THE FIFTH FOUNDER ⚡️ [h.p./founders era]

Twenty-Nine

I ran. I ran as fast as I could.

I'd seen Godric upset before, but never like this. After I'd told him what happened, everything was a blur.

"He loved you!" He screamed at me. "You did this to him and he loved you!"

His eyes were so full of rage that, for a moment, I wondered if fire would shoot out of them.

He ran after me, his fury causing him to catch up to me with ease.

I had no idea where Helga or Rowena was, but I could almost guarantee they were on his side. Why wouldn't they be?

I didn't have a choice. I would either have to lose Godric or face him. And by the looks of it, I wasn't going to lose him. I would be a fool to try and face him, especially with him so uncontrollable. But I deserved it.

So I stopped. I pulled out my wand and I turned around.

Godric stopped too, almost surprised that I would even make a decision so sudden.

He surveyed me with his burning eyes, unsure of how to go about this. I knew he wanted to kill me right then and there, but he was too just to do that. And if he did kill me, he would be just as "evil" as I was.

He gripped his wand so tightly that his knuckles were turning white. I knew he didn't know what to do first, and I was not going to make the first move.

If I were smart, I would have apparated right there. I would have gotten out of there before either of us got hurt and I would run away without looking back.

Unfortunately, I was not smart.

Godric sent the first spell and I blocked it too easily. This was his warning, his test, before he would send anything truly harmful. He wanted to see how badly I would fight back.

Before I could cast anything toward him, he sent another blow. Once again, I blocked it, but he kept sending them, spell after spell. His warnings were turning into rage. His patience was being replaced by the thought of his best friend, his brother, lying on the cold stone floor.

I could see in his eyes he no longer saw me as a human. He saw me as a temptress, a deceiver. In his mind, I manipulated everyone for my own wellbeing. In a way, I understood is rage. I imagined he was thinking of Rowena and Helena, especially.

If the roles were reversed, I would be doing the same thing to him.

There was nothing I could do to fix what I had done. I wanted to sit down and cry like everyone should be able to do when they are in mourning. But no one tells you what to do when you are responsible for your loved one's death.

I had experienced death more than any human should ever have to in their lifetime, and mine spanned out over only a few years. Yet, no tears were spilling this time. My eyes were dried up.

Instead of thinking about the one I lost, this time I had to be selfish and think of myself. Because if I didn't, Godric Gryffindor would kill me.

I had to think of way to get the upper hand. I knew there was no chance I was going to beat my opponent, but I had to find an advantage just long enough to escape. My chances were looking lower and lower, because at the moment, I was barely just surviving.

With every blow he sent toward me, I took a step back until we were close to the edge of the forest. Neither of us were familiar with the forest next to the castle, but I knew if I could run in there and hide, I would not be at such a disadvantage.

I blocked another spell and I took off at a run again, this time weaving in and out of trees. I had to be careful not to trip on anything or get my skirt caught on any branches. This was already harder than I planned, especially with Godric still mindlessly throwing any spell he could think of toward me.

Most of his spells were hitting the trees that I was weaving in between, but one flew so close to my face that I almost thought I was done for.

I had to find a place to hide and fast.

I kept looking around for a cave, a nook, a burrow, anything. There was nothing.

With every passing moment, Godric was closer to catching up with me.

I had thought about death often. I had even dreamed of it so much that it didn't seem like it would ever happen to me. But now that I was so close, I realized that I had so much more life to live.

And that's when I saw them.

There were hoof marks on the ground, many of them. We weren't alone in this forest.

I took off in a sprint again, knowing that this may be my last shot.

I kept my eyes on the ground and followed the hoof marks, hoping and praying they would lead me to something. If I could only distract Godric, then I might have a real chance of getting away.

My instinct was correct and I quickly found the source of the marks. However, I didn't stop to consider how this option was potentially much worse.

I saw them before Godric did. They were unlike any creature I had ever seen before. Somehow half man, half horse. I wasn't even sure if I'd learned about them before.

Godric was still sending his curses toward me and this time, instead of blocking it and sending it back, I simply dodged it and let it fly past me.

The curse hit one of the creatures right in the middle of its chest, but it barely made a scratch. It was, however, enough to get the attention from the entire herd. It was at this moment I found a tree and I climbed, because I knew Godric wouldn't be able to fight me from above and all of the creatures down below.

He was confused as he looked up at me, climbing with no escape plan, but he soon noticed the creatures charging for him. He had no choice but to run the other way or fight them.

It was a well known fact that Godric was not the brightest when it came to decision making, but he knew when to give up a fight. And soon, he was gone.

I was safe.