THE WAND

"Dementors!? Riding nightmares!? Ridiculous!" Alastor Moody shouted, "'twas the Night Guard, I'm sure of it. Only a fool would confuse the two!"

Severus Snape, accustomed to Moody's insults, maintained his composure with no intention of arguing the point.

"But that doesn't make any sense," offered Minerva McGonagall, "what would the Night Guard want with Harry?"

"Who are they? I've never heard of them," Hermione asked.

"Perhaps the children should return to their dormitories." Severus Snape remarked in his usual dispassionate tone.

Hermione shot a glare at him that would have disparaged any other but Snape simply cocked his head and met her gaze until she cast her eyes away.

"And what should they do there, Severus? Fret in the dark, alone?" Albus Dumbledore spoke frankly but with ever-present kindness, "No. They are welcome to what little comfort we can offer." He mustered up a smile while moving to put one hand on Hermione's shoulder, the other on Ron's who was sitting just next to where she stood.

The four adults had gathered in the antechamber of the Great Hall to discuss Harry's abduction and what might be done about it. Ron and Hermione had wandered in, unable to sleep, looking for answers. Moody leaned over the fireplace with one arm resting on the mantle, his magical eye frantically darting about the flames like he was skimming the pages of a book for a passage he had lost. Snape and McGonagall stood rigidly at opposite sides of the archway; she to the left, he to the right, with hands clasped before them they could just as well have been a pair of statues. Dumbledore and Harry's two best friends were gathered alongside an oak table set against the left wall. Hermione, deep in thought, occasionally nibbled at a thumbnail and Ron, hunched in an oversized chair facing away from the table picked at a handful of candy he'd absentmindedly scooped out of the large glass bowl from the table's center. The candlelight was respectfully dim so as not to disturb the portrait figures but it was to no avail as they restlessly paced about themselves, uncertain of what this tragic occurrence could mean to them all.

"You didn't answer my question," said Hermione turning to face Dumbledore. "Who are the Night Guard?"

He looked to his colleagues as if to plea for an interjection but none was offered. "It is believed by some that they hail from the old world, Ms. Granger, along with many others who claim to have inhabited the earth long before the wizarding world had even come about. You haven't heard of them because most books containing any information about them have either been destroyed or locked away. Some witches and wizards would argue that they don't even exist and most others dispute their origins."

"So, they're immortals?" she concluded.

Minerva, clearly unnerved by the topic of conversation sharply stated, "Now, that isn't proven."

Flustered by any number of thoughts spinning about in his chaotic mind, Moody joined in, "Bah! The Ministry takes the position that there are no truly immortal beings, and those who claim to be are regarded as the worst of deceivers. But no matter what the idiots at Whitehall believe, Feyfolk DO exist although they have, for the most part, maintained a long standing tradition of non-interference with what they consider to be mortal affairs."

"Then why did they take Harry?" asked Hermione sincerely, not questioning the grumbling professor's position on what was clearly a rather controversial topic.

They all looked helplessly at one another, this was the very question they'd been asking themselves all along. Ron, not typically the one to connect the dots, scowled as he glumly let out, "They're taking Harry to him aren't they?"

"That just doesn't make any sense." McGonagall reiterated.

"Aye," agreed Moody. "It's not their nature to take allegiance. But the boy is right, it's the only explanation." He slammed his fist hard onto the stone wall, "Argh! Must be foul magics at work indeed to twist their will to do his bidding"

It was then that Dumbledore realized Snape had left the room. It wasn't like him to abandon protocol and take his leave without requesting it of the Headmaster. But then he felt it too. He looked to see if the others noticed but they were too engrossed in conversation.

Hermione's brow furrowed, something wasn't sitting right with her. "Professor Moody," she began, "if there are no books or lessons about, what did you say they were called? Feyfolk? Then how do you know so much about them?"

There wasn't much that could render renowned auror Alastor Moody speechless but look on his face said it all, he did NOT want to answer that question. But the awkward silence that would have followed was spared by the sound of a woman's voice from the archway:

"Lose something?"

"Harry!" Hermione shouted, racing right past Selena to throw her arms about Harry's neck pulling him in so tight to her that he should never go missing again. He freed a hand to lay her hair out of the way enough to see Ron rise from his chair greeting him with a smile and nod. Harry smiled back at him while returning Hermione's embrace.

"Selena?" said McGonagall looking to Dumbledore with concern in her eyes and a slight tremble in her voice.

Dumbledore resumed a manner of benevolent authority to address her, "Selena! A delight to see you again and how fortunate that you were nearby! I need not tell you how grateful we are to have Harry returned to us, unharmed no less. How can we ever thank you enough?"

Their pleasantries were interrupted by Hermione's screeching, "Harry! What's happened to your face!?"

He really looked awful. The hours-long trek through the woods had scratched him up pretty good. Patches of dried blood caked in dirt were exaggerated by the swelling of bug bites all over his face, neck, and hands. Bits of leaves and dried grass were caught up in his tangled hair, his clothes were grass-stained and torn.

"Gracious, child!" cried Professor McGonagall as she moved to him, cradling his head in her hands, turning it about to assess the damage.

