The Four Figures

Chapter 12

                 First it was Helga who had broke. Then it was Salazar. 

"So you saw what me and Salazar had saw? But we battled..." Godric asked, leaning over the table, staring into Helga eyes. She was looking down, shaken by the events she witnessed. everyone was sitting next to and across from Helga, except Salazar who was pacing up and down. "Me and Godric? Battling? About what?" He asked, but Helga did not know what they did battle about. "It was over a girl. It seemed like someone was killed because you two kept blaming each other for 'her' and-" Helga stopped and didn't remove her gaze from the table. She stood up and called it a day, even though the sun was still beaming through the Great Hall windows. Before she had made her way out the Great Hall, she had a thought come across her. Staring at the open doorway without turning around, she asked Ignotus, "Before I touched that ball, I saw you doing magic without your wand" Helga said, finally turning on her heels, staring at Ignotus. This news had seemed to startle and shock everyone. Godrics intimidating gaze had now turned on Ignotus, who seemed to not be intimidated, but willing to share. "Ah, yes, me and my brothers are quite gifted". He said calmly. Rowena and Godric were still dumbfounded on why Salazar and Helga had taken this man back to Hogwarts. Helga did insist on it. "Brothers? there are more of you?" Godric asked, standing up. Ignotus put his hand up in surrender. "I am Ignotus, and there are Antioch, and Cadmus. We are quite gifted, but in my years, I have never seen such wise and power witches and wizards like you four". He was so well spoken Salazar was not persuaded and wanted to send him back from wherever he came from. Ignotus had streched out his hand across the table and opened his palm. A shimmering gold bird had appeared and glided in the air before Ignotus swiped his hand in a circular motion, and it vanished. "Not only are we gifted, my friends, we have, er, inherited some items" he said with a crooked smile. Ignotus had reached into his bag and pulled out his invisibility cloak. "I presume you remember my quite trustworthy cloak?" Ignotus was a cheery man, with nothing to hide. He was humble and kind, searching no fight. "What do you mean inherited?" Rowena asked. "As in all three of you have that cloak?" Ignotus let out a hearty chuckle. "No they inherited different things. My brother Cadmus gained a stone to resurrect loved ones. Specifically speaking, he wanted to bring back his wife who was killed by, unfortunately, the Killing Curse. She was a muggle. My eldest brother had received an elder wand, a wand more powerful than any other wand. More powerful than your four wands combined" his tone become serious. "But I am not in contact with Antioch, for he is drunk with that power. He killed an old foe not many fortnights ago". Ignotus seemed struck by telling this story. Helga, had sat down, listening intently to it. "How did you inherit these? Are they even... real?" Salazar had bitterly questioned. "ah indeed they are, Mr. Slytherin" He patted the cloak. "But how we-er- inherited them is a story for a different time. Off to start your school, eh?" Ignotus said brightly. 

         "Pardon you?" Rowena exclaimed. She was shouting at Salazar who said they should give Ignotus the boot. It happened quickly in the forest and Helga pleaded, for she did not want to leave the poor man to the Thestrals. "You two quit bickering. We are almost done!" Helga had snapped. She wasn't Hufflepuff  lately. She did not represent her House either. It had become different. In almost a years time, the group at slowly separated, reconnected, then separated again. Godric had predicted they'd all be dead once they get their first students foot through the door. "Me and Helga had not finished searching for transportation yet!" Salazar said, ending a pointless argument with Rowena. "Just Apparate you two! I know you want to avoid this castle anyways.." Godric made a bitter face towards Salazar. Clearly annoyed, Helga finished fastening her cloak and held out her arm for Salazar to take. "Off we go then" She muttered. Scowling, Salazar had gripped Helga arm. With a loud crack, they had vanished. A ways from the start of the dirt path they discovered, they appeared with another crack and stumbled a bit. Helga brushed herself off and fixed her hair in sheer annoyance. "Bloody hell..." Salazar muttered. Not only did they reach the very end of the path from Hogwarts, they were miles away, standing before a cliff and a quite long stone bridge. Although it did not seem like a bridge, it seemed as if something was pulled along it, like carriages. The towering bridge was placed miles high from the dangerously low ground. Helga looked down and saw nothing but a dark mist. Salazar had looked beyond. "How far does this thing go?" He asked, staring at what seemed like a never ending bridge. "I don't know but it looks dangerous" Helga said nervously. And with standing there for a few minutes, they had both come up with the idea of traveling this mysterious bridge. Of course, not by walking. 

