Everyone is Lacking in Creativity Here...

Ch 12, House Hunting (3)

When we enter the wards with the portkey, I notice the weather completely change. It feels like Spring, the temperature is not too hot and not too cold, just perfect. There is a rough patchwork that makes the small ten steps walk up to the gorgeous but homely cottage (and this time it IS a proper cottage). The area surrounding the two-story cottage is vast with no clear boundary as far as the eye can see. It is located at what looks like the smack middle of a huge forest. Somewhere a witch would live...

"The whole forest is part of the Hufflepuff estate. It includes the lake within the forest in the back of the house and the main Hufflepuff Castle is also on these grounds." Gornuk interrupts from the front door, while I was busy looking.

"How far is the Castle?" I ask him making my way towards the steps. Harry has been itching to get down since we stepped here.

"It is roughly 200 miles. I would recommend to apparate."

"...Yeah, no kidding." I mutter under my breath. "What are we waiting for? Shouldn't we go in...?" I hesitantly point out, as we have just been standing at the entrance talking instead of going in.

A sigh. "...You would have to make the house recognize you as its owner. Place your ring on the door." He gestures towards the center of the door.

I place my right hand with the ring visible, and as it touches the door, I feel a little shiver pass through me and then a click. I try the doorknob and we open to a foyer that led to a massive living room space, with the wall opposite the entrance all windows. It has a huge fireplace on the left wall and close to it is sitting area big enough to fit the Weasleys and then some. The couches and beanbags look so soft. On either side of the fireplace are two doors, one of them is of glass on the right that opens to the garden outside and the other that leads to a study with a damn good view of the forest.

On the right of the living space is a huge kitchen facing the fireplace, with rooms on its right and staircase on its left. There's another door to a room that's little furnished, just left to the staircase. Upstairs is just living quarters with a small library in the middle with no door, that divides the wings of the house perfectly. I return downstairs and finally let Harry roam around. When I know he's within my view. I move over to the kitchen.

There has been something at the center of it that keeps nagging at the back of my mind to approach it. On one of the windows' facing outside is a flower pot with just one lone bright purple flower. It seems to glow the more I get close to it. Not wanting to be stupid I call for Gornuk, (who was busy just trying to get engulfed by a beanbag) "Any idea what this is, Gornuk?" I ask pointing at the flower.

He approaches and studies it for a moment, then waves his hand over it the next. Finally, after what feels like an unnecessarily long time, he moves back and explains, "Many houses and constructions of old used to have a ward stone or a core of the house. It was called a stone because it was more often than not a good conductive stone used as the core. I didn't think another method existed..."

"So... That's a ward stone?" I ask tentatively.

"No. It is a bit more sentient than just a ward stone. This could very well be called the heart of this place, if not the entire estate." He says with a tad bit – proudly? (if the way he steps back, crosses his arms and lifts his chin is any indication)

"So... what am I supposed to do with it?" I ask him a little frustrated with all the guessing.

I guess he sees my forced thin lip smile as he just smirks sharply and gestures to the flower with a "Drop a little of your blood on it. We'll get to see then."

Easy for you to say old man (I internally roll my eyes at him, of course not in person!). I glance back at Harry, who is busy trying to do the same thing Gornuk was doing a few moments ago, those beanbags do look heavenly, and move towards the flowerpot with a resigned sigh. I prick my finger a little with my natural magic and before I loose concentration, drop a few bloods on the closed bud of the flower. The second it touches, the flower lights up and blooms. The shadow of roots from the pot moves phantomlike across the kitchen, but not very far, and disappears as quick as it came. When the light dims a little, I get bombarded with images and blueprints of the whole estate; the history, the formation and expansion of it, the few generations before me that did the same with their blood, the secret passageways, the creatures living in the forest, and even the way to the castle. It was like I have lived here my whole life, maybe even made it myself.

It felt amazing. As soon as it's over, I open my eyes that I didn't even know I closed and take a deep breath. I am still standing where I was and Gornuk is still where he was. It feels like not a single second passed, but it felt like an eternity to me. All the information that I received and the way Harry is like at this place, I don't even have to think too much. I just look at Gornuk and say –

"This is the place."