Disclaimer: Harry Potter © J.K. Rowling. Key of the Twilight © Yuki Kajeiri. Story elements © Hideki LaShae. No money was gained in the writing of this story.
Key of the Twilight
By
Hideki LaShae
Forest green eyes glance nervously around the Great Hall. The girl stands in line along with the first year students, all of them waiting to be sorted into their Houses at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She however is quite unlike the other students in the school, especially the first years she stands beside. She is unique. Her skin looks like the flawless bark of an ash tree while her hair holds a rich oak color. Two short braids frame her face falling almost to her shoulders, but the rest of her long, slightly wavy hair falls unhindered down her back gracefully hitting her waist.
"I am the Hogwarts sorting hat,
Now it is time for me to decide,
Just where your futures will reside
In these houses you will abide," sings the tattered old hat on the stool in front of the teacher's table.
Professor Flitwick, a tiny wizard with white hair, stands beside the hat and unrolls his scroll. He starts on the list of names, calling the students forward one by one and placing the hat on their heads.
The girl turns her eyes away. It doesn't matter to her where these students will be placed. Her own destiny has been chosen for her already. Her attention returns to the first year students as she sees the last one move up to be sorted into Hufflepuff.
Professor Flitwick rolls up his scroll again, leaving the girl standing where she had been.
All eyes in the Great Hall turn towards her, but they quickly switch over to the Headmaster, Professor Albus Dumbledore, when he stands up again.
"Due to circumstances that have been unforeseen, we have a new student for our third year class this year," says Professor Dumbledore, "She is a special student that has been training these past two years at another school of witchcraft and wizardry, but situations being what they are, she will be completing her education here. I would hope that you would all welcome her."
"Ralanae, Kira," says Professor Flitwick lifting the sorting hat for the girl.
The girl blinks before stepping forward and sitting down on the stool, pulling the sorting hat low on her head so it covers her eyes.
"A little old aren't you?" asks the sorting hat in a quiet voice that seems to ring in Kira's ears.
'My mother taught me magic, but she has died now. I need proper training. That's why I'm here,' thinks Kira.
"Hmm… interesting," says the sorting hat, "you are an unusual student, but where to put you? You are brave. It's true, quite suited for Gryffindor… Intelligent quite yes so Ravenclaw it could be… You would do well in Hufflepuff. Your loyalty is true, yet there is something more. You have a lust for power… Slytherin that would be. I ask you this, which way would you like to go?"
'In Slytherin I would surely die, whither and grow old,' thinks Kira, 'I'd rather be where I belong, and since you know it all… Place me where you think it best, oh sorting hat so tall.'
"You would do well no matter where, in Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff. But in Gryffindor or Slytherin you truly would be great. Your lust for power, will it win, and you be placed in Slytherin?" asks the sorting hat again.
Kira pulls the sorting hat from her head and stands up again, placing the hat on the stool once more. She starts to walk back towards the door to leave the Great Hall.
"Miss Ralanae?" squeaks Professor Flitwick in slight shock, "You have not been sorted yet."
"The hat does not know where I belong," says Kira simply, "So I do not belong here. I will return to my old school. I will manage there."
"Kira Ralanae, you belong in GRYFFINDOR!" shouts the sorting hat.
Kira spins to stare at the hat as the Gryffindor table bursts into applause. She sighs and smiles. "Stupid hat really does know everything!"
Professor Dumbledore smiles at Kira with a sad expression on his face.
Kira nods her head in understanding of Professor Dumbledore's silent words. She turns again and hurries forward to take a seat at the Gryffindor table where Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown slide apart to give her room.
Seamus Finnigan leans forward quickly, his sandy-hair falling into his eyes. "What special circumstances are causing you to come here now?"
"Sh," says Kira as Professor Dumbledore stands and says a few brief words before the tables fill with food. She looks around the table for some food she might recognize and opts for nothing more than a large salad, filling her plate with the lettuce and vegetables.
"Why are you here so late, Kira?" asks Lavender.
"And you would be?" Kira glances at Lavender slightly miffed.
"Oh! I'm Lavender Brown!"
"Hi." Kira turns her eyes to Seamus again.
"I'm Finnigan… Seamus Finnigan," says Seamus with a smile.
.
Tell me of a story never ever told in the past…
.
Kira smiles slightly. She notices two other students joining the table late, but she pays them no mind. She speaks slightly louder than she normally would because she knows that most of the school wants to hear her story. "I was taught by my mother. She and I were the only two of our magical persuasion. Only she could teach me how to control the weave of magic that we wield. We work along with the earth and use magic that solely relates to it. It's not like waving a wand and saying a few magic words. It's much deeper than that, being what I am. We are protectors. She died though, and that is why I am here. She was incomplete with my training. Hopefully the library here at Hogwarts will have the information I need to complete my training. I will not be able to fulfill all of my mother's previous duties until my training is complete. I am the youngest ever to hold this responsibility alone, but there is no one else who could."
"What do you mean, magical persuasion?" asks Parvati.
Kira turns her eyes to her salad and begins to eat it hungrily.
"Name," hisses Lavender over Kira's back.
Parvati's eyes widen. "My name is Parvati Patil."
"I mean many things, but you do not need to know them," says Kira, "And if sometime you do need to know them, you will find out at that time." She finishes her salad and looks around the table.
"Here," says Dean Thomas passing a plate of pork chops towards Kira, "Try some of this. It's really good. I'm Dean Thomas by the way."
"Um… what is that?" asks Kira looking at the meat in a repulsed way.
"Pork chops," says Dean, "Haven't you ever had them before?"
"Pork? What is it from?" asks Kira.
"Pig," says Lavender giving Kira an odd look.
"Oh… Oh, I don't think I should! Not today at least… maybe another time. I will stick to plants, thank you," says Kira finding a dish of roasted potatoes and dishing a lot of them onto her plate.
"Are you a vegetarian?" asks Dean.
