The wind that crossed the Quidditch pitch was sweet sour and it spoke of magic. The pitch turf was a mess of mud and slime pocked marked with puddles. Every parent in the grandstands had brushed up on stain removing charms, knowing the little Quidditch robes would transform from red and blue to dark brown.
The towering grandstand was filled with high spirits. There is nothing more patriotic for an American with magical blood than to spend a Saturday in Autumn at a Junior Quidditch game at the Olde Fairgrounde, sipping iced pumpkin juice, and gossiping between cheers. A notable exception to the mood lurked in the shadows at the very top of the stands. To the left, Valerie. Flaming red hair, arrow straight posture, arms folded, legs crossed, foot bouncing, eyes darting about the field following her son the eight year old Chaser wonderkind. On the right sat Ming, straight dark hair, one foot resting on the seat in front , hands folded calmly in her lap as she waited for her Seeker daughter to make a move. Between them hunched a scruffy grey cat, gold eyes following the little Quidditch players as if they were mice. This was Alexander, Valerie's husband, an unsocial fellow by nature who liked to attend these things in Animagus form.
"Our whole formation keeps drifting off the mark from this damn wind. It's coming from the wrong directions," Ming said. She was right. Junior Quidditch while sloppy and far from professional with it's half sized goal posts, foam Bludgers, and baseball sized Snitch usually wasn't this much of a fiasco. The damage so far was a sprained ankle and broken arm from fallen players, two frustrated Keepers, and double the average amount of friendly fire Bludger incidents.
"It's a Weirding Wind," said Valerie, still wiggling her foot. "Dorian needs to send a Bludger at Red's right side Chaser…"
Ming's relaxed posture stiffened. "Weirding Wind? What is that?"
Valerie raised an eyebrow at Ming's concern. "You know. It's just one of those legends."
Ming leaned back again, her eyebrows still pinched in a frown. "Those legends are what's getting us into trouble…"
"We don't know that." Valerie wiggled her foot even faster.
"Well there's no doubt those floods were magical."
The two witches fell silent. Valerie's son Miles made a brilliant Quaffle catch and went streaking for the goal posts amid screams of "Go Miles!" and "Come on Blue!" Valerie's foot finally stilled and Alexander the cat leaned forward on his haunches. Miles had had and early growth spurt and was taller and faster than the other boys and girls who steered clear of him when he barreled down the field. A Red team Beater made an admirable attempt to knock hi off course but it was too late. Miles pulled up his broom to a stop and took aim. (The young Chasers were still learning how to take shots in motion.) Just as Miles released a strong, well placed throw, a gust of wind knocked he and the Quaffle off the mark. Valerie released the breath she held and Alexander twitched his tail in irritation.
"Damn wind," Ming said again. "The Algonquits know something about this wind. They have a word for it too, it's not weirding…don't remember it. But the floods? They're talking about water spirits. I know the Department of Magic is investigating sprites but the Algonquits say there are spirits moving that haven't moved in hundreds of years. I don't really know what that means but Cheyenne was telling me."
"I'm inclined to believe the Algonquits. There's magic in these mountains that's in their blood. They know things the rest of us can't understand…oh, the Seekers are moving!"
Ming's tiny daughter Selena was neck in neck with the Red Seeker, chasing the golden Snitch as it zigzagged through midfield.
"C'mon Selena, let's end this," Ming muttered. "My ass is numb from sitting…"
The little Chasers had a tendency to drop what they were doing and watch when the Seekers were on the move. Red's Seeker was gaining on Selena as they climbed upward.
Valerie and Ming along with the other parents who weren't already on their feet leapt up from their seats. Even Alexander stood up and stretched, arching his back. The Chasers may have frozen but the Beaters were still alert. Dorian, one of Blue's Beaters smacked a Bludger at the Red Seeker who dodged to a chorus of disappointed groans from the Blue fans. The Snitch made a swerve and doubled back past the Beaters. Dorian took an angry swing at the Seeker's broom and the gangly boy nearly flopped to the ground when his broom flipped over. The Red spectators shouted in outrage as the referee's whistle blasted.
Valerie clapped a hand over her eyes. "Bad move Dorian…"
Angry shouts peppered the noise from the Red fans. Blue parents were rising in defense.
"Really?" said Ming. "Dorian screwed up. Let Red shout about it and let it go."
"I just saw a wand drawn," said Valerie, rising to squint at the arguing parents.
"The kids are more mature than the parents…shit, wands everywhere." Ming's hand went to her own wand on instinct.
Valerie nudged Alexander between the pointy ears. "Don't let this get ugly," she said to him. Alexander narrowed his cat eyes at her. He was an officer in local Magical Law Enforcement. Not everyone liked him but they all respected him.
One father hexed another but missed. Someone shouted "sit down" just as more parents go their feet, wands drawn.
