The Underground

Chapter 13 - For Safety

A bright light was shining in his face. Every time he tried to open his eyes he was suddenly dizzy and the light blinded him. Over time the light lessened, and he became aware of a dull pain in his side. He had been dueling with several cloaked figures, The Hallowed, and he had stunned two. Then he had felt a sharp pain in his forehead as a metal bar made contact and at the same moment had felt his legs knocked out from under him. He had landed hard on the pavement and through the sudden burst of stars he had recognized a face, he had last seen that face laughing with cold mirth as he had tortured his father. 

His eyes flew open. He was lying in a bed in St Mungo's hospital, and a healer was tending to a man on the bed to the right. He felt his head where the bar had struck him and found a neat bandage wrapping round his skull. His chest was also bandaged, and it must have just healed, because he felt very weak. He looked around him again and noticed a man sitting by the window. He was wearing an expression of serenity, and seemed to know exactly what he had come for, and wasn't about to let anything but that slip out of him. Newt sighed, he had always seen that face before getting into trouble, and wasn't very glad to see it now. 

The man got up and, seeing that Newt was awake, sat down next to his bed. He turned his piercing blue eyes on him and let out a sigh that chilled Newt to the bones. "I have some not-so good news."

"What is it?" he asked, not wanting to know the answer. 

"The Hallowed have heard that you are safeguarding the plans for the Encible machine that your father made. That's why they attacked you, and that's why you need to leave the country." 

"Leave England!?" He sat up suddenly and winced at the pain of it. "What about Elizabeth?! Where will I be going?"

Dumbledore, noticing his discomfort, helped him to lie down again and then said, "I have arranged with the Prime Minister of RCWC to let you stay in Canada under their protection. I also think it best that Elizabeth knows none of this for the time being. It will protect her if the Hallowed decide to question her about your whereabouts. She can stay with her aunt and uncle and I have arranged for you to stay with a wizarding family in Hamilton, the Bylsmas. All this should be carried out the moment the Healers discharge you from St Mungo's, that should be in a few days. This is entirely for your and Elizabeth's safety." 

Newt nodded, if it was best for Elizabeth, he would make it work for him. 

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Elizabeth groaned. She and Maria had been caught in the forbidden forest when Maria was practicing holding the form of a doe. And now they were stuck polishing the silver and gold of the trophies in the trophy room. While scrubbing a particularly large award for the highest scores in exams, Elizabeth noticed a face looking in at them. It was a Gryffindor that she didn't know, his face was pitying and his eyes kept straying to the large bucket of soapy water and rags in the girls' hands. Suddenly Maria said, very loudly and sarcastically, "Martin Penderwick, I'm sure you have better things to do then sympathize with two girls doing detention." and then added in a falsely cheery voice, "How about Homework!? You LOVE homework, don't you."

Martin laughed. Then looked like he regretted it instantly as Maria raised her wand and said in a threatening voice, "Just you try it!" 

Martin pulled out his wand and muttered a spell. Soap spouted from his wand and splattered onto the trophies and a considerable amount landed on Elizabeth's face. "Hey!" she yelled at the departing form of Martin, and wiped the suds from off her nose and eyebrows. At least, she thought, she would only have to wipe down the trophies now, Martin had saved them some time. Maria didn't seem to think so though, and was re-soaping the trophies on her side of the room as if Martin's soap had made them even dirtier. Needless to say, Elizabeth finished long before Maria, and was already finished her essay on Moonstone Remedies when Maria arrived in the library, wet and grumpy looking, with stray soap suds in her hair. 

She sat down with a huff, and pulled her spellbooks toward her. They didn't speak for a few minutes for fear of breaking the other's concentration, but when they did speak, they laughed about the run-in with Martin as if it had been nothing. 

That night Elizabeth went into the case. It was smaller then it had been inside, and only consisted of one habitat and the room at the base of the ladder. She had neatly packed her stuff in the habitat, but the room she had left untouched as a sort of memorial for her mother. It was to this room she was drawn, and as she gazed into the pictures of her mother and father, she leaned against a cabinet on the wall. It wasn't secured well; it gave way and fell to the floor with a crash. She was startled to see a pale silvery liquid spilling out of it. Curious, she leaned in closer and her wand slipped out of her pocket and landed in the silver pool. Suddenly the pool began to churn and an image formed on the surface of it. It was like looking through a square window in a roof. She could see a scene playing out before her, but the majority of it was obscured by her limited view. She realized that if she turned and put her face so it was almost touching the pool's surface she could see into the room completely. But as she was adjusting her position her foot slipped on a shard of glass from the cabinet and she fell into the pool...