“LET ME OUT! NOOOOO, STOP IT, PLEASE!”
The screams that echoed out of the back of the jailhouse were shrill and desperate. Every so often I heard the crack of whip and an anguished sob, a stumble and a clang, as if something was hitting against metal bars.
Godric, who was walking next to me, cringed every time he heard something, and twitched as if he wanted to run towards whatever was happening. I put my hand on his shoulder, gently restraining him, and Salazar gave me a wry grin, which I returned.
“Relax, mate,” he said to Godric, fingering the badge pinned to the front of his tunic, identifying him as a member of the royal family. “You can’t rescue the damsel in distress until they let us in to see her, and you’re not the one who’s particularly important in achieving that goal. I promise, though, you can be the first one to kiss her poor despondent face and”“
“All right,” Godric said, exasperated. I giggled and he frowned at me. We reached the door and Salazar walked through, his rather quiet and contemplative demeanor changing immediately into one that radiated self-confidence and power. I was surprised that the jail keeper didn’t immediately fall bowing at his feet in the face of such apparent majesty. Godric and I followed him, keeping our faces impassive.
“We wish to see Helga Hufflepuff,” Salazar said commandingly. The jail keeper quailed under his bold gaze, eyeing Salazar’s royal badge momentarily.
“Fine,” he said, turning to look down the hallway. “Peter! Leave the girl alone. She has visitors,” he called, and a sweaty, nasty looking man walked up to the desk next to the jail keeper.
“You sure you want the lady to see her?” the man called Peter said, staring at me skeptically. “The girl’s a real mess.”
“I am perfectly equipped to deal with any such “messes” I may see. You will let me pass, as the daughter of Governor Ravenclaw,” I told him, slightly insulted. Godric placed a hand on my arm, as if to reassure me that I shouldn’t be.
The jail keeper gave a short bow, and Salazar brushed past him without responding, simply taking the key to Helga’s cell. Godric and I followed, but I couldn’t help giving Peter a stony glare as I passed. We walked through the jail, hearing the soft moans of the other prisoners, who mostly looked like smelly, dirty heaps on the floor.
That is, until we got to Helga’s cell. She wasn’t smelly, or in heap, but she was dirty. I could tell that she was beautiful though, underneath the grime. Her reddish blonde hair was thick and wavy, hanging almost to her waist. Her face was round and streaked with tears, which mixed with the blood from numerous scratches on her cheeks. Her nose was running, and she was still crying, her green eyes wide and hopeless.
Salazar opened the door to her cell, and stepped inside, staring down at her curiously. She looked up at him, clearly wondering what kind of fresh torture was in store for her. I stepped inside behind Salazar, and Godric rushed past me, kneeling on the floor beside her.
I shut the door to the cell, after making sure Salazar had the key. To give us some extra security, I tapped it with the stone pendant I wore around my neck. I had learned a simple spell from the magic book that made doors soundproof. The pendant was to channel the magic. I had been learning a lot in the past week…
“Who are you?” Helga whispered, her voice gentle. “What do you want?” She looked from Salazar, who was still studying her closely, to Godric, who was watching her concernedly, to me. I was first to speak.
“Helga, why are you in jail?” I asked, examining her just as intensely as the boys were. Her answer would determine everything.
“Because they think I’m a witch. They think I can do magic,” she said, her eyes both hopeless and defiant. “They think I’m the devil.”
“Are you?” said Salazar.
“No,” she replied. “I’m not the devil. But I do wish I could do magic.”
“Helga,” said Godric, reminding me immensely of this time last week, “do you believe in magic?”
She trembled for a moment, watching us. She tore her gaze away from Godric and looked at me. I tried to convey all my reassurance and hope for her through my very eyes.
“Yes,” she whispered.
“We have some things to tell you,” I said, seating myself on the floor next to Salazar, facing her dead on.
We explained the magic to her, how it was real, and how the book told us everything. We explained how we were the only ones who believed and had the power to do the spells. When we finished, she looked scared.
“We have this power. Just us,” she said. I could tell she understood the vast implications of such incredible knowledge, just as I did. “That’s scary.”
The boys and I nodded in unison.
“Hold it,” she said, comprehension dawning on her face. “I’m going to be put to death next… next week,” she continued, faltering a bit at the thought of her impending doom. I noticed Godric subtly entwine his fingers in one of her hands. She looked at him, smiling, and went on, “Can you stop me from dying?”
Salazar paused, looking at Helga and Godric’s clasped hands, and then he looked at me, a clever grin on his face. I smiled mischievously back, but in a way that clearly meant: We can tease him about it later… Salazar, Godric and I had gotten very well in sync with each other over the past week, and he clearly got the message.
He turned back to Helga, saying, “No, we can’t stop you from dying. But we can stop the flames from hurting you.”
Godric quickly outlined our plan, which depended on one thing: one of us learning freeze fire in the next week. Hopefully, this would not prove impossible. The task had been left mostly to me, and I still hadn’t the heart to tell any of them how badly my work was going. I couldn’t figure out how to channel the magic properly, but I wasn’t about to say anything. I refused to disappoint Helga, whose face was now shining with hope.
“…But we don’t know if the spell’s going to work or not, so we all best hope for Rowena to come up with something brilliant,” Godric finished, looking proudly at me. I gave a weak smile. Salazar, who had lapsed into a thoughtful reverie for the past few minutes, finally spoke.
“We should make a vow,” he said decidedly. “So that no one can betray us.”
“Why should we need one?” Helga asked, a note of reproach in her voice.
“I don’t know. I just thought… better safe than sorry, I guess,” he said, trailing away vaguely.
“I like it,” Godric cut in. “Only, instead of promising something, let’s tell each other a secret. Something no one else knows.”
“Yes,” said Salazar, suddenly inspired. “If you’re with us, say the deepest and most desperate desire of your heart,” he finished, putting his hand in the middle of the small circle our four bodies had somehow formed. The only light in the cell came from the one sputtering candle I had lit an hour before, and it played spookily across his sharp features as he said his greatest desire.
“To have power.”
Godric placed his hand on top of Salazar’s, and whispered so that the candle flame danced, sending wavy shadows on the walls.
“To be honored.”
Helga’s tears had vanished and her eyes were oddly fierce and glittering in the candlelight as she spoke, resting her thin hand on Godric’s.
“To be loved.”
I looked at their faces in the half light, feeling the thrill and fear of our own great power course through me. Magic could come back. It could. The glory of bygone days could return. Resolve to make it happen filled my heart, and I laid my hand on top of Helga’s, sealing the circle of trust, and speaking my greatest desire aloud.
“To understand.”
We held our hands there for a moment. I could have sworn I felt the magic coursing through our interlocked fingers. The entire earth seemed to hold its breath, until Godric spoke, his voice full of courage.
“This is it. We’re the ones who are going to bring the magic back. I can feel it.”
Only Those Who Believe by smiley10792
Chapter Notes: Enjoy, and remember to give me your opinion!
All you recognize belongs to the wonderful JKR.