Full Moon Rising, Part One
The forest was eerily quiet. An owl hooted and the full moon burst from behind a cloud bathing the woods with silvery light. Almost silently a large shadow crept through the underbrush to the edge of a clearing. It raised its head and sniffed the air, sifting the scents on the gentle breeze. It stepped into the light of the clearing and revealed itself as a large female gray wolf. Skirting the edge of the clearing she caught a scent and took off at a silent run. Miles away a wolf howled. Pausing, she took up the howl, as did many others hidden in the woods around her. From hill to hollow in the valley around her the call went out, and the pack sang with full throat. With the calls of her packmates ringing in her ears she ran on. Running like the wind was her greatest joy in wolf shape. As the hours passed and the moon started to set, the wolf paused in the headlong pursuit of her silvery light and slunk contentedly toward home. Long after the first fingers of dawn touched the horizon, the sun discovered her lying on her side in the tall grass outside her home. Stretching, tousled, mud splattered, and naked she rose to her feet and swayed a bit. Yawning, she slowly walked into the house, and grabbing up the towel she had left for this express purpose, she toweled off the worst of the grit before walking barefoot up the stairs to her shower.
It took her two shampoos to get the brambles and mud out of her hair, and afterward it was so tangled, brushing it was no picnic. Sitting wrapped in a towel, she grimaced as she tried to pull her brush through her thick hair. Growling softly to herself, she yanked hard. A clump of hair came loose and dangled uselessly from her brush. Discarding the clump, and absently massaging the spot on her skull she stood and discarded the towel. Moving to foot of the unslept in bed, she gathered up her formal pale lavender robes, and dressed.
Padding silently back downstairs to the spacious kitchen, she ate mechanically while glancing over the papers she had been working on before the moon rose. Finishing her meal, she gathered up all the papers and packed them away in a brown leather case with the initials IC embossed on the front.
After closing the case with a snap, she reached into the cabinet for a flask that sat in the deepest recess. Uncorking it, the peaty odor assaulted her senses. Humming under her breath, she poured a small amount into a glass and swished it about for a moment, then added three amber drops from a different container. She watched as the liquid thickened and started to bubble. When it was smoking slightly, she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, drank the mixture and gagged. Even after all the years she had been brewing and drinking the potion she was never fully prepared for the vile bitterness of the taste, or the thick mucous like feeling of its texture on her tongue. Opening her eyes and shuddering slightly, she pushed the flask back into to the darkest corner, capped and returned the other container.
Once she had recovered from the aftertaste of the potion, she washed out the dishes and set them on the drying rack. As she exited the kitchen, she picked up the case and plucked a thin wand out of a mug full of quill pens, swizzle sticks, and chopsticks.
Still barefoot, she tucked her wand into the pocket at her hip and exited the house. Standing tall at the gate of the farm, she took the wand and tapped gently at a spot a few inches from her face. A purple shimmer glowed softly and she smiled slightly. Carefully she touched the glimmer with her fingertips and explored the spell. The wolf pack had not tried to break the bindings. She knew it before she touched the shield, but it was her duty to make sure. Her blue-black eyes narrowed slightly as she realized someone had probed the guard shield spells at some point since the last time she checked them- four days ago- from the outside. A wizard or witch had noticed it, and probed it. Suddenly concerned she explored it further- but the spell could tell her nothing of the probe, other than that it had happened. The enchantment was very specific- it was to tell her if the pack tried to break it. That it held the residual echo of the probe was unexpected.
Shaking her head sternly, she hummed at the gate and it opened. Stepping outside the gate and closing it behind her, she scooped up the Daily Prophet- American from where the delivery owl dropped it, and walked up the sun-dappled street to the portkey. Pausing beside a small street sign that proclaimed "Speed Limit 45" she looked about to make sure she was alone, and then she touched the enchanted sign and disappeared.
Four hundred miles away, she reappeared next to a shed on the edge of the grounds to the Academy for the Magical Arts and Sciences. A small black haired witch greeted her with a smile when she stepped away from the portkey.
"Sama! How was the running?"
