Chapter One

[Koalingo Academy]

©Nathan Coombes 1998 – 2007 Koalingo Academy and all related names, characters and related indicia are the property of NT Coombes. Anyone wanting to use this story on their own website or in any other form should e-mail Nathan for permission on:
[e-mail]
When you finish reading the story, you can return to Koalingo Academy by clicking Here

All Harry Potter characters names and related indicia are the property of Warner Bros™ and J.K Rowling. This novel is a fan fiction created by a fan of the popular Harry Potter series. This fan fiction has NOT been written by J.K. Rowling and is not available for sale, merely for free reading to anyone who wishes to. No money is being made from this novel.

Chronicles of Koalingo
The Prophecy
(A Harry Potter based fan fiction)

Chapter One

“I hope you boys are not doing what I think you are doing,” came the deep though soothing voice of Elwyn Emerindyl, floating through the cracks of his son, Godric’s, bedroom door,
“They are attacking me! Save me Elwyn!” came a very high pitched and horrified screech,
“No…” Godric spoke innocently to his father while slipping through the door closing it behind him, now standing in front of his tall father, whom stood at almost seven foot and looked very young in the face, though anyone who knew Lord Elwyn Emerindyl, and lets face it, everyone did, knew that he was very old indeed, in fact, with no knowledge of the exact date of his wife’s birthday, whom was the same age in years, it was undisputable that Elwyn was the oldest living wizard on the Australian continent,
“Godric Grindylow Emerindyl, do you have Henry in you room?” came another softer, yet at the moment stern voice, the sweeping figure of Lady Sylvia Saphricorn (Elwyn’s wife though she retained her maiden name) walked along to her husbands side where she intertwined her soft delicate blue and silver clad arms around Elwyn’s sturdier green and gold clad ones,
“No…” Godric repeated, he was now a sturdy young man off seventeen years, and it was currently the summer holidays. Godric like his parents was a wizard, though even more extraordinary was exactly who his parents were. His father Elwyn was the Headmaster of Godric’s wizardry school; Koalingo Academy. Though he had been appointed Minister of magic a very long time ago, Elwyn had retired after five hundred years service to open a school with his wife, their life-long friend Amberly Ameraid, and a young man by the name of Rubeus Ruberagon. Much time had past since then and the four … (well I wont say young, for Elwyn and Sylvia were both well past their six-hundredth birthday’s by the time the school opened), four budding ambitious sorcerers had established the school and in that time much had happened. For just over two hundred years up until about six years ago, Lady Saphricorn, Lady Ameraid, and Lord Ruberagon were presumed dead. Lord Emerindyl had lived alone with his son, whom believed he had no mother, though never did understand how he came to be only seventeen years old when his mother had not been seen for two hundred years before his birth, and another eleven years after his birth. Though his father had told him when he was younger, that when the time was right, he’d know.
“Well yeah…” Godric spoke caving in, he could not lie to his mother, though he might try it was impossible, it was as if she was always followed by some sort of veritaserum gas that made you tell the truth to her, “But I warned him,” Godric spoke opening the door and gesturing to his friend Alex. Alex was the same age as he, though in his fifth year had failed his K.O.A.L.A exams so badly that he had to repeat the year. His physique was almost identical to Godric’s; the two of them had lean sporty figures and blazing golden hair, just like Elwyn’s. Alex’s family were magical, though his father ran a muggle company that made millions of muggle dollars every year, and his mother was a muggle lawyer, neither had touched their wands in years.
Alex was now seen standing at the end of Godric’s bed beating something into the bed in front of him with a pillow which was spraying feather’s everywhere,
“You rotten little Imp, don’t think I’m going to let you off easily,” Alex was saying savagely as he continued to beat what looked (to anyone that could see him) to be a small little brown man in sloppy overalls and very messy red hair, “Didn’t think I’d ever be able to see you, did you?”
“My Lord! My Lady! Stun this fool he has been hit with a confusion jinx,” the little Imp had shouted through mouthfuls of duck feathers,
The thing that was always to be remembered about this little Imp was the simple fact that to anyone whom didn’t believe in his existence would never be able to see him. Henry was a very particular Imp, one-of-a-kind; he was not born as Imp’s usually are from other Imps. He was created, no not with any kind of muggle or magical science, but with the imagination of one very powerful man. Lord Elwyn Emerindyl had imagined this creature into living long long ago. And the advantage of being a living imagination was that only those who believed in your existence could actually see you. This came in handy as Henry was a bit of a trickster, and loved dearly to play games on those who could not see him.
“Henry, what have you done this time?” Elwyn spoke as he entered the room while Sylvia walked to her son’s side and leant up against him reaching her arm around his side into a one armed hug.
Alex stepped back and dropped the pillow case, now with no feathers left in it, the room was littered with flecks of white and grey everywhere, and Elwyn’s rather lengthy hair was picking up every fluff of it that drifted towards his long mane of gold.
“I didn’t do anything… yet,” the squeaky voice spoke again and in one zipping moment the Imp had escaped from the bed and into the canopy hanging above, clawing it like a koala, and hanging on it upside down.
“Yet?” Elwyn spoke looking at the creature and beginning to shake his head; something seemed to catch in his mind as his eyes drifted the glass wall, which showed out onto the terrace beyond Godric’s bedroom. Beyond that the gardens flourished on the ground of Emerindyl estate. “Give it to me, Henry,” he spoke rather sternly though with an air of humour in the way he spoke,
The little Imp pouted and two metal buckets of red paint appeared on the floor by the foot of Elwyn’s sweeping robes.
“And the balloons,” Elwyn spoke again with more humour in his voice and four buckets filled with water balloons containing red paint appeared by the paint cans, “Henry…” Elwyn shook his head, “You know, Henry if you are so eager to play with paint I have been thinking about giving the house a little make-over, what do you say?” Sylvia asked the Imp whom laughed derisively and then disappeared with a pop,
“What has gotten into him, I don’t understand it, Sylvia,” Elwyn spoke and with one swish of his hand the paint had disappeared,
“He’s an animal, Elwyn, put two and two together… or perhaps, one and one,” Sylvia smiled as she left Godric’s side and walked to her husband,
“I think he’s a little menace,” Alex spat with a loathing look in his eyes, though after seeing Elwyn looking at him he quickly straightened him self and added, “Sir,” with a slight bow,
Godric whom had been standing at the door the whole time rolled his eyes at the entire scene, his bedroom was littered with duck down and his father’s Imp was lonely… Godric sighed and shook his head, “We’ll paint the house for you, dad” he added, and ignored Alex’s sudden look of horror, and shaking his head behind Elwyn and Sylvia’s back.
“Why thank you, Godric” Elwyn smiled and several tins of paint appeared in an old looking child’s play cart by his side, “I’m sure it will be good work experience for you both,” Elwyn spoke before turning with his wife and leaving the room in a swish of feathers,
“What’d you do that for?” Alex spoke looking mortified and annoyed, “It’s stinking hot outside and we were going to go up to the cave for drink’s, you know we have that air-conditioning in there now,”
Godric shook his head with a smile as he bent down gathering up the bag of paint brushes and three tins of paint, “And do what? We’ve been doing nothing all holidays, what are we going to be telling people when we get back and they ask us what we’ve done all summer?”