"Um… I don't think so. What's a vegetarian?" asks Kira blinking at Dean.
Dean smiles. "Someone who only eats fruits and vegetables. They don't eat any meat."
"I've never had meat," says Kira before taking a bite of potatoes, "I only ate what other animals around my home did. Mother had a small garden to provide us with plenty of food. But mostly I ate berries and nuts. That's what all my friends ate, and I would always eat with them. They're herbivores."
"So they're vegetarian?" asks Dean.
"I… I suppose they are," says Kira reaching for a pitcher of pumpkin juice. She looks inside it and sniffs the content.
"That's pumpkin juice. Don't worry. It's perfectly harmless!" exclaims Seamus.
Kira pours some of the juice into her goblet and takes a little sip. Her cheeks show pink as she guzzles the rest of her goblet. She fills her goblet again and drinks the juice down. She hiccups once as her cheeks redden even more.
"Are you all right, Kira?" asks Parvati looking at her with widened eyes.
Kira sets the pitcher down with trembling hands after pouring up a third glass. She hiccups again and her eyes cross as she looks at Parvati. "Who are you again?"
"Parvati Patil."
Kira giggles.
"I do say. I think she's drunk," says a pale ghost floating towards them from further down the table.
"And who are you… hiccup… to presume any… hiccup… thing about me?" asks Kira looking up at the ghost.
"My name is Sir Nicholas…"
"Hello, Nearly Headless Nick," says Lavender with a slight smile.
Nearly Headless Nick glares at Lavender. "I prefer Sir Nicholas."
"What makes you think Kira is drunk?" interrupts Seamus before Lavender and Nearly Headless Nick can argue much.
"Her mannerism… plus the fact that she has never drank anything more potent than water. All of the Hogwarts ghosts were warned about this one before she arrived. We are to keep an eye on her until she gets settled," explains Nearly Headless Nick, "I should escort her to the hospital wing to see Madam Pomfrey. Come with me, Kira."
Kira stands up shakily and follows Nearly Headless Nick past the teacher's table, where the ghost stops for a few brief words with Professor Dumbledore, before heading out of the Great Hall. She stumbles as she walks after the ghost towards the hospital wing.
Nearly Headless Nick floats through the door, and in her drunken stupor, Kira walks straight into it and falls back onto the floor unconscious.
The door swings open, and Madam Pomfrey rushes to Kira's side. "Dear girl!"
"I believe she tried to go through the door as I did," says Nearly Headless Nick, "This is my fault. I knew she was drunk. I should have warned her to open the door before entering."
"It isn't your fault, Sir Nicholas," says Madam Pomfrey lifting the nearly weightless girl in her arms and carrying her into the hospital wing. She lays Kira down on a bed. "Thank you for bringing her here, Sir Nicholas. I will take care of her now. But if you could, please, do not allow her to drink pumpkin juice again."
"I will keep an eye on her," says Nearly Headless Nick before floating away to let Madam Pomfrey tend to her patient.
.
***
.
Kira walks into the Great Hall the next morning just as the other students are arriving for breakfast. She sits down at the Gryffindor table close to Nearly Headless Nick who gives her a friendly greeting. She looks around for things that she can identify.
Lavender sits down beside Kira and holds out a plate of bacon. "Try some, Kira. This is bacon. It comes from pigs."
Kira scrunches up her nose at the unusual smelling meat. "What is all this stuff?"
"Mmm… breakfast!" exclaims Dean sitting down across from Kira. He takes the plate from Lavender's hand. "Were you going to take some Kira?"
"No, I think not," says Kira shaking her head vehemently.
"Great! More for me then!" exclaims Dean placing a large amount of bacon on his plate. He sets the bacon platter down and lifts a plate of scrambled eggs to slide some onto his plate. "Since you've eaten mostly plants, I guess it would be safe to say you've never had scrambled eggs before then, right?"
"Eggs? Yes! Yes, I've had eggs! Cardinals eggs mostly… Is that what you're having?" asks Kira smiling brightly.
"Actually, I think these are chicken eggs," says Dean, "but they should taste pretty much the same. How did you have the Cardinal eggs prepared?"
"You take them from the nest, wipe them off so you're not eating feathers and swallow them whole," says Kira taking the plate of eggs as Dean passes it to her while trying not to look grossed out by her eating habits. She slides a little of it onto her plate to try it, and she sets the platter down.
"Have some of this too," says Dean pushing a plate of toast towards Kira, "It's bread that's been toasted. It comes from wheat and grains."
Kira lifts a piece of toast and sniffs it before taking a bite. She smiles and places a second piece on her plate as well. "Such unusual food!"
"What was your last school like?" asks Dean.
"Quiet… It was nothing like Hogwarts. I had many teachers, but I was the only student. I learned Herbology and all other studies of the Earth straight from my mother. A Hag taught potion making. She was quite nice when she wasn't trying to use me in her potions. I learned Care of Magical Creatures from magical creatures," says Kira eating her eggs and toast. "My father… he taught me the most, but he's been gone so long."
"Gone?" asks Dean quietly, "You mean he…?"
Kira sighs and nods. "He passed away several years ago. My mother tried to take on all the responsibility of teaching me after that. She did her best, but my education is lacking. I don't handle my wand very well at all."
Dean blushes slightly. "Maybe I could help you with that. I'm not the best with wand work, but I'll certainly try to help you if you want me to."
Kira smiles and blushes in return. She nods her head and sticks her toast into her mouth to silence herself.
"Well… I'd be more than happy to help you until you get settled here at Hogwarts," says Dean, "There are some things you need to watch out for, like the moving staircases and the trick steps."
"I would appreciate that," says Kira, "This castle is rather large, and I doubt I would be able to get to all my classes even if I had a map." She pulls a schedule from her pocket and looks it over. "Hmm… double Potions with Slytherin. Double Herbology with Hufflepuff. Double Care of Magical Creatures with Slytherin. We don't have any classes with Ravenclaw. That's odd. Transfiguration. Defense Against the Dark Arts. History of Magic… is that an interesting class?"