Valerie turned back to Alexander ready to snap at him, but the cat had already been replaced by a long limbed wiry man, rolling his eyes beneath disheveled greying hair.
"Thank you husband," she said as he slouched down to the stands, twirling his wand between his fingers.
"Yeah, yeah," he smirked over his shoulder.
Ming and Valerie turned back to the game, a point had been scored while they looked away.
"Probably Miles," said Ming. Sometimes Valerie grew used to her son's Quidditch skills but she let a smile of pride flicker across her face.
"Snitch sighting," Valerie nodded to the northwest corner of the field. Selena and the Red Seeker were weaving in and out of Chasers and Beaters. Another shout from the parents tore their eyes from the sky.
Alexander had his hands in the air in a pacifying gesture. There was no sign of slouch now, his shoulders were square, his messy hair stood on end as though it too were wound with energy.
"All this over a foul?" Ming sounded disgusted.
"It has to be something else…" Valerie shook her head.
A big man with deep set eyes had his wand clenched in his fist. Valerie recognized him as being from out in the hills. You heard things about them. Alexander was called out there regularly to investigate magic that was at it's best in bad taste and at it's worst, horrific. The big man slashed his wand but Alex was true to his Animagus form and disarmed him with cat like speed. The man grew red in the face but was powerless against a double wand wielding Enforcement wizard. Alexander led him way from the others who applauded but he did not acknowledge the praise, just marched steely eyed along the benches with glowering man in tow.
"Don't bring that hillbilly over here," Ming muttered. "I can practically smell the chicken blood on him."
"Be nice," Valerie warned.
Alexander held the man's wand, handle out. "Alright Boghorn. I can trust you to take this and go on home?"
The man's searing eyes made Valerie shiver, it felt like bugs were crawling on her bare skin. The strange breeze pulling at her hair didn't help matters.
"Feel that wind?" Boghorn said. "You're gonna be sorry you didn't keep to the old ways."
"Uh huh," said Alexander. "I'm mostly concerned about having wands drawn at Junior Quidditch. So you either take your wand back and leave or it goes in to the office with me."
Boghorn took a step forward. "You can't take a man's wand."
"When that man breaks the law, I sure can." Alexander stared him down calmly. "I'll ask you again if you're going to give me any more trouble."
Another gust of wind rattled the wooden stands. Boghorn gave them a strange smile. A creepy one, Valerie decided.
"No more trouble sir," he said and took the wand from Alexander. He stalked down the steps, head turned not to the game but to the rattling red and gold leaves surrounding the pitch.
"What do you make of that?" Valerie asked.
"Bunch of horse shit," said Alexander and dropped back down in his seat.
But Valerie disagreed. She didn't like this wind. Worry coiled in her gut like a snake. The spectators leapt to their feet like a roaring wave. The Seekers were diving. Red was a few yards ahead of Selena who was struggling in the wind. He pulled out of his dive in a well executed swoop, waving the Snitch above his head.
Ming cursed and summoned her purse with a wave of her wand. "Selena's not going to be happy about this one."
Alexander stretched in another cat like motion.
"Ya win some, you lose some," he shrugged.
"Tell that to your son," Valerie snorted.
Beyond the stands, Red players mobbed their Seeker, cheering as they drifted in a scarlet blur back to the grass. The Blue players formed a bedraggled line and scuffed their disappointed feet off field. Except Selena. She hovered where the Snitch had been caught, her face buried in her hands. Miles turned back, glancing over his shoulder. Selena was his friend because she was cool for a girl. He knew his Beater friends would laugh when he hung back for a crying girl. But he also know something wasn't right.
"Jeez, what are you crying over?" he asked. "Is it cuz we lost?"
"I could have got it," she shrieked. Her red streaked eyes and wild voice scared Miles a little. It just wan't like her.
"I could have go tit except the stupid wind!" She wiped furiously at her eyes and took a shuddering breath. "I don't like it. It makes me sick."
Miles swayed his broom in an uneasy rocking motion. "I don't like it either," he admitted.
"But you sill scored lot's," Selena sulked.
Miles grinned. "Yeah cuz I'm better than you."
"Shut up. You're not," she wiped her runny nose on her sleeve.
"Let's go, Coach is watching," Miles pointed below where a wizard in Blue robes stared up, hands on his hips.
Selena smeared away the last of her tears and drifted down. Miles took one last look at the woods before he followed. He may have played well but he could have played better. He kept thinking he saw faces in the trees…like he was like he was being watched not just from the grandstand side but all around. And the wind smelled funny. Sweet but not like candy. Miles and Selena were talented young American witches and wizards. Not just because they were good flyers. But because they could feel the ancient magic in their land. It had called magical people from all over the world with promises on it's breath. It gave them much, this ancient magic. It gave and gave. But sometimes people took too much. And then the weirding wind rose.