The Sallow Saga (Volume 3) A Hogwarts Legacy Fanfiction

Chapter 1. The Monthly Review

One single crack shot of gunfire echoed across the silent valley. Natty raised her head in alarm with the rest of the herd of gazelle. While the wild deer fled for safety, Natty stood still, breathing in the distinct smell of conflict. Her ears turned toward the sound of the turmoil that she could distinguish as taking place due south of her current location, moving closer to her slowly but surely. Recognising that she and the herd were in direct line of fire should they stay within the same patch, she turned tail and fled in the direction of the rest of the gazelle.
She'd been an animagus long enough to know when and how to project an energy of controlled anxiety that would impact on the rest of the wild creatures around her. As hoped, the rest of the crowd sensed her energy and while she bolted toward a safer direction, the rest of the gazelles followed her closely. They eventually came to rest in a shaded grove full of lush vegetation hidden behind an outcrop of tall shrubs and trees. Natty tasted the scents on the air and was relieved to conclude that there were no immediate predators in the immediate area. This included the army of British muggles who had traversed across to Matabeleland to mine minerals and in turn establish its own forceful officers of the law to subdue any rebellious acts conducted by the Shona, the muggle home residents of Matabeleland. Everything was ill at rest and conflict was never too far away from the Keeper's safety zone.

The herd of gazelle around her set to the important task of grazing, while Natty skulked away from the group behind an abandoned and crumbling shack. There was a brief sound that was not unlike that of a pile of dry leaves being danced upon before Natty slunk around the perimeter of the hut, back in her human form and slipped through the door that was barely hanging to its frame. She picked up a hot pink, long and elaborate fwooper feather from the corner of the space she found herself in, hidden behind the door. The room around her immediately shifted as she held tightly to the feather; the temperature dropped dramatically as she staggered, slightly disorientated into the main entrance hall of the Gilded Perch. Natty unsteadily collapsed into a cosy armchair to allow herself a moment to gather her bearings.

The entrance hall had been renovated to a phenomenal standard by each of the Keepers of the Peace; Cassy, Sebastian, Ominis, Poppy, Garreth and herself. Before their move there, it had been a derelict underground bunker, barely holding itself together. Each of the Keepers had been allocated a section of the underground space to renovate and design, however the main hall had been a group effort.
Highly polished blue brick floor tiles with a reinforced glass tiled art piece in the centre, had been the work of Ominis Gaunt. Blind since birth, the change of terrain under his feet provided him with an indication of where he was in the vast space. Cassy had worked wonders with the intricately designed pillared alcove walls and arched ceiling. She'd coloured the walls with a natural earth shade, reasoning that they were in a bunker underground, so it was somewhat fitting. She had taken some liberty to cover the once plain brickwork on the wall with a range of mythical illustrations, copied with care from her mother's old tea sets that she had on display on the few shelves carefully positioned around the room, a constant reminder to all of a time when they had thought they had lost her completely. Poppy had surprised everyone by demonstrating her artistic capabilities with embossing a range of magical beasts and creatures inside each cornice. While Sebastian had conjured displays for their accumulated awards and trophies from school and in the auror division. Finally, Garreth had ensure that the hall had a welcoming air for those who stopped by, usually Minister Spavin or one of their old Hogwarts Professors, with an ever-growing collection of home-made sweets and tonics.

Jovial whistling broke through Natty's reverie. Spotting her seated on one of the comfortable armchairs looking peaky, Garreth smiled encouragingly.
"Nice of you to swing by!" Garreth's light-hearted air was just what she needed to hear.
Natty smiled weakly. Travelling by portkey had never been her favourite way to get from one space to another; "hello Garreth, I'm not too late for the afternoon review, am I?"
"On the contrary," Garreth grinned, "you're just in time. I'll be serving as spokesman for Poppy though, so do be patient; I can barely make sense of some of her notes. Erratic as always, y'know?"
Natty rolled her eyes, "spokesman? Would this be because...?" she opened her mouth and lifted her tongue, giving Garreth a questioning look.
Garreth sighed, "indeed. No matter how many times Cassy and I stress otherwise to her, Poppy is adamant that being an animagus is one of the safest ways of getting up close to poacher camps without allaying suspicion."