize and dehumanize, Galinda began making steps towards mending the bond between herself and Elphaba. It was a painfully slow and careful process, but through determination and time, Galinda managed to get it done. Against all odds, she managed to gain Elphaba's trust and friendship, and, in the process, Galinda herself went through quite the mental and emotional change. Gone were the days of fighting and loathing, gone were the stereotypes and negativity, gone was all the stupid pride and unwarranted attacks. Instead, by being willing to reach out to the very girl she once used to ostracize, Galinda had not only helped that girl in question, she had also helped herself. Her first act of kindness made her a kinder person in general, and it gave her a wider and more generous outlook on life in general. She had grown wiser and more mature, less judgmental and narrow-minded. It was a very good change indeed. But best of all was just being able to call Elphaba a friend!
As Galinda came to know, Elphaba really was a great person, and it had only been their initially ill reception of each other that kept them from realizing what a perfect pair they were. Now that Galinda had broken the ice, though, formally apologizing for walking in on Elphaba during her moment with the Thestrals, the two had become incredibly close and warm and open in the days to come.
"Can you ever believe there used to be a time when we loathed each other?" Galinda laughed as she and Elphaba explored the Hogwarts grounds.
"Yes I can," Elphaba replied teasingly, knowing that this was NOT the response Galinda had wanted. Her joke had the desired effect and Galinda pretended to roll her eyes in despair that Elphaba always took things so literally.
"You know what I mean!" she cried.
"If you mean that it seems funny to think that we used to despise each other in retrospect because of how close we are now, then yes, I do," Elphaba laughed, finally showing mercy upon her new best friend and allowing the little jibe to end early. And, to show how sincere she was being this time, Elphaba then carefully put an arm around Galinda's waist. Galinda could not stop a noise of surprise, but she made no move to remove Elphaba's arm. Instead, she only smiled and snuggled in close to Elphaba's side. The rest of the walk was even lovelier than before.
But then there finally came a day when Galinda got the answer to the question that, initially, had been burning in the back of her mind.
"Thanks for coming to feed the Thestrals with me," Elphaba said as she and Galinda returned to that little patch of forest wherein they had shared their first non-hostile conversation ever. They had not been back since, Galinda knowing full well that she had not yet gained enough of Elphaba's trust to warrant the privilege of being allowed to join her out to see the Thestrals. Now, however, it seemed that Elphaba was finally deciding that she could trust Galinda with this secret. Galinda felt honored, and she made that fact very clear.
"It's my pleasure," she said. Elphaba gave her a meaningful smile and Galinda couldn't help but feel a little bit nervous. Although she meant what she had said, there was still a bit of awkwardness and uncertainty in her mind about how ok Elphaba was with revealing such a personal and emotional piece of her life with the girl who used to throw curses and curse words at her every chance she had.
Galinda looked away, then, distracting herself with pulling some meat out of the satchels she and Elphaba had brought. She tossed it up in the air, the piece of meat never touched the ground again, stopping halfway there as one of the Thestrals caught it. Galinda couldn't help but smile a little in wonder. It still felt strange for her to think that she and Elphaba were totally surrounded, yet she couldn't see a single thing.
"I trust you've read about them?" Elphaba asked when she saw Galinda's lips twitch.
"A few times, I know a little bit about them," Galinda replied, unthinkingly.
"Mmm," Elphaba replied. For a moment, there was silence, then she took a deep breath in and spoke. "My mother," she said, and for a moment, Galinda didn't understand, but the moment she looked into Elphaba's deep brown eyes, she understood everything. She had never felt so honored.
Although neither Elphaba nor Galinda ever brought it up again, after that one day with the Thestrals wherein Elphaba finally told the story that Galinda had been so desperate to know, the bond between the two of them had reached a new level of seriousness and intimacy. It was one thing to have a casual friend, and it was one thing to have a secret-keeper. It was one thing to hang out with someone you liked, and it was one thing to be vulnerable with someone. But it was another thing entirely to confess a secret so deep and personal, and without any inhibition or restraint. What Elphaba shared with Galinda in the forest that day, though not a particularly earth-shattering secret, had been such a personal and moving story that both of the witches knew their friendship had just reached a new level, and it would not be a bond easily broken.
And they only grew closer and closer from that day onward. It seemed like the two would be life-long companions, and, in some sense, they were. They stayed friends for their whole lives, even when time and tribulation tore them apart. It was only a lot of bad luck that made it such that one of their lives was painfully cut short. It happened one day, about 20 years after the two had graduated from Hogwarts, that Elphaba finally died. She was killed by assassins, hired by the government to quell her rebellious dogma. Galinda (since renamed Glinda) had been there during the assassination, trying to help Elphaba escape before death could catch her. But Elphaba, stubborn Elphaba, had chosen to die standing than to live hiding. Because of that, despite Glinda's best efforts, Elphaba still died, and she could only watch helplessly from a corner as Elphaba spent her final breaths screaming as she was literally melted away, clean off the face of the earth.
