The Magical and the Magnificent chapter 3
Disclaimer - still don't own either the boys or the HP crew.
A/N So glad you are enjoying this. A special thank you to those reviewers without reply addresses including glo-MAC I really appreciate your comments.
As the sky became increasingly darker and Ezra's breathing became more erratic the Ram and truck drew up and everybody tumbled out looking about them with trepidation at the blackened grass surrounding the two men and the lightning arcing overhead. Neither man under the tree seemed aware of their arrival.
Nathan instinctively began to move forward in response to the obvious distress Ezra was displaying; he hadn't moved more than two steps before the gaunt wizard, Lupin, barred his way.
"Please Mr Jackson, I would not want you to be injured." 'Or anywhere near this emotionally vulnerable man' his instincts added silently. Remus walked slowly forward the few steps that separated him from the two men. Two men who radiated more raw power than he had ever known possible. This could turn out very bad indeed. As he approached the blasted tree Vin raised his head from where it rested on top of Ezra's chestnut curls. His team mates gasped as they saw his eyes; they were no longer sky blue but a strange aquamarine, a mix of blue and green.
'Part Vin and part Ezra' Chris realised. 'They've bonded'
Vin stared hard at the stranger and suddenly seemed to see something in the Englishman that made him give a respectful nod. The others didn't know it but Vin's wolf spirit was acknowledging Lupin's werewolf.
Another heartrending scream from Ezra broke the moment.
"Ezra listen to me." Remus reached forward and, placing his hand under Ezra's chin, gently lifted his head until their eyes met. "My name is Remus Lupin; you must do exactly as I instruct you." At Ezra's tired yet undefeated shake of the head, 'no' Remus' voice took on an authoritative tone. Chris shook his head at Vin's questioning glance; this was out of their hands now.
"You have no choice Ezra; not if you want your friends to live." Remus hated being so blunt but he needed the southerner to keep fighting, and it was working; he could almost see the Agent draw on his last reserves of energy.
"Good, Ezra. Now take this, it's a wand." Lupin practically forced the wand into his hand. "Now I want you to imagine that this is a crayon and we are going to redraw your magical landscape." Both Lupin and Snape gulped nervously as the twelve inch holly wand suddenly transfigured into a twelve inch child's crayon without any spell being cast. Remus gave no sign to Ezra or the others that this was in any way unusual. "That's good Ezra. Now, your magic is going to come out, you can't stop it, but you CAN change it."
Ezra's confused gaze told Remus that he didn't understand but Vin's nod showed that he had grasped the situation. Having given as much of his energy as he could an exhausted Vin leaned in close to his friends ear and spoke softly.
"Just do what the man says Ez; I know you don't understand and it's gonna take too long to explain, so please just trust me."
"A…always. But please m…move away in case I…"
Ezra's voice gave out but Vin had gotten the message and was ready to protest when Remus shook his head. Knowing that Ezra didn't have the strength for an argument Vin backed off and wearily made his way over to his friends who were standing with sombre, anxious expressions. Chris put a comforting hand on his shoulder and squeezed. It was all up to Remus now.
"Alright Ezra, what I want you to do is really very simple. I want you to think about the best thing in your life; can you do that for me?"
Ezra gave a small tired smile, "Vin" Over by the Ram were a mixture of puzzled looks and gentle smiles. Once again Vin was blushing, knowing that Ezra felt their closeness too; he, himself, felt the long awaited feeling that came with the connection to the other half of your soul, a feeling beyond brotherhood and even beyond lovers. It shared space with the terror that Ezra might not survive this torture; he just hoped that if the man who had become everything to him did not survive then neither would he.
Remus wasn't surprised at Ezra's choice, he had felt the strength of their connection. It should work well with his plan.
"Good Ezra. Now, I want you to concentrate, not on Vin himself, but on everything that Vin makes you think of; use all of your senses, all your memories and your imagination. Just what is Vin to you? To the world? Then show me. Release all of those feelings through the wand and draw me a picture. I'm going to back off now so do it as soon as you are ready, ok?"
Ezra was past replying, the pain had reached unimaginable levels and his head felt strange, but he was already thinking of Vin.
Remus joined the others and just as the bombardment of questions began there was a sudden unearthly scream which shocked them all into total silence. Snape had heard the cries of Voldemort's victims yet nothing had compared to this.
Before anyone could recover a shaft of pure white light burst from the wand, no longer a crayon, but a gleaming silver sword set with sapphires the exact same shade of Vin's eyes. The shaft of light hit the black cloud overhead and it shattered and flew apart in thousands of black glass shards which never actually hit the ground but caught the light, reflecting it like multiple prisms, each contributing rays of colour to the once black sky. Ezra, on his knees, the sword held aloft, could barely hold on as the power continued to cascade from his body and mingled with tears from his eyes. As his tears fell so did the rain, warm and clear, shaped like perfect teardrop crystals. The teardrop rain caught the colours and there was a collective gasp as rainbows began to form; hundreds of them shimmering in the rainy yet cloudless sky. And still the energy surged forth as the rain hit the ground and the ground literally sank at its touch forming a lake which quickly filled at a rate that wasn't matched by the rainfall. Any rain that wasn't contributing to the lake was hitting the dry grassland and flowers began to spring up around them and around the lake. There were spring flowers and summer blossoms and small shoots of green that promised a grove of trees for the future.
All eyes now instinctively returned to Ezra who, head bowed in exhaustion once again held the wand in its natural form, the beam of light much narrower than before. Ezra was in a trance-like state and fancied that he was, at least in part, inside Vin's mind, or at least that part of it that held his visions and dreams. For some reason he couldn't help but think of owls…how peculiar! As the picture in his mind, or was that Vin's mind? coalesced Ezra felt the most powerful surge yet begin to travel up his spine toward the impossibly colourful sky.
