Rowena gently laid Helena down into her cot and stroked her forehead as she murmured softly and drifted towards sleep. She covered her over with a blanket and turned to Edyth, her nanny. –Could you watch her for a while in case she stirs again? I have to step out for a while.†Edyth nodded and Rowena left the cave where she had made her temporary home in the past months and headed out through the tunnels. High above, under the sky, it was now night, but here the torches burned constantly, lighting visitors through the tunnels. A few members of the Wizengamot and other hangers-on were out and about, looking for somewhere to stay overnight, but Rowena passed them by in silence and they let her go, leaving her to her thoughts.
She passed into a deep part of the cave complex and came to a narrow tunnel, which led to a dead end. A few feet from the end of the tunnel, a heavy wooden door had been erected across it to create a makeshift cell. A tall, thick-set and heavily bearded man stood in front of the door as a guard. –Raven’s Claw,†he acknowledged gruffly as Rowena approached.
–I’m here to see the prisoner,†said Rowena.
The guard looked uncertain. –Are you sure?â€
–I will not harm him, and he cannot harm me, not any more. I only wish to speak with him. It will not take long.â€
The guard thought for a moment. –Very well,†he said at last, –but I would ask you surrender your wand before going in there.â€
Rowena handed over her wand, and the guard raised his own and unlocked the door. He opened it and beckoned Rowena inside. The cell was only a few feet square and empty except for a crude wooden bench set up to act as both seat and bed. Sitting on the bench, staring at the ground, was Edwin. He looked up and there was a glint of fire in his eyes as he saw Rowena.
The cell door clanged shut behind Rowena. She stood in silence for a moment and the two stared at each other, unblinking. Then Edwin spoke, and his voice was soft. –Rowena, whatever did I do to you? How can accuse me of such a monstrous crime?â€
–Save your protestations, Edwin,†said Rowena coldly. –I know you are guilty. I know everything. I would not be standing here otherwise.â€
–How?†demanded Edwin. –What can you possibly think you know?â€
–I suspected you right from our first meeting in Jorvik, in fact. You let something slip when you admitted you had known Donald in the past. You said you had done business with him involving unicorn foals. The trouble is, my husband would never have traded in unicorn foals. He was passionate about magical creatures, that is true, and he cared a great deal about their welfare. With unicorns, separating a foal from its mother at any stage is not only dangerous but highly damaging to the foal and its wellbeing. Donald would not have countenanced that, so he would never have traded in them. So you had to be lying.
–I knew Donald’s killers had been English; the only strangers seen by the locals in the area in the last couple of days before his death had been heard speaking English. He was killed by the forest on the edge of our lands. There are small colonies of magical creatures in the forest and visiting them was his main reason for going down there. I know he wasn’t killed for money as I oversaw our finances and would have known if something was wrong. But he liked to keep his hobby private. So my assumption was his death had something to do with his hobby. The fact that your lie was in the same area attracted my interest.
–Still, that was hardly evidence; I only had suspicions. Plus it was coincidence of the highest order that you happened to own Helga’s old school. But then Helga was attacked as I arrived to see her. The attack had to be related to Donald’s death, that was obvious. But why target Helga and not me, and how did they know where to go? Only one person other than me knew I was going to Hufflepuff, and why I was going. That person was you.
