**Harry Potter theme tune above. Enjoy😘***
"Come on Y/N, it's lovely and warm in here. You should feel how nice the water is." Said my best friend, who was having a good swim in the lake.
I wasn't fairly keen on swimming myself, but somehow I'd managed to be convinced into her little charade with the promise of a bar of my favourite chocolate. Anyway, I was now standing at the edge of a gigantic lake in my swimsuit, in the middle of autumn, with a towel wrapped around my shoulders.
"Don't worry, it's fine, nothing is going to bite you. That is with the exception of a really aggressive fish or Jaws. But I doubt he's swimming around here, the water is way too shallow, right?"
Now that really gave me anxiety. I mean, I didn't exactly fancy being pulled under the surface by a man-eating shark, would you?
Instead of answering the question, I just shouted back the most absurd thing that came to mind: "How do you know Jaws is a guy?"
Rolling her eyes at my question, she began to swim out further. Starting to feel subconscious standing here only in my swimsuit, I dropped my towel and started to wade into the lake. Oh my good god, it was absolutely freezing! 'Oh stop being such a baby Y/N and just swim. Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming.' I thought to myself as I swam out further to join my bestie. "Hang on BF/N wait for me!"
"I can't do much else can I?"
******************************
We'd only been in the water for about ten minutes when we suddenly felt a cold gust of air. Brrr... I rubbed my arms trying to keep warm. "Is it just me, or is the lake getting colder?" I asked.
"You're always cold Y/N."
"Wait, hang on, do you see those black things in the sky?"
"Where?" She looked up and into the distance. "Very funny," She said, not being able to see what I was describing.
"It's not a joke, look where I'm pointing."
The black things in the sky now seemed to be coming towards us. As they did so, dark steely grey clouds started to appear, and the lake started to freeze over.
"Let's get out of here!" I shouted, BF/N following me, clearly even more panicked than me.
We both quickly swam towards the shore and dried ourselves off. Once Bf/N had dried herself and pulled on her trainers she instantly did a runner, leaving me behind.
"Wait!!!!" I called, trying to run after her as I pulled on my right shoe. "I can't keep up." But she couldn't hear me, she was long gone. "Some best friend" I muttered. When I finally got my shoe on, the black and hooded things weren't far behind me. 'Oh lord please help me!' I prayed as I dashed across the pebbly shore and towards the path where we'd originally entered by. "Aargh!" I yelped as I tripped over a stray plastic bottle. "Owww..." Rolling over I suddenly found myself faced with the most hideous face that had ever graced the planet. Except there wasn't any face to see. And if there was, it was concealed beneath a grey cloak that was as dark as a thunder cloud. The only feature that was visible was a mouth that slowly opened and began to breathe in, it's breath rattling. I felt a bone-chilling cold creep up my spine as it continued doing whatever it was doing. It was unlike any other sensation I'd experienced. Just as darkness started to wash over me, a tall blurry figure emerged from out of nowhere. "Expecto patronum!" They yelled. "Expecto patronum!!!!" The last thing I can remember is a blinding flash of white light and then nothing.
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I don't know how long I was out, but I assume a couple of hours because by the time I awoke it was already dark.
The first thing I realised when I woke up was that I was no longer laying on the cold, hard, pebbly shore, but in a soft warm bed.
The second thing I realised was that I had no idea where I was or how I got here.
Quickly sitting up on my elbows and looking around I saw that the room I was in was simple and uncluttered. That is with the exception of hazardous and odd-looking objects that lay around. A small desk and bookcase sat opposite me in one corner of the room, a big oak wardrobe in another; two small bedside tables either side of the bed and a big window with a balcony to my left.
It was quiet and nobody seemed to be around, so I got up, grabbed the candle holder - the candle still burning - and started to explore the house. I had explored less than a third of the property (it was practically a castle) before I saw a shadow on the wall. Someone was coming.
