Chapter One
"North, what is it now?" Bunny asked impatiently, reaching for one of the carrots on a platter one of the elves was carrying. "We know Pitch hasn't come out of his hidey-hole in the woods near Burgess. There isn't a villain in the universe that could harm the little ankle-biters now."
Sandy nodded in agreement and a golden question mark appeared over his head, then a moon, then an image of the Guardian Stone. He then realized an elf was trying to drink his eggnog and retreated to the other side of the room and floated next to Tooth.
"It is not a new villain, but a threat all the same." North stated ominously. "We do not want Pitch to return, no?"
"Right…" Jack agreed slowly, the wheels of his mind spinning rapidly as he tried to figure out where North was going with his question.
"I have been informed by one of my sources that at any moment a very evil person will be in position to create enough fear that Pitch will return."
"Evil person? Who?" a girl with long dark hair and a scar running down the right side of her face questioned through the only open window.
Everyone was instantly on guard, seemingly grabbing weapons out of thin air. Then they realized who it was and lowered them slightly.
"Ivy! I told you to knock first!" another voice floated through the window. "Now will you see if they'll let us in? You weigh a ton!"
"Awww, Holly! You're no fun!" Ivy giggled.
"Just do it!" Holly grunted.
Jack smirked and sauntered over to the window. He grabbed Ivy's hood and yanked the two girls into the Globe Room.
"Jackie Boy!" Ivy grinned sheepishly, "Fancy seeing you here!"
"Well, I am a Guardian now…and I was invited." Jack's smirk grew, and then he frowned. "And how many times have I told you not to call me 'Jackie Boy'?"
Bunny snorted as Ivy started counting on her fingers and the other girl sat up and muttered, "At least one million, fifty-three times."
Ivy looked up, "Exactly one million fifty-three times! Thanks Holly!"
North face-palmed, "Can we continue?"
Holly nodded, smacking Ivy to get her to stop grinning at Jack.
"As I was saying, a threat has returned that will create so much fear in the world, Pitch will become more powerful than ever."
Ivy raised her hand and waved it in the air. "Can we please know who it is now? And can I help this time? PLEASE!? I haven't been in an interesting fight in such a long time!"
Bunny and Tooth, who were both standing near her, edged away warily.
"It's Voldemort, isn't it," Holly stated. "Voldemort is back from wherever he was."
North's jaw dropped and Ivy grinned. "She's the resident know-it-all."
"It was quite simple. If you read all the papers, you'd know that that rag, the Daily Prophet, has been publishing stories about how Dumbledore and that one kid have lost it. Then, if you ask around, you learn that that one kid was saying that Voldemort has returned. Of course, the scorch marks on North's desk show that a phoenix was recently there. And since only one phoenix can live at a time, and that phoenix is Dumbledore's familiar, North has obviously been in correspondence with Dumbledore. Then, North said that this threat 'has returned', so this threat has to have been around before. That narrowed it down to three people: Hitler, Attila the Hun, and Voldemort. For reasons I am not allowed to disclose—"
"The first two are quite impossible," Ivy interrupted.
"Right," Holly glared at her sister as everyone started snickering and then muttered, "And then, if you look through North's garbage and read his mail, everything is quite clear."
Ivy burst out laughing, "You would!"
North cleared his throat, "Da, it is this Voldemort fellow. He is back and Dumbledore was kind enough to send me warning."
"So what'd'ya want us to do, mate?" Bunny asked, leaning forward slightly.
"Can we help?" Ivy pleaded.
"Dumbledore wants North to send some Guardians to Hogwarts to watch the children," Holly stated. "Just so you know, Ivy and I have magic – wizard magic - and would fit right in with the people there."
"Fine! Ivy and Holly will go to Hogwarts," North sighed as Ivy cheered.
"Is Jackie Boy coming, too?" Ivy inquired, using her magnificent puppy dog eyes on the giant Russian.
North turned away quickly, "Da. Go get ready."