"History of Magic? Yuck! No!" exclaims Parvati sitting down at the table and selecting her own breakfast, "It's taught by Professor Binns, a ghost who could put an insomniac into a coma!"
Kira giggles. "Too bad! I haven't study any magic history at all. I suppose I'll just have to study that on my own time. Let's see, then. I have a free hour for private study. I could devote twenty minutes to magical history, and the remaining forty to my expertise."
"You have a free hour?" asks Lavender, "How did you manage that?"
"Well… there are no classes that would help me on my job. I will have to work at the Ministry of Magic when I'm older," says Kira. She finishes her eggs before continuing, "My mother held the position before her death, and I'm the only person who possesses even the tiniest bit of knowledge to be able to hold the position. So I'm stuck with it. I get a free period to do private study on various subjects that will aide me in…"
Just at that moment, the Great Hall is swarmed with owls that come swooping in carrying packages for their owners.
"What is this?" asks Kira staring at an owl that lands in front of her.
"Mail call," says Parvati smiling.
Kira notices the letter attached to the owl's leg, and she removes it slowly. She opens it and reads the words on the parchment. She sighs and reaches down into the bag at her feet. She pulls a quill and a bottle of ink out and turns the parchment over to write down a response. She contemplates for just a moment before she starts to write, and she signs the bottom with swirling handwriting that appears to form letters not corresponding with her actual name. She reties the parchment to the owl's leg and stares at it when it doesn't even bother to move. "Okay… off you go. Fly back to where you came from! You have my response now."
The owl blinks at Kira before taking to the air once more.
"Who was that from?" asks Lavender.
"The Ministry of Magic. They needed my advice on a problem pertaining to my Mother's old position there. It seems that I will be required to assist them a lot from here," says Kira. She mumbles, "Incompetent fools."
"You are an advisor for the Ministry of Magic?" asks Lavender, "What could you possibly have exclusive expertise on?"
Kira stares at her plate for a long moment before standing and carrying her book bag away. She passes through the ghost of a woman, and she shivers for a moment before continuing on.
"Kira!" exclaims Dean scrambling to his feet and flinging his bag over his shoulder as he races after the brunette. He catches up to Kira on the second floor. "Kira! Stop! Please!"
Kira stops, but she doesn't turn towards Dean.
Dean walks up to Kira and looks at her back. "What's wrong? Is this about what Lavender said?"
"I lived in the middle of the forest, a full day's walk from the nearest town. I lived so far away from everyone else because they hated me for being what I am. Some hated me simply because of who my parents were. Some hated me because I could control a different type of magic than most people," says Kira. She turns to look at Dean and lowers her eyes quickly to hide the shimmering in her green eyes. "The children in the village would always throw sticks at me. They hated me because the sticks would never hurt me. Nothing from the earth can hurt me. They would call me all sorts of names and laugh at me… all because my mother and I were the last people to have the knowledge of our magic. She was an expert in her field, and she was the only person alive who even studied it. That's why it was taught to me. Her area of expertise, and only we knew anything about it. My mother worked on a council in the Ministry, and I've taken her place on it now. I'm not an advisor for the Ministry. I'm on their payroll."
Dean stares at Kira with wide eyes. "What type of magic do you know?"
"Earth magic."
"Can you show me something?" asks Dean.
Kira looks around and sees a window not too far from where they stand. She guides Dean over to the window and they look out onto the grounds. She points to a section of dirt and grass. "Watch."
Dean looks at the ground, but out of the corner of his eye he sees Kira scrunch up her eyes and concentrate on her task.
A small bush sprouts up from the ground exactly where Kira's pointing.
Kira leans against the wall beside the window.
Dean watches as the bush drops back into the ground. "What happened?"
"I'm too far away. I couldn't get it to take root properly from here. I need to be able to touch actual dirt for my power to be most effective," says Kira.
Dean turns towards Kira and smiles. "I think that's very cool."
Kira smiles and blushes.
"Come on now. We have to get to class!" exclaims Dean taking Kira's hand lightly and pulling her down the hallway.
.
***
.
Kira bows to her hippogriff and even lowers her eyes to the ground.
"Keep your eyes on the hippogriff, Kira!" exclaims Hagrid.
"She will not hurt me," says Kira, "I trust this young lady. She will not harm me if I have no intent to harm her. I have none."
The hippogriff drops down onto her knees.
Kira smiles as she slowly approaches the feathered beast. She reaches her hand up and slowly pets the beaked head. Her eyes widen and she spins towards the hippogriff that Hagrid had identified as Buckbeak. "Buckbeak, no!"
Buckbeak lashes out against the arrogant blond standing in front of him.
Kira runs over to Buckbeak and throws her arms around his neck. She whispers, "No, Buckbeak. He isn't worth it. He is beneath you. You are noble born and he is peasant spawn."
Buckbeak nuzzles Kira's shoulder as Hagrid hurries away with the boy.
"Your life will not be easy from now on, Buckbeak, so I will take you on as my charge. I will protect you from any who wishes you harm," says Kira petting Buckbeak comfortingly. "I am sorry for all of the trouble…"
Buckbeak blinks in slight confusion, not yet aware of any wrongdoing.
Kira hugs Buckbeak.
"Kira… are you sure you should be that close to that… Is it safe?" asks Dean staring at Kira with dark worried eyes.
Kira turns her forest green eyes to Dean and smiles meekly. "I am safe, but I do not believe Buckbeak is."
"Kira?" asks Dean shakily.
"Buckbeak won't harm me, Dean," says Kira guiding the hippogriff over to the edge of the paddock all the hippogriffs reside in and tying it to a sturdy support post. She's unaware of the four sets of eyes watching her work until she turns around to see two unfamiliar boys and an equally foreign girl standing beside Dean. She pats Buckbeak for assurance before walking over to them all. She bows politely to the three unknown people in much the same fashion as she bowed to her hippogriff earlier. "Good day. How do you do?"