Panicking, I picked up a broom and a lollipop. I was proper starving.
I waited quietly behind the door, before attacking whoever was coming down the hall. Before I'd even bought it down on top of the person's head the broom shot out of my hand as though by an invisible force. I was then flipped upside down in the air so that I was now hanging by my ankles. It was like an invisible wire was keeping me suspended in the air.
Gellert Grindelwald's POV:
'How does one explain to themselves and others why they rescued a little girl?" I wondered to myself as I turned East down the corridor and walked towards the room where the girl I'd rescued lay. 'I don't have to explain, I'll keep it to myself.' I decided my blue cloak, which was as dark as the night sky, swishing behind me.
The hot mug of butter beer I was carrying was starting to burn my hands so I had to blow on the drink to cool it down.
Then suddenly out of nowhere, someone jumped out of the spare room and attempted to knock me out with the broom I'd just had repaired.
"Expelliarmus!" I shouted, pulling out my wand and disarming the person, the broom flying backwards into the wall. The mug I'd been holding crashed to the floor and broke, hot butter beer everywhere.
'Oh great.' I thought.
"Levicorpus!" I then yelled, my attacker now hanging upside down by their ankles. Ignoring the spilt butter beer that was now staining my shoe, I started to interrogate the person who thought I'd be wise to mess with me.
"Now now, what do we have here?" I asked, fixing eyes on my attacker. "Oh, it's you, the little girl I saved from the dementors." I was extremely relieved it was just her. "I thought you were some goody two shoes from the Ministry trying to either arrest or murder me. Or both. Anyway, what are you doing snooping... and stealing?" I questioned as an acid pop fell out of the girl's pocket.
Your POV:
"I wasn't stealing." I protested crossing my arms, my H/L H/C hair hiding my face from view. "I never steal."
The platinum blonde man raised a snowy white eyebrow. "Not only a thief but a liar too." He replied, picking up the sweet and slipping it into his pocket.
I didn't say anything, I just let the silence wash over us. I glared at the man who was still using his hocus pocus to keep me up in the air whilst he stared very calmly back.
"Have you got anything good to eat in this joint?" I asked, my tummy rumbling loudly. "Like chocolate or something, cause I'm starving and really super duper thirsty. And I'm really cold and I want to go home."
"Oh for god's sake be quiet and stop complaining and moaning at me, you're giving me a headache. I can't stand someone who moan moan moans."
"You should have just left me to die by the lake then if you don't like someone who complains." I snapped. "If you were in my shoes and some weirdo in a cloak - no offence - kidnapped you, then you'd be complaining too."
The man frowned, his wand still pointed at me. "You have seen too much, in which case I would erase your memory, but," He paused and stepped closer. "I think you deserve the truth. Most people would get some, others would get none and the rest of them I'd probably blackmail. You, are none of those people, so...liberacorpus." He muttered, putting his wand back in his cloak.
Oof.
I fell from the air and crashed face-first onto the stone-cold wooden floor. That was the second time today that I'd landed face first.
"What gives?" I slowly sat up, blood staining the floor and my clothes.
'Damn it.' I thought, my nose bleeding.
"Let me help you."
The platinum blonde man slowly pulled me to my feet.
"Ummm...thanks. Do you have a tissue to mop up the blood?"
The man grinned. "Where I come from, we don't need things like that. Episkey, Scourgify." He muttered, pointing his wand at me and then the floor.
Before you could even say 'Abracadabra', my nose had stopped bleeding and the floor had been scoured clean of my blood and some unknown liquid. The floor was so clean that it was like it hadn't even been stained it in the first place.
"Wha-?" I was speechless. "How'd you...? Who are you?"
"I'm Grindelwald. Gellert Grindelwald." He held out his hand.
"I'm Y/N L/N." I took his hand and shook it.
"Oh, I know who you are. You hang around the Costa Coffee shop with three of your friends, Jack, Sam and John."
