Disclaimer: Forgot to add this last time! Sorry! But yeah, I don't own HP or Circle of Magic; I don't even own Winding Circle or Hogwarts... as you might have guessed by now... he he.

Chapter 2 – The Start of the Journey

She opened her eyes... and couldn't see anything.

For a moment she was disorientated; was she back in the cellar room? The darkened room in which she had spent several months, slowly going crazy after the attack upon her parents?

Then she remembered where she was. Where was her light? She always had to have light with her, ever since that day long ago.

Screwing her eyes shut, she fumbled around on the small bedside table next to her. At last her hands touched the leather pouch that held her miniature sun inside. She pulled it open and took out the stone.

Opening her eyes, she saw at once the beautiful, cracked diamond. Rays of light streamed from the facets of the gemstone. Her foster siblings had made it for her after the earthquake; she would be eternally grateful for it, for her respite from the dark.

Sandrilene fa Toren trembled with relief as she laid it gently back on the table. Some said her fear of night was silly, but she knew the truth. Months in the dark would drive anyone crazy. She was proof of that.

She got dressed in the light of her stone, quickly pulling on a light blue dress the exact shade of her eyes. The golden threads she had embroidered in it accented her light, honey-brown hair. Pulling a brush through it, she then gently tied her beautiful mage's medallion around her neck, making sure it rested against her body in just the right place. The medallion had the names of her and her teacher carved into one side, and on the back were symbols representing Winding Circle temple where she studied.

Opening the door of her first-floor room, she stepped out into the center of the building. A table was set up in the middle of the room, and her teacher Lark was hurrying back and forth from the kitchen, laying out trays of food on the table as her light brown skirts brushed against the floor.

Seeing Sandry, Lark smiled at her. Coming closer, she whispered in her soft voice, "Can you go wake up the others? I'd ring the bell, but it's so loud it would wake up half the town."

Sandry grinned at her teacher. "Sure, no problem."

Lark smiled back and went back into the kitchen. Sandry meanwhile walked over to her foster-brother Briar's room.

Knocking softly on the door, she opened it and peered inside. "Briar?" she called in a whisper. When there was no answer she walked in.

He wasn't in his bed, not that she was surprised by that. Sandry looked around the room and saw that he was sitting at his worktable, his back to her. His hands were wrapped around the base of his miniature shakkan tree. Either he was so deep in his magic he hadn't heard her, or he had fallen asleep at his desk again. A moment later, she heard a faint snore – so much for that question.

"Briar," she repeated, going over to tap him on the shoulder. When he didn't respond she shook him gently.

Almost immediately he leapt up. His hand shot instantly to the knife he kept on top of his desk. Turning around he saw it was only her, and with a rueful grin he put the knife back down.

"Sorry, Sandry," he said in his rough accent. "Just another one of my thief habits."

"That's okay, I understand," she replied. "Did you forget what day it is?"

"No... Just a few hours ago I was awake. But my tree, it needed some more pruning done..." he added, gesturing towards it. Suddenly he seemed to realize that he was standing there in just a pair of breeches.

"Hey, get out of my room!" Pushing her to the door, he slammed it shut behind her.

Sandry sighed and shook her head. Turning, she walked back down the hall to a twisting wooden staircase that led to the second floor. She skipped up it to her foster sister's rooms.

Her sister Tris' door was open; she was standing in the balcony. Gusts of wind whipped around her as she stood there, eyes closed and a smile on her face. No sooner had Sandry walked into the room than Tris turned around.

"Tell Lark I'll be right down," she said immediately. "I just need to fill up my braids. Who knows when I'll next get the chance?"

Sandry nodded and walked back out. She knew better than to disrupt Tris when she was working with her magic. To some her words made no sense; but to her siblings they made perfect sense. Most mages had a box or container that held their mages' kits, but Tris used her braids. She somehow was able to tie wind, storms and even lightning into her fiery red hair. Braided correctly it could be a deadly weapon against her enemies, as they'd found out recently.

Farther down the hall was Daja's room. She also was already awake, and opened the door to walk out just as Sandry was coming towards her. Unlike Tris and Sandry, Daja wasn't wearing a dress; instead she wore breeches and a clean tunic.

Daja had a very different background than the rest of them. She was a Trader, from a nomadic family. Because of this she had very different beliefs and clothing styles than the rest of them. Her carved staff was her most prized possession.