The girl with the unusually unruly brown hair curtseys to Kira with a smile on her face. "Very well. Thank you. How do you do?"
Kira blinks in shock before smiling. She curtseys in return. "Very well. Thank you. My name is Kira Ralanae."
"I am Hermione Granger," says the girl, "These are my two best friends, Ron Weasley and Harry Potter."
"A pleasure to meet you," says Kira.
"Likewise," says the black haired boy. Harry Potter.
Kira looks at Harry for a moment trying to remember where she heard the name before. She shrugs mentally figuring that it was probably just some stupid rumor she heard floating through the halls where she had heard the name before and that it probably held little importance. She only catches a glimpse of the lightning scar on his forehead, but she ignores it figuring that it would probably be a sore subject as most scars are. She knows because she has her share of them.
"Hi," says the red haired boy identified as Ron, "Are you sure it was safe to be hugging Buckbeak after he attacked Malfoy?"
"Ron!" The gentle green eyes behind the pair of round glasses roll at his friend.
"What?" asks Ron. "I'm not saying it was a bad thing for Buckbeak to attack Malfoy!"
"But it was a bad thing," says Kira hanging her head sadly, "No one will realize that Buckbeak was just defending his honor. Ministry officials will probably seek to have him…"
"Killed," finishes Hermione, "Not if I have any say in the matter! We'll mount a defense for Buckbeak."
"That's right!" agrees Harry, "He was provoked!"
"Well… we'd best be going. We have class," says Dean.
"Don't remind me!" exclaims Kira giggling, "I'm still lousy at wand-work!"
"But you're improving so well," says Ron, "I've noticed you in Flitwick's class. You're a lot better than Seamus, but at least he's stopped blowing things up like he was in first year."
The five students continue to talk about their past experiences as they head back towards the school.
.
***
.
Kira shakes slightly as she watches the bogart transform into everyone else's fear. She takes a deep breath knowing it will be her turn soon and she still doesn't even know what the bogart will turn into, much less how to defeat it. What is she afraid of really?
"Kira!" exclaims Professor Lupin.
Kira steps forward and the bogart, which had been shaped like a severed hand trapped in a mousetrap, transforms with a resounding CRACK!
Several students laugh as Kira stares straight into the forest green eyes of a much older looking version of herself.
The older Kira glares at the younger maliciously, and suddenly Kira understands what it is she's afraid of. She raises her wand and shouts, "Riddikulus!"
A bright light surrounds the elder Kira and when it dims, a happy man with the same forest green eyes, ash tree skin, and oak brown hair as the young witch smiles at Kira. There is nothing menacing or scary about the man.
"Excellent! Ron, you next!"
"What was it that you were afraid of?" whispers Dean into Kira's ear.
"I was afraid of becoming evil when I grew older, following the Dark Lord," whispers Kira in return, "So I transformed the bogart into my father. He was a good man who did whatever he could to fight against evil."
"You couldn't be evil," whispers Dean, "You have too much of your father in you." He smiles and takes Kira's hand lightly.
Kira smiles at Dean and steps closer to him so their shoulders touch.
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***
.
"Wow! Our first Hogsmeade weekend!" exclaims Parvati happily after reading the notice posted on the bulletin board. She sits down at the table beside Lavender.
"I can't wait," says Seamus taking the empty seat in between Parvati and Dean.
Kira, from her seat beside Dean, smiles weakly. "I hope you all have fun."
"What?" gasps Dean, "Aren't you coming, Kira?"
"I can't. I'm not yet emancipated, and I have no guardians who could sign the permission slip," says Kira sadly, "I can't go."
"What's emancipated?" asks Lavender.
"It's where I'm declared an adult before I reach the age of adulthood," says Kira, "I am liberated from parentage and able to make my own decisions. Unfortunately, it's a long process. I should be able to go to Hogsmeade next year. I have to prove financial capability. That's hard when you're in school and your finances are all covered! It would be much easier if I weren't a witch. Muggle court systems work faster on this sort of thing than magical ones."
"So you can't go into Hogsmeade?" asks Dean looking at Kira with the most crestfallen look on his face.
Kira shakes her head.
"I'll bring you back something," says Dean, "But… I have some homework to do in the library now." He stands up. "I'll catch you guys later."
Kira watches Dean head out, and she sighs. "Yeah… I have some work to do myself. If anyone needs me, I'll be in the owlery. I need to borrow some of the school's owls. I really need to get one of my own."
"See you later," says Lavender as Kira stands and grabs her bag before heading out of the common room.
Kira heads to the owlery and sits down on the floor while she scribbles out some notes to various people she's had contact with in the Ministry of Magic. She ties all the messages together and sends them with one large barn owl to her closest friend, a Spiritmage that she works closely with. She watches as the owl flies away before she turns and heads down to return to the dormitory to take a nap.
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***
.
The day of the Hogsmeade visit comes all too quickly, and Kira sees Dean off with a warm hug before he joins the line of students heading through the gates. She notices his sadness as he converses with Seamus, but she ignores it since there is very little she can do about it at the moment. She heads back towards the greenhouses, but a sound from the Forbidden Forest makes her change her mind and she changes course to run into the cover of the trees.
A cougar jumps out of a tree and tackles Kira to the ground.
Kira screeches as she sees the cat, and she wrestles with it until she finds herself completely pinned beneath the large cat. She laughs out loud. "Coula! I thought you were still back at our forest! What are you doing here?"
The cougar, Kira's pet, fixes Kira's eyes with an intense stare, and the mind bond between witch and familiar becomes complete. He growls. 'I came searching for you. There are many big nasties in between home and here. But you were not difficult to find. I avoided all the big nasties and came here as quickly as I could. I thought you might need me here.'
.
Come with me in the twilight of a summer night for awhile…
.