"Elphie?" Glinda whimpered from her hiding spot as Elphaba's wounded cries finally ceased. Once Glinda heard the sound of Elphaba's assassins exiting the castle in which this final showdown had commenced, Glinda dared to leave her hiding spot. Although she had physically and personally seen Elphaba melting away, it wasn't until she reached the witch's empty robe and hat that the true horror of what she had witnessed sank in properly. After it did, however, Glinda spent the rest of that day just sobbing, bawling, crying her eyes out as she buried her face into that robe: the very last piece of the only friend that ever truly mattered to her.
But, as time rolled on, Glinda was forced to come to terms with what had happened. Though she was still far from being finished with the grieving process, she no longer cried herself to sleep every single night and she was able to function during the daylight hours. At one point, however, the witch took a little break from her job at the Ministry of Magic and returned to Hogwarts, hoping to take a literal stroll down memory lane. It would be painful, but Glinda really did need to talk about Elphaba again, even if she would only be able to talk to the walls of the castle and not anyone living within them. After all, Elphaba wasn't exactly a very popular figure. To bring her name up in polite conversation was taboo, but Glinda wasn't going back to Hogwarts in hopes of finding a sympathetic ear. She just wanted to go back to the place when she and Elphaba had been an unstoppable force, a power couple, the ultimate example of "relationship goals".
So once Glinda was able to secure some time off, she returned to Hogwarts. After just walking the castle halls with a sad and dreamy expression upon her face, the witch finally made her way out doors. Once she was done roaming the grounds, she finally reached the little forest that contained the Thestrals. This was the place she really had wanted to visit. It was her hopes that she would be able to find something therapeutic in finally getting to see them and look them in the eye. That, and the Thestrals had always been a source of gentleness and vulnerability to Glinda before. She could definitely use that now. So, carrying a large bag of meat, Glinda made her way to the Thestrals' home. No one was there.
"Hello?" Glinda called out. "Anybody home?" she opened the bag of meat and waved some of the pieces around tantalizingly, but nothing stepped forward. It was a disheartening blow to the woman who had come all the way out here in hopes of finding a friend or support, only to be met with silence. It worried her, then, where the Thestrals totally gone? Or were they hiding from her? Could they somehow sense that she was part of the reason their old friend, Elphaba, was dead? Could they somehow sense the severity of her crimes? And were they now hiding from her because of that? The thought scared Glinda more than the idea that they might've simply been relocated, and she began to panic.
"I know I'm no Elphaba!" she cried frantically. "But I assure you that I am still a friend, and I come in peace!" she continued to wave her offering around, but there still wasn't ever a taker. Every slab she tossed hit the ground and stayed there, untouched and unmoved. That was when Glinda began to cry. Not only had the loss of Elphaba returned to her in a fresh wave of grief, but the realization that she might've lost the Thestrals as well came as another crushing blow to her. She finally broke down. This was the only place where it was safe for her to mourn Elphaba, she was going to make every last little tear count.
But even Glinda couldn't cry forever. When she finally ran out of tears for the day, she stood up and brushed the dirt from her dress. She squared her shoulders and raised her chin. Perhaps she had not managed to find the comfort she had been seeking when she first came out here, but getting a chance to just scream and cry in peace had actually been quite relieving. Straightening her back and picking up her meat bag, the witch turned around to head back to the castle, hoping that her eyes weren't too red. That was when something finally happened.
"Woah!" Glinda yelped as she was suddenly yanked backwards. She whipped around, but there was nobody there. For a second, then, nothing else happened. But right before Glinda could try leaving again, her bag began to float back towards the Thestrals' territory. Since it was hanging from her shoulder, she was dragged along after it.
"Merlin's beard!" she exclaimed. She quickly tore the bag off her shoulder. It crashed to the ground, then the flap began to slide open. Something the width of a horse's muzzle was poking into the bag. Glinda knew this because of the imprint the invisible figure was leaving. One of the meat slabs that she had not thrown yet was pulled out of the bag. It hung in the air for a few seconds before vanishing entirely.
"Merlin's beard!" Glinda repeated, but this time, it wasn't from shock or fear, but surprise.
Had the Thestrals finally come back after all? Had they somehow heard her apology and forgiven her? Was it really them? Or was she going mad? And if they really were finally here, what had taken them so long? Were they waiting for her to finish crying? Or had they perhaps been roaming some other part of the ground and only just now came back? All these questions swirled around Glinda's mind as more and more pieces of the scattered meat were picked up and then vanished entirely by hungry Thestrals. Glinda couldn't help but make a small noise of joy and relief that her old friends had not abandoned her after all. She even giggled a bit as she watched the meat disappear bit by bit. But then it occurred to her...
"Wait a minute!" she cried. "If I still can't you guys even after all this time, then what did I see on the night when Elphaba was melted?! Am I crazy, or could Elphaba really somehow still be...?"
AN: One of the saddest parts about Wicked, to me, was the fact that Glinda never got the chance to know that Elphaba really was alive and well. I know why they kept it a secret, but in this AU, Glinda finds out. I mean, let's be real, if you can only see Thestrals after you've seen death and Glinda was there on the night Elphaba died and we assume that's the first time Glinda's ever seen anybody die, then how do you think she would react when she would still find herself unable to see the Thestrals? I guess it's one way Elphaba's secret could be made known to the world. What do you guys think?
This is also the last Hogwarts one-shot I have planned out now, but if anyone has any other ideas they want to see, just ask!