Rowena {a founders story}

Chapter Sixteen

                 

Chapter Sixteen

The forest beyond the lake was dark and full of beasts, Rowena knew – yet she could not bring herself to fear it like the others did. Of course Salazar and Godric refused to admit they were afraid of trees, or rather what lurked within them, but they heeded Alva's warnings; the forest was dangerous, and not to be entered.

Of course Rowena then had to do it, simply because it should not be done.

She stood before it one cool autumn day, a few months after moving into the old castle. She adjusted her cloak, squared her shoulders, and took her first steps into the forest. Almost instantly she felt colder, wrapped in shadows, and she took out her wand to aid her way; she pushed further, still unafraid. Perhaps it was irrational, but her dream gave her comfort.

After a long while, she was unsure of how long exactly, she came to a clearing. Sun seemed to mildly break through the barrier of the tightly woven branches, and the ground was covered in a soft moss, and a brook cut across one corner. She no longer needed her wand for light, and put it away.

"Hello?" she called out, hesitant; only good things could live here, surely. "My name is Rowena Ravenclaw, and I come out of curiosity and equanimity."

She paused, feeling the ground begin to shake beneath her fine slippers. She pulled out her wand quickly, fear trickling through her for the first time. A rumbling rose from the trees, and a herd of centaurs poured into the clearing.

At its head was the centaur from Rowena's dreams, regal and magnificent, her long and thick black hair fell, mostly covering her breasts. She wore ivy woven through her hair, torso and arms, blossoms resting in her collarbones.

"Rowena Ravenclaw," her voice was familiar, and there was an undertone of tenderness, "I wondered when you would find us. I am Augus, the leader of my herd. We inhabit this forest, and it is rare we see your kind here. Most are too afraid." She gave Rowena a once over, sizing her up.

Taking a deep breath, Rowena took a careful step forward. "I have dreamed of you, Augus, and in them you have led me forward, to where I now reside."

"In the old castle, Augus." A male centaur spoke up, his own pale hair braided back so it fell over one shoulder.

"I had heard Lady Alva had guests." The leader did not take her eyes off of Rowena.

Rowena was surprised. "You know Alva?"

"We knew her ancestors," answered Augus, eyes hardening. "They were not kind, had no magic – except for one, and she did not last long."

Never one for small talk, Rowena got to the point; "Augus, you guided me in my dreams, and there is little I understand – how could you have known exactly what I needed?" this had puzzled Rowena greatly, and she was eager for answers.

Augus let a small smile slip. "We found each other in the world of dreams, why I am still unsure. As for how I knew what you needed, well– I have been reading your future in the stars for a long time now."

"Whatever do you mean?"

The sky had been clear when Rowena entered the clearing, but was now darkening. Augus looked up at the gathering clouds and frowned. "Your life will always be on the scales, Rowena Ravenclaw – you will obtain and lose, obtain and lose, until something so important is taken it feels as if you have nothing left. Your heart will be your downfall."

"I–" Rowena couldn't speak, merely stutter. "That cannot be true."

"The stars do not lie," the centaur nodded to her companions, and they turned to leave. "Tread lightly in your future Rowena Ravenclaw, and protect your heart." With those words, the herd galloped back into the forest, disappearing within the murky shadows.

Suddenly chilled, and rather weary, Rowena turned to find her way back to the old castle. It was dusk when she stumbled out of the forest, and the rain was beginning to fall in fat drops, soaking her as she ran for shelter. Godric spotted her and was waiting at the doors with a quilt.

"Where have you been all afternoon?" he asked, putting it around her shoulders and pulling her close, rubbing her arms to warm her.

"In the forest." Her teeth were chattering, and she didn't bother reminding him there was a spell that could achieve better than his hugs, but Godric was warm and strong, and the blanket smelled like summer.

Later, when her hair was mostly dry and she had changed but was still wrapped in the quilt, Godric found her obsessing over blueprints of the castle. The construction was beginning to envelop the old castle, as crumbling turrets were taken down, deteriorating rooms demolished, and new halls and chambers and stairs were built. He paused in her doorway for a moment, watching her work; he loved her just like this, her hair in frizzy curls down her back, wearing a dressing gown and wrapped in a quilt, a quill stuck in her hair.

"Enough work," he murmured, coming up behind her and gently taking the quill from her hand. "You should be in bed, after getting caught in that rain."

She dismissed him, replacing the quill he took with the one from her hair. "I am fine."

"What is wrong, dear?" he asked gently, sitting in the vacant chair and taking her hands. "I know there is something on your mind this evening."

Letting him hold her hands captive, Rowena looked out the dark window, the forest hidden by the storm. Somewhere in those trees was Augus, with far more knowledge than Rowena had about her future.

"Did something happen in the forest?"

She glanced at Godric, with his kind eyes and loving face, and nearly told him everything – the prophecy from the stars, how she would lose and lose and lose until she could lose no more. How she was meant to protect her heart.

But she said nothing, instead giving him a tired smile. "Nothing happened," she said, leaning over to kiss his cheek. "I have decided on a name for the forest though – the Forbidden Forest."

He returned her smile, still looking worried. "Will it be forbidden then?"

"Most definitely." She did not want any students running into Augus and having the centaur tell them stories of their future. Silly stories, she reminded herself. Divination was a game.

"Are you sure you are all right, Rowena?"

She nodded and stood, tugging him over to her bed. "I promise I am. Will you lie with me? I am quite cold after that rain."

Never one to turn down cuddles, Godric gave in and lay with her. Wrapped in his strong arms, listening to his breathing as he fell asleep, Rowena could not help but be afraid. Her heart was not guarded, and she feared that Augus would be right, and her heart would be her downfall in the end.

A/N: ahhh I really love this chapter. The castle is coming together, and Rowena has received a prophecy...

Question: what could Augus' prophecy be predicting?

Rose