"Fine, thank you Portia." Sama paused. Ordinarily she wouldn't have worried about the brief probing she had found against her shield spell, but there were disturbing rumors circulating about the return of dark magic in Europe. Brushing her mane of prematurely graying hair from her face she sighed. "Portia…"
"Yes?" the little witch looked up at her frowning slightly. Sama was by no means a tall woman. Rather average, actually, but Portia always made her feel oafish and clumsy. The song mistress was small, graceful, and looked deceptively fragile.
"There wasn't anyone looking for me in the last few days, was there? I found evidence of tampering out at the farm."
"No, not that I am aware of. I will keep my ears open for you, though."
"Thank you, Portia. I should get to class." Striding away from the portkey shed, she entered the grounds of the school.
The school looked forbidding from her vantage point. It was large, brick, and with long, low buildings that looked like army barracks off to one side. A large, hideous wooden door squatted in the center of the building façade and the windows had bars on them. From here it looked forlorn and depressing. It was a brilliant charm to ward off prying Muggles. As she drew closer and closer the building changed shape to look more like a castle with turrets and towers, ivy covered and friendly with it's open door and brilliantly colored flags. The long, low buildings became the stables, greenhouses, and practical labs for the more dangerous and unpredictable magics. Muggles never got past the gatehouse at the front of the building unless accompanied by a wizard or witch. And then, they only saw what they expected to see.
Sama reached the wide staircase and climbed slowly to the door and entered.
"Sama! There you are. Weren't sure what with the moon and all as you'd make it in today." A large wizard with hat askew and robes fluttering sloppily, flapped his hands about her head in greeting.
"Sir." Sama looked up at him calmly. The principal fell into step beside her. As they walked they absently greeted the students on their way to classes.
"The Minister of Magic has a request- for you specifically! She is sending someone from England- from Albus Dumbledore himself!" The man was agitated and speaking gibberish.
"Principal Marshal, what are you talking about?" Sama stopped in the hallway trying to follow his train of thought. Never the most lucid person, Marshal seemed a bit more frantic than usual.
"Here! I must! You should… Ahhhh... " he exclaimed and shoved a parchment into her hand, turned, and flapping his hands in agitation, hurried down the hall.
Staring after him in surprise, Sama glanced at the parchment in her hand. It was from the Ministry of Magic of the Americas, and it contained the text from a message from the British Ministry, as well as a personal note from the American Minister herself. Reading silently, Sama's eyes widened in surprise.
"Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic of Britain blah blah blah, and Headmaster Albus Dumbledore of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry blah blah blah requests that the Minister of Magic of the Americas assist in the matter of finding and procuring the services of an expert in the earth's wild magics" and it was signed by both minister and headmaster. The note from their Minister suggested Isamatia Canid as the most likely expert who could assist the British wizards. A separate note informed her that an emissary from Dumbledore would arrive in four days to speak with her.
Sama winced at the use of her full name. Her mother had thought it pretty, Sama thought it appalling. She had changed it as soon as she attended school.
Sighing, she climbed the rest of the way to her classroom. Four days and she would find out why an obscure branch of magical studies had caught the eye of the likes of Albus Dumbledore.
~*~
Four days later she looked up from grading a surprise quiz on taming wild plant magic to find one of her fourth year students leading a slight, tired looking man wearing a rumpled, but clean black robe into her classroom.
"May I help you?"
"Are you" he consulted the parchment "Isamatia Canid?"
"Please, call me Sama. Thank you Rupert, you may go back to desk duty." The fourth year student disappeared down the hall and she stood and ushered the pale man into her private lounge. Gesturing to an uncommonly comfortable couch she sat in her office chair, legs crossed. "You have come from Britain?"
He smiled slightly as he sank back into the sofa. "Yes. My name is Remus Lupin. We have need of someone with your- particular abilities."
"Tea?" Sama held up her wand.
"Please." Remus was grateful the sofa was so comfortable. He had been called to Hogwarts on a moment's notice, only one day after the full moon. After a hurried meeting with Professor Dumbledore, he'd been forced to travel as a muggle on an entirely uncomfortable airplane to the States, and using directions that looked like they'd been copied out by a troll, he'd arrived at the Academy of the Magical Arts and Sciences bleary eyed and exhausted. Idly looking at his host, he noticed the she was not wearing shoes, and her bare feet looked out of place with her otherwise formal pale lavender robes.