"Wait, what?! Are you stalking me?!" I was quite alarmed at Gellert's statement.
"No no, of course not. I wouldn't ever dream of stalking such a lovely lady such as yourself. I've seen you around that's all."
I blushed.
"Now come, you must have something to eat...When exactly did you last eat, you look awful."
Come to think of it, I did feel rather peculiar.
"What time is it?"
"Quarter to seven."
"So, errr..." I stopped and started doing the maths inside my head. "About maybe...eleven hours." I'd missed lunch, so that didn't help how nauseous I was feeling. I was pretty sure my blood sugar had dropped significantly.
"Eleven hours!" Gellert exclaimed, looking shocked.
"Well, it could be ten."
"Eleven or ten hours, it doesn't matter. All that does matter right now is getting you something to eat. You've been swimming so come."
Taking my hand, he led me straight to a cosy little room, sat me down on a big scarlet red sofa with a blanket and lit the fireplace.
"Incendio."
"You don't half use a lot of spells Gellert." I curled my legs up on the sofa and pulled the blanket up to my chest.
"I wouldn't be much of a wizard if I didn't. Accio pumpkin pasties. Accio butter beer."
I watched in amazement as two large pasties and a steaming mug of drink flew from down the hallway and into the room.
"Thank you," I mumbled, starting to eat.
I felt a wonderful tingling sensation in my tummy as I ate and drank. A warmth was beginning to take over me.
"You enjoyed it then?" Gellert smiled as I let out a low burp that echoed and bounced off the walls and ceiling of the room.
"Oh yes. I feel much better. I'm feeling all warm and tingly inside."
"That's good."
"Gellert?" I asked after a long pause.
"Yes?"
"What were those grey hooded things that I saw down at the lake?"
Gellert went quiet as he slowly lowered himself next to me on the sofa.
"Dementors." He said, staring into the fire, his hands clasped together.
"Dementors? What are they?"
"Dementors are soulless and are one of the foulest creatures to inhabit the world. They feed on happiness and generate feelings of despair and depression to any unfortunate person who is nearby. Once they've fed on all your happiness, you're left with nothing but your worst memories." The firewood crackled as he spoke.
I shivered. It sounded like something out of horror film. "I'm just curious, but what is underneath a dementor's hood? Cause that's what they were wearing when they were at the lake."
Gellert looked up at me. "That's an interesting question, but I'm afraid I can't answer it."
"Why?"
"Cause I don't know. I don't really think anyone does. Not even those who witnessed it could tell. I mean, could you?"
I thought about it. "No."
"I can tell you this though, they have a human body shape, have scabbed hands and no eyes. Just a mouth called 'The Dementor's Kiss' that sucks all the happiness from you, it's even worse than death."
"Is that what the dementor at the lake was doing to me? You know, performing the kiss thing?"
"Yes."
"And what would've happened if you hadn't saved me?"
"Well, they probably would have just sucked out your soul."
There was a pause.
"And if they had, would I be dead, or just existing with no purpose?"
Gellert sighed. "My you do ask a lot of questions, my dear. Some I can answer and some I can't. But I honestly don't really know; I assume you'd be both. You wouldn't be alive, yet you'd still exist. You'd just have no purpose, no nothing. And without having purpose you might as well not exist."
"Hmh." I agreed.
"Now, let's get you home, your parents will be worried about you." Gellert stood up and flattened the creases in his suit.
"I doubt it," I mumbled. "My dad's not around, so I don't often see him and my mum is usually out. When she's home she's shouting and giving me shit for stuff I haven't done. I can't remember the last time she actually told me she loved me. I can't remember the last time anyone ever told me they loved me." I felt my throat tighten and my eyes well up with tears.
I could sense that Gellert's heart had broken into two at those words.
"I'm so sorry Y/N." Gellert apologized hugging me.
"It's not your fault. It's my own fault for having such a crummy life."
