by Katie Davidson (Virtue)
Harry had started to settle himself into the guestroom at Elora's house. The room was huge! Harry compared it to three times the room the Dursley's let him sleep in, the room that was once Dudley's 'toy room'.
The trip to the farm Elora and her parents called their own was great. They took the four-wheel-drive giant green truck hitched to the trailer the Unicorns rode in to a train, then took the train to a ship, then off the ship and back on another road... Harry had lost track of where they were. Mr. Danen said it was for safety precautions. Their farm lay hidden in a valley protected by an old enchantment passed down from generation to generation through the family.
When Harry at first saw the giant valley with a large white house, a four-door garage, a giant garden, and the huge dark forest Elora had told him about that was spread around the area, he would have thought they were rich. "The land and house," Mrs. Danen explained, "Has been passed down for many generations. When Elora's grandmother died, we returned to it and spruced it up and have been here since then."
"Harry!" Elora shouted from outside to Harry, "Are you about ready?"
Harry leaned out the window to look at Elora who stood looking up to him since he was on the second floor of the large house. Mrs. Danen stroked the main of the mother Unicorn while the foal kicked and ran around, stretching its legs from the long trip. "I'll be down in a second." Harry shouted back to Elora.
Harry turned to walk around the large bed and across the room he was going to call his own until the next year of Hogwarts, when he spotted Mr. Danen leaning against the entrance. "Do you like it, Harry?" Mr. Danen asked.
"Yes Mr. D - I mean, Dennis. It's a HUGE change from what I'm used to." Harry replied.
"Really?" Mr. Danen said, a slight smirk on his face, "I would have given you a larger room, but the other rooms are full of junk, and then there is Elora's room, but I'm sure she wouldn't want me to touch any of her stuff. You know how women are." He winked with a grin on his face.
Harry laughed, "Yeah. This is just fine, I love it."
"Well," Mr. Danen shrugged, "As long as you're comfortable. Now, let's get outside and introduce our other visitors to their new home." He started to walk away.
Harry followed behind him quickly. They walked down the spiral steps, which connected the two floors, out the door, and down more steps to meet up with Elora and Mrs. Danen, who tried to calm little Luno, the Unicorn foal. "All right," Mr. Danen exclaimed, "Let's get going."
Mr. Danen took lead towards a rocky path that led to the forest behind their house. Harry stayed with Elora and Mrs. Danen, who walked beside Unicorn mother and Luno. Luno switched between trotting and running to catch up with them.
When they reached the entrance to the forest, the air rippled in front of them. Mr. Danen took out a short thick stick the size of his hand, held it firmly, and to Harry's surprise the stick extended to the length of his body. He spun the stick, now a pole, around in front of him and Harry could see the air in front of the forest ripple, shimmer, and then seem to disappear from the top to the bottom.
"What was that?" Harry asked.
Elora smiled, "Daddy's little spell he placed around the forest, for my protection, but now that the Unicorns are here. The forest won't need a spell since it'll be renewed by their presence." She walked over to the Unicorn mother and stroked her flank gently, whispering to her, "I'm sure you'll love it here. Harry and I will come visit you once in a while, I'm sure you'll come visit us as well."
The Unicorn mother neighed softly and trotted towards the entrance of the forest. Luno trotted over to Elora, she knelt down, and Luno nuzzled itself against her. "I'll visit you too, Luno." Elora laughed. Luno then joined her mother, and as soon as they entered and disappeared into the thick trees of the forest, the forest seemed to glow.
Mrs. Danen smiled and leaned up to her husband, she whispered, "It'll be lovely to have Unicorns living near us."
Mr. Danen nodded, "When's supper?"
Mrs. Danen slapped him lightly on the arm saying, "Can you think of anything else but your stomach Dennis?" He smiled and shook his head and then they walked off together. Mrs. Danen shouted in Elora and Harry's direction, "Supper will be in an hour. Don't wonder off too far you two!"
"We won't Mom." Elora shouted back and turned to Harry. She asked him, "Would you like a tour of the valley, Harry?"
Harry nodded and held Elora's hand, replying, "We have an hour to waste. So, why not?"
They walked farther down the dusty path, through a shrub of trees, and into Mr. Danen's large garden. A path set down the middle of the garden forked off in many directions. The different plants were named and separated from each other. Harry could see the original plants he knew like Potatoes, Tomatoes, Cucumbers, and Carrots (of which some they pulled out, washed, and munched on). He also saw herbs like Warries Roots, Cupids Arrows, and Honey-Dee Leeks. Elora said her father had a green thumb, and used the herbs to make potions for cures.
"Would you like to do play a Magic Game, Harry?" Elora asked.
"But we're not a loud to do magic here." Harry replied, "It's a rule for all Hogwarts students."
"I know that," Elora laughed, "My dad will let a little magic be used, and for this game, we need it. Come with me." Elora pulled Harry down the path of the garden, to a circular open area in the middle of the garden. In the middle of the open area two rectangular rugs, fancily designed with red, green, and yellow and golden tassels on either side, lay still on the sand.
"What's this?" Harry said, "Rugs?"
"Yep, Harry, they're carpets though. The game is you have to make them fly, then we race." Elora replied. "I've played this game ever since I was ten. I've mastered it, and I love to fly on it, although I hate heights. But the carpet is safe."
"All right," Harry nodded, "How do we make it fly?"
Elora walked up to a carpet, raised her hands above it, and chanted, "Magic Carpet, hear me all the same. I command you to fly... so I can play this game!" The carpet begun to hover above the ground and Elora boosted her self on to it. "See, Harry? Now you try."
Harry walked over to the other carpet and raised his hands above it and repeated what Elora had said, but wearily, "Hum... Magic Carpet, hear me all the same. I command you to fly... so I can play this game." The Carpet moved on the ground, slipping itself under Harry, then took off into the air, with Harry holding on for his dear life.
