We appeared again in a foreign place, what seemed like the ruins of an old castle. I could tell it had once been huge.
“What did you do?!” I gaped at him.
“It’s called apparition. Don’t they teach you anything anymore?” he asked, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. I ignored him, and turned to look around.
“What is this place?”
“It’s called Hogwarts. It used to be the greatest school ever.” He had a pained expression on his face while explaining all of this.
“How come I’ve never heard of it? And what kind of a name is Hogwarts?” I was really confused at this point. Strangely, it never occurred to me to be scared. I was too impressed with the fact that he had actually disappeared and reappeared in a totally different place.
“It wasn’t really a school for, normal, kids.” I turned to him, surprised. How did he know so much about it, I wondered.
“What do you mean? Were they, you know…?” I indicated my head.
“No, that’s not it at all. See, Hogwarts was a school of…magic.” Suddenly, everything made sense. Why he could do things like disappear, why he could make things happen with a long stick. But what did that have to do with me? Why did he bring me, of all people, here?
“The magical community has been in hiding for a long time now. Haven’t you ever wondered why we live in the dark? Why you never get to see the light of day, or breathe the fresh air?” he said. I was confused by now. What did he mean? Was I magic? That wasn’t possible; I had never been able to do anything extraordinary.
“You can do magic too. You’ve never been taught anything. The elders of the community decided that the children should not be told any of this, for their own good. There are a lot more people in the world than just us,” he explained. Suddenly, I felt more at home at these ruins than I had anywhere else.
“Where can I get one of those?” I asked, pointing at the long stick in his hand.
“It’s called a wand. And there isn’t anywhere you can get them now.” He turned around and gave me a shrewd, calculating look. I asked him where his guitar was. He ignored me.
“What’s your name anyways?” he asked.
“Lexi. Lexi Golden.”
“What does that mean?” he asked. What a strange question, I thought.
“It means protector of mankind.” He stared.
“Really? How strange…”
“What’s so strange about that? What’s your name anyway?” Not that it mattered.
“I’m Ciaran. Ciaran Evans.” When he said his last name, he cast a few glances around, winked at me, and sat down. I was still trying to figure out the winking, when we heard footsteps.
“Quick, get over here!” he whispered to me. He pulled me behind a rock, and put his finger to his lips. I would have been quiet anyways, that goes without saying. Peering out from behind the rock, I saw people marching around in uniform.
“They are looking for evidence,” Ciaran whispered to me.
“Evidence of what?”
“They know something about what is here. Those are muggles, you can tell.” Just how he could tell, I didn’t know. As the men marched towards us, I took a closer look, and I saw the strangest thing. In most of their eyes, I saw something I recognized as fear. I wondered, just what are they so scared of? Ciaran, who seemed to be reading my mind, turned around and said something that never occurred to me.
“They are scared….of us.” Suddenly, the truth hit me with a sudden force that sent my mind reeling. It wasn’t really us who were hiding from them. They were scared of us . I decided to ask another question that had been bugging me.
“How come I can see the sun here? Why can’t we see it at home?” He gave me a strange, weary look.
“Didn’t you know? We live underground. All of us magical people.” I gasped. Well, that explained the footsteps on the roof.
“And are they looking for us?” I asked.
“Of course. Why else would we hide?” But something else was bothering me. Something a lot more important.
“I don’t understand. Why are we in hiding in the first place? What do we have that they are scared of?”
“Isn’t it obvious? They found out about the magical community. They fear things that are more powerful than them. And one thing I know, we are a lot more powerful than they will ever be. So, they enforced a law that has forced us into hiding for fear of our lives. If we are found to be magical, they have the government’s permission to throw us straight into prisons. All of us.” I couldn’t speak, although there were still questions I was dying to ask. Were they going to find us, that day I heard the footsteps? Did they know where we were? And what were my parents talking about? What did they mean by next in line?
The Second War by rapunzel
Chapter Notes: Here is my next chapter. I hope you enjoy it as much as the first. I wasn't sure just how much to reveal as of yet, so there are still mysteries remaining. Don't worry, questions will be answered as I write more...