"Yayz!" Ivy grabbed Jack and rushed him out of the room, jabbering about…stuff. (No one knows exactly what, but since Jack was catatonic for an hour afterwards, no one wanted to really think about it, either.)
Holly walked up to Bunny and studied him. "You know, you'd be a pretty hot human." Then she walked off to save the winter spirit from her sister, leaving the Pooka standing there (and probably blushing under that fur).
Three teens, an overgrown rabbit, and a giant stood in front of the old man's desk. Well, Jack was crouched on top of his staff and Ivy had claimed the only chair and was draped across it, fingers laced behind her head. So "stood" really only referred to Holly, North and Bunny.
"So, these potions will make us visible to everyone? Even unbelievers?" Ivy queried, eyeing the flasks in the desk with suspicion.
"In theory, yes," the old man said wearily. He had argued with the three immortal teens for the past three hours about everything from wands to the Sorting.
"Well, till you're one hundred percent certain, I'll just stay invisible to your school," Holly stated decisively.
"Holly," North warned. "Professor Dumbledore is just trying to help. There is no reason to not drink the potion."
"Then you drink it!" The girl threw her hands into the air. "I'm pretty sure I've been told before that drinking unknown substances-especially from a wizard-is bad for your health."
Ivy snorted. "Naw, you figured that out after that Merlin fellow gave you a potion that should've made you taller and instead turned you blue."
"Still!" Holly argued, "I refuse to drink some experimental potion! If someone wants to see, they'll have to believe!"
Ivy sighed and turned to look over at the old man on the opposite side of the desk, "You're gonna havta go with it. Unless you can test it and show her long term results within the school year, she won't drink it."
"I think she likes being invisible," Jack noted offhandedly.
Bunny rolled his eyes, "If it works on Ivy and Jack, will you try it?"
Holly shrugged, "I would need long term results, remember? So maybe in January. And what if the potion never wears off? I can't see how that would be a good thing."
Dumbledore sighed. If he had known these teens would be so obstinate, he would've just asked one of the older guardians to be the DADA teacher for a while.
There was a knock at the door that interrupted both his mental moaning and everyone else's argument.
"Come in," Dumbledore called as he motioned for his visitors to quiet down.
A tall, greasy haired man stepped into the room and walked across the room to stand in front of the desk.
"You wanted to see me, Headmaster?" The man asked confusedly.
"Severus, you invented this potion, correct?" The other man nodded and Dumbledore continued, "Would you mind explaining it in detail to me?"
"Of course, sir. Since invisibility is just not being visible, and many beings are cursed with being invisible, or invisibility is so ingrained in their natures that they'd die if they weren't invisible, this potion simple changes the viewers' eyes so they can see whatever it is that drinks this potion or has it sprayed on them."
"And does it wear off?"
"I've tested it on The Invisible Book of Invisibility and a few Thestrals, and sometimes it wears off in a week, sometimes it lasts longer. But it shouldn't last longer than a month."
Dumbledore nodded and looked over the man's shoulder at Holly, his eyes asking if that was good enough. Holly shrugged and asked another question.
"And have you tested it on more humanoid beings?" Dumbledore asked.
"No, Headmaster. I was not aware that there were any invisible ones anymore." Severus droned, clearly bored.
"That is all, Severus, you may leave," Dumbledore said and with a flourish, opened the door magically.
After the sullen man had left, the headmaster turned to face his other guests. "Does that allay your fears, Miss...?"
"I don't know," Holly said dubiously, totally oblivious to the fact that he was probing for a last name. "I guess that'll have to do, but I'm not promising I'll use it all the time. At least it wears off rather quickly."
"So, what should we get first?" Holly asked the other two as they entered Diagon Alley, strange wizard money clinking in their pockets.
Jack looked down at the long list the old man had given them before North and Bunny had dragged them back to the Pole. "Um...getting a pet sounds like the least boring."
Ivy grabbed the list and scrutinized it carefully, "No, no, no! We've got to get our wands first, Jackie Boy! Everything else comes second to that!" And with that statement, she marched off to find the wand shop, leaving the others to shrug helplessly at each other and follow.
