The Founders Four

George

Making their way back up to Scotland was comforting for Godric and Rowena. It meant safety and hope. They couldn't wait to be near their dear Hogwarts again after so long. A life of constant travelling for these past few years had not done them much favours in the hygiene department. This did have a slight advantage, however - they were ever so slightly less unrecognisable, something that would aid them well once they crossed the Welsh boarder into England.

Rowena's fear was immediately apparent as they began to cross even the most remote and uninhabited parts of the country. It was understandable that she should feel like this. Godric felt somewhat the same. He was determined not to be made to feel like this, though, and promised that they would stick to the quieter roads wherever possible.

"I've never seen England before!" Gwen exclaimed, staring out of the carriage with such excitement that she looked in danger of unseating herself and falling through the door. "I thought it would look different..."

"What were you expecting?" Godric chuckled. "Blue trees and red skies?"

"I don't know," she shrugged. "It's good to travel, though. I bet you two love it!"

They exchanged glances, eyebrows raised.

"It can be bittersweet," Rowena eventually replied.

Godric gripped hold of her ghostly white hand and smiled reassuringly as their coach ploughed on through the deserted countryside, the horses moving along of their own accord.

*

"It's getting dark," Rowena pointed out some hours later. "Where will we sleep?"

"Here seems comfortable enough," Godric chuckled, indicating the sleeping Gwen, who was curled up quite contently within the coach.

"We need to be somewhere secure," she said anxiously. "Some small village, perhaps."

"Hmm," Godric agreed.

He climbed out and began to lead the horses, urging them to move a little faster. He scanned the deserted landscape for some sign of civilisation but nothing was apparent. They must have travelled for at least another two hours before Godric realised that heavy darkness was upon them, making it almost impossible to see the path ahead. It was idiotically dangerous to travel like this but they had to find somewhere to rest for the night.

His heart lifted in relief when he reached the brow of a grassy embankment and found himself looking down upon a most pleasing sight. The faint glow of torchlight illuminated a large town, spanning across a large valley. It was clear that the population here would be big but Godric just hoped this wouldn't go against them. They had no other option but to stay here for the night.

As he urged the horses down the trail that wound right into the centre of the town he had to try his level best to ignore any doubts that plagued his mind. The outskirts were quiet - positively silent - but Godric expected this, of course. What made him a little unsettled was the fact that this quiet continued into the very heart of the town. It was unnerving, as though the locals had left their torches burning but no longer lived here. He started wondering if something dreadful had happened here but was slightly reassured when he saw movement up ahead. He had spotted a shadow in one of the buildings, one that just so happened to be a public house. He sighed in relief, hoping they had a room to spare.

Once he pulled the horses to a stop in the stable yard in front of the building he hopped down. He listened carefully but could only hear the faint sounds of the wind and the disgruntled mumblings of the other horses nearby.

"Godric..."

He turned to see a sleepy Rowena clambering out of the carriage. She had obviously just woken up and looked quite puzzled.

"Where are we?" She asked, staring around the dark town.

"Somewhere safe," he said at once, hoping his words would convince her as well as himself.

"Come on, Gwen," Rowena called, helping her out of the carriage.

Once he'd relieved the horses of the carriage and tethered them near the trough Godric led the way towards the door of the establishment, hoping that the locals were friendly. As he approached the door he heard Rowena and Gwen gasp behind him. They had good reason to do so - there was a dead snake nailed to the door. Naturally, Godric was quite perplexed as to why this was but decided it was probably best to leave the questions until later.

As they entered the bar area they became even more confused. It was full of many people, yet all of them were either deadly silent or murmuring so quietly that they sounded as though they were humming an incoherent ditty. Inevitably, everyone turned to stare at the three of them as they stepped through the doorway. Some looked scared, others amazed.

"Shut that door!" One man barked.

Godric did so, still wondering why they were all behaving so strangely. The man who had shouted at them shuffled over, looking rather unhinged as his pale eyes bulged. He seemed very nervous about something.

"What were you three doing out there?" He demanded, as though such a thing was ludicrous.

"Calm yourself, Jimmy, it's clear they're not from around here," a bearded man that was propped against the bar said. "Travellers, are you?"

"Yes. We're on our way North," Godric explained, quite baffled to find that his voice issued in a convincing English accent. "My wife and I, that is," he added, placing a protective arm around Rowena's shoulders.

