Ravenclaw

Chapter 44- Maybe

Song for chapter: Lost Stars by Adam Levine

~

     It was the day they expected land to be upon them soon; but they knew that that would happen out of pure luck.
     Or maybe not.
     The sun's rays were reflected by the ocean and into the weary eyes of the travellers who have been spending months at sea. They looked forward to finally reaching a surface that wasn't constantly bobbing up and down, left to right, always needed manoeuvring and  monitoring.
     Rowena pulled her coat closer. She wasn't protecting herself from the cold; she was protecting herself from what was to come.
What was to come?
     She felt a warm hand on her shoulder. Cepheus was smiling at her. "Snow is beautiful, isn't it?"
     Rowena gave him a strange look before chuckling. "Sure is, Cepheus." She turned to face him, and gasped halfway.
     The sand was a beautiful shade of stained white, the waves softly crashing onto its shore. The sand was littered with pebbles, and as it slowly melted into the pale green grass, snow laid on the ground in heaps. A small path was made through the snow as villagers, magical or not, trudged down the path to the beach, where several boats were anchored.
     "Land," Rowena murmured, smiling as Cepheus expertly cast an invisibility spell on the boat in order to hide the propeller as well as the boat. He anchored the boat far away from the town, and started packing up.
     Rowena, on the other hand, grabbed a sack and filled it with some wooly blankets and supplies-- it would take at least a day to make it to the heart of London, and maybe a good two to three  hours,maybe more, to make it to Hogsmeade.
     And then the plan had to fall into place. The difficult plan.
     Rowena looked up; Cepheus had a similar sack and was filling it with supplies as well, albeit a little faster. She sighed and dropped her packed sack before grasping her wand and standing.
     "I guess this is goodbye."
     As she turned on her heel, Cepheus grasped her hand tightly in his. Rowena gasped, eyeing the move before making eye contact with Cepheus.
     He was hesitant-- admit? No, he thought, not now.
     But if not now, when? This was probably the last he would see of her, and plus, he needed to get Orion and Uni. He had already mentally made the decision, so why couldn't he just tell her he would come with?
Because he wanted to admit other things. If now was the time to admit, then he might as well do so. Tell her what he, Cepheus Lupin, felt about Rowena, because she was the first person to not kill him after finding out his secret.
"Rowena I'm coming with you," he blurted out, letting go of her hand. She surprisingly accepted. But did she accept what came next?
"And there's something else, too."
At this, she frowned; more secrets? How many more did she have to face? At this point, she really loathed secrets, though she kept some herself.
"What is it, Cepheus dear?"
     Hesitation. Did he really want to tell her?
     Cepheus bit his tongue. "Never mind."

