Returning Home

A Day for Friends

That next morning Gwyn woke up with a new drive and determination. She had spent the night once again projecting her body into the unknown Forrest of her dreams and relaying the events of her day to Tom. Ever since he had found a way to ask about Nagini she was certain that he was listening when she spoke and it calmed her to be able to tell him everything even if she couldn't hear him speak in return. She got up from her bed and renewed the warming and cooling charms for her companions, moving over to her desk and taking out her lists that she had started when she first returned.

There was nothing much that she could add to the list about Tom. All she knew for certain was that he seemed to be in a Forrest somewhere. However on her list of things to do she added finding out more about Aunt Bella and what had happened with her, Sirius's trial and finding Pettigrew. The last task on the list felt as impossible as finding which Forrest Tom was in. Pettigrew had the advantage, it had been nearly a decade since the events of that night had passed and he had the added advantage of being a rat. The man could quite literally be anywhere.

She sighed heavily as stood from her desk, not yet wishing to wake her companions as she quietly selected her clothes for the day and went to shower. While the water ran over her, she let her thoughts wander. If she were Pettigrew and had betrayed her friends to someone like he had, she would have left the country the moment someone else had taken the fall for the crime like Sirius had for him. She wasn't sure yet how she was going to tell Harry any of this or even if she should. All of the information would come out during the trial anyway, and she had no real explanation to give him on how she knew without also explaining that she was the master of Death. As much as she loved her cousin she didn't think he was quite ready to know that detail yet.

Once she was done with her shower she got dressed, choosing to leave her hair in one long braid for the day. She went for one of her usual summer dresses and decided at this point that she just had an aversion to pants. There was no other explanation for it. Once she was dressed she slipped her journal with the notes for the girding potion into the pocket of her dress and smiled over at her animal companions and cancelled the charms around them, bringing them back into the land of the conscious. Nero was the first to stir, raising his head to look at her.

'Well good morning sleepy head. Did you sleep well?' She asked with a smile in her voice.

'Of course I did until someone so cruel turned off the heat.' The grumpiness in his voice made her want to laugh.

'Apologies. I just thought you all might like to come down with me to wake everyone else up for breakfast.' At the mention of being around the others Nagini poked her head up from her coils.

'You do not think they will be afraid of me?' The hesitance in her tone caused Gwyn's smile to switch from one of amusement to one of reassurance.

'No, Nagini I don't think they'll be afraid you. I think they'll love you.' She reached her arm out to allow them to slither around her. 'And if they cannot see your greatness then I may have to reevaluate my friendships with them.'

'No, little hatchling will not lose friends on my account. I will just have to not be scary.' Nagini nodded as both she and Nero wound their ways around her.

'Never change Nagini, you are who you are and who you are is wonderful.' She reassured the great snake again and gave both of them a gentle scratch on the top of their heads, and one underneath Artemis' beak once she settled onto her shoulder.

With everyone settled into place, Gwyn left her room and headed down onto the floor below. She knew that Harry would already be awake and waiting for her downstairs. She decided to wake Theo first, he could help her wake the others. She went into his room quietly and had to bite her lip to keep from laughing when she caught sight of him. He had fallen asleep directly in the middle of the bed with the book he had been reading now resting open on his face. She walked over to his bed and gently removed the book so as to not wake him just yet. She grabbed a bit of parchment off of the desk next to the bed and slipped it inside of the book before closing it. Once that was done she crossed her arms and cleared her throat.