“Absolutely nothing sounds like a good answer to me!” Alex protested heaving four of the tins up into his hands with slight strain, “Like telling anyone that we painted the house is going to win us any brownie points,”
“Not with the kids at school, no, but I heard that Rubeus was considering taking us camping in the last week of the holidays so long as he thought we deserved it,” Godric spoke as he started down the split level in his room and across to the glass doors leading out onto the terrace, “We’ve got three weeks left until term begins and Rubeus hasn’t even hinted a camping trip, I don’t think resting daily is showing him we’ve earned anything,”
“Who needs him,” Alex snorted as he followed through the glass door and started along the long veranda to their first patch of non-glass wall, “We’ve both been seventeen for nearly half a year apiece – we’re of age now Godric – we can do what we want, we don’t need a chaperone,”
“You maybe,” Godric pouted as he dropped the paint cans with a twang and started pulling out a handful of large paintbrushes, all with a different shaped head on it, they were patterned paintbrushes that left a checked pattern of whatever shape was on the brush head, “My father wont let me out of his site if I’m leaving the mountain,” he said, sounding thoroughly annoyed. The mountain Godric was referring to was Coolangatta Mountain; Emerindyl Estate took up a very large section of this mountain, which meant Godric had plenty of freedom on the estate, but none beyond. The house he and his parents lived in was built into the side of the mountain; the whole front face of it was accompanied by a long veranda decorated with a carved gumtree railing that actually grew gum leaves and gumnuts here and there all year around. The drive was quite long as the nearest muggle road was at the base of the mountain, and so this meant privacy, as no one came along their drive without a purpose, and very few muggles found a purpose to have to do so.
“That stinks! This is a big country!” Alex spoke sounding more annoyed then Godric,
“Tell me about it,” Godric muttered as he started painting the wall with patterned green and gold stars which fished and twinkled like real stars and faded, as they would only appear at night,
“Have you seen Elouise yet these holidays?” Alex asked with a slight taste of jeer in his voice,
“No,” Godric muttered again painting the next patch with blue and silver moons,
“Man, you’ll loose that girl in the end, I’m telling you,” Alex said as he stood there watching Godric paint, “I’m meeting up with this new chick, I heard about from a friend, hey if it doesn’t work out, Elouise always has someone to fall back on,” Alex winked and play-punched Godric in the arm who threw a handful of paint at him with a laugh.
This may not have been one of Godric’s best moves, in moments there was paint flying everywhere, both Godric and Alex were more multicoloured then the walls, which were now patterned in one patch and completely messed with dripping multicolour everywhere else, as was the veranda, and the shrubs beyond that, and the grass beyond that…
“A brilliant job, you’ve done there, working hard I see,” came the last voice Godric wanted to hear while he was goofing off with Alex,
“Rubeus,” Godric paused frozen, Rubeus Ruberagon the second, or Rob, as they knew him better as was standing there with a bit of yellow-green-blue-grey paint splattering his red working robes,
“Rob,” Alex’s face lit up though it could not have possibly been brighter as it was more multicoloured then the wall,
“Does your father know your doing this?” he asked prudently scanning the boys with his strange dragon-shaped eyes,
“Yes,” Godric quickly piped up, “He asked us to do it,”
“He asked you to paint the grass?” Rubeus was looking disbelieving, “Godric I know we are in drought at the moment but I would have thought if the grass was in need of being painted any colour, it would be green,”
“I know… but… yes,” Godric gave in defeated,
Rubeus laughed at this, “Godric, you are one funny young man, so serious,” Rubeus laughed and Godric realised he had just been fooled, “No, I quite like the multi-coloured grass idea… though I don’t think your mother will be too pleased with that grey paint on her white roses…”
“Oh my,” Godric spoke as he leant across the railing, painting it now with the paint on him to see paint smothering a large patch of the white roses around them, “Mum’s going to kill me,” Godric spoke bounding over the rails and landing in the painted grass beyond, causing him to slip over. He heard Rubeus and Alex laughing together.
“I don’t know what you’re laughing at,” Godric near-shouted back to Alex, “If my mum sees this she’ll have a cow… or turn us into ones,”
Suddenly alerted Alex jumped the railing as well as the two began the slow process of blowing the paint off the roses with steam from their wands. Rubeus laughed until he vanished into the house.
Many long hours later, the roses and their surrounding leaves were back to their normal colour, as was the grass and the veranda, leaving the paint on the one and only place it should have been, the wall. Though they had spent all afternoon cleaning their mess and had not gotten the entire house painted. Though the way Elwyn reacted about the small bit they did do, Godric could have sworn he was about to award the medals of honour for services to the country.
“A work of art, if ever I saw one, why no wonder it took you so long to complete, I am not surprised you have not finished the rest, though I will take care of it myself, however I doubt anything I could do would match this splendour,” Elwyn had beamed at them,
“Oh that’s ok, sir, Godric and I will finish it tomorrow,” Alex announced in a far prouder voice then he had used when Godric had nominated them that day,
“Oh, well thank you, Mr Zander, though I expect you two will have other things to busy yourself with tomorrow,” he spoke sounding mysterious, “I’ll let Rubeus tell you,” he spoke lowering his voice and winking at them with his sparkling green eyes, “It’s something of a surprise I expect,”

In a short half hour from that time, the two boys had showered and dressed and were just about to enter the dining hall for dinner when Rubeus walked up to them looking stern again, though Godric would not be fooled this time.
Rubeus seemed to sense this as he lost his serious façade and smiled almost instantly, “I have a task for you two boy’s tomorrow,” he started looking at them, Godric wondered if the light that just sparked in Alex’s eyes was as obvious to Rubeus as it had been to him, “My father has had to vacate his home as it is in great need of exterminating, it seems a whole heard of gnomes have decided the house is more comfortable then their garden – such is the reason most people stop them from getting too much there,”
“Old Ruberagon can’t take care of a little bit of garden gnome’s” Alex laughed, though the look on Rubeus’ face said obviously enough he didn’t appreciate what Alex had just said. Alex must have noticed this for he fell silent instantly.
“I can assure you Mr Zander, that tomorrow you shan’t be so smug about it,” Rubeus spoke with two raised eyebrows and a smile that was not too comforting, “Now hurry along, I believe you dinner is being served, I am staying in the town with some muggles who were particularly good friends to me some years ago, I shall return at sun rise and we’ll head out so we arrive in sunlight, I’d rather the house guardians not mistaken us for intruders,”
“You’re not staying for dinner?” Godric asked to be polite, he knew he must not be already, though he was curious as to why if he was only just staying in the muggle town not far from there.
“Oh… I think I’d rather not, you have guests,” Rubeus spoke with an anxious look towards the dining hall door behind Godric and Alex, “See you in the morning,” and with a small ‘pop’, he was gone,
“Guests?” Alex looked confused, he’d been staying with Godric for a lot of the holidays, and this had been the first time there had been guests for dinner since new years.
Godric shrugged though he pushed on the white door with it’s golden handles and entered slowly, slightly surprised, though not negatively, Godric’s eyes fell to their guests, the Crudge’s, the Minister of Magic, his wife and –
“Whoa… who is that?” Alex gawked and his jaw dropped, “She’s hot…”
“You don’t know her? Isn’t he your uncle though?” Godric spoke looking at the minister,
“Yeah but… she’s no relative of mine,” Alex spoke still watching the girl
“She’s a squib – you know” Godric hissed very quietly so they weren’t heard,
“And?” Alex spoke still staring at the girl,
“You’ll see…” Godric muttered as he past him walking towards the table,
“Good evening Master Godric,” the Minister greeted Godric, who smiled and then greeted him in reply, and then his wife, then (without making eye contact) his daughter, “And my nephew, not causing any trouble for Lord Emerindyl, are you?”