On her hand was what appeared to be a metal glove, but upon closer observation really was fitted tightly to her skin. It was living metal; it grew and changed shape as living things did. Daja had gotten it welded to her skin while fighting a huge fire that had nearly killed them all. The top of her staff had melted all over her hand, and she was left with her 'glove'.

"Breakfast already?" she asked Sandry.

"What so you mean, already? It's not even five o'clock."

Daja grinned. "I know. I love mornings. I've been awake since 3."

"You're going to be exhausted, you know," Tris warned as she walked out of her room. Carefully she tied up her long hair with the ribbons she had enchanted before weaving a veil through it in the style she always wore.

Talking among themselves, the three sisters went down the staircase. Behind them followed a big, fluffy white dog. He stopped at the top of the stairs.

When they got to the bottom, Tris glanced behind them. "Come on, Bear," she called, snapping her fingers. Eagerly the dog they had named Little Bear bounded down the stairs, collapsing at her feet.

Briar was already sitting at the circular wooden table. Sandry was pleased to see that he was wearing the brand-new short-sleeved tunic she had sewn for him recently. When she had given it to him, he had been very surprised – he usually didn't wear short sleeves. Briar thought maybe she was trying to get him more into fashion, which of course he didn't care about in the least, and Sandry had gone along with that theory. The real reason which she hid from him was that with short sleeves, he would have at least two less knives that he could hide in his clothing. She didn't want to get them kicked out of their new school because of Briar smuggling knives into it.

"So, what's the place we're goin' to called again?" he asked through a mouthful of food.

Tris glared at him. "Oh, grow up, Briar. Your eating habits are as disgusting as ever."

Briar shrugged nonchalantly. "Who cares how you eat so long as it gets in your mouth?" he asked her. He seemed to enjoy teasing her, and purposely went out of his way to do it.

Lark frowned at him. "Really, Briar, Tris is right; you shouldn't talk with your mouth full. It's not very appealing."

Once again the former 'street rat' shrugged, but didn't push it.

Sandry sighed. "The school we're going to is called Hogwarts; it's located somewhere near a place called England. According to the latest letter, we'll be going by Portkey to a place named Diagon Alley, where we can go shopping for school supplies. Then we'll be tavelling by train to the school."

"Hmm. Cool. But what's Portkey?"

Tris glanced up from the book she was reading. "It's called a Portkey, not just Portkey. Apparently it's some sort of transporter; they somehow set it up to move people to different places." Flipping the page she turned back to her book.

Daja nodded. "That makes sense. I mean, how else will we get to a different world, apart from magic?"

"It's a pretty interesting theory," Sandry agreed. Gracefully she scooped up a spoonful of porridge and ate it; having been raised in court, her eating style was the exact opposite of Briar's. Turning to Lark, she asked, "Do you remember the name of the teacher? The one who sent the message?"

"I think so... let's see." Lark thought a moment and then said, "I believe he actually was the leader of the school, they call him a Headmaster. His name was... Dumbledore. At least, that's what he signed on the letter."

"Dumbledore?" Briar snorted. "What sorta mage name is that?" Shaking his head he went on, "And to think I thought Nico's name was weird."

"Nico's name is not weird!" Tris cried, defending her primary magic teacher. "Niklaren is a perfectly common name. And his last name, Goldeye, is perfectly chosen to describe the types of sight magic he can do."

"Yeah, but Dumbledore?" Briar repeated. "Honestly, what sort of crazy, otherworldly name is that?"

"Well, they do live in a completely different universe," Daja pointed out. "Maybe their names don't mean anything there; magic-wise, that is."

"Still, bet he got teased a lot, eh?" Briar laughed. "I mean, honestly, his name practically shouts his supposed unintelligence."

Sandry sighed. "I don't care what you think, Briar, just don't go telling him, or anyone for that matter. I don't want you to get in trouble our first day there."

"What about our second day? Is it still open?" Briar joked.

Sandry rolled her eyes at him and continued to eat. Briar could be funny – he had what could kindly be called a unique sense of humour – but sometimes it was best to ignore him rather than starting a never-ending argument.

Lark wiped her hands off on a napkin and asked the group, "Have you packed your bags yet?"

Daja nodded. "I packed a few sets of clothes, my metal-working supplies and my mage's kit."

"That sounds good. How about you, Tris?"

"Umm... yeah... I'm all packed," Tris said distractedly as she read her book. "I have some of my books and clothes, and lots of spare hair ribbons."