"And is that your daughter?" The man asked, indicating Gwen.

"Yes," Rowena said at once.

"Well, you're brave, I'll give you that!" The bar tender chuckled, staring at them in astonishment. "Either that or downright stupid!"

"What do you - ?"

"Don't be so harsh, Jim," the bearded man reasoned. "Perhaps they don't know."

"Don't know! Everyone knows!" He shouted. "Those who don't and still come this way are very unlucky."

"Keep your voice down!" One of the women hissed, staring nervously at the windows.

"But...what do you mean?" Godric asked.

"Things aren't right in these parts. No one comes here anymore. I don't blame them! Did you not notice how quiet our town is? Did it not strike you as a little strange?"

"Well...yes, if I'm honest," he admitted.

"Don't say no more!" The woman hissed. "Folk already think we're all mad! The stories you tell them!"

"What stories?" Godric prompted, becoming very intrigued now.

Jim, the bartender, turned to glance at the woman, who just scowled and shook her head pointedly.

"The beast comes this way from time to time," he murmured, leaning a little closer towards them. "He has threatened our town for many weeks now. Every now and then someone will go missing, usually at night." Godric felt Rowena tense beside him. "On occasions it happens during the light of day. It's like he tries to pick us off! Luckily, we can usually hear him coming so we have time to hide. He's quick, mind. Not many can escape once he gets a taste for you."

"You always have to go and say too much!" The woman snapped.

"I think they have a right to know."

"But what is it that attacks the town?" Godric asked, aware that every individual within the room was now staring at him, their beverages forgotten.

"Don't you dare!" The woman warned.

"It's the stuff of legend and myth...utter nonsense," he said dismissively.

"But it must be real. The way you speak of it..."

The entire room was silent. Godric could sense the locals exchanging uncertain glances but he kept his gaze locked upon Jim.

"What is it?" Rowena asked, unable to keep her voice from shaking.

"It's...we believe it to be - although it is quite ridiculous - it's...a dragon," Jim stammered, looking quite embarrassed.

A stunned silence followed this and the woman at the bar looked angrier than ever.

"That's quite enough!" She snapped, storming over and standing next to Jim. "There's no use worrying folk over something so foolish!"

Godric glanced towards Rowena and she looked just as anxious as he did. They both knew that dragons were perfectly plausible, of cause. In their world such creatures existed and it was just very unfortunate when they happened to interfere with the Mortal world.

"Perhaps you should leave," Jim said sheepishly.

"You can't send them away now!" The woman barked, as though the very idea was preposterous. "They must at least wait for daylight - it's not safe."

"You believe the dragon will attack tonight?" Rowena gasped.

"Not exactly," she replied. "But those that go wandering off in the dark are more likely to be gone by daylight. It's not wise to risk such a thing. We can offer you a room for the evening, especially with such a young child," she added, smiling kindly at Gwen.

Before Godric and Rowena had really agreed to anything they had been led up to a small, draughty little room on the top floor, which overlooked the courtyard below. The tale of the dragon had unnerved them all and Godric now felt obliged to keep guard at the window. He was determined to stay awake all night if he had to.

"Godric, you must sleep," Rowena hissed. Her voice seemed strange as it broke through the darkness; Godric had decided against lighting any candles. "Please, come away from the window."

"Not whilst we're in danger," he replied, not looking away from the dark scene outside, which was completely void of any movement and had been so for the past few hours. "Just go to sleep, my love," he smiled, softening his voice slightly.

"I cannot sleep."

"Gwen seems to have managed it," he said, indicating her sleeping form as she lay curled up underneath a thick blanket in the corner of the room. "Please try."

She reluctantly lay down and drifted off whilst Godric remained by the window. He lost track of how long he sat there but soon the darkness began to penetrate his mind and he began to drift irresistibly into a peaceful slumber.

*

"Godric! Wake up. Godric, please! You have to wake up!"

He jumped in shock at being torn from his slumber so abruptly but felt an immediate sense of panic grip at his chest. He sat up so quickly that all his joints clicked uncomfortably. When his vision had cleared he saw Rowena staring intently at him, her expression full of fear.

"What is it?" He demanded, angry that he'd fallen to sleep. "What has happened?"