"Oh, Coula! So much has happened since I left you! Sit with me, and I will tell you everything! No one will miss me until closer to dinnertime anyway!" exclaims Kira.
Coula lets Kira up and then they sit facing each other and staring into each other's eyes, one looking in forest green and one looking into rich mahogany brown.
Kira smiles as she begins her story, never once breaking eye contact with Coula. She tells the cougar all about Dean and the others she's met, about Buckbeak and his impending trial, and all about her frustrations trying to aide the Elementals Department at the Ministry of Magic while still trying to do her studies and finish her Earth Elemental training. "I'm not getting any nearer to finishing my training. I feel that I'm in over my head here at Hogwarts. I have a crush on the only person I really consider my friend. I feel that my first charge is going to be killed because some student was a stupid ass! I miss our home. I miss Mom, and I miss my friends. And to top it all off, I have to schedule one of my Masters tests before the end of the school year! Oh, Coula! I don't know if I can do this!"
'You can. I can help you some,' says Coula with a growl, 'Which Masters test are you going to arrange?'
"I'm going to arrange two. My Air Masters before the end of the school year, and my Fire Masters before the end of summer," says Kira with a smile, "I have three shots to complete the tests to the satisfaction of my instructors, so I'm not too worried there. I think the Air Masters will be the most difficult and I want to do that one first. It will also be the most helpful if I pass it."
'Yes. If you gain control of the Air, as well as the Earth, then you will be able to feed the trees from the air,' says Coula, 'and you could fly without using a broomstick.'
"Right! Then you could fly with me!" exclaims Kira laughing at the look of horror that appears in Coula's eyes. "I'm joking!"
'It's almost time for you to leave. You're getting hungry,' says Coula, 'You missed the midday meal.'
"Yeah, and Dean should be getting back soon." Kira blushes and turns her eyes from Coula.
Coula swats Kira's hand until Kira turns back to look at him again. 'Remember that you cannot fall in love with him. You are destined.'
"Not destined. Betrothed," corrects Kira, "But you know that if I find love before meeting my betrothed and joining with him, then I can choose not to join with him and can join with my love. Besides, only Mom and Dad knew my betrothed's real name. All I know is that his Elemental name is Firestar Major. How am I supposed to meet him if that is all I know? My parents were supposed to arrange the meeting with his parents! But my parents are… My parents can't! They're gone! They can't help me anymore!"
Coula breaks eye contact this time and tackles Kira down to the ground in a giant cat embrace.
"I need to head back," says Kira after a few moments of embracing her cougar.
Coula bounds away from Kira and watches her as she heads out of the forest and into the castle.
Kira heads into the Great Hall and is greeted by an enthusiastic Dean upon sitting down at the Gryffindor table.
"Where were you, Kira?" asks Dean, "I was looking for you all over the castle!"
"When did you get back, Dean?" asks Kira smiling at him.
"Oh, just about a half hour ago," says Dean, "I brought you a bunch of things from Zonko's Joke Shop and Honeyduke's! I left them in my room."
"I had some work to do," says Kira, "So… I was out on the grounds. Tell me about Hogsmeade! Where all did you go? What did you do?"
Dean grins wildly as he starts to tell Kira about all the shops and all the wonders of Hogsmeade while they enjoy the Halloween feast together.
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***
.
"I can't believe Professor Snape thought he could assign us such a long paper! It's not even his class! Professor Lupin teaches Defense Against the Dark Arts! Not Snape!" exclaims Seamus as everyone walks away from their class, "Bloody ridiculous!"
"I'm sure Professor Lupin will talk to Snape so we don't have to do it," says Dean.
Kira nods her head. "I wonder why Snape was so adamant that we study werewolves though even though we weren't anywhere near there in our actual studies."
"He's just being a big prat, I'm sure of it!" exclaims Seamus.
"I wonder why Professor Lupin was sick," mumbles Kira, "You know… I don't think breakfast is agreeing with me. I think I should go see Madam Pomfrey."
"Are you okay?" asks Dean. His concern shows brightly in his dark eyes.
Kira smiles as she gently touches Dean's tone-dark cheek. "I just don't think that pork agrees with my digestive system. Meat is something best eaten in moderation it would seem."
"Would you like me to walk you to the hospital wing?"
"I don't want you to be late for class…"
"No one will notice!" exclaims Dean smiling as he takes Kira's hand and starts towards the hospital wing with her. "So… how did you like all the sweets I got you from Honeyduke's?"
"They are wonderful!" exclaims Kira, "I've never had sugared confections before! Thank you for bringing them for me, Dean!" She stops them right outside of the hospital wing, and she gazes into Dean's eyes.
Dean's smile fades away in the intensity of their mutual gaze. He tilts his head and starts to lower his lips towards Kira's.
Kira tilts her head and brings her lips up to meet Dean's in a quick, chaste kiss. She pulls away blushing intensely, but she notices how good the deep red blush looks on Dean's dark skin. "I'll see you later, Dean."
Dean heads off to class while Kira slips into the hospital wing and does a quick scan to find Professor Lupin isn't in the hospital wing.
"Is something wrong, Miss Ralanae?" asks Madam Pomfrey.
"It's nothing really. Just a slight stomach ache," says Kira lying gracefully, "I tried some of the bacon at breakfast and I don't think it was such a good idea."
"How is your diet doing?" asks Madam Pomfrey getting a potion out of a cabinet to give to Kira.
"Well, I've started eating meat now. Chicken mostly, but I am growing fond of the steak and kidney pie. I've tried the pork. It's not my favorite, but once in awhile it is nice," says Kira, "and I can drink juice now. Orange with breakfast, apple or strawberry at lunch, and then pumpkin at dinner. I can only have one or two glasses of pumpkin though. It still gets me a little tipsy if I have too much."
"I'm glad to see you're adjusting to life here," says Madam Pomfrey giving Kira a dose of the potion, which she quickly swallows. "There. Right as rain. Now off with you."