“No Uncle,” Alex said to him though his eyes still did not stray from the girl. Minister Crudge must have noticed as he laughed,
“Alex, this is Rani, she’s my niece from your aunts side of the family” Minister Crudge told him gesturing to his wife
Alex seemed to like this news, after all the Minister’s wife was only his aunt through magic, Godric knew the cogs would be turning over in Alex’s head that this girl was available.
Godric could feel his mother’s eyes on him at this point. She had urged him constantly to spend time with the Minister’s daughter, though he had refused to; and with good reason.
Dinner was as normal as it could possibly be at Emerindyl Manor that evening, Lord Emerindyl and Minister Crudge spent a lot of the night discussing politics, though it was almost obvious to see the clashes in each of their idea’s neither seemed to want to agree with the other. Godric’s mother was feeding bits of her salad to a Joey that had strayed in through the open glass door behind her, much to Mrs Crudge’s distaste, and Alex had spent much of what time remained, chatting up the minister’s daughter.
When at last dinner ended Elwyn hushed the Minister,
“Godric, if you, Mr Zander, and young Miss Crudge would like to return to whatever it is young people enjoy doing these days, you may,” Elwyn spoke, and Godric smiled and nodded, the three of them evacuated immediately hearing Elwyn then ask his wife and their guests if they’d like drinks in the lounge,
Godric walked out through the glass door behind his mother’s chair chasing the joey out with them. Alex and Rani Crudge walked out behind him chatting away wildly. He held the door open for them, and the two walked through onto the terrace.
“I got thrown off the school footy team because I belted some muggle up the side of the face because she said I had a fat ass,” Rani was saying to Alex as they walked along the terrace idly, not really taking in anything around them but each other.
Godric rolled his eyes at her, he knew her too well to know that she was most likely the one to tell someone else they had a large backside and then belt them in the face just as an after thought. He knew Rani went to an all girls’ academic college, he doubted, from picture’s he’d seen of the school, that any of the girls there were capable of being aggressive.
“Alex, it’s a little dark out here, do you mind lighting those lamps while I get these ones,” Godric suggested with a glance at Rani before turning and using his wand to light the lamps near him. He saw Alex whip out his wands and do the same, Rani’s reaction was immediate,
“Oh god, your one of them…” her face twisted with distaste in an instant as she backed away from Alex a little,
“Huh?” Alex looked bewildered he didn’t understand her sudden change in attitude,
“No – look, don’t even talk to me – tell the oldies I’m waiting for them in the car, they had better be out in five minutes to take me home,” she spoke still looking as if there were something most foul and disgusting under her nose, “I should have known, friends with it,” she tossed her head angrily at Godric, “Isn’t anyone normal in this country,” she turned on her heels and walked off across the garden kicking angrily with her feet as she walked,
Alex stood rooted to the spot staring as Rani strutted off, “What just happened? Did I do something wrong?”
“You were born a wizard, Alex” Godric told him, “I tried to warn you, she cant use magic, so she hates anyone who can,” he patted Alex on the back as he saw he looked almost devastated, “Cheer up, mate, there’s still that girl your friend knows,”

A quarter of an hour later the two had retreated to their cave hideout in the top of the mountain, it had grown very dark by now and the trail there was almost completely shrouded, had the two not walked this track so many times, it would have been safe to say they would not have found their way.
This cave hideout was peculiar in many ways, though possibly the most impressive thing about it was the dome window that made all things, magically invisible, visible. With this they could see the Ministry of Magic building, which floated on a flying island above the fields of a farm beyond not far from the mountain, though on the other side of a small creek. There was a muggle town on the other side of it, and had Godric and Alex not known the ministry was there, it would have just looked to them, in the dark, that the town was a city of high rises, as the Ministry palace’s lights light up the sky even higher then Coolangatta Mountain.
The ministry had large spot lights which shone into the sky illuminating the clouds that had gathered above, of course muggles would just assume it was their town lighting up the clouds. They could not see the ministry palace, or the flying island it was on. And illusions of planes flying through it frequently hindered any thought that there was anything solid there. Though real muggle pilots always flew along the coastline, which was on the other side of Coolangatta Mountain, and far away from the ministry.
“Anything amazing going on tonight?” Alex had asked, making them drinks at their private bar, while Godric stood at the dome staring out at the ministry palace.
“Not a thing,” he answered, “No defence wizards, no one really, I think there all off for the night now…”
“Just the guard then?” Alex said as he finished making their drinks, pouring them into two large schooner glasses and bringing them over,
“Yep,” Godric muttered disappointingly as he took his drink and crashed onto one of the black leather couches which circled a clean glass table for resting their drinks on in the centre of it, “I don’t understand it, I’ve heard dad talking to mum and Rubeus about the Guild of Avada for ages, he says they are recollecting, so why haven’t the ministry increased security?”
“I dunno,” Alex flumped onto the one across from Godric, “But I though Lady Ameraid was back working for the school – why would she bother with the Guild after what happened before?”
“It’s not her, this time, I heard dad telling mum, it’s someone else,” Godric mumbled still wondering wildly why nothing had been done so far. He and Alex had been keeping an eye on the ministry relentlessly and had so far seen nothing to make them think the ministry knew anything Godric’s parents knew.
“Listen, I want you to be serious tomorrow while we’re working for Rob, I need to get out of this place at least once before we return to Koalingo,” Godric spoke though he knew Alex was not listening to him, he was lying on his back staring at the ceiling on which he was drawing with his wand,
“Alex would you listen to me, please?” Godric called again though Alex was now humming a tune to one of the children’s cartoons he enjoyed more then he thought he should, “ALEX!”
“What?” Alex answered as he turned on his side quickly and sharply almost falling off his lounge,
“Tomorrow!” Godric started,

[Koalingo Academy]

“Yes I know, no stink pellets, no touching anything I shouldn’t, no pranks, and no teasing the artwork,” Alex drawled on, as though he expected this,
“And no jokes please, your humour is… well pretty dry,” Godric spoke wincing a little as if expecting Alex to get really defensive,
“What, you mean you don’t like the one about the old witch, the young witch, and the prawns?” Alex looked at him slyly, “Because it never fails to get a good reaction from people,”
Godric laughed, Alex had a point, he did have some good jokes though he didn’t think any were at all appropriate in Rubeus Ruberagon the second’s presence.
“Please, I really what this camp trip, and I’m sure this is Rubeus’ way of making us earn it,” Godric spoke seriously,
“Thinking of inviting Elouise, are you? Going to get a little cosy?” Alex laughed throwing a cushion at Godric where it hit him in the face softly,
“Maybe,” Godric said slyly back throwing two cushions at him, and in moments a war of flying cushions and feathers had begun.
*
Godric was roused the next morning by a house elf staring at him with it’s huge oval eyes and tugging on his arm sleeve, “Sir must be waking now,” he was saying over and over again until Godric sat up, “Sir’s father has asked Nikko to tell sir that his friend Rubeus is here to collect him to go to work, sir”
Godric flew out of bed quickly thanking Nikko as he shot over to Alex’s bed, “Alex! We overslept, get up!”
“Professor I swear it was like that when I got here…” Alex muttered groggily as he turned over remaining asleep,
“Nikko, throw water on him!” Godric ordered him hurriedly and the little house elf lifted the jug from beside Alex’s head and threw it at Alex. The silver jug hit him in the forehead and he rose with a howl of pain, as the jug tumbled onto the quilt and then tipped pouring water into Alex’s bed where it soaked his pants,
The door swung open as if alerted by the howl and Elwyn, Sylvia and Rubeus entered wands drawn, Godric’s face crashed into his hands as the three adults looked at Alex, his bed soaked, and still howling in pain.