Sama served the hot tea and studied her guest a moment. There were dark circles under his eyes, and it did not look as if he had slept much. "Why don't you tell me why you are here, Mr. Lupin." Sama prompted politely.
That seemed to shake him out of his lethargy for a moment and he looked suddenly fierce. "Voldemort is back."
Sama put down her cup carefully. "The Dark Arts wizard? He disappeared, didn't he, several years ago?"
"He's back. He is gaining power again, and I don't think he will stop at England and Europe this time. Our sources indicate he has gathered supporters here."
Sama considered. "The Americas don't have all the old magics and power places to draw on that Britain and Europe do. The powers here are different. Even the ley lines flow differently, as they haven't been in use for hundreds of years. They're more unpredictable, harder to follow. They can be considerably more powerful than regular magic. Wild earth magic is much more a part of… Ah." Sama looked at him as she discovered the reason for his traveling all the way to America to hear what she had to say.
"You see now?"
"You think he will try to use the wild magic in his play for power."
"Yes. We need someone in the Order with your talents and knowledge."
"Order?" Sama looked at him sharply.
"The Order of the Phoenix. Professor Dumbledore- well really the Ministry- had disbanded it while Voldemort was inactive, but he's- Dumbledore I mean- started it up again, and there are… vacancies to fill." Remus winced a little with the last bit and Sama presumed the vacancies were Voldemort's victims.
She smiled a little in sympathy. "What is it you think I can help you with?" she asked gently.
Remus paused. "Professor Dumbledore wants you to join us. He wants you to come to Britain and share your knowledge of wild earth magic. He believes you will have insight into Voldemort's movements we won't be able to predict. If he is out there using wild magic..."
"Leave? Leave the Academy? And my students- the school year has just begun, what of them? Leave America? Surely he can't be serious?"
"I assure you he is very serious. He sent me here in the hopes you will say yes and come back with me."
"Mr. Lupin, I can not drop everything to…"
"Professor- Miss- Sama- People are dying. We need your help. Do you honestly think Voldemort won't turn his attention this way this time- especially if he's using the wild magics?"
Sama was silent for long minutes. Finally, she rose from her chair and gathered up the tea things. A wave of her wand and the items disappeared. Agitated, she sat, and then jumped up again. Remus watched her pace about the room with interest. She looked troubled, and paced like a caged animal, arms folded across her body. Then, after staring out the window, it seemed she came to some sort of decision, for she picked up a scrying glass from her desk and spoke into it.
"Portia, a moment?"
Immediately, the song mistress Apparated into the office. She glanced inquiringly at Remus.
"Portia, I will be going away for a time, and I need someone to take care of the farm- keep the wards up and current. I will also need someone to take my classes-" she waved her hand in an dismissive gesture. "I will speak with Marshal about this… Portia- I need someone to stand as Keeper."
The song mistress paled. "I… Understand." She swallowed visibly. Glancing quickly in Remus's direction she went on. "Is there anything… special I should know about the farm spells?"
"No. You know the ones I use, we've practiced them together enough times. Just be sure they remain active at the right times- Everyone who needs to can get in- but they're not always diligent with the closure bindings so you'll have to check them at least once a month." Portia left looking a bit stunned. After a short but agitated conversation with the school's principal through the scrying glass, Sama turned back to Remus.
"We'll start for England in the morning. I assume Muggle transportation will be more prudent? Lower profile, and all that?" Remus nodded as Sama continued "For this evening, you are welcome to stay with me out at Wolfgate Farm."
Remus started a bit at the name of the farm, but murmured "Thank you, and please call me Remus." She smiled as he picked up his suitcase and followed her out of office, down the hall and out to the portkey shed.
Sama turned to find him looking back at the forbidding illusion of the school. "It is a marvelous charm," he said.