"A young girl has gone missing," she explained. "They believe the dragon took her."

"No!" He growled. "I must have drifted off before daylight!"

"This is not your fault, Godric," she assured him. "We should leave before - "

"No. We have to help," he interrupted.

"Godric, this is a dragon! What can we possibly do?"

"I...I haven't yet thought that far ahead," he admitted, hastily scrambling to his feet. "But we are probably the only ones who will be able to help this town."

"How?"

"I don't know," he said.

She was forced to follow him when he stormed from the room and into the bar area downstairs. It was considerably quieter than it had been the previous evening. Godric suspected that the locals had now decided to brave venturing outside. Jim was clearing the room, speaking quietly to various men and women that had come for a drink. The atmosphere was one of sorrow and remorse.


Godric didn't spare any time for words of comfort and had dashed outside before anyone had really noticed himself or Rowena. The sun was beating down, bathing everything in a beautiful morning glow. There was something in the very air that made things seem wrong, however. There were people milling about in the distance and Godric knew that his best bet was to follow them in order to find out what had happened.

With Rowena still racing along behind him, Godric dashed between the little cottages and towards a large expanse of grassland that lay beside a vast lake. This was certainly where the commotion was taking place - no less that fifty residents were stood huddled together, speaking in anxious whispers. Once Godric managed to fight his way to the front of the crowd he was quite shocked to find a white cotton shawl upon the ground, having expected a lifeless body.

"Where's Gwen?" He demanded hastily.

"I'm here!"

Godric sighed with relief as Gwen fought her way through the throngs of people and stood at his side. She looked quite shaken.

"What happened?" Rowena demanded of no one in particular.

"Little Lizzy Cromwell," an elderly woman explained, sounding teary. "She came out to play. Her mother told her she wasn't to leave the home but...children will be children," she said sadly. "A scream was heard - in the early hours - but by the time anyone could get to her she was gone. All that was left was..." She simply indicated the shawl, unable to continue speaking.

"But did anyone see the dragon?"

"No, it was dark," a tall and balding man grunted. "We think it dragged her to the depths of the lake. Poor thing wouldn't have stood a chance."

The locals milled about for almost an hour, despite the fact that none of them could do anything of use. They just felt that they had to do something, as the guilt wracked everyone. Godric, Rowena and Gwen remained right until the last stragglers decided to leave. They were obviously worried that the dragon might come back for seconds.

"How can we possibly help with this, Godric?" Rowena demanded.

"I'm still working that out," he muttered, as he began wandering around the spot where little Lizzy had been taken from. "How many people has it been taking?"

"It tries to take one every night," Gwen piped up. "I heard them talking about it. The dragon usually likes to take large adults and doesn't usually bother with the children."

"But that poor child," Rowena breathed, glancing at the shawl with watery eyes.

"A-ha!" Godric said triumphantly. "Welsh Greenback!"

Rowena and Gwen looked at him in confusion as he rifled through the blades of grass near the edge of the lake and then straightened up with a circular piece of shining green material that seemed to change its tone in the light.

"A what?" Rowena asked.

"Welsh Greenback," he repeated, examining the scale more closely. "I've read about them. As their name suggests, they're more common in Wales. Not the most vicious of dragons, which is a plus."

"Not the most...? It killed that little girl!" Rowena said exasperatedly.

"Trust me, if we were dealing with a foreign breed of dragon there would be no town left," he assured her. "This one we can deal with."

"We can?" Gwen demanded, sounding sceptical.

"When I say we I mean...well, me," he said awkwardly.

"No, Godric," Rowena said at once, just as he'd predicted. "I'm not letting you deal with this alone!"

"Dragons are dangerous," he pointed out.

"And you said this one was less dangerous than the others."

"No...I...alright, so I did - "

"We'll defeat it together," she said mater-of-factly and this told Godric that there would be no compromise.

*

The plan that had been set in place wasn't one of Godric's brightest ideas. He was just eager to get this dragon dealt with so that they could move on before any of the locals discovered what they truly were. So, needless to say, he hadn't exactly thought things through perfectly.

It was late evening but the sun was still blazing in the sky. All the locals had returned to their homes to escape the heat but Godric remained beside the lake. His face was shining with sweat. This was partly due to the fact that he had kitted himself out in a suit of shiny armour but also because he was exerting every ounce of his brain energy as he cast various spells across the water of the lake. They had deducted that the dragon would most likely have taken refuge in the caves on the opposite bank so Godric was attempting to lure him out.