–So by then I was convinced, but I needed proof. If I had succeeded in capturing one of those thugs that attacked me in these caves then I might have found proof much earlier, but alas I failed. After that, you became more cautious, sending people to follow me, keeping an eye on me yourself, to find out what I knew. So I had to act equally carefully. My travels promoting the Wizengamot gave me just the cover I needed. Your spies couldn’t follow me everywhere, nor overhear all my conversations. I have spoken with a great number of witches and wizards who have had much to say about you. I know all the details of your criminal operation: the thefts, intimidations and violence conducted over many years. I know many of the names of those you employ. You’ve turned my old school into a nexus for magical criminals from across Britain, all the while hiding behind your veil of respectability. Tomorrow I will stand up in front of the Wizengamot and reveal everything and you will be exposed for what you are: a crook, a thug and a murderer.â€
Edwin opened his mouth as if to protest, but looking into Rowena’s eyes seemed to think better of it. Instead, he said, –I admit nothing. But if you are so certain of my guilt, why are you here at all?â€
–To seek the answer to one last question: why? That you had a dispute is plain, but what exactly happened between Donald and your gang? What made you decide he had to die? These are the only unanswered questions I have left, and only you have the answers.â€
Edwin’s mouth twisted into a cruel half-smile. –You will get no satisfaction from me. As I said, I will admit nothing, I will confess nothing. If I can perhaps deny you some knowledge, then it is a small victory, Raven’s Claw. But I will say this; no man takes the life of another if he does not profit by it in some way, be it through money or power or the righting of some wrong done to him. As a man’s life is measured by his worth, so is his death. Such is the way of the world, as it always has been.â€
Rowena recalled the poem she had thought up earlier when speaking with Salazar as the Wizengamot convened. Some men dream of power, and some dream of glory... she thought to herself. Aloud, she said, –You’re wrong, Edwin. As I said to you once before, all life has value, and value beyond price. The true measure of a man is found in his wisdom, his honesty and his fairness towards others. And if a man should fail to meet those standards, then justice will find him out.â€
–Justice!†said Edwin, almost spitting the word out as if the taste of it disgusted him. –There is no such thing as justice. There is only power, and those that have it, and those that don’t. Right now, you have the power, and so you can exercise it and take the revenge that you believe is owed to you. You are no different to anyone else. But you will not have the power for ever, Rowena, and one day your turn to be measured will come.â€
–I do not believe in revenge,†said Rowena firmly. –It is a cancer that has infected our community, and it is my mission to stamp it out. That is why the Wizengamot was created, to ensure that justice is done, and to make revenge unnecessary.â€
–Believe what you want. Your Wizengamot may lay down laws, but it cannot change people’s hearts and minds. In the end, you will have changed nothing.â€
Rowena stood silently for a moment. Then she turned and banged on the cell door. –Guard,†she called out, –I’m done here.†The cell door opened. –Goodbye, Edwin. I suggest you find whatever peace you can.â€
Edwin did not rise from his seat, but looked up at Rowena coldly. –Remember what I said, Rowena. I have many friends out there. One day you may regret what you do here now.â€
Rowena did not reply, but stepped out of the cell. The guard closed and locked the door once more and returned her wand to her. Rowena left and headed up towards the great cavern. Try as she might, she could not stop herself thinking about some of what Edwin had said. Was he right? Would the Wizengamot really change nothing?
She entered the cavern. The vast space was almost empty and echoed with the sound of her footsteps. Two men stood alone in the centre, talking. They were Godric and Egbert, the new Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot. Rowena approached them. Godric greeted her warmly. –Is everything all right?†he asked.
–Yes. I have been to see Edwin.â€
–You did?†exclaimed Godric. –Did you learn anything? What did he say?â€
–Nothing, nothing of consequence. He refuses to confess. At least that will ensure that a full and proper trial will take place.â€
–Godric and I have just been discussing the trial,†said Egbert. –It is likely to be highly charged in here tomorrow and I was looking to Godric to help keep order.â€
–Above all remember this,†said Rowena. –The trial must be fair, scrupulously fair down to the last detail. I would rather Edwin were acquitted than this trial harm the reputation of the Wizengamot in any way. There are people on the Wizengamot who will speak up for Edwin; let them be heard, and heard fully. Question every piece of evidence I and others bring. Tomorrow may well be the day the Wizengamot defines itself. Do it well.â€
–I understand the responsibility, and it is a heavy burden to bear,†said Egbert. –Now it comes to it, I wonder if I was right to accept the appointment. There are surely others wiser and stronger than I who could have taken the job.â€
–But I doubt anyone so humble. We may only just have met, but from everything I have heard of you, I think the Wizengamot made the right choice. We are starting something new here, Egbert, and there is no guide to direct us. All we can do is each make the choices we believe to be right and trust they will be vindicated. Come, tell me something about yourself.â€
The three of them sat in the centre of the cavern and talked for some time, about Egbert, the Wizengamot, the trial and the state of the wizarding community in general. But all the time at the back of her mind, Rowena kept thinking of what Edwin had said, and of the poem that had been going around her head all day. What was her mind trying to tell her?