       Apparition after apparition down the winding, towering, scary-looking bridge, the sky had painted itself indigo and a dark blue and stars started to blot the sky one by one. They seemed out of breath after they were very far from the castle. Very far. "How far?" Helga asked as they stumbled a bit and Apparated for the millionth time. Salazar huffed in annoyance while they both realized it was never going to end. "Got an idea!" exclaimed Helga excitedly. "Take my hand!" She said, beaming. Unsure and skeptical, Salazar had held her hand. "To the end of this bridge!" She yelled so loudly the birds down far below cawed and flew out of their nests. They had apparated, exactly, to the very end of this bridge. The two were back on sold dirt ground, relieved that the excruciating journey was quite over. Salazar and Helga turned around and saw that the stones to the bridge had ended a few feet ahead and before them, they saw the winding bridge under the star spotted sky. It had become so dark the two had pulled their wands out and whispered, Lumos, to create a bright glow on the end of their wands. "I Guess this is where it ends.... or starts" Salazar said as he walked down the end of the cobbly road where it seemed as if the stones started to diffuse and separate, leaving only a few stones here and there in the ground, if you  walked far enough. The snap of twig that was close by had startled the both of them, swiveling around in a flash, looking at the forest surrounding them. "Who's there?" Salazar said, pointing his illuminated wand towards the dark and deserted forest. A shuffle here and there scared Helga and Salazar, as they backed into each other. Salazar grabbed Helga hand, startling her. "We should go.." He whispered as neither of them took their fear-induced stare off the forest. Scurrying across the cobble bridge, a small, rather tiny, figured made its way to the other side of the forest. Neither of them spoke, for they were stunned with fear. Salazar had trembled, even worse than Helga. Salazar had broke. First Helga, now Salazar. He was not his House anymore as fear consumed him whole like a werewolf at a festival. His eyes gleamed with fear and the light of his wand had reflected it. Helga gripped his hand even tighter as they stood back to back, finding the thing that was preying on them. As soon as Salazar was about to Apparate, the thing came scurrying out into the conjoined wand light. "A Niffler!" Helga said, relieved. She had relax her body and let go of Salazar, but he was still tense. Quite cute thing it was. Four legged and small. Furry with black hair and a beak with webbed and padded feet. It trotted slowly to Helga who was now crouched down, with one arm out. The niffler was big eyed but had quite some claws on its webbed feet. "The bloody hell is a niffler?" Salazar asked, still holding his arm outstretched, knuckles white from gripping his wand. Helga had smiled and started stroking the niffler. "They are innocent creatures, Salazar, put your wand down. They are native to Britain and they have a knack for anything shiny. This little one came here for my necklace." She said, unclasping her yellow jeweled necklace and handing it slowly to the niffler. He had reached and grabbed it, gazing at it while his eyes bulged aviditly. Helga had picked him up, cradling the niffler who was clenching the necklace with all his might. "We should bring him back to the castle" She said calmly. Salazar acted like he was petrified and didn't say a word or moved. "We are not bringing that thing to the school" He said quite sternly. Helga had given him the most daring and brutal stare any man could have given and told Salazar she was taking the niffler. Before apparating back to the castle in the cool night Helga had corrected Salazar. "Its a niffler, not a thing " And while gripping Salazar hand and holding the niffler who was much more interested in the necklace, they vanished with a loud crack and headed home.