“Alright boys?” Rubeus asked stepping forward with Elwyn while Sylvia stayed at the door her eyes darting around the room as if expecting to find someone,
“Oh,” Elwyn spoke as he joined Godric at the side of the bed, “Mr Zander, bed wetting is nothing to be ashamed of – plenty of young people do it… mind I’ve not heard of an adult having done so since Wanda the Wet…”
“What?” Alex spoke looking confused, annoyed, and in pain, “What? I didn’t wet the bed, he threw a jug at my head!” Alex started angrily as he held the bump on his forehead,
“Is this true Nikko?” Sylvia spoke finally joining them all,
“It’s my fault,” Godric spoke quickly seeing the house elf’s horrified look, “I told him to do it,”
“You told him to throw a jug at my head?” Alex growled furiously,
“No… well not exactly, I told him to throw water on you because you wouldn’t get up and we’re late to go work with…” Godric turned and saw Rubeus at last, “Rubeus…”
To Godric’s horror all three of the adult’s started roaring with laughter. Alex seemed to forget the pain in his head for a moment as he stared at the adult’s looking mortified.
“Godric, you and Alex are Emerindyl’s true at heart, I expected you to be late, so I came early to compensate,” Rubeus told him still laughing. It was a known fact that Emerindyl’s had a tendency of always being late, always, and so it was not a rare occurrence for people to schedule things earlier then they wanted them to begin so Emerindyl’s would be on-time.
Godric felt horrible, Alex looked angry, and Godric silently wished the three adults would stop laughing…

The trip to Ruberagon Manor was a long one. Godric had his apparition license, though Alex had failed so many times the Department of Magical Transport had told him not to come back for another test until someone else told him he was ready. Rob of course seemed to be enjoying the long flight; they’d taken brooms, all under the influence of invisibility charms of course. And were soaring down the coast at a speedy pace. Houses and other mountains past under them, though none of them were near the side of Mt Kosciusko, the mountain upon which Koalingo Manor was perched.
They had been flying for a good many hours when they arrived, it was midday though the landscape around the manor was dark and arid, and the ground looked as if it could not grow grass no matter how hard it might have tried. Quite different compared to the other hilltops in this hilly area, which were green with lush healthy grass and native trees.
“Why does it not surprise me, his house would look like this,” Alex spoke as he dismounted from his broom and stood on the ground, Rob and Godric will still on their brooms.
“ALEX NO!” Rubeus shouted and grabbed Alex’s arm, and not a moment too soon, the ground started writhing dangerously, Rubeus shot into the sky about a hundred feet as tentacles of plants shot into the air and started whipping around menacingly.
Alex was hanging there in Rubeus’ clutched, his arm crooked upwards, the rest of his body dangling, he dropped his broom, it fell down into the vines which grabbed it and broke it into splinters.
“Holy shi…” Alex swore loudly and Rubeus lifted him to the back of his broom,
“I did not tell you to dismount!” Rubeus was yelling, Alex sat there not moving, though Godric could tell he felt horrible, “Your not to do or touch a single thing without my say so, do I make myself clear, Mr Zander?”
“Oh so it’s Mr Zander now, not Alex…” Alex started muttering though Godric sent him an angry look and he closed his eyes and then said, “Yes Rubeus,”
“Good,” Rubeus spoke, though it was pretty clear with his attitude that he was more scared and worried, then angry with Alex, “You do not know this land Alex, or its treachery, it will turn on you in a moment if it had the chance, there is only one place you can land safely on this mountain outside the gates of the manor, and I promise you it is no where near the front gate,”
Rubeus lead the way with Alex sitting moping on the back end of the broom. Godric followed slowly on his broomstick, a light speed three-thousand, a gift from his father some many years ago, they flew around the border of the manor, for some reason Rubeus didn’t seem prepared to cross the gates even in the air, and Godric was not going to attempt it himself.
They landed on a small stone platform in the last area one would wish to land; it looked like the opening to the sewer pipes from the large dark and sinister looking house. Though very strangely it did not smell, Alex seemed to notice this as well;
“Why doesn’t it stink?” he spoke without hesitation as Rubeus dismounted and then waited for him to do the same before tapping holding the broom high and watching it disappear instantly. Godric dismounted as well and tapped his broomstick with his wand, it shrank and he pocketed it.
“It does not smell because we are welcome guests, this is an illusion my friends, there are no sewer pipes here at all, a very ancient illusion that has lasted as long as my father has been living here,” Rubeus spoke and with a wave of his hand and a few well-chosen words a sheet appeared to be lifted from the manor, and suddenly they saw t for what it really was. They were actually now looking at the real manor of Ruberagon, not dark and arid as the one they had seen upon arriving, but rather pleasant looking, almost like Godric’s home, only it did have its creepy marks of gargoyles and other such sinister beasts flanking the high stone wall around the boarder.
“Can people not simply fly over the wall?” Godric asked, knowing this was probably a very stupid question,
“If they wish to die…” Rubeus spoke as he raised his hand, instantly a cricket ball appeared and he hurled it over the top of the wall, in a flash a dome of energy seemed to appear across the entire grounds and a sparking red sting of lightning shot at the ball and evaporated it immediately.
“That was so obvious Godric, how could you have not known,” Alex jeered, though he was of course joking,
“Come along,” Rubeus spoke as the gates opened and they started in across the shale walkway that lead to large stone steps, flanked by Dragon heads. A large stone Dragonhead was mountain on the front triangular roof-wall above the steps, and this lead onto a terrace, “Step only on the pale shale, the black ones could cause you to… um… I think I’d be better not telling you, just stay off the black spots,”
Godric looked at Alex whom stared back at him horrified, though left this and started looking around at all of the dragon heads.
“Likes dragons, don’t he…” Alex muttered as the crossed the path and finally started up the stone steps behind Rob.
“Second step, fifth, third, first… forth, sixth, eighth, ninth, top” Rob hopped around to each of the steps in the order of which he’d said them and then stopped at the top and turned around looking at them, “Coming? Make sure you get the right order, or that dragon head above you will wake up and eat you,” he told them with no hint of humour in his voice, Godric knew he must have been deadly serious,
Godric made it first go, hitting each step as he was told, Alex was just about to do it as well, with a smug look on his face when a small gust of wind lifted up some leaves and blew them upon the steps. It was instant; the dragon’s eyes lit up as the head came to life, Alex jumped back but the head turned straight down the steps and started showering the steps with fire. The leaves were burned black and the dragon’s head returned to its stance.
“I THOUGHT YOU SAID IT JUST ATE!” Alex roared in horror. Godric couldn’t believe his eyes, he just stood back and watched fearfully.
“Well evidently it likes cooked food – now hurry up,” Rob said, Godric could tell he was beginning to get a little irritated with Alex by now, clearly not having forgotten the incidence outside.
“What if those leaves had been blown there when I was on it?” Alex thundered, but Rob was just getting more annoyed.
“The quicker you get up here, the less chance there will be of that happening, now hurry or stay behind, the choice is yours,” Rob turned at this and walked into the manor, the doors having opened on there own as if waiting for him.
“Wait!” Alex spoke as he hopped the code in quicker then Godric or Rubeus had done, and then ran after them.
The inside was nothing to the reality of the outside; in fact it would have suited more, the illusion of the outside. It was incredibly dark, even with the lamps burning around it. The foyer was quite extravagant; on a split-level there were three steps downward directly after a small platform at the entrance. The floor tiled with a pattern that turned out of be the Ruberagon family crest, Godric looked at it for a while, it was bizarre, this crest was nothing like the Ruberagon school crest at Koalingo. Emerindyl’s house’s crest was exactly the same as his family crest.