"Thank you, Madam Pomfrey," says Kira, "You haven't seen Professor Lupin, have you? Professor Snape said he was sick, and well… knowing the way those two don't get along, I think Professor Snape might have done something to Professor Lupin."
"Professor Snape has done nothing of the sort," says Madam Pomfrey, "Professor Lupin is just exhausted, and he needed to rest."
"Oh. Good. I'm glad," says Kira before turning and heading from the hospital wing. She heads straight to the library to begin her research for the werewolf paper, hoping that somewhere in her research she might find an excuse for Snape's behavior. She pours over the books on werewolves and lycanthropy. She even goes so far as to pull out the star charts from her astronomy class to go over the moon cycle while she reads. She gasps as the realization hits her, and she packs up her books immediately to run from the library. She runs down the hallways and nearly topples into the Hogwarts' caretaker, Argus Filtch.
"Why aren't you in class?" asks Filtch eyeing Kira suspiciously.
"I… I need to talk to one of the professors. This is my free period, and I think I found something important! I need… I need to confirm it with Professor Lupin!" exclaims Kira.
"Professor Lupin is ill at the moment," says Filtch, "You'll have to do better than that!"
"He's ill?" asks Kira looking confused, "Really? Oh! Then he'll be at the hospital wing! Thank you, Mr. Filtch! I'll go look for him there! It's really important that I speak to him! I think that there might be a dangerous dark creature on the school grounds! There have been sightings of a cougar, but I don't think it's a cougar! Well… um… thank you again!" Kira spins around and hurries down the hall, turning at the first chance she gets so that Filtch doesn't have time to drag her to any of the teachers for punishment.
Kira hides until Filtch passes before heading back in the direction of Lupin's office. She knocks on the wooden door gently. "Professor Lupin? This is Kira Ralanae. It is urgent that I speak to you."
After receiving no response, Kira tries to open the door to find it locked. Not trusting her wand work for the 'Alohamora' unlocking spell, she drops her bag of books, pulls off her robes, and kicks off her shoes to stand barefoot in only her school jumper. She takes a deep breath and sets her hand on the door before walking straight into it.
The wood absorbs Kira as if she were always a part of it that it needed to regain, and then it spits her back out on the other side looking a bit more rumpled with small tears in her clothing but otherwise unscathed. She sees Professor Lupin lying down on a cot looking at her with the most uncomprehending expression upon his face.
"I'm sorry for just bursting in, but I didn't think you would allow me entrance," says Kira.
"How?"
"I'll explain in a minute," says Kira before turning to the door, unlocking it, and stepping out to grab her clothes and bag before returning and locking the door again. She starts to pull on her shoes as she sits down. "I'm… like you in a way. You are a werewolf, aren't you?"
"You figured it out then," says Lupin.
Kira nods. "I knew that there was something wrong here at Hogwarts. There is an imbalance of nature. I just figured a vampire had moved into the Forbidden Forest, until I started doing some research and learned… How long have you been a werewolf?"
"I was bit as a child," says Lupin.
Kira pulls her robes back on. "I know what it's like… to only be part human. You are human most of the time, with a wolf within. I never feel human. My father was a dryad, an oak spirit. We never knew that they were compatible with humans until my mother actually conceived me. I can go through trees just like the dryads can. Your door is made of oak. It's easier to go through oak than any other kind of tree, even if it's a dead oak."
"Why did you come here?" asks Lupin sitting up slightly.
"I'm an Earthmage, the only Earthmage left in existence," explains Kira, "and as an Earthmage, I am one of but a few people who would understand the plight of a werewolf. But I understand even better since I'm not human either. Being part dryad has only helped me in my path as an Earthmage. It connects me to the earth in a way that was never before possible. So I've chosen to help whenever I can and whomever I can. There might not be much that I could do to help you, but if there was ever a time you had the need of assistance, I would provide it."
Lupin smiles. "There isn't much you can do."
Kira nods. "I know. I just hope that the general populace of school doesn't figure out what I have. Werewolves are not seen in the light with which they should be."
"And what light is that?"
"They are not monsters, they just have the soul of an animal within them, fighting with their human soul. And for one night a month, the animal gains control and does what an animal does. Animals are only concerned with two things, food and sex. Three if you count that some of them love to sleep," says Kira smiling.
"That does sound like my wolf," says Lupin with a small nod. He sighs. "You'd best get back to class. Walk out the door this time."
Kira nods and stands and pulls her bag onto her shoulder. "Rest well, Professor. No one will learn you're a werewolf from me as long as you don't tell anyone that I'm part dryad!"
"Deal."
Kira unlocks the door and heads out into the hallway, closing the door tight behind her.
.
***
.
Kira heads towards the Quidditch pitch a little later than the rest of her friends and classmates. She had wanted to go down with Dean, but she also thought she should bring some food to Coula as a special treat. That was the reason she asked Fred and George how to sneak into the kitchen, and that's the reason she's walking alone at this moment with an armful of food. She stops when she sees a black dog skirting around the edge of the Forbidden Forest. "Hey, boy. What are you doing in the Forbidden Forest?"
The dog sniffs the air and takes a cautious step towards Kira.
"Oh… are you hungry?" asks Kira sitting down and opening the bundle of food. She holds out a chicken leg towards the dog.
The dog whimpers.
"Go on. Take it. You need it more than Coula. He can go hunt for his food," says Kira.
The black dog walks slowly up to Kira and takes the chicken from her. He eats it quickly, chomping straight through the bone and nearly devouring the leg whole.
Kira looks at the dog intensely. "You don't feel like a dog."
The dog blinks at Kira before sniffing the air again.
Kira holds up another leg for the dog to take. "You don't feel like a dog. As an Earthmage, I can feel animals. It's like I can sense their mind within them since I am so in tune to nature. You don't feel like a dog. If you were a wolf, I would think that you were a werewolf, but you aren't a wolf. What are you?"
