Chapter 81 – Dangerous Task (1)
The air was chilly, and I could see my breath with every exhalation. Even though the sky was mostly clear, with only a few clouds swimming upwards from the south, the temperature was close to zero degrees. By now, only the evergreen trees remained green, and the rest were either dressed in yellow, orange, or red clothes, falling constantly around me as I walked forward.
"At least it isn't raining..." I shrugged, feeling the earth be relatively firm under my boots, and I wasn't getting caught in the mud. What I was most anxious about was still Quincy's side, but I had to focus on my mission. If I managed to finish it quickly, I could go and find her... although I didn't even know what I was looking for.
I was walking forward along the trail suggested by the clues, and if not for them, I would have missed this little footpath. I was sure it was not man-made but left behind by creatures of the forest. Where was it leading me? It was a good question... yet I felt calm and safe while following it. Was this the reward? Were our clues there to make it safe? I didn't have much time to think about it as suddenly I heard footsteps. Listening closely, they were coming from behind me... who?
It wasn't the time to hesitate, so I quickly abandoned the trail and hid among the trees, listening closely, with my wand in my hand. As the steps were getting closer, crunching leaves under her boots, I had already learned a lot. Going by the sound and the heaviness of the steps, my head painted an image of a girl, and I could only think about the two Beauxbatons students.
"Bingo..." I thought to myself when I noticed the figure coming along the same route... Celine Castillon, if I remember correctly. I never heard her speak English, so I wasn't exactly sure if she knew how in the first place... but she did follow Fleur around wherever she went. "Is she also around?"
But I could not hear any other steps coming my way, so I was sure she was alone. Was she following me? No... That was not the case, not after I noticed the parchment in her hands. So, some of the clues were the same... did this mean Quincy had the potential to run into another competitor? Damn it... of course she did...! Lord Voldemort wanted me to cause trouble... Was this a setup? How? It was their Headmaster who presented the parchments! Was this... a coincidence? I think I was overthinking. It should be a coincidence! Solving it at the same time? Following it through the same day...? It had to be.
I watched in silence as she mumbled to herself, looked up once or twice, and checked her surroundings with her wand, making me quickly cast counter-spells on myself so she would not discover my location. After checking twice, she continued her trek and left me no other choice but to follow. With another wave of my wand, I muffled my steps and followed in silence, keeping a reasonable distance and relying on my sense of smell instead of my eyes. I was going after her scent...
I was tempted to turn into my basilisk form, but I resisted the urge as it would also be a killer move. I don't know how prepared our side was, but... somehow, when I thought about what I should do, I was... unsure. Being told to kill someone was not the same as deciding it for myself. It was my choice to get rid of Umbridge and also to end the line of Malfoys. It came from within! It was all me... this time? It was an order. It just... didn't feel right. While I was thinking, I noticed that my target stopped. I approached slowly and carefully until we came to an opening. I saw her walking around, kicking leaves away, searching, looking... and then grumbling in her native tongue.
"Of course..." I whispered, the riddle finally making some sense. "On the head of death, sparkling in jet black! She can't see them? Heh... poor girl!"