They found her staring up at an ancient sign proclaiming "Olivander's: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 BC.
"Holly," Ivy said in a tight voice, "didn't you say that there was a wizard by the name of Ollivander with our enemies? D'you think this Ollivander is the same one?"
Holly shrugged, her eyes hardening as she remembered her past. "The best way to find out might just be to enter the snake's lair." She then grasped her sister's arm and pulled her into the small shop.
There was already a girl trying out wands with her father standing close by, as if he was there only to keep her safe. Or so it seemed to Holly as she looked for escape routes and as she tried to gently pull Jack and her sister back onto the street outside. But the man behind the counter had noticed them when the bell above the door had jingled to announce the arrival of new customers. He waved them forward and Jack and Ivy cautiously stepped toward the counter, pulling Holly with them.
"I'll be right with you," he said in an airy voice. Then he turned and handed the young girl another wand. "Try this one."
While the trio waited, they discussed what to do with Jack's staff. Jack was convinced that some powerful wizard could cast an illusion to make his staff look like a wand, but then Holly pointed out that, as far as they knew, the staff only channeled ice magic. It would be useless with other magics. She admitted that staffs were much more powerful than those sticks wizards now used, but Dumbledore had insisted that they get wands.
While they were discussing what to do about the staff, Ivy came up with an idea.
"What if you just took both your wand and your staff?" She said in a 'this is a totally obvious solution, why haven't you guys thought of it yet?' voice.
Jack and Holly sheepishly looked at each other. "That might work," Holly stated slowly. Jack nodded and ran his fingers through his hair, "Yeah."
By this time the girl had gotten a wand and her dad was giving the old man money for it. The three teens stopped talking and waited for him to finish. Strangely, no one else entered the shop.
Finally, the shop owner turned to them.
"Now, how can I help you three? I don't usually see many young people your age come in here."
"If you only knew," Jack muttered under his breath. Holly jabbed him in the ribs and said, in a much stiffer and more formal voice than she usually used, "You are Mr. Ollivander, I presume? We are here for wands."
"You presume correctly," the wizened man said with a bow, "Now, which of you would like to go first?"
"MEEEEE!" Ivy squealed, waving her hands excitedly in the air. Her two companions face palmed – something they were doing a lot of lately.
"Well I guess that answered his question," Jack whispered to Holly.
"Could you hold out your wand arm, miss?" Ollivander asked Ivy. Ivy held out her right hand stiffly while Ollivander flicked his wand and a tape measure flew towards her and started measuring her arm, in between her eyes, and a whole bunch of other places. Then it returned to its master's pocket.
Ollivander hmmed and hawed as he searched through the wand cases behind him. "Try this one. Willow and unicorn hair, fourteen and a half inches."
Ivy excitedly took the wand and flicked it upward. Water squirted out of the tip, arched over Ivy, and drenched Holly – much to Jack's amusement.
"I don't think so," Holly growled, steam rising off her shoulders in clouds.
"I don't know," Jack teased, "You look good wet."
"Yeah, Holly, this is much better than the time you fell into that troll's nest –" Ivy started.
"IVY!"
"How about this one? Ebony and phoenix feather, seven and three quarters of an inch." Ollivander snatched the willow wand away and pushed the new one into the girl's hands.
"Hey, Holly, this one's short like you!" Ivy grinned, spinning around to show her sister. As she did, all the windows on the street shattered.
"Ivy, you KNOW I'm half an inch taller than you!" Holly fumed.
Jack rolled his eyes, "Hurry up, will ya, Ivy? I'm getting bored."
" How do you get bored looking at this sexy scar?" Ivy teased, pointing to her lovely scar.
Jack was going to reply, but the old man interrupted. "Perhaps this one? Hazel and dragon heartstring, seventeen inches."
Ivy grasped the wand tightly. It burst into flames and she screamed.
"Sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!" Ivy exclaimed, throwing the wand toward Jack. Jack caught it and extinguished it as fast as he could, and then set it gingerly on the counter.