All around the walls there were paintings or shelves with things on them, odd objects some sinister looking, and the far end wall there was an open archway which appeared to lead into dining room, upon that wall there were many muggle weapons mounted, though all seemed to be humming lightly, Godric knew they must all have some sort of magical charms or curses on them.
SMASH! “OUCH!” Alex started howling as a vase collided with his head. Rob spun around “Dissultocorpus!” instantly and a red light exploded from the end of his wand collided with a little bald headed knobbly-legged little creature, which in turn exploded.
“Wow… a bit extreme, don’t you think?” Godric spoke looking at the dust of the, now dead gnome faded away.
Rubeus opened his mouth to say something when a piano fell through the open ceiling and landed with a crash right where Godric was about to step. He stopped rooted to the spot staring at the wreck of a grand piano in front of him, moving quickly when it’s frame gave way and it fell onto where he was standing.
“Do you think so now?” Rubeus spoke looking at him, “Come on, we cant stay here, we’re sitting ducks,” he moved his wand raised, moments later a vase came flying at Rubeus, Alex caught it just in time with a spell and it exploded in the air, he smiled at Rubeus, as if waiting to be thanked. Rubeus started cursing himself angrily as he gathered what was left of the vase, “That was my grandmothers, my father will not be pleased… try to catch the objects,” Alex turned red in the face and put his wand back in his pocket.
They split up in the centre of this hallway; Alex went on to the dining room ahead of them, under strict instructions from Rubeus to touch absolutely nothing. Rubeus went off to the right, which seemed to be a passageway onto whatever was on the lower level of the manor. Godric unwittingly had picked what he thought was possibly not a good idea. He started up the stairs to the left of this hall and was soon making his way along overhanging walkway; to his right was a half-wall to stop people falling off into the entrance hall below. To his left was a wall he decided he’d rather not have to look at. It was shrouded in paintings of sinister looking witches and wizards that all started cackling at the top of their painted lungs at him.
“What are you laughing at?” he said to one of them, finally having enough, the person in the painting stifled their laughter but was giggling terribly, pointing to the ceiling. Godric looked upwards but saw nothing. His eyes strayed to the overhanging above him; he could see the next story up was like this one. But that didn’t explain what the paintings were looking at. He walked to the edge peering over the barrier onto the large entrance hall. Then he looked up, just in time to duck as a large log came flying down towards him and wept across here it swung like a pendulum for a while before stopping. There were evil little giggles from above when just before the ropes holding the log started to withdraw up again. Godric knelt up, he could see the grubby little fingers. He drew out his wand watching them happily, “digitulus cremo”
Shrieks filled Godric’s ears echoing off the walls as the four grubby pairs of hands, pulling the rope up, burst into flames; dropping the ropes. Godric bounded out of the way as the log fell towards him its ropes now consumed in fire, there was a creak, the ripping snaps of rope strands and the log fell, bouncing off the barrier and down onto the first floor where it crashed to the ground smashing some of the tiles where it landed.
Godric looked over the balcony as he heard hurried footsteps into the entrance hall. The four gnomes were still screaming above and Godric could smell the smoke of their hands burning.
“Godric, put them out of their misery – we’re killing them yes, but at least do it as painlessly as possible,” Rubeus shouted up to him, there were red sparks falling from the end of his wand and onto the ground, Godric could tell Rubeus must have been working busily. Godric rounded on the next set of stairs, looking carefully upward alert to every movement and sound, every change in wind current. He rounded on the next landing and saw the injured gnomes a little way along, squirming on the ground in what could only be described as excruciating pain.
Godric neared them, his wand in his hand, they were still squealing. He raised his wand to them, “Dissultocorpus,” he chanted and the four of them seemed to implode on themselves in a rest sparkling mist, just like the one Rubeus had killed downstairs.
‘Keeeeyaaaaaaaah!’ came a horrible screech as a band of six gnomes put their heads down and charged at Godric along the walkway, their heads down and little grubby hands up by their ears. Godric was ready for this brandishing his wand in front of him, “Dissulto… ouch!” They were on him the other half dozen he hadn’t seen, grabbing onto his arms and legs and biting him as hard as their little teeth would allow, “Get off!” he shouted shaking one over the side of the overhang where it fell to its quick death. He kicked one leg at the wall by him and soccer flung the other over the side after its friend. Leaving one holding onto his arm with its teeth hands clasped around Godric’s wand its little grey-brown feet flailing around in the air. And the other clutching to his hair trying and succeeding to rip large quantities of his short blonde hair out. Try as he may, Godric could not free himself from these two, and the six others were already on him, like needles all over his body biting into him were ever they could. He fell to the ground and his wand fell from his hand and rolled across the floor. There was only one thing for it now. He rolled onto his back, facing up at the ceiling trying for a state of relaxation while the gnomes ripped at his clothes and bit into his skim. It was instantaneous. Godric vanished from the clutches of the gnomes and appeared five feet away still lying down, he scrambled to his feet in case the little blighters came after him but found the moment he stood that there was no need for worry. When he apparated he’d brought half of the gnomes with him. Not six of them; half of them. A dozen little half bodies from the waste up fell from Godric’s cloak where they lay lifeless, each of the gnomes had been chopped in half when Godric apparated.
“So that’s why the ministry doesn’t let you apparate with a passenger,” Godric muttered as he looked at the legs of the gnomes twitch before falling perfectly still. He bent down and picked up his wand, turning again to proceed up the corridor when a sound came that left him rooted to the spot.
“An Emerindyl…A Saphricorn…” came a whisper so soft it seemed almost as if the wind had spoken it, “In the hall of Ruberagon…”
“Hello?” Godric found himself saying, though he didn’t really expect any sort of reply,
“Young… blood… Emerindyl blood mixed with Saphricorn blood…” the whisper came again. Godric thought it was coming from a room further along the corridor and followed it, “One blood…one child… “
“I’m sorry, I cant hear you,” Godric called along the corridor as he came to one of the doors, it opened on its own causing Godric to jump backwards a few feet and nearly stumble over.
“One child… one child. No child… young man… one man…” the whispering continued, though Godric could almost make it out for its volume was louder though it became no clearer to him, it was coming from this room though, that he could tell.
“Hello,” Godric nearly whispered as he entered the room his eyes lazily crossing everything, this room was a nursery. There were toys piled neatly in one corner and a crib at the other end, draped with white silk. The window was boarded up and there was no visible light, though the room was brightly lit.
“It’s the one… the other one…” the whispering went on slowly as if each word was floating on a soft slow breeze, “But he’s too late… the prophecy…prophecy…prophecy… is dead…”
The whispering was coming from the crib, Godric moved towards it, the white silk drapes covering the crib were moving as if something was breathing beneath them.
“Hello…” Godric called, his voice was not quite as strong as it usually was, and his hand clutching his wand was trembling.
“Come to me Godric… come let us fulfil the prophecy… it-is-our-destiny… my love…” the whispering came again and the drapes rolled in the air like waves of wind were blowing against them.
“You just said the prophecy was dead..” Godric found his mouth moving and speaking though could swear he hadn’t made it happen.
“No my love…” came the whisper again, Godric reached the crib and looked through the drapes, a baby was lying there in folds of white satin blankets, it’s skin from here looked black, this baby was aboriginal, or foreign, but it was speaking, Godric could see its mouth moving, though it looked as if the child’s eyes were closed. He reached forth and removed the drapes, though what he saw made his heart stop and his mouth open ready to scream, though no sound came out, his stomach quivered he felt out of breath, “It is I who is dead,”
Godric tried to speak, the baby was not of a different race, it was dead, the skin on it was all dried and crackling, black with age, where eyes should be there was nothing but deep wells of blackened darkness. Its mouth was curled into the most unsettling of smiles that made the skin upon its lips crackle and flake away. Godric backed way from it, his breathing became uneven and sickening he felt ready to vomit as the black hands of the baby clambered onto the end of the crib and the face appeared ever flaking away, grey hairs shedding away with nothing for their roots to hold strong to.