~

     5 minutes or so later, the boat was firmly tied to the shore, anchor in place, hidden in a little mangrove swamp that was dying; the invisibility spell still had to remain since the trees gave little cover.
     Heaving a heavy sack over his shoulder, Cepheus lugged the potato sack up the sandy hill, while Rowena calmly walked up the hill, the backpack Uni gave her hanging loosely off her shoulder.
     Cepheus stared at her in surprise. "How-- What..?"
     Rowena merely chuckled. "Give me the sack," she instructed. When Cepheus hesitated, she laughed. "Accio sack!"
     The sack came flying and she expertly grabbed it. She stuffed it into the backpack effortlessly, and continued walking as if it was no big deal.
     "Undetectable Extension Charm," she explained, much to Cepheus relief.
"No one will know we are using it, and plus, it's not going to be a strain on my shoulders." She continued leading the way, using her wand like Cepheus did; as a compass, and every now and then checking it.
     Though she had to do it in secret-- they were in a Muggle village. But if they garnered attention, they would be brought straight to the Committee Of The Magical Community Headquarters. However, being brought as a delinquent to the COTMC HQ would tarnish her reputation.
     They would have to pass through 22 towns-- maybe more-- and they certainly wouldn't be walking forever. Two days. Two days, three maximum.
     A lot could happen in two days.
     For example, Cepheus might not be able to restrain himself from telling Rowena his true feelings. Like how he was unable to as he stumbled after her as she made a turn into a large stretch of land with only a dirt path to walk on. The seaside town was minimalistic, and they lived on seafood to provide for themselves, so this land was unused; though it was maintained for those who insisted on having proper farms with animals, they didn't really use much land. What was once trimmed grass filled with hay bales slowly turned into wild weeds sprouting from the darker green grass that had towering trees that grew larger in numbers.
     The day was already dimming-- the setting sun was turning the sky beautiful shades of pink and orange, and the clouds slowly made way for the stars and moon to contrast against the deep violet of the sky. They fatigue worsened; they needed to rest.
     Wiping the beaded sweat of her forehead, Rowena marched off towards the dense forest, Cepheus quickly following suit. A few moments later, he saw her at the base of a tree, shrouded in the shadows.
It was perfect; there were bushes at the base that thrived in the sunlight that seemed to shine through that part. There was also a concealed view of the narrow dirt path. Rowena hastily made a parting in the bushes, smiling happily as she did. It looked completely natural due to the branches and leaves still hanging off, and the gap wasn't that big to begin with.
"Wait 'til you see the inside." She says excitedly, gesturing him forward and literally skipping inside to the darkness.
Cepheus didn't know how she remained so positive despite this dark time.
He followed her inside and gasped, utterly surprised at the sight before him. Inside the strange bush, it was hollow; the roots of the bush hung around the inner circumference of the bush as well as the bottom of the trunk of the large, towering tree. Rowena spun in a circle around the trunk, and a few dozen fireflies lit up and flew around the little clove--the bush was so thick that only light could be seen from the small gap they came in and out of.
"This is... great," He said, grinning stupidly. It was a perfect place to tell her, just as they were to fall asleep.
She smiled, pulling out two sleeping bags from her bag and placing them on top of the bag, crouching down and pulling out her wand. "Scourgify," she chants, and the leaves, mud, dirt and whatnot cleared up. She lay the sleeping bags-- which were basically two wooly blankets sewn together-- side by side. Well, not really, separated by the trunk of the tree, so that they could only see the bottom halves of each other.
"There we go!" She cried, satisfied. The sun was slowly disappearing over the horizon. The fireflies were flying away. She lit a small fire and casted a spell to keep it aflame as well as keep it from burning everything. She exited the bush. "I'm going to go get dinner."
Rowena left to find berries scattered round the forest, and Cepheus decided to consider his options.
To tell? Or not to tell?
He sighed; he didn't even know why he helped her.
At first, it was for Uni and Orion, but now... It was like there was some newfound motivation that kept him going. It was something he never felt before, and wished that it never faded away... he had to tell Rowena. It just wouldn't be fair.

~

They were about to go to sleep.
She had already adjusted herself and tucked herself comfortably inside the sleeping bag. He was sitting up, leaning against the trunk. "Rowena?"
"Hmm?" She sounded sleepy, Cepheus knew that this would deprive her of the sleep she needed, but he was selfish. This was selfish. He needed something to claim his own, for once. "Rowena, I think I more than like you."
Silence.
"Rowena?" Were things already going downhill.
"Maybe I more than like you too," Rowena replied quietly. His heart leapt; really?
"But I'm not sure... things are too complicated right now..."
Cepheus looked round the trunk and saw a tear slip from her eye. He brought his sleeping bag next to hers and held her close as she closed her eyes, thinking hard. Cepheus kissed her forehead. "I... love, you, Rowena."
She didn't reply, but it was fine.
"I'll always be there for you." The next thing he wanted to say would have an effect on her, but he knew no matter what, it would definitely be a positive effect.
"If you choose to leave Godric, I will always be here waiting."
And they fell asleep, Rowena helpless in his arms.

~