Suddenly her thoughts were interrupted as Edwin’s guard burst into the cavern. He rushed over to them. –He’s gone,†he exclaimed breathlessly.
The three of them leapt to their feet. –What do you mean, he’s gone?†said Godric.
–I was standing guard at the cell when a man I didn’t recognise approached,†explained the guard in between gasps for air. –I challenged him and he held up his hands to show he wasn’t holding his wand, but when he got close he must have got the jump on me somehow, because I was knocked out. When I came to, the cell door was open and Edwin was gone. I don’t even know how long I’ve been out. God, what have I done?â€
–Don’t be too hard on yourself,†said Godric. –Concealing a wand so it looks like one’s hands are empty is an old trick, but hard to spot quickly. Somehow one of his accomplices must have found out where he was.â€
–Rouse every man you can and start searching the caves,†Rowena ordered the guard. –We must catch him quickly.â€
–If he had help, surely he’s Disapparated and long gone by now,†said Godric.
–I don’t think so. I have to go,†said Rowena and ran off as fast as she could.
–Wait, Rowena, where are you going?†asked Godric, but Rowena didn’t hear. Fear had grabbed her and all she could do was hope she was wrong. Edwin was ruined whatever happened, he would know that. The truth about him would come out whatever he did, and he would be a hunted man the rest of his life. But the one thing above all that drove him was revenge. Rowena knew that, and if she read him right, there would only be one thought in his mind right now: to take revenge on her. She ran down the tunnels as fast as she could.
She burst into her home. There, at the entrance to the nursery, lay Edyth on the floor. She was alive but unconscious. Rowena leapt over her into the nursery. Helena’s cot was empty.
A searing spasm of pain shot through her and her knees buckled as she stared down at the empty cot. A cloud of darkness spread in front her eyes and for a moment she thought, she hoped, that the ground would open up and swallow her whole and take her down into darkness. Edwin had known how to hurt her the most. To lose Helena would be the one suffering she could never hope to endure.
She fell to her knees in front of the cot, desperately trying to regain control of her thoughts. Her mind raced. Where would he have gone? she thought. What would his next move be? Think, Rowena, think! Then, all of a sudden, it came to her. She knew. Edwin could not pass up such an opportunity. There may still be hope, still be time. She jumped up and ran out.
So often had she taken the route that she could have done it blindfolded. She knew every stone and obstacle as she ran, and could avoid them all. She ignored the pain in her legs and the tears in her eyes as she sprinted on. Within a minute, she was there. She tore into the Chamber of the Veil.
Edwin and his accomplice had climbed up on to the outcrop on which the arch stood. Edwin had Helena in his arms. –Edwin, we can’t do this,†his accomplice was saying. –Come on, we have to get out of here before...†He never got a chance to finish his sentence because Rowena’s Stunning spell struck him in the side and he collapsed to the ground. Edwin wheeled round immediately, his back to the veil. His right hand held a wand pointed at Rowena, his left held Helena to his chest. She cried loudly and struggled in his grip.
–Damn you, Raven’s Claw,†he snarled. –How did you get here so fast?â€
–This is where that lackey of yours died. A man like you would think it only fitting to take your revenge here.â€
–That ‘lackey’ was a close friend of mine. The man with him was his brother. Would that have occurred to you? A life pays for a life, Rowena. Yours is too hard to take, but hers...†He took a half step backwards, closer to the veil.