“Love me Godric… like I adore you…” the sound was definitely coming from the baby.
Godric whipped his wand out in front of him, “What are you?” he demanded finding his voice but not his breath.
“I am your beloved as you are mine, come to me NOW!” The baby launched itself of the end of the crib, its flaking body flew threw the air, aimed for Godric.
He reacted without hesitation, “REDUCTO!!” He shouted and the crib, the baby, and the wall behind it exploded, blowing Godric off his feet and back into the pile of toys in the corner behind him.
“Godric!” came the simultaneous shouts of two male voices, one Alex’s, the other Rob’s. As there was a loud banging on the room door, which Godric soon became aware was closed. There was the jingling of metal and the door moved inwards as two faces poked around the edge of the door, both with their wands out and ready if need be.
Alex scrambled to Godric straight away and helped him back on his feet. Godric stood tottering on the spot. Rubeus was inspecting the door while Alex had already began to marvel at the damage Godric had caused.
“How did you get in here? What were you doing in here?” Rubeus spoke up suddenly, sounding very angry with Godric, “This door was locked!”
“No…” Godric muttered, his eyes still half dim, he had lost some sense of where he was, “The door wasn’t… wasn’t… n-no…”
“Rubeus look at his face,” Alex spoke suddenly with all attention aback on Godric, Godric’s trembling fingers raised to his face, where he found his skin was not smooth and in one piece but dry with cracks across it, like the baby.
“Come on you two, it’s time for a break,” Rubeus told them as he stood at the opened door and Alex supported Godric out onto the landing. Rubeus pulled the door shut and locked it with his keys before leading them back downstairs, though Godric had the oddest sensation that they were being followed. Over lunch, Alex told them his tails about defeating small armies of gnomes in the basement, though the way he was telling it suggested that each gnome was wearing armour and waving swords about in mortal combat. Rubeus said nothing the entire time, though Godric, whose mind was racing, could not understand how Alex had managed to cover so many rooms, though the way he told it, he knew every inch of the downstairs, and Rubeus was not protesting. It was then Godric began to wonder why they were having lunch when they’d only just arrived. He glanced at his wristwatch and the hour seemed to jump out at him, he thought they’d been there no longer then thirty minutes, possibly less. But they’d been there for a good four hours, what had he been doing all that time?
“- And there was all this filthy brown grass, it smelt really bad and was pretty soggy,” Alex’s voice broke suddenly through his train of thought causing him a new curiosity.
“What was it?” Godric asked now looking at Alex with narrowed eyes.
“Wrong question, Godric, the better question would be, where was it? I believe you have found the nest Mr Zander,” Rubeus spoke and Alex could not have looked prouder of himself.
Alex lead the way after lunch down many winding stairs through dank corridors of endless brick walls and cobble stoned floors, it was beginning to get cold, even the spiders seemed to not dare this part of the manor, and Rubeus seemed to be getting more and more anxious by the moment, though Godric wondered more then once f it was merely him projecting his own anxiety into his company.
They rounded a corner and came to the top of another flight of stairs, “This is it, it’s at the bottom there, fills a lot of the cellar,”
“This is no cellar my friend,” Rubeus spoke pulling out his wand and walking to the front, leaving Godric to bring up the rea, for which he was not at all pleased about. His skin was tingling all over as he shivered with cold. The threads of his clothing seemed to take the cold into them, amplifying the cool tingling sensation at the back of his shoulders, which constantly cased him to check behind him for someone else.
“Wands out,” Rubeus told them, more as an order then a suggestion, “And be on your guard, if this is the gnome nest there will be guards around it,”
“Nah,” Alex piped up, “There weren’t any last time I was down here, seemed pretty docile to me,”
“Yes Alex, but what you must remember is Godric and I were up stairs keeping the busy, I remember some time around when we started Godric dropped a log of wood into the foyer, it was loud enough to wake the dead,” Rubeus told the with a flash of a glance at Godric, they locked eyes for the briefest of moments before Rubeus went on, “I doubt it if not all of the guard gnomes down here didn’t rush to the surface to find out what was going on,”

[Koalingo Academy]

Alex pulled his wand out at this point, though Godric had his out from the very beginning. They started down the stairs very slowly, watching his feet to make sure he didn’t trip, Godric soon felt the cold air turn warm and blanket his body.
“Why’s it so warm down here?” Alex muttered as they continued on.
“Body heat, their nest is down here, you’ll find this is where they sleep and where their newborn’s will live for the earlier stages of their lives,” Rubeus announced as the walked further. They finally reached the bottom when something hit the back of his head softly. He turned slowly, dreading that it might be a small army of Gnomes but found there was nothing there. He couldn’t even hear the padding of feet scurrying off.
“What’ll we do first?” Godric heard Alex ask Rubeus though this didn’t register with him as his eyes started searching the ground for what had hit him.
“Well, we’ll have to burn it without letting any of them escape, which will mean staying perfectly silent until we lock off the entire area,” Rubeus spoke as Godric’s eyes caught a small round object and he bent down to pick it up, “If we kill enough of them in the fire chances are they wont relocate inside here, they’ll all make for the outside, where the dragon at the stairs will finish them off,”
“What happens if we don’t scare enough of them away?” Alex asked though no answer came as Godric’s lungs filled with air and he started screaming as he threw the object to the ground. Looking up there was a one handed baby, falling apart where it stood, one less hand upon its decaying left arm. The little hand lay on the ground with its wedding finger erect.
The nest seemed to come alive as it began to writhe ad grunt and squeal. Suddenly a small army of the largest of these gnomes appeared while smaller ones started running out of the back into pipes that led to the higher levels. Rubeus acted at once casting a spell that pinched all the pipes shut and stopped the gnomes from running off. The bigger gnomes standing up to them would not be so easy.
“Holy manure!” Alex shouted as he at all of the gnomes standing before him, they had small primitive weapons in their hands that they wielded about menacingly, grunting all the while and making threatening movements for the two wizards standing by it to back off. Godric’s eyes were still frozen n the baby, standing there watching him with a horrid smile planted not-so-firmly across it’s dilapidated face.
“Godric what the hell do you think your playing at,” Rubeus shouted, Godric’s eyes slipped from the baby for the briefest of moments as he tossed a sorrowful look at Rubeus, though when they returned to the stairs; the baby was gone, and the severed hand was no where near his feet.
“The baby…” Godric stared; his eyes still wide open and his face white as ivory.
“Godric?”
“Alex, forget it, these little bests are going to attack us, there is no other way for it, on the count of three, firestorm curse, alright?” Rubeus spoke shooting a few sparks at the gnomes that had dared come within a few feet of him.
“Fire what? Never head of it?” Alex muttered his attention more on Godric whom had backed into the corner, white as anything with his eyes open wide, seemingly in some sort of trance, “Godric are you ok?”
Godric stared up into his mates face, “Baby…” and nothing more
*
Godric awoke to find himself being laid down in his own bed, his father was standing by the door with his right hand glowing softly in a jade green. Godric didn’t say anything though he felt too tired, like he hadn’t slept for several days. Though when he heard talking coming from just beyond his door he just had to listen.
“I really have no idea what happened to him, though I know I should have removed him from the house the first time,” He could hear Rubeus saying though Godric soon discovered his father was not Rubeus’ only audience.