The dog meets Kira's gaze for a moment as he finishes eating the chicken leg. 'Oh if only you knew what I am. You wouldn't be so kind as to feed me then.'
"Actually, if I knew what you are, I would still feed you because you need this food to survive," says Kira setting the rest of the food on the ground. "You don't have to tell me, just… be careful… Oh, and by the way, I can read an animal's thoughts by maintaining eye contact with them."
The dog growls happily at Kira as she stands up and moves away from the food she left, and he wags his tail enthusiastically.
"If you're going to be around tomorrow, I'll bring you some more food," says Kira.
The dog jumps up on Kira and looks straight into her eyes. 'I would love to have some more food tomorrow. You can call me… Snuffles.'
Kira smiles. "You can call me… Kilala Ranae… That is what most animals call me."
Snuffles licks Kira's cheek once before dropping to the ground and moving to devour the food.
Kira turns and hurries towards the Quidditch pitch to join Dean in the Gryffindor stands. Not long after sitting down beside Dean and taking his hand discreetly, she notices the black dog sitting in the stands. She smiles and turns her attention to the match. She leans into Dean when he shakes her hand off his in order to wrap his arm around her waist.
.
***
.
"What are you doing for the holidays?" asks Dean over breakfast.
"I'm heading to London," says Kira, "I need to go to the Ministry of Magic and help my division out with a few problems that they've been having in the Earth sector. I also need to arrange to take a few tests with the others who I work with. You see, in addition to all the work I'm doing here to try to finish my Earth training, I also have to take the tests to prove my Mastery over the other elements."
"Have you mastered the other elements?" asks Dean.
"We'll find out," says Kira with a shrug of her shoulders, "I have three chances for each elemental test, and I have already passed the Earth elemental test. I didn't need to have my training be complete in order to pass that test. But enough about me… what are you doing over the holidays?"
"I'm just going home to visit my mom and grandparents," says Dean, "If you have the time to stop by for dinner or something, you're more than welcome. I wrote to Mom telling her that I didn't think you would have anyone to spend Christmas day with, and she said she would love to have you join us!"
Kira smiles and hugs Dean quickly. "I would love to join you!"
"We'd better go! The train will be leaving soon!" exclaims Seamus coming up to Kira and Dean.
Kira hurries to follow Dean and Seamus out of the castle and into a carriage that will carry them to the train station. She cuddles up to Dean in their compartment on the train, but she doesn't join in the conversation and falls asleep leaning her head on Dean's shoulder. In no time at all she finds herself taking a Muggle taxi towards the Leaky Cauldron. She pays the taxi driver after he pulls her trunk free from the car's interior, and once the driver starts to depart, she heads into the tavern. "Hey, Tom! Do you have my room ready?"
The bar owner helps Kira with her trunk as he leads her up the stairs to the room she has rented for the winter holiday. He takes the couple of gold galleons that Kira's using to advance pay for her room and leaves her to get settled.
Kira unpacks the belongings that she will need on an everyday basis before lying down to sleep away some of the exhaustion caused by spending so much energy working on school and helping out the Ministry, plus working on ways to try to keep her first charge, Buckbeak, alive.
The days pass quickly for Kira since she travels to the Ministry of Magic by floo powder every day right after breakfast, and she spends her days there working endlessly alongside the other Elemental Mages. She sits at the desk vacated by her mother and finds it funny how she never remembered her mother spending such long hours away from home, but then she thinks to where she was during the day, always off with the creatures of the forest or the hag who taught her potions.
"Daydreaming, Earthtree?" The man's voice snaps Kira out of her reverie.
"Oh, Spira! You scared me!" exclaims Kira taking a deep breath and placing her hand over her racing heart, "I was remembering Mother."
"Your mother was a wonderful woman," says the man sitting down on the edge of Kira's desk, "I knew her for a very long time."
"Tell me… what do you remember?" asks Kira.
"I remember her coming in to work with a smile on her face that would rival the sun with its brightness. She was pregnant, with the child of her chosen mate, a dryad." The Spiritmage, Spira Chary, looks at Kira with eyes an unnatural, almost golden color. "She chose the name Kira after her great-grandmother, and you would of course be taking on her last name, Ralanae, since dryad's have no last names. She told me that the creatures of the forest would most probably call you Kilala Ranae. I knew from the moment that she told me she was pregnant, that you would be an Earthmage. There was a possibility that you wouldn't be, but I knew you would. I could sense the Earth within you. When I told her that, she spoke to your father, and he decided that your Elemental name would be Earthtree Minor. It was the name your father gave you, your Elemental and dryad name."
Kira smiles. "Thank you, Spira."
At that moment, an owl flies over to Kira's desk and flops down on it.
"Someone has mail!" exclaims Spira sitting down in his own desk.
Kira pulls the parchment from the owl's leg and reads the letter. "It's from Mrs. Thomas, Dean's mother! She's invited me over to her house on Christmas Eve night to stay with her until the day after Christmas!"
"Then you'd best respond to her and head out to do your Christmas shopping," says Spira, "I would suggest a nice book from Flourish and Blot's or maybe something unique from the Apothecary as a gift to your hostess."
"Oh, yeah! I haven't done any of my shopping at all yet!" Kira pulls a parchment from her desk drawer and writes a note to thank Mrs. Thomas for the invitation and tell her that she will be arriving Christmas Eve night by floo powder. Then she gives the owl a small treat, ties the small scroll to its leg, and sends the bird back on its way. "Is there any other issues that I need to see about urgently?"
"There's nothing that can't wait until after Christmas," says Spira smiling.
"Is this how every day is going to be for me from now on?"
"Oh, I hope not! You're still too young to be tied down like this!"
Kira laughs.
"So… you have your first test coming up," says Spira, "Are you ready?"
"I've Mastered the element of Earth, and I am ready to Master the element of Air. I know I am."