–No!†screamed Rowena. Her wand arm was shaking and she fought to keep her wand steady. –What sort of monster are you, to take an innocent child’s life?â€
–What else have you left me? I have no life to return to, no future to look forward to. All I have left is my revenge, and at the least I can take that.â€
Rowena’s mind was racing, trying to think of some spell she could use, but there was nothing she could do that wouldn’t risk harm to Helena. Edwin was just one step in front of the veil. –Only one man is responsible for your friend’s death through that arch, and you know it,†she said. –That man is you. You sent him here, to launch an unprovoked murderous attack on us. His death is on your head, not mine.â€
Helena was continuing to struggle in Edwin’s grasp, and Rowena began to fear Edwin might drop her. She could crack her head or slip through the veil. –What about my death, then?†Edwin snapped back. –Even if it be by a hangman’s noose, you have surely ended my life.â€
–But right now, your life is still your own, Edwin. You still have a choice to make. Your life up to now may have been made of poor choices, but you still have a chance to turn away and do a good thing at the last.â€
–Poor choices? I don’t regret a single choice I’ve made in my life. I was born with nothing, the son of a cobbler, with no magical ancestry. My family rejected me. I had to fight my way up, battle for everything I could get. You and your friends, born into privilege, you have no idea what it’s like. You live among people like Slytherin, who despise the likes of me.â€
Perhaps if I just keep him talking, he may see reason, or more help may come, Rowena thought. –I know all about the bad blood between you and Salazar; I have talked to him long. He may not have known all the truth about you, but he rightly suspected you. He told me many stories about you which led me on the path to the truth.â€
–Ha! I bet he did. And, oh, the stories I could tell you about him in return. How well do you think you know that man, Rowena? Tell me this, did you really think he knows so much about everyone simply by travelling and meeting people? No, he can see their thoughts. He can read minds. That’s where he gets his knowledge. Can you really trust a man like that?â€
Rowena hesitated, unable to think of an immediate response, but at that moment Helena nearly wriggled free from Edwin’s grasp. Edwin looked down briefly as he sought to regain his hold on her and Rowena took her chance. –Expelliarmus!†she cried, and the wand sprang out of Edwin’s hand.
Edwin cursed, but took hold of Helena in both arms. –Don’t move,†he commanded, but instead Rowena took her own wand and sheathed in inside her robe, and began to walk down from the entrance. –No more magic now, Edwin,†she said. –No one else, just you and me. This is your free choice now. Whose life will you take? I offer you mine, in exchange for my daughter’s. Spare her and do what you have to do. But first let her go.â€
Edwin looked from Helena to Rowena, a cloud of doubt appearing on his face as Rowena continued to advance towards him. Rowena saw it. –Look at her,†she said firmly. –Look at Helena. Have you ever looked into the eyes of anyone you’ve killed? From a distance with a wand, or from far away with an order to someone else, that is quite different. Face to face, to kill is not so easy. Look at her, Edwin. Look at her. Now look at me.â€
Edwin looked down at the crying infant in his arms, then up at Rowena, open armed, still walking towards him. His resolve had gone; he was paralysed by doubt, unable to act. –I will not face the gallows,†he said, his voice cracking.
Rowena reached the bottom of the outcrop on which the arch stood. –Be a man, Edwin,†she urged, –and make your choice.â€
Edwin’s legs seemed to buckle beneath him and he slipped to his knees. He let Helena slip to the ground in front of him and she tottered forward a few steps as Rowena dashed up the outcrop to embrace her daughter. She looked up at Edwin. –Thank you,†she said and held out her hand. But Edwin did not take it. Instead, he got to his feet again and turned to face the veil.
–Can you hear them?†he said. –The voices, they’re calling to me. I think they’ve been waiting.†He looked back. –I meant what I said. I will not suffer the noose.â€
–Edwin...†said Rowena weakly, but Edwin held up a hand.
–My choice is made. Go, live. Make your better world. It is not for me. But I leave you with one last warning. Do not trust Salazar Slytherin. One day, I promise, you will regret you ever made alliance with him. Farewell.†He turned, pushed aside the veil, and stepped through the arch. He gave a last gentle sigh, and faded into nothingness.
When a group of wizards, led by Godric, arrived in the chamber a few minutes later, they found Rowena sitting on the outcrop, sobbing uncontrollably, Helena clutched tightly to her chest, all her composure that she had fiercely held in front of Edwin gone. For an hour they could not move her and she remained, pouring tears onto Helena’s head and wrapping her in her arms, unable to imagine ever being able to let her go.