"Perhaps the next one, then." Ollivander said hoarsely.
For all you lovely readers out there, this is a one hour time skip. Thank you for your cooperation. Sincerely, the authors.
Ivy put her hands on her hips. "Can't you just give me a fun one?" she whined.
The old wand maker perked up at that. "I think I have just the wand!" he exclaimed as he hurried to the back room.
"Didn't he say that forty wands ago?" Jack whispered to Holly.
Holly nodded as Ollivander walked back into the shop. "This wand is sycamore and dragon heart string, thirteen inches. Give it a go."
Ivy grabbed the wand and spun and pointed it a Holly. Holly leapt to her feet, prepared for the worst. But, instead of fire or water or anything like that, a bouquet of blue flowers popped out of the tip.
"Hey, Jackie Boy! These are for you!" Ivy grinned and shoved them at the boy.
Ollivander sighed in relief, "That's the one. Who's next?"
Jack handed the flowers to Holly and stepped forward. At the wand maker's prodding, he held out his right hand.
Out came the magic tape measure. It flitted around Jack; making measurements of his arms, the circumference of his head, and his feet. Then, it retreated to Ollivander once more.
"Most unusual measurements," the old wand maker murmured. "It's almost as if you aren't really alive."
Jack shifted from side to side nervously and waited for him to continue.
"Anyway, I think I have just the wand. Cedar and Unicorn hair, twelve and a half inches," he said as he pulled out the box from the shelf behind him. "And this unicorn just happened to like living in the arctic. He was the last one I searched out myself, you know."
Jack nodded and reached for the wand.
"Not yet! Not yet!" Ollivander scolded, slapping Jack's hand. "Patience would be a very good thing for you to learn, young man! Now, as I was saying, this particular unicorn was a peculiar blue color, not the usual white you'd expect. So, as any wizard or witch knowledgeable in wand lore would know, this wand has an affinity to ice magic."
And with that, he pushed the wand into the stunned winter spirit's hand.
Instantly the temperature dropped and ice started to form on the counter and window frame. A cold wind blew through where the window glass should have been and swirls of snow followed. Jack grinned while Ollivander and the girls shivered.
"I think not!" Ollivander said as Holly and Ivy exclaimed, "That's the one!"
Ollivander stuttered and gestured to the ice and snow around him, "B-b-b-but – this isn't good!"
Jack patted the old wand maker's shoulder. "Actually, it is. You said it has an affinity to ice magic, right? Well, this is perfect!"
Ollivander frowned and shook his head. "This isn't right! It can't be!"
Holly sighed and moved closer to the counter, "Well, then give him another wand to try. I'll wager the price of our wands that this wand is the wand that works best for him."
"Deal," he said and brought out another wand for Jack to try. "This one is alder and phoenix tail feather, fourteen inches."
Immediately after Jack took the wand, black pepper shot through the window and hit Ivy right in the nose. She suddenly began to sneeze big, loud sneezes.*
"That…ACHOOOOO! …can't...ACHOOOOO! ...be the…ACHOOOO! ...right one! …ACHOOOO!" Ivy said after a while. Then she broke into a second sneezing fit.
Ollivander slowly nodded his head and took out another wand. "One more. This is redwood and dragon heartstring, eleven inches long. Very rare."
Jack exchanged wands and waved the wand around his head. Nothing. He looked over to Holly, who shrugged.
"Maybe you should try again?" she suggested.
He nodded and flicked the wand again. Again, nothing happened.
"I don't think this is the one, either," Jack said with a small smirk.
"Fine, take the first one," Ollivander said ruefully. "I just don't see how that reaction can be a good thing!"
Ivy laughed, "You don't know Jack!"
The old man shook his head and motioned for Holly to come forward. She held out her left hand and the enchanted tape measure flew out into the open and measured the span of her arms, the distance between her left ring finger and her wrist, the size of her ears, and her height. Then it flew back to the old wizard and hid behind his back once more.
"Try this one," he said, handing Holly a regal looking wand. "Cherry and Phoenix feather, thirteen inches."