"I'm alright, really." said Harry, pulling away from her, "Just some bites and scratches, we walked in the forest a while to get back."

McGonagall looked to Selena, who showed no signs of dishevelment,"Why on earth did you walk?"

"Well, just got into the body you know, needed to..." she gasped, touching her hand to her chest, "Are those Every Flavour Beans?!" She ran excitedly to the oak table disregarding everyone else in the room and began plucking them from the large bowl, rapidly popping one at a time into her mouth. She mumbled something about "chocolate" and "liver" but between her rushed diction and mouthful of candy it was impossible to make out. Ron, very amused, sniggered at her.

McGonagall gave Dumbledore a stern look gesturing towards Selena. Moody remained uncharacteristically still and silent.

The Headmaster pretended to clear his throat and started again, "You are of course welcome to take them with you, dear. If I recall, you were always especially fond of sugar mice, we can package some of those for you as well."

Selena looked up at him from the bowl of candy, a bit of sugary drool escaping from her lips, "Nonsense darling, don't be silly. Obviously Tom's messing about with fey magic. Better if I stay here. You will make arrangements, wont you?"

He exchanged a pitiful look with Professor McGonagall, he'd tried. He then turned to Professor Moody, "Alastor, wont you please have Filch manage a room for our guest, the North Tower ought to do."

Moody nodded and started for the doorway catching Selena's eye for the first time since she'd arrived. He exited without a word and she let him.

McGonagall opened her arms to the backs of the students beginning to usher them out, "Alright now, off to bed! Long day tomorrow."

As they neared the exit to the Great Hall, Harry stopped and turned to speak to her, "Professor McGonagall, my wand. I'm afraid I don't have it anymore."

McGonagall stopped short, "Oh?"

"Oh yes," said Selena, finishing one last candy before brushing her hands off on her unblemished white clothing. "That's my doing, sorry. I think I can right that though, let's see." She moved to the center of the room waving Dumbledore away from her and toward the others, "Back off a bit, love."

The others watched as she closed her eyes and stood perfectly still, her arms at her sides, her palms facing outward. She began to breathe in deeply but just around the moment one would expect an inhalation to be complete, she continued to breathe in, and continued still. After the first ten seconds or so, Hermione jerked forward and clasped a hand to the back of her neck. She looked at Ron and Harry who's faces showed they felt it too, a tingling sensation. Ron, content that everyone was experiencing the same thing, turned his eyes back to Selena. Hermione, looked around the room for other signs of disturbance and noticed the thin layer of soot at the base of the fire slowly moving along the floor toward the strange woman in the center of the room. Harry looked about as well and discovered an expression on his mentor's face that he'd never seen before, one of absolute wonder. Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, chief wizard of the Wizengamot, and largely considered to be the most powerful wizard of his age, looked like a muggle child seeing a magic trick for the first time. Not entirely entranced however, he placed a reassuring hand on Harry's shoulder. Minerva just looked worried.

After about thirty seconds or so, Selena stopped breathing in and began to exhale. As she did, a thin white vapor poured from her pursed lips. Harry thought it identical to the mist he had watched her form from. It congealed about a foot from her face into what was easily discernible as the base of a wand. As it built itself upward, fine details appeared: thin hooved legs set against elongated tree trunks, a tuft of fur, a proudly raised muzzle, topped off by majestic antlers intertwined with the branches of the surrounding trees. Selena opened her eyes, widening them with satisfaction at the sight of her creation and resumed breathing normally.

Hermione was the first to speak, "That's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."

Dumbledore patted Harry where his hand lay on his shoulder, "Go on, it's alright."

Harry walked forward and drew it from mid-air. He turned it about in his hand, it was smooth like ivory but light as paper.

"That's your Patronus, isn't it, the stag?" queried Selena.

He just nodded. He actually whispered, "Yes," but he said it so quietly that no one heard.

"Well go on darling, give it a flick. Mind you though, likely to give you a bit more than the last."

He thought for a moment and looked around the room deciding on the fireplace as his target. He raised the wand and pointed it straight at the fire as he voiced the incantation "Aguamenti!" A flood of water jettisoned from the tip of his wand throwing him back onto the ground. It blasted against the stone wall of the fireplace curling into a wave that shot back out, dousing everyone in the room.

Selena giggled, "Well, I dare say it works!"

Ron helped Harry to his feet, both of them looking first at the wand then at each other. Ron managed a "Whoa." and Harry a "Yeah."

"I think that's enough for an evening. Come along, now." Professor McGonagall said and led the dripping wet Gryffindors back to their Hall.

Selena stretched her hands high into he air, yawning, "S'pose I'll turn in as well," she said to Dumbledore.

"Yes, it's been quite a day for us all. Filch will meet you at the entrance to the North tower to show you to your quarters."

"Mmm, very good." She started toward the archway stopping suddenly and sniffing at the air. Dumbledore grimaced. She ran her fingers lightly along the stones to the right of the exit and crouched down to touch the floor beneath them. The amber-colored rings in her eyes filled with violet as she stood and turned to him, beaming, "Severus is here!"