“What is wrong with his face, it’s all leathery, dried out?” Godric’s mother was speaking now, she sounded very concerned, motherly, and almost angry, most likely at Rubeus, “And he’s so pale”
“You should have seen him when we were flying back, there was layers of skin flaking off,” Alex spoke though Godric couldn’t decide whether Alex’s words were excited or concerned, “And when it started, Rubeus finished off the gnome nest with… what was it? Incendio tempes… tempes…”
“Incendio Tempestas,” Elwyn muttered with what sounded like an impressed tone, “Firestorm, rather over the top way of getting rid of a few gnomes isn’t it, Rubeus?”
“Not at all Elwyn,” Sylvia started up, “You know they are little vermin that must be stopped at all costs, and they destroy much needed vegetation that could be used for other animals…”
At this point Godric knew the conversation was going off in it’s own direction, this must have meant of course that all was well with him for now and whatever was wrong it would not be long before he got over it.

The next time he woke up, Alex was snoring loudly in the bed across the other side of the room that he had claimed for all of the holidays up until now. Sunlight was shining onto the edge of the terrace, which meant the sun was still in the east, and it was most likely early morning. He reached across for his wristwatch, which lay, on his bedside table. It was half past eight in the morning. Especially in this house, no one was out of bed for at least one more hour. His mother of course was an exception to this rule and would most likely be pottering around in the gardens. Sorting through the garden worms, which all had names from Allison and Alexander to Zena and Zani.
Godric clambered out from under his thick and heavy bedspread and crossed to the sliding glass door, which gave him access to the terrace. He walked out breathing in the crisp morning air, wondering why he never liked getting up so early, it not only smelt great, but there was an odd peaceful feeling about it that was very welcoming.
“Good morning sweetheart,” Lady Saphricorn walked to him and holding her grubby hands behind her back, kissed him on the forehead and smiled at him, “I was beginning to wonder which morning you’d awaken – your father seemed so determined to believe it would be this afternoon, though I told him you would not miss the last morning at home and would be up this morning,” she smiled, “Though you know how your father feels about early rising, and your so much like him,” she closed her eyes when she said this and pulled an adoring expression.
“Last morning? You mean… the holidays are over?” Godric looked flabbergasted, if the holidays were over and tomorrow he would return to Koalingo then he’d been sleeping for weeks.
His mother laughed lightly and shook her head, her sapphire eyes sparkling in the morning sunlight, “No Godric, Rubeus will be here this morning some time to pick you up for your little camping trip, we’ll all meet up in Diamond Cavern in a week.”
Godric beamed at these words, he had totally forgotten about the camping trip, “How’d he know I’d be up this morning?”
“Because I told him,” she winked at him still smiling serenely, “Now, I had Alex pack some things for you last night, though something tells me from the complete lack of chocolate in the pantry, that you may need to double-check to make sure you actually have things you’ll need Henry will be coming with you of course, so he can duck back any time you need something,”
Godric’s face fell, “Oh no, not Henry!”
“Your father thinks it would be good for Henry to get away from the house or Koalingo for once, you know he very rarely goes anywhere else,” His mother spoke in defence of the imp Godric disliked so much.
“Yes but there’s a reason no one likes taking him anywhere,” Godric went on thoroughly annoyed at being saddled with Henry the Imaginary Imp for an entire week which was supposed to be relaxing.
“Rick! Man, your up, and about time, I reckon, I was worried you’d sleep the rest of the holidays away!” Alex nearly shouted excitedly when he woke up to see Godric packing another bag with clothes and camping materials, his other, packed by Alex, had been completely filled with lollies, “Was a bit worried, we’re s’posed to be going camping with Rob!”
“And you wouldn’t have gone with out me?” Godric raised his eyebrows and smirked,
“Course not!” Alex smiled innocently and lumbered to the end of his bed where he tripped the bedspread and fell off onto the ground covered in the bedspread he’d entangled himself in, his pyjama shirt askew so that his right arm came out the same place his neck did.
Godric laughed and proceeded to pack his backpack while shaking his head at Alex. Alex scrambled up and proceeded to pull a jacket on, “What time is it anyway?” Alex yawned at last stretching and running his hands through his already messy blonde spikes.
“Dunno,” Godric muttered zipping his bag up looking rather solemn though just thinking, trying to recap on what had happened before he slept.
“I guess I better get moving,” Alex muttered grabbing a pile of clothes laid out for him by Nikko and making his way sluggishly towards the en suite.
Godric threw his bag onto his bed trying to recap, but in all honesty he couldn’t remember too much about what’d happened at Ruberagon manor. Though in his sleep he’d had flashes of a blackened face, like shrunken heads or something… he didn’t know, he couldn’t remember.
“Bit creepy you were,” Alex called through the noise of the shower slowing to a stop.
Godric looked up from finishing tying his shoelaces when Alex walked out drying his hair, his clothes hanging n him untidily.
“What do you mean?” Godric said more as an a way of humouring Alex then actually wanting to know.
“Well before you blacked out,” Alex told him as he buttoned his shirt up and slipped a baseball cap over his dripping tangle of gold spikes, “I think you thought I was Elouise or something?”
This made Godric turn his attention to Alex with befuddlement written clearly across his pillow-printed face.
“You called me baby,” Alex jeered throwing his wet towel at Godric who jumped aside just in time for Nikko, the house elf, to cop it in the face.
The two wheeled around apologetically looking at the elf as it spluttered and made sounds of displeasure at being hit by dirty laundry
“Sorry Nikko,” Godric apologised taking the towel from the elf’s shocked face and throwing it back at Alex, whom lumbered over apologetically, “Yeah sorry mate,”
“Sir’s are not needing to apologise to Nikko, Nikko got in sir’s way,” The elf mumbled seemingly worried about being punished.
“No, Nikko, you didn’t get in the way at all,” Godric started and Alex seemed to take his lead.
“Not at all, mate, in fact, we were playing a game and you caught the towel, you won!” Alex grinned and the house elf suddenly smiled weakly, clearly unsure if he had the right to win a game played by wizards.
“Master has told Nikko to tell young master and his friend that Mr Ruberagon is here to take them away,” Nikko spoke, seemingly horrified at the last three words.
“Excellent!” Alex’s grin spread from ear to ear as he hopped-skipped-jumped his way back across the jump of pillows, blankets, and clothing around his bed to slip his age-worn joggers onto his feet, gathering up his backpack as he did sloppily tripping his way back to the door. Godric’s reaction was nearly the same, though he gathered up his bag and stood silently and almost stiffly as Alex near-dropped everything before he got back to the bedroom door.
“Thanks Nikko,” Godric smiled at the house-elf, seemingly befuddled by the two teenagers reactions as they bounded out the door and away from the bedroom, along the green clad floor across the split-level lounge room spotless as always; and through to the dining room where Elwyn would no doubt be having his breakfast.
The two beamed when they saw Rubeus, sitting by Elwyn enjoying what appeared to be dry-toast cut into slices and a small glass bowl filled with crumb-ridden honey by a mug of steaming tea. His reaction at seeing the boys appeared the same as theirs for him.
“Good morning boys, I see you are awake, just as your mother told me you would be,” Rubeus smiled and Elwyn turned to greet his son also with a sparkling wink.
“How are you feeling?” he asked, though he did not sound overly-concerned, he no doubt could tell that Godric was fresher then the crisp-morning-wind and eager to set out.
“Could be better,” Godric answered with a smile, this was an Emerindyl family tradition, no matter how great you felt, you must always be optimistic that things could easily get better and the three words would never be used in any other context.
