Ravenclaw

Chapter 76- Pain That Could Kill

Song for the chapter: I Don't Want To Live Forever by Zayn and Taylor Swift

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Rowena ushered everyone in as quickly as possible, looking out to make sure nobody had seen before shutting the door behind her. It dematerialised before them, and the three others — which consisted of Flaura Mae Lestrange, Ophichus Lestrange and Godric Gryffindor— pondered over how skilled Rowena actually was at magic and when the hell she had the time to construct this secret room hidden within Hogwarts, only revealing itself by pacing in front of it three times— she was, after all, at sea for months trying to return from Flaura's little game, that had started this whole Revolution problem in the first place.
    The lodgings that was inside the room was beautiful; Rowena had taken the time to even personalise it. A large, four-poster king-sized bed with velvety hangings stood in the middle of the small, one-room 'house'; a blue cot stood on a soft, white rug, and a small circular table big enough to snugly fit four people around it sat before another door, which Rowena explained led to the bathroom. Torches in brackets lined the clean walls that would soon be stained black from the flames, and a few armchairs sat in the back corner, surrounding a quaint coffee table. The bathroom was decent— it had a fresh aesthetic about it, and Flaura and Ophichus found it rather welcoming, a home away from home.
"So this is where you will stay," she said, taking a seat at the circular table. Ophichus tucked the baby boy carefully in the cot before joining the other three at the table, where Rowena had her hands folded, ready to discuss the newfound information.
"Sorry— I thought we were only here to welcome them in?" Godric said, frowning, trying to suppress giving the troublemaking couple a glare that he thought they deserved.
Rowena laughed awkwardly and shook her head. "Oh Godric, I must apologise— I haven't confided in you the most important of details..." He raised a questioning brow. "Oh, you know how it's like... I couldn't tell you in passing, it's too risky to do so without complete assurance that we were safe, alone..."
And so Flaura, Ophichus and Rowena took it in turns to explain the situation to Godric, who, as realisation dawned on him, frowned.
"Why couldn't you tell me this at home?" He asked. He felt betrayed by his wife, the woman he had loved for so long, for she had not told him such an important issue. "I had only found out a week ago, and I did not have the full details," she said calmly. "I didn't want to say anything unless I was absolutely sure— and how could I not be, with the witness right here?"
Flaura, sensing the tension in the room rising considerably because of the two, broke up the conversation. "This isn't the time to argue about this; we must talk about what must be done!"
"What must be done?" Godric retorted. "We only know that they're going to watch, to wait for when we are at our weakest. We already know that they are stronger than we are, look at the attacks! They are increasing in number, even if they are occurring not often as one would expect--"
"And how do we know that?" Ophichus said, a bit irritated he had responded to his wife like that. "How do we know that the only people willing to stand up to them are those who dwell in this castle? The teachers have Rowena's trust, they will stand by and protect the school and its students, but there could be more out there--"
"Out where, Ophichus?" Rowena interjected. "We can't garner help and support without immediately risking the lives of everyone in here by revealing to the public and the Resistance what we know about them. Salazar is still here, in the castle--"
"Then by all means, kick him out!" He responded, and Godric rose up to his feet.
"He is a founding member!" He growled. "And my best friend!"
"With all due respect, Godric, there is no need to shout," Flaura said, rather coldly. "And might I recall, your friendship with the man isn't as strong as it used to be."
"You don't know that!" He glowered, then, rather softly, "You don't know that."
A deafening sort of silence fell between the lot, and with it, came the heavy tension of the arguing that had just happened. The subtle insults, hinting that each other was wrong, that there was no good way solve this. Godric sat back down, and Rowena took his hand, massaging circles onto the back. He twitched, still slightly mad about her keeping secrets, but he understood now-- it wasn't safe for her to tell him.
"What do we do now?" Flaura asked quietly. Though she was the oldest amongst them, she was the most unsure-- she had technically started this mess, with her irrational hatred towards her sister, but then, Ophichus' family and Salazar's mother were bound to rally together at some point-- that's just how it worked with pure-blood families. They'd band together, before seeking inhumane ways to spread their toxic mindset of pure-bloods having more superiority. The Resistance was bound to be formed; it's just that Flaura had sped up the process.
Oh well. People learn from their mistakes, right?
"I think that it is important to talk to the person that this may concern the most," Rowena said, glimpsing at them briefly. They looked up; their interest and curiosity had been piqued.
"Helga would like to know what her beloved is up to."