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Prologue

Where new roads are traveled

The night air was cool, and Val's breath had formed fog to cover up the view outside their carriage. She wiped most of it away with her slew and looked out in to the night. The dying moon was hanging low in the sky over long and sharp silhouettes of the castle towers. Only few small windows were illuminating the night at the distance with their foreign warm yellow glow. The star lit sky behind the looming building looked so much more inviting than the castle ever would, she thought while stealing a glance of her father sitting on the opposite seat deep in thought.

"What is it Val?" her father asked after noticing a pair of indigo eyes staring at him in the dark.

"Tell me again, why I have to do this." she asked while trying hard not to sound like she was whining like an impudent child.

"It's not safe at home anymore. Dumbledore gave me his word that as long as you are within the walls of Hogwards, he would keep you safe. Right now, it's a best bet I have, to keep you alive." the man sighed sounding tired through to his bones.

Valerian didn't say anything, instead opting to look out of the window at the ominous shadow of the castle she would be spending the rest of her year in. Humans, this all had started because of them, and now she was send off to live amongst them. Just because their numbers were dwindling by the hands of the very same creatures they were now turning to for help. For her, it just didn't make any sense at all, but no one argued with her father. It was something you just simply didn't do, so here she was, sitting silently with him in a carriage pulled by a pair of thestrals towards a place she wanted nothing to do with.

"I know you don't trust humans, and I don't blame you. If it were any other man I would not have heard a word of it, but I trust Dumbledore. I have known the man sense he was just a boy, and he is a good man. Not like the rest of the lot." trying to reason with his daughter for what seemed like a hundredth time, Launfal found himself becoming almost desperate.

"Just do this one thing for me, will you little sparrow? I know you miss your mother, but now is not the time to act out. In due time, we will make sure that the sons of men get what they deserve, but for now, we have to lay low. The people at the castle know what we are, but you should probably try to appear as human as you can. That way you won't attract so much attention and it will be easier for you." All the response he got from his daughter with his little speech was a faint glimmering movement of her wings and a quick glance of those deep blue eyes that were so like her mother that it made shivers travel down his spine.

At the impossibly high doors of the school, two people were waiting patiently as the carriage neared the castle. One of them, the taller one of the two, was smiling to himself like there was not a care in the world while the other one was showing different stages of disdain.

The carriage stopped right in front of them and the door opened ever so slowly. Out stepped a young petite woman with silvery white hair flowing down her back, glowing in the moonlight. Her clothes were different shades of grey and blue, and attached to here back were a pair of wings, that were a curious mixture that of a bird and a butterfly. They were shimmering softly in the darkness, the girl looking like she would fly off at any second never coming back. Her facial expression showing clearly, that she wasn't happy with the situation she had found herself in.

After the girl out came sir. Launfal Nightshade. The man was a sight as much as ever, standing tall like only a man sure of his position could. His hair and wings matched the ones of her daughter, and in his golden eyes burned the sense of authority, when he strode up the stairs to greet their welcome party.

"Albus, its good to see you again." his voice was deep and melodious as he shook the headmasters hand firmly.

"- and Mrs. McGonagall." he greeted the strict looking woman with a nod of his head.

"Welcome to my school Launfal, it's so nice that you could come. Let's not stand here in the doorway, and instead go to my office for a talk." professor Dumbledore said with an inviting wave of his hand towards the marble stairs of the entrance hall. The three adults were few steps in to the school before Launfal noticed that Val was not following them.

"Come on Valerian, we don't have all night to stand mindlessly around." he said impatiently to his daughter who was still standing in front of the carriage not making a move.

"But dad, Kayn won't come out!" she sounded rather frustrated, looking at the open door she had emerged herself just moments ago, brow furrowed and full lips pouting the way her father found he could never say no to.

"She will follow you once she realises that you are going out of her sight otherwise. Now come on." his voice much gentler of the sight of his daughters pouting face.

With an annoyed huff and a flap of her wings Valerian followed after her father and the two professors. Soon after the young fey had disappeared inside, a great white lynx stepped warily out of the carriage door sniffing the late autumn air before hurrying after her.

Upstairs, with a good view down to the entrance hall, four friends were hiding under a magical cape.

"Did you see that?" one of them asked with a stunned whisper.

"Is that what I think it was?" other followed right after.

"But what the hell would a fay do inside Hogwards?" the third wondered with a tired voice. The fourth one of the boys, the smallest one, dared not to utter a word. Instead he was thinking about the big cat in silent terror. Hoping that they would not cross paths while he was in his animal form, or else his end would not be a pretty one.