“That’s what I wanted to hear, nice couple days of rest would put anyone right,” Elwyn smiled as the two boys sat on the opposite side of Rubeus and house elves rushed in with two bowls of Godric and Alex’s favourite cereals and a jug of ice-cold fill creamed milk, which they got from the farm below them. Elwyn didn’t like muggle-shop milk; he always complained that it was far too watered-down and insisted on purchasing it directly from the local muggle dairy farm.
“I hope you don’t mind us leaving so early, boys” Rubeus started sounding annoyed though still some how exhilarated, “But Lucius would not come down here this morning, so we’ll have to pick him up on our way,”
“Lucius?” Godric asked, clear on whom but not clear on why.
“Lucius Sinister? You’ve got to be kidding, that guy hasn’t camped a day in his life, and I thought we were roughing it, you know, the muggle way? Tents, firelighters, bug-repellent and solar refrigerators, no magic” Alex started apoplectically, “It was going to be an adventure, I doubt that guy’s gone a day in his life without a wand, or a house elf to pick up after him,”
Rubeus started apathetically, “I know…” he sighed, “But of course, the lord and master Rubeus Ruberagon has persuaded him into coming, and now Lucius almost seems to want to come,”
“Why?” Godric and Alex whined in unison.
“I have no idea Lucius’ intentions, or what he’ll be expecting to happen upon this trip, but I promise you now, none of our plans will change, and Lucius will either have to put up, or leave,” Rubeus announced with a triumphant voice and Alex and Godric smiled seemingly accepting this.
Godric didn’t mind of course, he had little reason to worry about Lucius coming along, he knew the moment Lucius saw Godric was going, unaided by a house-elf and doing things the muggle-way, Lucius would rise to the occasion with whole-hearted competitiveness, though whether he would be triumphant, or fail dismally, Godric was yet to decide upon.
“Where are you going anyway?” Elwyn asked as the two boys looked up again gluing their eyes on Rubeus as he dipped a finger of toast into his honey, then his tea and then into his mouth.
“Down the coast a little, a little pocket bay further around from a muggle inhabited area named Callala Bay, of course muggles aren’t allowed to camp there, very out of the way, it is, though it should prove to be quite comfortable, s’long as these young gentlemen are up to a bit of physical hardship,” Rubeus raised his eyebrows to Alex and Godric.
Alex was grinning smugly and pulling a look that said very clearly it would be Rubeus whom would be struggling, and not he. Godric merely smiled, he’d meet the challenge when the time came.
There was a very brief moment in which Godric bade farewell to his mother and father and made his way down the front garden path towards a muggle car which was waiting in all it’s rusting glory. It was an old For Panel-van. Faded orange in colour so that it was almost impossible to see where the paint started and the rust stopped. Alex was jokingly sitting in the driver’s seat making rally car-driving noises until Rubeus looked at him with a look that said clearly enough ‘I-don’t-think-so’, and he quickly climbed over into the back.
“Where’s Henry,” Rubeus asked no one in particular as he turned and looked back at the lengthy house, built into the side of the mountain, the roof so over-grow with grass that it looked like part of the mountain.
Godric shrugged in case Rubeus had looked at him for an answer, and made his way around the back of the car. Opening it he was greeted quickly by a small stuffy area barely big enough for the luggage already there let alone Alex, whom had already started through his first bag of barley sugar boiled toffees.
“He really means it when he says n magic, dun he,” Alex muttered as he stretched his long legs out side-ways, not having enough room to do so sitting straight.
“I’m coming!” came high-pitched, annoyed sounding squeak of Henry as he lumbered along bags all over him towards the car, he looked as though he had packed more then the rest put together, and Godric had no idea at all how hey would manage to fit it all in, and Rubeus had already taken their wands from them, ‘just in case’.
“Henry, what on earth have you brought with you?” Rubeus seemed to be on the same wave lines as Godric.
“All of it essential, Master Ruberagon,” Henry screeched as he stopped behind the panel-van and dumped it all on the ground, expecting Godric to load it all.
Moments later a very disgruntled Imp was sitting aloft the pile of luggage as the rickety panel-van clattered its way down the drive, leaving behind nearly everything Henry had originally packed. Under the grounds that, Henry as an Imaginary being; able to conjure up anything he really needed; would not really need luggage, all he’d been permitted to bring was his tent, sleeping-hag, and his teddy-bear; for which he nearly ripped Rubeus’ arm off when he attempted to take it from him.
It took them ten minutes to reach the end of the drive and start along the muggle road. Other cars, much nicer then the one they were in, drove past them honking their horns. They all appeared to be going much faster then Rubeus who soon discovered he was travelling less then half the speed limit. Increasing speed adequately, they found the only problem people had with them after this, was when Alex started pulling faces at whichever car followed closely enough behind them to see him.
They’d passed through the muggle town very quickly, though by the looks of how slow the other cars were going, Godric supposed they were now driving too fast for this area’s speed limit, to which Rubeus announced, “Silly muggles, some times I do not understand them, drive fast here,, but no, not here…”
They were soon zooming along a tarred road that appeared to be heading towards the mountain Godric could see every morning when he woke. This was the highest mountain in this area and from the lookout at the top it was rumoured you could see right across the entire town, as if you were flying above it. There was trees either side of them as they approached the mountain, decreasing speed now to whatever the vehicle in front of them was doing, and keeping behind them for the next step of the journey which began to weave upwards.
To one side of the road there was sheer cliff faces and lush green foliage, vines crawling down the cliff faces, and in some parts, tree’s sprouting out of the walls and climbing towards the sky. To their left there was a sheer drop which plummeted too far for one who had never flown on a broomstick to think about.. Though the tree tops reached their level, some even going higher, it was easy to figure out that driving over the edge would mean a very nasty accident and very possibly death.
They rounded what seemed to be the point of the mountain where the road hooked around and started down the other side, though there was one track between the three that continued upwards more. Rubeus turned up into this as if he’d travelled this road a hundred times before, or at least seen it from above. The road was no longer tarred, in fact it was quite rocky, there were ditches in the road big enough to swallow the car tyres up in a second without accurate steering.
Then they rounded upon the top. And Alex, Godric could see, was staring through the windscreen with disdain. The towering blackened manor before them with it’s large charcoal black gates flanked by statues of dragons atop larges plinth’s of black marble, could only belong to one person; Lucius Sinister.
Lucius was a Ruberagon by blood. The Sinister line and the Ruberagon line blood related leading back to the birth of Lord Ruberagon’s father Regol Ruberagon, whose sister married into the Sinister family. A line of nothing but male child’s had not allowed the name to change since then, and it was always well known that the Sinister family, was in everyway; Ruberagon.
“I cant believe old Lucius lives in this house by himself,” Alex muttered as the gates opened slowly and Rubeus started driving up towards it, “It’s freaky enough just staring at it,”
“Well he doesn’t really live alone,” Rubeus spoke up, “There’s all the manor servants, and I could tell you, there are plenty of them – for many years dieing pure-blood families have married into the Sinister family for survival of their riches and hope for a pure-blooded future,” Rubeus told them, “As these pureblood families almost always ended in a single female heir, when they married into the Sinister family, their house-elf came with them – Lucius has many house-elves in his service, and that’s before you count all the human servants,”
“What about his parents?” Godric asked as they came slowly towards the looming manor, dark shadows moving beyond the windows.
“I heard he done away with them,” Alex muttered forebodingly.
“That’s not entirely truthful,” Rubeus told them as he pulled the old car to a halt, “He never killed them, they’re alive and well and living in a pond in the gardens behind the manor; impressive young man, able to transfigure people into amphibians in his first year,”