"I agree. Many things are not what they seem to be." Turning her attention to the permanent portkey to Wolf Hollow, and Wolfgate Farm, she nodded to him. "Grab the pole- not the sign. The password 'Full Moon' will take you to the Farm."
Remus looked at her with an appraising eye as she touched the portkey, one among many standing next to the shed, muttered the spell words and disappeared.
Copying her actions, Remus found himself on the side of a road next to a forest. Sama was already walking toward a gate. She took out her wand and tapped gently on the gate and it swung open.
"Welcome to Wolfgate Farm." she said as he joined her. He looked up at the cozy looking farmhouse sitting atop a small rise a half-mile away and he sighed. Closing the gate behind them, she tapped it again to lock it.
Walking quickly, they covered the distance to the house in very little time. Once there, she showed him into a guest room made up in muted creams, reds, and oranges. Remus put his suitcase down and sank into the chair next to the large picture window. The sun was low on the horizon and he watched as the sky turn pink and purple and orange before fading into the deep blue of early evening. Before the sun had completely set, he was dozing. He woke with a start at the slam of a door. Startled, he sat up and stared out the window to see Sama enter a gated garden. Twenty minutes later she was back and he heard a low singing from the kitchen. Rubbing his face slowly, he stumbled out into the lighted room.
A pot bubbled briskly over the fire in the hearth, and Sama was quickly mincing a variety of plants he could not identify. As she swept the minced plants into the pot he realized the song was part of a spell for the potion- whatever it was- she was brewing in the small pot. She tapped the pot with her wand and it started to self-stir. Turning from the pot she ended the murmured song and smiled at him. An earthy odor started to rise from it.
"What are you making?"
"It is an old family recipe. It is a… health tonic. I don't know how many of the ingredients I will be able to find in Britain. Some of them only grow around here- and some I cultivated on my own. And the preparation needs the song to bind it… I don't suppose that there are a lot of singing apothecaries in England?" Sama looked sideways at Remus with a small smile starting in the corners of her mouth.
Remus started and glanced at her, unsure if she was poking fun- and noticed the smile. After a quick searching look he laughed, and admitted he did not know of any apothecary that sang. He grinned wider with a sudden mental image of Severus Snape bent over a cauldron singing as gently to it as Sama had just done. Sama's voice snapped him back to the present.
"The first thing about wild magic," Sama began in her 'teacher's voice', "is the song. There is music in everything in nature- from the whine of the wind, to the music of rushing water, to the gentle sound of unfurling leaves. Knowing how to unleash the power with song is one of the three cornerstones to the use of wild magics. Tone, volume, intent, and key are all sometimes more important that what the words are."
Remus stared at her. He knew some charms and spells used different sounds- and sometimes even different languages, but he never knew a spell that it didn't matter what the words were. "Why don't the words matter?" he asked sounding curious.
"Before there was language there was sound. Language is a fairly new concept when discussing the ages of wild magic. It doesn't matter what you say- as much as how you say it. This is what makes wild nature magic the most obscure and difficult of the magics to get consistent results from. Duplicating a spell in wild magic needs the exact same conditions- exact- down to the phase of the moon and time of year. Weather patterns change spells- usually not much- but sometimes the results are unpredictable. Most wild magic practical experience is done within a protected space- with strong shields in case something unexpected happens."
"Unexpected?" Remus glanced at the bubbling pot.
"Don't worry. Herbal magic works the same everywhere. That is a simple herbal potion. The only wild magic is the song, it's for binding- it encourages a specific response in the one who drinks it. In this case it encourages strength. It is most effective brewed in early winter, but I don't know how long I will be gone from here, and that it is early autumn shouldn't make too much of a difference."
"Oh. Is that another potion of some kind?" Remus pointed to the second pot, covered and sitting near the hearth.
"No." she smiled. Sama tapped her wand on the counter and two bowls flew out of a cabinet behind her, the top of the pot whisked off and a ladle filled the bowls with steaming soup. "Dinner?"
Remus realized he was famished and smiled as she took the bowls to the table in the corner, and tapped her wand again and a basket of rustic bread swooped over to the table and settled next to him.