"Good for you." Spira gives Kira a congratulatory look. "If you need any help preparing for your tests, I will be more than happy to oblige you."
"You know that's not allowed," says Kira sternly.
"It is allowed for your mother to help you, but since she is not able to, I will take her place," explains Spira, "and that is allowed."
Kira gets up from her desk and moves over to Spira's. She gives him a quick hug. "Thank you, Spira."
"Now go!" exclaims the Spiritmage, "You have to shop!"
Kira nods and hurries away to sign off early and go back to the Leaky Cauldron and from there, Diagon Alley.
.
***
.
Kira rests her head against Dean's shoulder whilst his mother reads to them all from 'Witch Way to the West' by Claudora Crawhook, the book Kira gave her as thanks for having her over for the holiday.
Dean and Kira both become enamored with the story of an early Victorian Witch traveling across the sea despite the wishes of everyone she knew to start life anew in America where witch burnings were not as popular and she might hope to escape the tyranny of both her Muggle parents and her Muggle Lord husband.
Mrs. Thomas closes the book after reading the last paragraph of the fifth chapter. "That is enough for now. I'm sure after that large meal, and all this reading that you children are tired enough to sleep for a month!"
"Are you heading back tonight, Kira?" asks Dean sadly.
"Of course not!" exclaims Mrs. Thomas, "She will be staying here again tonight! She can leave after breakfast if she must."
"Thank you, ma'am," says Kira yawning and cuddling up to Dean further.
Dean shifts position so that he can lie down on the hearth and pulls Kira with him so that she uses his chest as a pillow.
With a wave of her wand, Mrs. Thomas conjures a pillow for Dean and a blanket that she drapes over the two children.
.
***
.
"I've made my decision," says Kira after sitting down beside Dean in the common room, which is unusually noisy as everyone third year and above discusses their plans for the Hogsmeade weekend.
"What decision?" asks Dean.
"I'm going to try to join you in Hogsmeade," says Kira, "I should be able to use my Elemental magic to get past the dementors."
"You're going to try to come into Hogsmeade?" asks Dean.
Kira nods. "I don't know if I'll manage. I mean, in theory my magic will act as a cloak that the dementors can't see through and can't sense, but no one has really tried to fool a dementor with this type of magic."
"Well… I'll wait for you in Honeyduke's until ten then," says Dean, "and if you aren't there by then, I'll assume you didn't make it past the dementors. I hope you do. We could go to the Three Broomsticks and have a butterbeer together."
"That would be nice," says Kira blushing.
Dean kisses Kira's cheek before they get down to work on their Potions essay.
.
***
.
Take me back to the land…
.
Kira stands in the grass near the Black Lake, and she summons the elements to do her bidding. She kneels to touch the ground and draw the earth up around herself, forming a bushy armor of leaves and twigs. In this disguise, she creeps towards the gate, which will lead her to Hogsmeade. Her eyes almost roll back in her head as she focuses her power to control the element of Spirit and distort her aura to make herself more like a ghost or a shadow, but she manages to slip past the dark robes of the dementors floating overhead. Once cleared, she runs full ahead towards the town. She drops the armor and proceeds into Hogsmeade and to Honeyduke's shop where she sees Dean looking through the various candies. "Morning, Dean."
Dean looks up in surprise, and he smiles at Kira. "You made it!"
"I did, but I'm a bit tired now. I'd like to rest for a while if you don't mind," says Kira.
"Let's go get a butterbeer then! We can always come back here," says Dean taking Kira's hand in his.
Kira smiles. "Perfect!"
Dean guides Kira out of the sweet shop and down the road to the Three Broomsticks to share a butterbeer between them. "So did you make it out okay?"
"Yes, actually it went surprisingly smooth. I'll have to return the same way though, I think," says Kira, "but we'll worry about that later."
Dean pulls Kira closer to his side and kisses her full on the lips.
.
Where my yearnings were born…
.
Kira blushes.
"So what all would you like to do today? You've never been here before, so you can choose what all we do," says Dean.
"Well, we need to pick up some sweets! That's a given!" exclaims Kira drinking the last sip of butterbeer and hiccupping, "And maybe some of this to go if they offer it! We could go get drunk together!"
"This is non-alcoholic," whispers Dean.
"Not to me… I'm a plant, remember?"
Dean chuckles. "If you say so, Kira. You're so cute sometimes."
"Let's go get some of that brown jumping candy! The ones that look like little toads!" exclaims Kira standing up tipsily.
Dean stands up and wraps his arm around Kira's waist to help steady her. "They're called Chocolate Frogs!"
"Oh, yeah! They sound nice too!"
.
***
.
"This is so unfair!" exclaims Kira walking down towards Hagrid's hut with Professor Dumbledore, Minister of Magic Fudge, and the execution McNair, "Buckbeak was only defending himself! That spoiled rotten brat provoked him!"
"Ms. Ralanae," says Professor Dumbledore tersely.
Kira clenches her fists. "I'm sorry, Professor."
"I can understand your sentiments young lady," says Minister Fudge, "The hippogriff is your first charge, and you feel responsible for it. You must understand though that it is dangerous."
"He isn't dangerous," mumbles Kira. She hastens her pace when they come close to the hut and the hippogriff tied up in the pumpkin patch, and she bows long enough to get the return bow before she throws her arms around the feathered neck. "I'm sorry, Buckbeak! I tried! I'm sorry. Good-bye!"
"Come inside, Ms. Ralanae," says Professor Dumbledore.
Kira nods, and she heads into the hut with everyone. She falls down into one of the chairs and starts crying. She doesn't go out with the others when they leave to kill Buckbeak, but she hears the commotion outside. She hurries to the window to look out and see McNair throw his ax into a pumpkin. "Buckbeak escaped! He escaped!"
.
Come with me in the twilight of a summer night for awhile
Tell me of a story never ever told in the past
Take me back to the land
Where my yearnings were born
The key to open the door is in your hand…
--- Key of the Twilight - .hack//sign