"Ooops!" Elora shouted to Harry, "I forgot about that one."
"You what?" Harry screamed, "What's wrong with this one?"
"It's my Dad's, he bought it from a market, and it seems to have a mind of its own. We don't know why."
"Right, how do I stop this crazy thing!"
"Down, Murdoch, Down!" Elora shouted and the carpet floated softly to the ground, with Harry clinging to its side, cared like he had just seen Voldemort.
Elora laughed, "I'm really sorry about that."
Harry nodded, "It's... It's all right."
"Elora! Harry!" Mrs. Danen's voice came from a far, "Supper's ready!"
Harry stepped off the floating carpet wearily, he felt queasy, and walked towards Elora just to trip over a rock... Elora caught him, lost her balance, and fell back into her magic carpet. Slowly the two of them floated to the ground. Harry's sight cleared and he looked at Elora, beneath him, smiling and blushing slightly. "I - I'm..." Harry tried to say, but Elora put a finger to his lips and stopped him.
"Shh." Elora whispered, "It's okay." They leaned in to kiss each other when...
"Elora? Harry?" Mr. Danen's voice was heard not to far away. The moment broke and Elora pushed Harry off of her. Harry lay on the ground next to her, acting calm and cool, with a grin on his face. Mr. Danen appeared behind a bush, "There you two are. Come now, supper's ready."
Elora stood up, saying, "All right Dad." She turned her head to Harry who was just dusting himself off and she winking; "Race you," and ran off out of sight. Mr. Danen stopped Harry when he tried to run past him.
"I saw you two," Mr. Danen said, "When did this happen?"
"When did what happen?" Harry asked.
"The feelings between you and Elora." Mr. Danen replied with a smirk on his face, "Harry. You must be a very special person, to both win against Voldemort and win my daughter's heart."
"Th-Thank you, sir" Harry replied.
Mr. Danen stepped out of his way saying, "Now go, you already lost the race."
Harry ran off towards the house. Mr. Danen walked in the opposite direction. The carpet Harry had rode floated up him; he stroked its surface and whispered to it, "Murdoch. I think Elora's finally found the one for her heart." The carpet responded by moving its tassels and Mr. Danen hummed lightly.
Mrs. Danen had made a large 3 course dinners, which consisted of a salad made from fresh vegetables from Mr. Danen's garden, Italian food (linguini and sauce) and hot apple pie for desert. After dinner Harry yawned saying, "That was great! I've never had anything like it."
"Thank you Harry," Mrs. Danen laughed, "I'm glad you like it." She looked at her watch as she collected the plates. "My, it's late. Everyone, bed now."
"But Mom!" Elora whined, "I wanted to show Harry... you know, the lights?"
Mr. Danen growled lightly, "Listen to your mother, Elora... they won't be going any where."
"No, no, no, Dennis." Mrs. Danen said, "All right Elora, but only for 10 minutes, then it's to bed for the both of you."
"Yes!" Elora exclaimed, practically jumping off her seat. "Come on Harry, you HAVE to see this!" She grabbed Harry's hand and pulled him off his chair, and they both ran out the door into the cold night. Elora pulled him through a field and they stopped at the top of a hill.
Harry caught his breath; "What was it you wanted to show me?"
"Shhh..." Elora said, "Wait a moment."
Then suddenly tiny sparkling lights surrounded them... Fireflies! Elora smiled as she watched the Fireflies "These are 'The Lights', Harry."
"Beautiful," Harry said, not looking at the Fireflies, but at Elora. Elora turned to him, realised it, and smiled. Harry took her hands into his, kissed them softly, and then kissed Elora.
Inside the house Mrs. and Mr. Danen stood by a window and watched them. "Dennis, do you remember when we kissed in the light of the fireflies?" Mrs. Danen sighed.
"I remember, Sherri," Mr. Danen replied, "It was the moment I decided you were the only woman able to steal my heart."
"And that I did," Mrs. Danen replied, and kissed her husband. They were interrupted when an Owl flew through the open window, holding a parchment in its claws. Mr. Danen took the parchment and paid the bird, later reading what the parchment said.
"Oh no," Mr. Danen mumbled, "The council knows about us, Sherri."
"Well we've got the famous Harry Potter living with us, I sent word to them. What's wrong?" Mrs. Danen said.
"You shouldn't have, Sherri. No! Shoot." Mr. Danen exclaimed, "They want us to let go of the enchantment. They say it's for Harry and Elora's sake, if they can't watch them, then they won't be able to go back to Hogwarts next year."
Mrs. Danen gasped and fell back into a chair, "But if we let go of the enchantment - No! Send them a letter back; tell them what will happen. We can't Dennis... we just can't."
"I know. The Valley will be defenceless, we'll be defenceless, and Elora and Harry will be exposed to everything this Valley brings." Mr. Danen told his wife, "I'll reply to them, saying why we can't do it."
Mr. Danen sat down, took out a roll of parchment and a feathered pen from a desk, and started to write a letter. Hopefully convincing the council not to make them drop the shield, and not to take Elora and Harry out of Hogwarts because of it. Hopefully, they would understand.
Elora and Harry entered the house, she shouted, "We're going to bed now! Good night!"
Mr. Danen whispered to his wife, "Don't tell her, Sherri, not yet."
Mrs. Danen nodded and shouted back to Elora, "All right. Good night hunny. Good night Harry."
"Good night." Harry replied, a smile across his face from ear-to-ear as he parted with Elora. Elora's bedroom was on the main floor and his was upstairs. Harry thought to himself as he climbed into bed that any night to come isn't going to be as good as the one he had had tonight.
