The Pursuit of Equilibrium

Obolus

Delicate fingers guided the coat belt carefully through the buckle and lashed the black fabric tightly around slim hips. A last look into the silver-framed bathroom mirror, in which moss-green eyes were reflected, and Cassandra was finally ready to start her journey to Hogwarts. The last conversation between her and her grandmother bore fruit. It was too risky to stay here. Mrs. Montague would have to plan and execute the necessary efforts on the political stage meticulously before her granddaughter could return. Patience was a virtue that she had to practice from now on.

She turned on her heel, stepped over the thresholds of her chambers for the last time, and headed towards the old wooden staircase of the mansion to descend to the foyer again.

There stood the tall, handsome gentleman, as he was told to, ready to pick her up. Zacharias Boniface's gaze rose to her figure wrapped in her elegant black traveling coat. His lips curled into a charming smile. "Miss Darque, are you ready to leave?"

Putting one foot in front of the other on the steps, she descended the long stairs when she caught Zachariah's words. She did not like the fact that her former tutor, of all people, would accompany her on her journey. But her grandmother's word was law between these walls, and opposition would only have resulted in further trouble. The stringent lady of the house did not know about the tangled circumstances that her granddaughter shared with her black-haired, involuntary appendage. It was in the interest of both parties that this remained the case.

"As ready as I can be. I guess," Cassandra answered curtly whilst her fingers let go of the handrail. She smoothed the heavy fabric with her palms before she walked up to Zacharias and put her hands in her lap. "Well then. Hesitation is useless. Let's go."

Zacharias nodded, turned to the large gate of the mansion, and pushed it open. With a gallant wave of his hand and a small bow, he complemented his protégé outside.

The soft morning sun touched the stone walls of the mansion and Cassandra blinked away her last nostalgic thoughts that she associated with this place. Together with Zacharias, she moved through the forecourt of the estate and when they had come to a halt in front of an ochre-yellow horse-drawn carriage, she turned to her companion with a puzzled expression.

"A postal coach, really?"

With a wave of his wand, Zacharias opened the carriage door. He smiled entertained as soon as he met Cassandra's questioning mien. "Well, nothing is as inconspicuous as the usual Muggle means of transportation, isn't it?" he replied amusedly and held out his helping hand to her so that she could grab it to get in comfortably.

But Cassandra ignored his noble gesture and crossed the step into the interior of the wagon on her own.

She waited patiently on the leathered bench while her companion instructed the house-elf Alfie to cautiously stow her suitcase in the luggage compartment of the carriage. She overheard how Zacharias gave the coachman final instructions before he finally sat down opposite her. The carriage began moving, and Cassandra caught a last glimpse of the Montagues' country estate before the coach turned into a curve.

She did not know the path that lay ahead of them. Her grandmother had not said a word to her. They were now traveling in a chugging stagecoach, which led her to conclude that they were probably about to leave the country via the adjacent pass road.

Some time passed in silence. It was unthinkable that they would travel to England on horseback. And although she did not like it, she brushed a strand of her chocolate-brown hair out of her face and addressed Zacharias without a second thought.

"I assume we're taking the route over the alpine pass?"

Zacharia's gaze turned away from the picturesque panorama he had enjoyed looking out of the window until now and nodded affirmatively.