This was a rather foolish thing to do but Godric felt that it was far safer to battle with this dragon out in the open than to delve deep into the dark and disorientating caves. So far, however, his plan was failing.

"It's almost sunset," Rowena informed him, who'd remained faithfully at his side, despite all his warnings. "You have to lure it out now. You can't fight it in the dark."

"I know that," he said irritably. "Unless..." He muttered thoughtfully.

Rowena let out an anxious yelp as Godric took the sharp point of the dagger he carried and ran it along his arm. The blood burst from him immediately and began leaking across the armour, dripping to stain the grass red. Before Rowena could question such an action Godric had dipped his bloodied arm into the edge of the lake, where he held it for a short amount of time.

"Godric! What are you doing?" She demanded.

"Luring it out of its cave," he said simply. "If this doesn't get it moving, I don't know what will!"

"But it will come straight for you!"

"Yes, that was the general idea," he grinned. "You should probably get indoors now."

"No!"

Godric just rolled his eyes and waited patiently. After a few anxious moments there was a distant rumble. Was that the sound of a beast waking from a deep slumber? Godric stood his ground and squinted towards the caves, which he could just about make out.

"Godric..."

Then there came a loud screech, like that of a creature that had spotted its prey. The sound was unnerving but Godric remained stock still. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Rowena backing away. He couldn't help but flinch, however, when something glittering and serpentine emerged from the cave. It lumbered about across the rocks on the opposite bank, flapping its wings irritably.

"Oh...you're beautiful," Godric muttered under his breath, marvelling at the sight of such a powerful beast.

"You can hardly call it that - it's killed people, Godric!" Rowena hissed, now from five feet behind him.

"But I've never seen one up close before."

"And you never will again if you don't move!" She squeaked.

Godric was hastily snapped back to his senses when the dragon's emerald eyes flashed in his direction. It had spotted its prey and it was now that the glistening suit of armour came in handy - it was so much easier for an overgrown lizard to spot. It let out another hungry screech and launched itself into the air with far more agility than Godric had expected.

"Run!" He roared.

Despite giving this command he did not do so. He stood his ground, sword now unsheathed. Rowena, on the other hand, did so immediately. Had she glanced back at Godric, she would have stopped but was too scared to do a double take. She galloped through the grass back towards the town and was shocked to see a large congregation of locals gathered on the outskirts.

"What are you all doing?" She demanded breathlessly.

"I tried to stop them," Gwen assured her, emerging through the crowd with quite some difficulty. "I didn't mean to tell them. I tried to keep them inside."

"What is that idiotic boy doing?" One man demanded of no one in particular. "He's going to get himself killed!"

Rowena glanced back across the embankment and felt her heart plummet. Despite the sight that met her she found herself frozen to the spot.

"The dragon!" Someone screeched.

Most of the locals began racing back into the town but some of the others, just like Rowena, were too unnerved to actually move, despite the fact that the dragon could have soared towards them at any given moment.

"He's not going to try and fend it off, surely!" Someone else gasped.

In spite of himself, Godric found himself backing up. As that dragon soared ever closer he started to appreciate its sheer size more and more. His palms were sweating now so he gripped the handle of his sword a little tighter. He knew he was foolish to do such a thing but he instinctively looked over his shoulder. The sight of all those locals and Rowena and Gwen still standing there made his heart pulsate so forcefully that his chest shook. They could draw the attention of the dragon at any moment and he just couldn't let that happen.

Throwing caution and every other sensible thought to the wind, Godric began to run along the bank of the lake in order to lead the dragon away from the town. He knew full well this would only provoke the dragon and felt his heart began to race even faster when he realised that the giant scaly beast had begun to follow him. He continued to race through the grass as fast as he possibly could and his limbs soon felt like lead. He suddenly realised that if he led it far enough from the village then he could fend it off with magic, out of sight of any mortals.

