Hogwarts: Origins

Author's note: Trying my hand at a totally new genre.And I am not even a HP fan.Yeah,I know.Foolishly ambitious,right? :-) But have a read and then do tell me what you think.Your feedback is very much welcome.

Godric

The tavern was a place designed to turn men into sexual beasts.The new tavern girl,Leah,made sure that there was no dearth of libidinous patrons lusting for her presence.She was young and slender with long black hair.And today ,she was in a red dress that concealed her set of perfectly tapered legs.It was impossible to get her attention.She was surrounded by burly knights and soldiers.These were men who had fought gruesome wars,men who had butchered Saxon troops without remorse,crushed skulls even with their bare hands.And I was going in to grab her away from them.

Being the exception to the rule never came easy.


"Here," I asked a green-horn soldier who was standing in the gathering,"Clasp your hands together.You won't be able to open them anymore."

The soldier threw me a queer look,then shrugged and clasped his hands together.A mixture of awe and bafflement spread across his face as he discovered he couldn't separate them no matter how hard he tried.

"Markus,Daniel,help!" He shrieked."This bloke has cast a spell on me.My palms...he stuck them together!"

The commotion attracted the attention of the knights.Amused,they asked me to try the feat with their hammy fists.Instead,I made their swords vanish from their sheaths and then re-appear underneath the gowns of various bar-maids.A round of whistling and hollering ensued.Soon the bar-keeper was giving me free ale and the knights in closest proximity to Leah had halted their conversation and were gawking at me.Leah was no exception.

If you can make a girl envy you,you can make her fantasize about you.

For my coup de grace,I told the bar-keeper I would make several mugs of ale dance in the air.I approached the table where Leah and the knights were,asked to borrow their mugs,and made them float in the air.I even made a few flip in mid-air without spilling any of their contents.Now I was in my target's inner circle.I performed a few illusions for the men and ignored Leah for some time.Finally when I sensed she was about to leave due to being neglected,I relented.I started talking to her,and isolated her to a table nearby.I had used and manipulated the whole tavern population just to get close to her.

"Was all of it real?" She asked me apprehensively."Or do you really practice witchcraft and black magic?"

"Everything you've seen today is fake," I lied to her."I created all this to meet you.It's a social illusion."

We exchanged a few more words."When will we meet again?" She asked me with her shimmering coal-black eyes as I got up to leave."Promise me it shall happen."

"I can't promise you anything other than a good conversation," I smiled at her and turned towards the door.

However,on my way out,a knight from the table, where Leah was earlier, blocked my path.He wore a tight jacket upon which King Arthur's insignia was emblazoned.The Excalibur.Arthur's fabled sword.His tight jacket exposed a physique which made even my relatively sturdy frame look feminine in comparision.

"So you like Leah,magic man?" He asked.

"Leah.Yes.We're going to be seeing each other.I don't recall asking for your opinion about it."

"She belongs to me," the stupendous knight hollered."I want you to stay away from her."

"That's upto her," I replied,taking a step closer to the knight.I wasn't backing down.But then again,if you said I was just being an idiot,it would be hard to argue
.
I looked at his hands and wondered how many Saxon necks he had snapped in his day.The Goliath unsheathed his sword,brandishing it menacingly in front of my face.
"So,magic man,can you bend this?" This was no invitation;it was a threat.

Panic started beating heavily on the doors of my good judgement.Most of the men at this tavern were soldiers or outlaws with money on their heads.Killing someone over a girl was nothing for them.

But as I already stated,I was an idiot.

I waved my hand over the giant's forehead."You saw me move the mugs without touching it," I said."They weigh a few stones,don't you think?Now imagine what I could do to those tiny balls in your eyes." I snapped my fingers to indicate the popping out of his eyeballs.

My adversary looked me in the eyes to see if I was bluffing.I was.My magic wasn't anywhere near that strong.All the tricks I could perform were only because I had spent days practicing them.I only had a very limited control over my powers.But despite my misgivings, I held the knight's eye contact.
A heart-beat passed.
Two heart-beats.
Three.
Four.
Five.It was killing me.
Eight.
Nine.
Ten.
The knight lowered his sword back.