After dinner he watched as she carefully ladled the strong smelling potion from the pot into a number of small jars, and corked them. Packing them carefully, she reached into a cabinet and removed a jar with a dropper and some amber liquid in the bottom, and shook it gently. Holding it up to the light she checked the level of liquid and sighed slightly. She packed it away with the other jars. As she washed out the dinner dishes and the cauldron she'd brewed the potion in they chatted quietly. Remus felt himself relaxing in this kitchen. It was a sense of peace he hadn't felt in many years.
"I spoke with the Key Mistress while you were resting. She has arranged everything. We will leave here tomorrow morning around ten. There is a portkey station in the village that will take us to New York. From there we have a 2pm flight to London. I trust there is transportation from there?"
"Yes. A train to Hogsmeade leaves several times a day. From there we can get to Hogwarts."
"Good. We have a long day tomorrow. I suggest we get some sleep."
~*~
When the sun streamed in her window the next morning, Sama rose, dressed in the most comfortable Muggle clothing she had, and packed a set of simple reed pipes, a few robes, a pair of well worn sandals, and a couple of other small items- including the potion she had brewed the night before. Before placing them inside, she chanted an unbreakable spell over the bottles. Then she spelled the case to make it weigh less than it did. That done, she took the case downstairs and began setting out breakfast. Singing quietly, she did not notice when Remus entered yawning.
"More wild magic?" he asked with a slight smile.
Sama smiled back and replied "No. Just singing. It will be difficult to leave here."
They ate breakfast in silence for a while, and then Remus spoke.
"How long has this place- Wolfgate Farm- been your home?" Remus spoke the name carefully, as if unsure of it.
"All my life. I was born in the bedroom upstairs. Besides the house and gardens there's land out there- farther than you can see. Once it was a working farm, but we've let it revert back to forests."
"We?"
"My parents before me, and my father's family. It is the sanctuary for the entire clan- I am just the Keeper at the moment. There are spells and enchantments that must be kept up and fine-tuned periodically. One of the spells hides this whole valley from Muggle developers."
"That seems ambitious for a private home. Are there other witches and wizards in the area?"
"Just family." Sama smiled.
After breakfast, she led him out of the house and set the wards in place over the farm. Remus tapped the shield absently and felt the power she released into it, and noticed the shielding spells were unusually strong, and woven into it was the enchantment to hide the property. He looked at her oddly when she was done.
"That's very strong."
She answered the implied question. "The power grows with each generation that keeps the shields active, but yes, it does need the strength."
"It's almost a cage." He remarked mildly.
Sama did not reply. Leading the way, she walked steadily toward the village, and a quarter of an hour later they arrived at the portkey station. Remus had been looking about with interest at a small, bustling wizarding community that reminded him of Hogsmeade. He was shaken from his reverie by a voice.
"Sama-love!" a portly little woman in a purple polka-dot dress carrying a bright green umbrella greeted her as she entered the town square. "You're going away for a bit! Who is this you'll be traveling with? Oh too bad! Not that other nice young man- what a shame- he was handsome- and charming- why you have a difficult life, don't you deary?" this last she had directed at Remus before turning back to her niece, "We'll miss you at the running- and council meetings, of course. Such trouble you head for. Don't forget the lake!"
"Yes, Auntie, I've been invited to England. This is Remus Lupin- (Remus this is my Aunt Iris). The farm is there for the running. Portia will stand as Keeper." Rifling through her bag, Sama handed her aunt a group of letters. "Will you owl post these for me? I'd send them but we really must catch our portkey."
"Yes, my dear. Have a lovely time! I dare say I'll see you again young man. And remember the lake!" Sama's aunt waved her green umbrella in the sunshine and toddled off. Remus noticed the odd little woman was barefoot. Sama breathed a sigh of relief. Due to her strong precognitive abilities Iris' conversational style was usually a mixture of past, present, and future all rolled into one. Trying to sort out what she said made Sama's head hurt, and her chatter usually only made sense after the fact.
Gesturing over to a storefront where antiques were decorating the windows she ushered him into the store.
"Ye Olde Antique Shoppe?" Remus read with disbelief.