His heart skipped a beat as he felt the great gusts of air caused by the dragons wings beating down on him. He felt he might stumble at any moment so he decided to face his foe, despite the fact that he wasn't ready. Godric instinctively shot a blast of sparks from his fingertips. This was no good to his defence but it seemed to make the dragon falter. It looked rather surprised by such an apparition and landed with an almighty thump on the opposite side of a clearing to Godric. As the dragon snarled at him and flapped its wings menacingly Godric knew he might prove no real match for this beast. He knew countless useful spells but in such a situation his mind seemed to have misplaced the memories of how to cast them.

Besides, he didn't want to kill this beast. It was so stunning. Godric had only ever read about such creatures but to see one so close was astonishing and so much better than he'd expected. Sure, it was terrifying but the adrenaline pumping through his system seemed to momentarily hold back the fear.

He began to notice that the dragon was holding back. Perhaps it feared magic. Godric attempted to approach but the dragon suddenly shot towards him. Godric darted out of the way just in the nick of time, feeling the sharp whip of its tail dent his armour slightly. The dragon let out a roar as Godric rolled away across the grass and leapt to his feet once more. It took a swipe at him and Godric singed its enormous scaly foot with a sharp burst of magic. It screeched in agony but this only seemed to make him angrier.

Godric then had to perform every shielding spell he could think of as the dragon started to attack. Eventually, Godric realised the only way to stop this beast was to stop it for good. He summoned the strongest magic from the depths of his being and projected it outwards, causing the beast to fall limply to the ground with another ground-shaking thud. It was not dead, simply knocked unconscious.

Godric suddenly became aware of the sound of his heart pumping in his ears. He was breathing heavily and sweating more than ever. He slowly walked towards the beast and bent down to examine its face. So beautiful yet so dangerous. He placed a hand against its scaly neck by way of apology and then unsheathed his sword once more.

Before he could strike he was distracted by the sound of thunderous footfalls. Someone was running towards him. Not just someone but many people. Rowena and Gwen were the first to burst into the clearing, closely followed by the rest of the town. The moment they skidded to a stop simply due to the sight of the dragon Godric was stunned as the dragon shot forth, about to strike one of the many children that had pushed to the front of the crowd.

Godrics instincts were faster, though, and he plunged the sword into the dragon's chest before it could do any more damage. It let out a squeal of agony as masses of blood began to gush across the ground and all down Godric's arms. He pulled the sword free and let the beast slump to the floor. He watched sadly as the dragon's eyes slowly slid shut and it took its last breath.

"You killed it?" One man asked uncertainly, moving forth from the crowd.

"Yes," he grunted.

"He did it! He killed the dragon!" Someone cried happily.

The relief that the entire population of the town felt was immediately obvious. They actually started to applaud. Godric didn't want to raise any suspicion so he forced a smile, happy to play the hero in that moment.

"Oh, you are a saint, Sir!" A middle-aged woman beamed, clutching his hand tightly in gratitude.

"This calls for a celebration!" The barmaid from the inn announced. "Tonight we shall toast to our hero - " She paused, looking at Godric in confusion. "What was your name?"

"It's God - " He paused as he caught Rowena's eye. She shook her head very minimally but her meaning was clear. They had to remain illusive until they were safely back up in Scotland. "Er...George," he amended, this being the first name that came to mind. "My name is George."

"Well, George!" A large, beefy man boomed. "We all owe you our lives!"

"Come, we must tell the others the news!" Someone cried happily. "The dragon is slain! George is our saviour!"

With that the people of the town all began to rush off back up the hill. It was clear that most of them didn't want to remain around the dragon for too long, despite the fact that it was dead. Once they had all dispersed Rowena began to approach Godric. Gwen hung back at a safe distance, silently marvelling at the sight of the lifeless dragon.

"Are you alright, Godric?" Rowena asked tentatively.

"Fine," he nodded, still staring at the dragon's face. "He didn't deserve this."

"But he would have killed the entire town," she reasoned.

"I know...I know," he said again. He bent down once again and leant a hand against the beast's shoulder. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..."

That evening Godric, Rowena and Gwen were hospitable and graced the locals with their presence as the celebrations raged. Godric was toasted so many times that he lost count but the gratitude everyone felt washed over him and filled him with warmth. There was no feeling quite like this. They all promised that his name would never be forgotten amongst them, as no other man had ever managed to slay a dragon in such a way. After this revelation Godric insisted it was best he and the others leave, as he didn't want awkward questions being asked. Before the next day had fully dawned they set off on their way back to Scotland.