I had the advantage here:these people hadn't seen a magician perform right in fron of them very often.They'd only heard folklore and legends.So when I disproved in an instant the belief that magic was just myth and fantasy,an older belief replaced it: the primal fear that just maybe magic is real.

I was almost out of the door unscathed when a deep voice growled from behind me."You tricky knave!Think it is so easy to fool us,do you?"

I spun around and was shocked to see the owner of that voice.It was Sir Tristan.One of the knights of Arthur's round table.The last person I expected to see at this shady place.

He threw a sword at me."Time to teach you some manners,boy!" Saying this,he grinned in a fashion which seemed almost diabolical.He was big chested,bald and with a strong square chin.And just an inch shorter than me.

I faced Tristan and shrugged. I assumed he wasn't much for talking things over anyway.Things were about to turn ugly.I wondered if I would make it out of this alive to feast on the roasted turkey my mother had prepared that day.

I raised the sword in response. He shifted into a defensive stance, ready to strike. He stood still watching me. And then in the blink of an eye, he jabbed his blade at me.I struck out quickly with short bursts not letting him find any break to attack me with.

Tristan's battle-hardened mind switched to fight mode. His blocks were pure instinct and automatic.

"Impressive.Blows strong and forceful.Movements fluid and graceful," Tristan commented on my fighting with a sardonic sneer."Looks like I am going to regret slicing that handsome face of yours."

"Yes," I replied with a matching sneer."Too bad I don't share the same feelings about your ugly one."

Tristan's eyes flared for a moment and he charged at me.Years of practice were evident with every strike of his, for they were filled with deadly accuracy.

He suddenly took a step back, catching me by surprise. He used that fraction of a second's hesitation in my form to strike.

He barely grazed my leg, leaving a cut in my tunic, but drawing no blood.

"I hope that isn't your favourite tunic," Tristan mocked again."Because when this gets over,your attire is going to have just blood and holes.Lots of it."

I leaped back and held my own. I watched him intent on finding his next move. I thrust forward in a moulinet -a move my father had taught me.It's basically a circular cut which caught the edge on his shirt, throwing him slightly off balance.

"Yes.How about I just parcel my things to your cleaner and tailor?He can fix my things along with yours.Your jacket won't be in any good shape either," I jibed and lunged my blade at Tristan.

He regained his balance fast enough to block my attack.

"You arrogant imbecile," he screamed as our metals clashed again.
Sparks were flying,metals were clanging,and the people at the tavern were having a free gladiator show .
Tristan stepped back again and for a few moments we circled, swords close to our faces, eyeing each other. Out of the corner of my eye,I could see Leah looking at the scene with a horrified expression on her face.

I immediately feinted to the left then quickly switched hands.I twisted and slashed at the knight's unprotected right side. Tristan grunted in pain as my blade had its first taste of blood.

He paused in a defensive stance, waiting for my next move. I scowled and threw my sword from one hand to another.

I stepped forward with one foot,my hand shot out and hit Tristan's sword in a cutover. The sword flew out of his hand and clanked to the ground.

"What's the matter,old man?" I smiled a smile of contempt,looking at the fallen sword."For your wife's sake,I hope that is the only sword you have difficulty holding up."

Tristan lunged at me with an incredible speed as I blocked with my sword arm. He used one arm to hold our deadlock and with the other he grabbed my free wrist. With a maniacal force,he used his weight to pull my whole body to the floor,and within moments he had me pinned to the ground, hands twisted behind my back and sword to my throat.

"I think I should just cut your tongue and lick my boot clean with it everyday," Tristan's voice,now raspy, breathed fury as he started applying further pressure on my hands,bringing his head close to mine.My nose was almost rubbing into the floor.

I quickly slid my free arm out. Ignoring the pain in my twisted arm,I brought up my elbow backwards in an arc and smashed it against Tristan's side face with all my might.

Tristan buckled from the surprise blow and let go of my arm.Without wasting a second,I grabbed a sword and stood above him.

Grinning, Tristan gestured his open palms to me in submission, "You sure you didn't apply any witchcraft to pull a win on me,boy?"

