The Five Greatest Wizards of their Time

Chapter Twelve: The Great Five

It was strange for Godric to wake up in the hospital wing. He rubbed the bright sunlight out of his weary eyes. The last thought he could recollect was seeing Alexander rescue him from Timothy, wherever he was now. Godric changed his position in the bed and sat upright. His face and hands were slightly bandaged. It must have been about noon by the looks of the small shadows.

"Have a good rest?" asked Alexander, coming through the doorway and sitting down by the edge of Godric's bed.

"Well, I've had better nights," replied Godric, the sight of Alexander giving him peace at mind.

There was silence that felt familiar to Godric. It was the kind of silence that happened between him and Alexander. It also usually meant that someone had something on his mind.

In this case, it was Godric who asked a question.

"How did you know?"

Alexander sighed greatly, but did not hesitate to answer.

"I didn't know," he began. His voice was calm and innocent, "I had no idea that it was a worker who was terrorizing the school, neither did I know that you and your companions were in grave danger."

"Then why did you come back?" asked Godric.

Alexander got up from the edge of the back and took a seat at the bed to the right of Godric. He glanced into the windows.

"I was in a pub in London, drinking some rum, trying to forget the whole incident with Griffith, and the friendship we had. Trying to forget the pain and the suffering I endured from my connection with him. I must have drunk at least ten rounds, but I just could not forget. I couldn't forget about you or Hogwarts either. It seemed to me as though the more I kept trying to forget, the more vivid it became in my memory. I guess it's harder to forget than it is to remember.

"Anyway, when I finished drinking, I left the pub and walked around the streets. I thought to myself what I was going to do, where my destiny wanted me to go. It was then that I realized that I had no destiny in London or in any city. My real destiny remained with the only people I could trust, and the only people who I had connections with. Those people were the Great Four.

"But I just wasn't sure if I could go back to this castle. I wasn't sure if I could handle any more pain and suffering I could encounter. So, I thought to myself whether I had any debts to pay, or any tasks I had to complete before coming back to Hogwarts. Once again, the answer was also at Hogwarts. I had never truly repaid you and Salazar, and Rowena, and Helga for what you've done for me. How much trouble you've gone for me. What have I done for you? Is playing Quidditch, or placing a few paintings on walls ever going to make up for the Great Four building a tower for me, bringing me into your family, and trying to help me reconnect with my true self?

"At first, the thought seemed like a gamble, but I went ahead and apparated right into the forest near the castle. As I walked down near the Great Hall, I saw a fire blazing not that far away from me, and some crazy duel occurring between two people. That was when I rushed to your aide, used the spell, and called for help."

Once again, there was silence between Godric and Alexander. Only the sound of chirping mockingbirds could be heard from the outside.

"What happened from there?" asked Godric; curious to know how the story would end.

"When you finally saw me, I fell to the ground, probably because of exhaustion. I saw that the shield was down, and decided that there was no time for me to get enough help for the Great Four, so I apparated the Great Four into the hospital wing, and workers rushed to give you medical treatment as soon as I made an announcement."