"Same here," Sandry put in. "I packed my sewing kit and hand loom, as well as my mage's kit of course, as well as clothing and a sketch pad, in case I get any ideas while travelling."

"Good," Lark nodded. "Briar, have you done your packing?"

Briar glanced up and shook his head. "I just need to stuff my clothes into a bag and I'll be good. My mage's kit is already full; I packed all my pruning equipment since I'm bringing my shakkan. And don't worry, I've got plenty of knives with me." He turned to Sandry with his most annoying smile. "I figured out your short-sleeves plan, by the way. Nice try; but honestly, how did you expect to trick a thief?"

Sandry glared at him. How had he guessed her plan?

A gruff voice behind him made Briar jump out of his chair in surprise. "You better not be bringing any knives up to the school, or I'll hang you in the well."

"Oh, um, hi, Rosethorn... I didn't notice you there," Briar said nervously. "Um, I was just joking about the knife thing..."

"Good. You better have been." The stout Rosethorn stood facing the table and, with her back to Briar, winked at Sandry. The sharp-tongued earth mage was very much like Tris; she was stern and quick-tempered but had a nicer, albeit rarely shown, side. Briar, despite having learned this, still didn't mess with her.

"Come on, boy," she instructed him now, "get you off to your room and finish packing! You all should be out of here by dawn to get to the Portkey on time."

"Yes, Rosethorn," grumbled Briar as he slid his chair back and stomped off to his room.

"So, girls, while we're waiting for Briar to get his things together, you may as well bring your bags outside in front of the front door. I've arranged for a wagon to take you down to the shore, where the Portkey will be," Lark said to them.

Sandry got up and went to her room. She picked up her bag and placed it on her bed. Reaching down she lifted a large, wooden box off the floor.

Inside the box was her mage's kit. It appeared to be an ordinary sewing basket, but really everything inside it was enchanted with her special cloth magic. Recently, Briar had found this out – he had tried giving himself tattoos with needles from her mage kit. Now he had ink flowers that grew, moved, and put out flowers beneath his skin.

Sandry smiled slightly as she went through her mage kit. With her hands inside it, touching the instruments she used in her daily life, she felt more at home than ever. It seemed to bring her closer to her magic, in a way.

She was what some jokingly called a 'stitch witch'. Her powers had strong connections with string and yarn. She had learned this only a few years ago when, using a spinning tool, she had spun their magic together to create a web of interlocking metal, vines, and a lot of pure magic that kept them safe when they had been exploring underground and an earthquake had nearly crushed them to death.

Carefully she lifted up the box and her bag and carried them outside. Lark was talking to a man she didn't recognize. Beside him was a horse tied to a small wagon.

The man helped her lift up her things into the wagon, and once her sisters came out he helped them as well. They stood there a few more minutes, just looking around at their home that they would be leaving. Tris sat on the ground, her face against Little Bear's side, whispering comfortingly to him. He would miss them when they were gone.

At last Briar stumbled out of the house, his bag in one arm and his shakkan cradled against his chest. The cart-driver immediately ran over to help him lift his possessions into the cart.

The four of them climbed into the cart and sat on a low bench that ran along the inside of the wagon. With a giddy-up!, the horse trotted forward.

Waving, the foster siblings rode away from their only home. Lark and Rosethorn called good-byes behind them, and Bear barked and tried to chase after the wagon until Lark called him back, at which point he settled himself at her feet and howled mournfully after them.

Facing forwards into the sun, Sandry squinted ahead to watch the winding road in front of them. Ahead, just a few hours drive away, was the harbour where they would find the Portkey and travel onward into another world. She was nervous about going to a place she had never even heard of, but at the same time was excited.

Exchanging glances with her friends, she saw that they had pretty much the same expressions on their faces as what she was thinking.

Don't worry, Sandry, came the soft voice of Daja inside her head. Let's just focus on having fun while we're there.

Sandry nodded. I know. I'm trying; but a part of me just wants to run back.

Run back? Why? Briar questioned her. This is going to be such a huge adventure; it's even more exciting than when Tris was beating up those pirates.

Tris rolled her eyes. Of course, my name is first on your list of unforgettable events.

Yeah, but this will undoubtedly be even cooler.

The four of them exchanged smiles. Their smiles were filled with hope, nervousness, worry, but the most obvious feeling was excitement. Briar's brief speech had them all riled up for what was coming next.

Turning forward once more, they rode into the sunrise... It was the start of their journey into another world. The start of their adventure.