I held out a hand offering him my help. Truth be told,I still couldn't believe I had bested Sir Tristan.The whole thing felt too unreal.He grabbed my arm and was pulled to his feet. He picked up his sword and held out his hand for the one he had borrowed to me.I smiled and handed it back.

"Nice fight," Tristan commented. "You have excellent moves, who taught you?"

"My father, he taught me most of what I know," I replied.

"And the magic?" Sir Tristan asked amused."He taught that too?"

No that would be my mother,I thought.But I kept quiet.People didn't take too kindly to women who claimed to have magical powers.Both my parents have rudimentary acquaintance with magic.But they chose never to bring it out in the open.My father had earlier served as a knight in Arthur's army.Now they just wanted to lead a quiet idyllic life by the riverside.I had always been their wayward son.But I wasn't about to take their peaceful existence away from them.

"If I told you where I learnt magic,it would't remain so magical,would it now?" I jested."What's a magician without his bag of tricks?"

"Well said,boy," Tristan smiled affectionately."Well said.But,with sword skills like yours,you should be rubbing shoulders with us.Not picking up bar-maids with cheap parlour tricks."

"I don't have a particular pre-occupation with blood and holes," I smirked as I pointed to the tear in my tunic which Tristan had made a few moments ago.

"Ha ha ha," Tristan roared in laughter."Well,why don't you have that sent to my palace?We will fix it for you."

"My gratitude,Sir Tristan," I bowed slightly."Now if you will excuse me,I shall take my leave."

"Leaving without Leah?" Tristan teased again."Paris of Troy leaving without Helen?After all the trouble you went through?"

"No,I think Menelaus there will have difficulty finding another bar-maid to baby-sit him," I said,yanking my head towards the Goliath knight who had intercepted me earlier.He lowered his gaze as he saw me look towards him.

"Ohh.He is called Dior.One of my men.Don't worry.He won't have any problems.Would you Dior?" Tristan called out to the giant.The giant just kept his eyes to the floor.

"Let him keep her.I have options," I grunted.

"Arrogant.Brash.And so full of self-assurance," Tristan's eyes sparkled with warmth and sentiment."You remind me of myself at your own age.What's you name,boy?"

"Griffindor.Godric Griffindor.Well,it was nice jousting with you too,Sir," I tipped my head and left the place.

I was barely out of the place and then it happened.

The whole world around seemed to drown in blackness.It was as if an eclipsing cloud of darkness had descended on my little sphere of existence.It was supposed to be a sunny afternoon outside,and yet everything was pitch dark.I couldn't make out anything.Not even my own hands.

"What is this?" I cried out in alarm."What sort of magic?"

"The real one," a female voice hissed from somewhere.

"Who is that?" I began to panic.Fighting with a knight from the round table was enough adventure for one day.I didn't need this,whatever it was.

"You managed to impress me at the tavern," the voice was heard again."I might have use for someone like you.Now answer me wisely,boy.Do you really want to learn  magic? Or are you just satisfied with cheap parlor tricks?"

"Cheap parlour tricks?" I rolled my eyes indignantly.This was getting on my nerves."Cheap?First,Tristan.And now you!It took me several patient days of practice to master them,for crying out loud!!!How about paying a hard-working magician his due respect?"

"I see you cannot get out of the habit of flippantly uttering nonsense,eh?" The voice hissed again."I am about to give you the key to unlimited power.Mastery over wizardry and the forces that tie this universe.You're beginning to make me think that I chose wrongly the person to bestow my gifts on."

I had to admit.I did engage in inane verbal shenanigans to distract myself whenever I felt anxious and aroused.And being stuck in blinding darkness, when it should be broad daylight outside,is pretty arousing.And not in a good way.

"Look,why don't you just tell me who are you and show yourself?Talking to an invisible voice in a bubble of darkness is kind of...",I paused,"..disconcerting."

"Come to the east end of the riverside at midnight,and I shall reveal myself," the voice seemed to soften a bit."And should you choose...your destiny."

"Still not going to tell me who you are,are you?" I asked as a hint of resignation crept into my voice.

"Morgana La Faye,"and as these words were uttered, the voice slithered away and suddenly I was all alone on the road outside the tavern,the afternoon sun high over my head.

To be continued?