Authoress's note: This story is based on concepts and incidents related in George MacDonald's intriguing tale At The Back of The North Wind. It's a story set in Victorian London, where a young boy is visited by a beautiful and mysterious woman known as North Wind. She takes little Diamond on many exciting journeys, teaching him much wisdom in the process, and eventually she guides her young friend on the hardest journey of all. I know that's a short summary, and for more details please go to my profile and download the file I've posted there. It's a link to an amazing radio production of the story, and will help with the background knowledge for this tale.

This is my first Harry Potter fic so constructive feedback is always welcome.

I hope you enjoy the prologue.

The command came to her as she kept watch at the thresh hold of eternity, filling her essence with renewed purpose and reawakening the spark of life which lay at the core of her being. For once her vigil had been short, and she was eager to receive and fulfill whatever task the creator wished done. But when the voice which had shaped the world made known his will, she who was called North Wind could not hold back a gasp of astonishment. For the orders were so unusual, so different from any she had ever been given before, that for a moment she wondered if they truly came from the creator. Amusement answered to her tentative inquiry, and she rose at once to answer the summons, once more a creature that embodied the greatest questions and mysteries of humanity.

She had been known by many names throughout the centuries since she had been spoken into existence. Some called her Misfortune, others The Ruin of Men, and still more looked upon her as an implacable force of nature. But worst of all were the times when she embodied the thing which every mortal feared and fought to deny.

Often she wondered why she had been born a creature in which elemental ferocity was mingled with the deepest emotions of the human soul, for though centuries helped to dull the constant ache of regret she remembered every death in which she partook. Every ship sunk, every fierce tempest which she had summoned and gloried in always brought so much suffering. And in the midst of her wild exaltation which she knew came from the elemental part of her nature, she always mourned those who she was destined to take on their final journey. She did what she could to make the end quick, but it was never enough. Every prayer for deliverance, each plea that a loved one be spared, and even the agony of slow death were all experiences in which she shared.

Then only the music of eternity could bring comfort to her, and the knowledge that all who she took to the land at her back would be strong and whole once more within the presence of their maker. Yet she still wrestled with such questions every time she looked down upon the earth, and once she even dared to challenge the lord of creation demanding that she be given an answer.

Strength and reassurance had flowed out from the maker of all worlds, and she found to her relief that her fury was not condemned, but accepted and understood as a servant's need to know the mind of her king. Secure in that knowledge, North Wind found that once more she could summon the courage to hear her Lord's will. As on countless other occasions the words filled her essence, and she found herself responding as she always had done and would continue to do until the end of time.

"To who shall I go, and what lessons must I teach?" And unlike countless other occasions she knew that this task set before her would be unique, one in which she would be drawn to intervene in many a mortal destiny.

I will send you to the broken and the lost, to the great and the small. To some you will bring courage and hope. To others you will be the voice of destruction and justice. Shape yourself how you will according to the needs of each mortal, but always remain true to what is at the core of your being. And always remember that you may return to take your rest."

She listened closely to her instructions, ice blue eyes widening at the names of some she was being asked to meet. Never before had she been asked to go to those with magic's gift, unless it was their time to make the journey into eternity. Excitement coursed through North Wind as she committed the list to memory, for this task meant that she would once again be close to mortals in a way she had not been since the death of her little Diamond.

Rising from her doorstep, she made ready to depart, the words of her maker spurring her to descend with a speed which few immortals could equal. "Go first to a young girl with magic's gift. But treat her as you once did little Diamond, for she is broken in spirit and will need your help on her final journey. Already she looks for your coming."

"How is that possible?"

"Diamond's friend, the learned man who taught him much wisdom wrote an account of your journeys together. Many in the mortal realm now know your true name, though the truth of your existence remains secret. The writings of the tutor have found their way into this young witch's possession, and she counts them as one of her greatest treasures besides the love of her kin. But her magic is wild and untamed, twisted by fear and loathing and cannot be bent to her will."

North Wind could sense the love which her lord bore for the mortal she was about to meet. "And what is this child's name?"

"She is Ariana, sister of a wizard destined to become one of the greatest wielders of magic."

Authoress's note: What did you think? Just to let you know this story won't be a novel, but a series of short stories as North Wind encounters people from both the muggle and wizard worlds. I'm looking forward to sharing this story with you and hope to hear from my readers as reviews help me improve as a writer.