"No no. It's definitely not your fault. Everything will work out, Y/N, I promise. And I'll be here with you every step of the way."
"Thank you, Gellert, that means an awful lot to me."
"No problem. At least your smiling. Now listen carefully. Take a big handful of this floo powder," Gellert bought forth a plant pot that had what looked like soil in it. "Step into the fire, say the name of the place you want to go - speak clearly otherwise you'll end up god knows where - and throw the powder down into the fire. Remember to close your eyes, keep your arms by your sides, your legs straight etc. If you don't you might get splinched."
"Splinched?"
"Yeah splinched. So if I was to example have one arm out or something, I might lose a fingernail or maybe my whole hand. And all because of that small thing. Small things can make big things happen."
"I don't want to lose my whole hand!" I cried. "Especially not my right one, because I use it to write with and pretty much everything else. The left one wouldn't bother me though since it doesn't do much."
Gellert laughed.
"I was joking around darling. Of course, you're not going to lose your whole hand. Better safe than sorry though."
I laughed as well, before taking a big handful of the floo powder and stepping into the now unlit fire.
"(Name of your address)" I shouted loud and clear. Then there was a flash of green light. Closing my eyes, pressing my arms against my sides and keeping my legs straight, I felt myself suddenly whizz downwards. About ten seconds later I fell out of a fireplace. As I started to crawl out of the fireplace on all fours, I suddenly realised I was completely covered and trailing soot across the carpet.
Getting up I was relieved to see that it was my house I'd arrived at and not some strangers.
Thump
Startled, I turned around and saw a soot-covered Gellert crawl wearily out of the fireplace, cursing as he did so. It was eff this and sh that. He didn't seem to realise that I was there.
"Bloody fireplace." He cursed. "I don't know why they're so damn small nowadays. You can't even fit someone's assh- Oh, sorry Y/N, I didn't realize you were here." He went red with embarrassment.
"No, it's all good." I helped Gellert out of the fireplace and to his feet.
"Thank you. I was worried you'd maybe gone a grate too far." Gellert said, dusting himself off.
"Nope. And I'm all in one piece."
"No splinching?"
"No splinching."
"That's very good. Very good indeed. One does usually get splinched on their first go and the fact that you didn't is amazing. So...well done. Right, I guess I should go now and leave you in peace."
My smile fell. "Why are you leaving so soon? You're welcome to stay longer."
"Thank you, my dear, you're kindness does not go unnoticed, but I regret to tell you that I have many things to attend to back home at Nurmengard Castle."
"Where's that?"
"In the Austrian Alps. I can not tell you the specific location though, Ministry of Magic officials may be watching the house." Gellert glanced round cautiously. "And if so, they could interrogate and possibly torture you to reveal my location. If they did, they'd be able to track me down and take me prisoner in the wizarding prison: Azkaban."
"What's the Ministry of Magic? In case your forgetting, I'm not magic, so I don't know anything about the wizarding world."
"Oh right, of course. My apologies my dear. Well the Ministry of Magic is the governing body of Great Britain. Your British government has a connection to the wizarding world, courtesy of the Ministry. The Ministry's intention is to preserve and enforce magical law. Their job is to also hide the magical world from yours. Many witches and wizards right now are living up and down this country, you wouldn't be able to tell though because they wear Muggle clothing to blend in."
"Muggle?"
"Uh huh. Non-magic folk like you."
"Oh ok."
"I'm just wondering, but is the Ministry bad, or good?"
"Well -"
Gellert couldn't finish his sentence though, because the noise of a car pulling up into the drive way interrupted it.
"My mum!" I gasped. "Hurry Gellert, you mustn't get caught in here!"
"Yes. And I'm very sorry my dear. Your question is another story for another time. Until we meet again."
He kissed my hand in a very gentleman fashion before disappearing into thin air.
***I hope you enjoyed and are continuing to stay safe😘******