Sama winced and smiled sheepishly. "It's a good cover- for the Muggles who mistakenly wander into town. Muggles- American muggles anyway- spend an amazing amount of time 'antiqueing'- searching for and buying old furniture and things. For the muggles staying in the village (not that we get many muggles) don't find it strange to see a number odd people around an antique shop. Besides, it gives us interesting portkeys."
Remus held the door as they entered the shop. Glancing around with interest, he noticed old furniture and clutter in every corner.
"Sama and… guest?"
Remus looked about and found a barefoot child no more than eight at his elbow.
"Yes, Bobby."
Bobby checked his clipboard. "You are the baby buggy- circa 1876- in twelve minutes to New York. Good running, Sama."
"You too, little cousin." She leaned over and caressed the child's cheek as he grinned engagingly at her before disappearing behind a large ugly armoire. Remus gave her an odd look, and she opened her case and tossed a well-worn pair of sandals onto the floor. With a faintly disgusted look on her face she shoved her bare feet into them. Glancing around as she picked up her bundle she led him to the back of the cramped store and through a yellow curtain. An older child, a girl this time glanced up from the desk.
"Any minute now, Sama." She said.
"Thank you, Julia. You studying for school next year?"
"Yes'm. I'll be eleven next full moon."
"Congratulations! I'll be sorry to miss that. Good running, Julia."
"Thanks!" the undisguised pleasure in her face was evident "You, too."
Remus was puzzling over these odd exchanges when they touched the portkey and were whisked off to a New York antique shop with the buggy. Several hours later, while flying across the ocean, Remus posed his question.
"What does it mean, exactly, 'good running'?"
Sama looked up in surprise. "It's- ah- a family expression." She said carefully. "It means happy trails. Have a good trip. Bon voyage. Have a good time. It's a leave taking of sorts."
Remus nodded and settled back in the wholly uncomfortable seat. Flying was disconcerting for him at any time, but flying in this muggle contraption made him even more nervous. Sama looked slightly tense, as well.
"I'd rather be on a broom," he thought he heard her mutter.
"I'm sorry?"
Sama flushed. "I don't like to fly- in any form. I usually apparate, walk, or portkey- but flying is still the most reliable way of getting across the damn ocean. I don't like being out of touch with the ground."
"Is that why you don't usually wear shoes?"
Sama's face flushed a deeper red, and Remus looked amused. "Something like that." she said and turned her attention out the window and into the clouds. Remus studied the witch carefully. Her grayish brown hair was swept back from her face and fell between her shoulder blades. Her blue-black eyes were turned toward the window, and her pale skin looked translucent even in the ugly airplane lighting. Remus closed his eyes. Between the full moon six days ago, and the time change, this traveling was wearing him out. With a sigh, he wondered what Sirius was doing. And how Harry and his friends were getting on. They had just started their fifth year at Hogwarts, and even though Sirius was still a wanted criminal, he was also working with the Order- although precious few people actually knew about it. Sirius had been staying with him that summer as they tried to get the Order back together, but then Dumbledore had an assignment for him, and it had been a while since he'd written a letter to Remus.
Sama turned back to her companion and noticed how thin and pale he looked at rest. She wondered about the perpetual sadness that hung about him. He had been curious, she knew about her little village- and Wolfgate being so secure a place. She had watched the questions flicker about his eyes, but he asked only a few- and the ones he chose were not the ones he wanted the answers to the most. Sama sensed that he had secrets, too, and perhaps that was why he did not ask the questions about her life that most interested him. She smiled and reflected wryly to herself. He would probably freak out if he found out the village was populated almost entirely by werewolves.
End Part One
Author's Note: Thanks to Gwen (and Ryan) for finding my creative writing skills on a dark and dusty shelf and having the kindness to blow off the worst of the cobwebs, and return them to me. They may be rusty and dusty with disuse, but I am enjoying polishing them.
Disclaimers: Sama, Wolf Hollow, and the Academy for the Magical Arts and Sciences with all inhabitants mentioned and implied are mine. The universe they help populate in this incarnation, and all other characters belong to J.K. Rowling. No copyright infringement is intended. No money will be made from this fiction.