A boy and a Pukwudgie

BOOM!

Kla Kla Kla Kla Kla Kla Kla Kla Kla

The doors rolled open with a mechanical noise as the sound of gears could be heard pulling them open. Inside, a magical scene came into view, vastly different from the night time seen outside. Inside, it was daytime, a fake sun could be seen up in the sky like ceiling, it looked so real I almost thought I teleported into a different space. the inside of the castle didn't actually look like an interior at all.

There was soft grass on the floor that was separated by a majestic and neatly designed cobblestone footpath that was 3 meters wide. I looked at the massive courtyard and, in the middle, a marvellous fountain with a stone statue of a woman holding a rose up above her as water rushed out from the innermost centre of the flower. A smile graced her face. She was unmoving and yet, a strange aura radiated off of her. It was almost like she was trapped in a stone cage. Unable to come out. Yet very much alive.

Beside the statue, an old man could be seen sitting down by the edge of the fountain, feeding the fish with a warm smile on his face. He was small in stature and had grey skin and long ears. I instantly recognised him as a pukwudgie. But this one had grey hair and a short beard. A neat but old suit on and a cane by his side.

I couldn't help but grin at the sight of him. I wasn't completely ignorant of the history of this school. I probably knew more that anyone here. Since I knew that the founder, Isolt Sayre was part of the Gaunt family. Descendants of Salazar Slytherin. Funny how fate works.

Isolt attempted to get away from her aunt who killed her parents by fleeing to America. Later she founded Ilvermorny with her future muggle husband and two adopted children. But her troubled past didn't escape her for long when her crazy aunt found her, and a large battle ensued. Just as Isolt was about to lose, she called out to William.

I don't know if it's this protagonist shit or something, but she coincidentally named the pukwudgie she was with 'William', the same name as her deceased father. And it was this pukwudgie that responded to her call in dire need. The funny thing was, she was actually calling out to her father, not the pukwudgie. Something I knew she would not correct since he had saved her life. Later it was James that chose the pukwudgie for his house emblem that touched William. He later vowed to protect the family.

To this day, pukwudgies roam the forest nearby and even inside the actual castle. All descendants of this William fellow. But what nobody knew was how long their life spans were since the school had only been founded in 1627. The thing that was suspicious was that this old man was the only one allowed to clean the statue of the founder. And that every headmaster or mistress held a deep respect for this one.

After all of this, it would be safe to say that people had come to a similar conclusion as me. That this pukwudgie was actually the same William. He even had the same name! but when they confronted him, he would only smile and shake his head. Naturally, he would not reveal his secrets.

The only reason I cared at all, was because he could help me find the key. Since he was here the entire time.

So, as we walked past the fountain, everyone said hello to the pukwudgie and continued to the other end where another set of slightly smaller gates was placed. But I lagged behind and simply stared at him before looking up at the statue.

I secretly placed a muffliato spell around us when nobody was paying attention.

"Must be quite saddening," I said as I gazed at the beautiful stone statue. The sun seemed to favour her as it glowed even more brightly upon her shiny exterior.

The old man didn't respond and continued to feed the fish.

"Being the only one left behind that is," I continued without looking at him. But from the corner of my eye, a minuscule twitch of his lips was seen. This would have gone unnoticed by the students, but my enhanced body and eyes picked up on it.

I smiled slightly, "I wonder how you were able to keep yourself going after so many years?" I pushed on cautiously. The old man looked up at me slightly and a glint flashed through his eyes. As if he recognised me. No, more like he could see through me.

"Young lad, I don't know what you're talking about," he refused and looked back down at the fish who were dancing about eating the treats he threw in.

"I think you do. But I don't have the time right now. I have to get sorted. But I will be back to resume our conversation. I think you will find it to be most… intriguing." I said with a smile and walked towards the gate with the last couple of kids.

I would have loved to stay and play with the old man, but I really did need to be sorted. I slowly made my way back to the front of the pack where Percival was standing and waiting to walk in.

---

William peered over his shoulder slightly as he stared at Tom's back with slight surprise and vigilance. He had been probed many times about this but everyone else wasn't as confident as this one. He seemed to be able to see right through him. Like he knew his life's story. It creeped him out.

He remembered the last few words Tom said and decided it was worth listening to.