Holly gingerly took the wand. A couple of doors down, there was a scream and a 'BOOM'. She quickly set the wand down and shook her head.
Ollivander nodded in agreement. "Definitely not. How about this wand?" He handed her one that seemed to be carved into a spiral. "Black Walnut and dragon heartstring, sixteen inches."
This time, a blast of heat burst from the tip of the wand and hit Ivy square in the face.
"Try again," Ivy said, carefully feeling to see if her eyebrows were still there.
Ollivander frowned, "I might have a wand in the back that will work. Please excuse me."
After he left, Jack challenged Ivy to a duel. She accepted, of course, and soon they were dancing around the room, parrying and thrusting with their wands like they were swords.
"Take that! And that!" Ivy yelled as she chased Jack around the counter.
Jack concentrated and a thin sheet of ice formed under her feet.
"No fair!" She cried as she promptly fell to the floor. Jack laughed and jumped over the counter.
Ivy grabbed a wand box that was on the floor near her and chucked it at Jack. It hit him right in the forehead and he sat down on the floor rather abruptly, looking a bit dazed.
"Gotcha!" Ivy crowed, using the counter as a support as she stood up. Then her feet slipped out from under her and she fell against the counter.
"Looks like you've been caught, too!" Holly laughed. Ivy struggled to get up again, then started laughing with her.
"Help me up!" She pleaded, stretching her arm toward her sister.
Holly reached over and tried to pull her sister up, but ended up on the floor next to her, instead.
"You know what?" Holly said after a minute.
"What?" Jack responded.
"We should get North a cat," she said as Ivy pushed on her head and on the counter and finally stood up.
"A cat?" Ivy laughed and boosted herself onto the countertop, "What gave you that idea?"
"I just think it would be funny to see him trying to take care of a little kitten. That's all," Holly shrugged, then grabbed Ivy's leg and pulled herself up to where she could boost herself up onto the counter next to Ivy.
"We should name it Al!" Ivy stared imperiously.
"What kind of a name is Al?" Jack asked incredulously.
"What kind of a name is Jack?" Ivy retorted.
Just then, the wand maker finally decided to return.
"Here we go!" he said slowly. "Fourteen inches with a phoenix feather core and wood from the nearest true lover's tree: oak and holly. The two woods can't be separated, trust me, I'd have done it if I could've. But I want you to try it. If not, I have an oak and phoenix feather wand and a holly and phoenix feather wand for you to try." Then he handed her the dual-wooded wand. Power rushed through Holly and into the wand, which gave off a shower of deep red sparks.
"Great!" the old wizard smiled tightly. "Now, I believe-"
"Don't forget our bet," Holly warned.
"As I was saying," he said with a glare at the girl, "I believe that's all you three need from here. Have a nice day."
"Thanks a bunch," Jack said to Mr. Ollivander as he steered the two girls out of the shop.
"I think that wand maker was just getting worried that it was going take me an hour as well. He didn't seem too enthused about giving this one up." Holly said, fingering the stick of wood.
"Especially for free!" Ivy laughed, "That was brilliant!"
"Anyway," Jack interjected. "Where should we go next?"
Holly looked down at the list. "Maybe robes, then books, quills and parchment after that, then potions stuff, and finally the pet shop?" she suggested.
Ivy and Jack groaned. "Why clothes first?!" Ivy asked, "Robes are hideous!"
"Yeah, why not get pets first?" Jack suggested hopefully.
"Because then you guys would become totally unmanageable," Holly explained. "So now it'll be a reward."
Ivy nodded. "Hey, Holly, you didn't drink the potion, did you?" When her sister shook her head, she continued, "So then how was Ollivander able to see you?"
"He must just believe in old legends." Holly shrugged. "So can we finish shopping now?"
*To get the best idea of what Ivy's sneezing fit was like, please refer to The Scarlet Pimpernel, by Baroness Orczy, the last few pages of chapter twenty-five. Or, you know, violently sniff pepper up your nose. Either works.