Thinking that it was over one or two of the seven made to move forward and were halted in their tracks as Ezra threw his head back and looked to the rainbow filled sky. The energy beam climbed higher and higher until there was a sudden burst of blinding light at its apex. As they watched something golden swooped from the ball of light and headed toward them. Everybody but Vin ducked as the Shaman smiled and held out his arm. As the others squatted or kneeled they saw a magnificent eagle owl land on the outstretched limb and they knew intuitively that although completely real it had not existed moments ago.
Later nobody would be able to say just how long they stood there shocked and bewildered. Even the normally unflappable Severus Snape had paled, if further whitening of his pasty skin were possible, at the sight of such a perfect magical creation. He had seen many impressive illusions, but this was no ersatz oasis; it was real and would remain so; although the rain had stopped and the rainbows faded the rest was now permanent and would adopt it's place as a part of the landscape.
Vin was the first to break free of the shock as his owl gave a sharp cry and launched itself from the sharpshooters arm toward the collapsed form under the once dead, now verdant, lightning tree. As Vin began to run toward his soulmate the others snapped out of their collective stupor to follow.
The owl perched imperiously in the upper branches of the tree while Vin lifted Ezra's head and placed it gently in his lap, desperately seeking with his ultra sensitive hearing for a heartbeat. A sigh of relief escaped him, it was faint but it was there.
Snape quickly took charge and shooed everybody but Vin, Chris and Remus away from the unconscious undercover agent. Nathan clenched his fists in frustration. He may not trust the undercover agent and he may trust wizards even less but he was still the team medic dammit! It was his job to care for that team. It was more than a job to him, it was a privilege…a right. The wizarding world may rate him, as a squib, somewhere between useless and pitiable but his team valued him, at least they did till now. How could he compete with all the flashy hocus pocus of people like Snape. Nathan watched as Snape waved his wand in a complex dance over the supine figure, muttering spells rapidly, and read the complex array of symbols and numbers that floated before him. After a quick consultation with Lupin he produced three differently coloured bottles and unstoppered them. Jackson scowled. Was even his EMT job to be taken from him in the name of magic. Snape poured each of the potions quickly into Ezra's mouth; the potions being spelled so that the recipient would automatically swallow whether they were conscious or not. A Godsend of an innovation, although why it had to be Neville Longbottom, the most inept potions student he had ever had the misfortune to teach, of all people, that came up with it he would never know. As soon as the last potion slipped down his throat Ezra's colour improved and his breathing became deeper and more even. Snape and Lupin exchanged a look of satisfaction. That had been far too close.
"Mr Snape, will he be ok now?" asked JD timidly. The computer whiz kid had been around the paranormal, living with Buck, for nearly two years now but he'd never believed anything like this was possible. It had been awesome but the pain he'd heard in his friend's screams and the sight of his almost lifeless body had scared him badly. The others waited with equal anxiety for the Wizard's reply while Vin didn't dare take his eyes off the raising and falling of Ezra's chest.
"It's PROFESSOR Snape young man," the black haired wizard corrected acerbically. Lupin rolled his eyes and his mouth quirked upward. Snape glared at the werewolf and continued. "To answer your question Agent Dunne, yes, I do believe that Mr Standish will make a full recovery."
Faces and tightly held bodies relaxed and Vin released the breath he hadn't known he was holding.
"However" Snape continued, "he will be completely exhausted for several days. I have never seen such a vast amount of built up magic, nor such a result from it's release. I doubt if he will even be able to feed himself for the first two or three days."
"Don't worry Sir, we'll take good care of him." replied Buck, his normally cheery voice unusually soft and solemn.
Snape retrieved another potion and handed it to Vin. "Drink" he commanded. Vin obeyed automatically and had to bite back a sharp Yes Sir! Only after he had downed the vile drink did he think to ask its purpose.
"You gave your energy to your friend, this will help replace it. It is a pepper-up potion" Vin had to admit that he felt considerably less tired.
"What is going to happen to all this?" asked Josiah, flinching as the owl, seemingly satisfied with Ezra's condition, resumed its place on the Texan's shoulder. 'It's not natural. Only God has the right to give life and to create something from nothing' he thought, not daring to voice his opinion with so many wizards about.
Remus glanced round admiringly. "Well, I suppose it will settle down and become part of the landscape. Although both spring and summer flowers are blooming now by next year they will follow their natural courses. As for the lake, I would suggest waiting a few weeks and then stocking it with fish; it's deep enough to be in no danger of drying up; I suspect from the way it filled that it is some way connected to an underground spring." As Remus completed his assessment a sparkling, large, silver fish with a greenish blue tint to it's fins leapt from the water and dived back down with a splash. "My he was thorough" he mumbled bemusedly.
"We'll call it Ezra's Meadow" declared Chris astounded that Vin had been the inspiration for such beauty. He wondered if he had been the only one who had noticed that the owl's eyes, rather than the traditional amber, were a very distinct shade of jade green. He smiled to himself and remembered his Sarah, his green eyed witch. Now Vin had his own green eyed witch, well wizard, and if experience was anything to go by, Vin was in for some interesting times! As Josiah lifted Ezra into the Ram, glaring at Snape who had offered his magical services for the task, Chris took a last look at Ezra's meadow and wondered how the hell he was going to keep it a secret from his neighbour Nettie Wells. He hadn't realised that he'd spoken out loud until he received an answer.
"Don't worry Chris" said Lupin quietly as he appeared almost silently beside him. "I've put a charm on the area. Only the people present at its creation or those invited to do so will be able to see it; except for the owl, that will remain visible because it is not confined by the land."
It took them longer than normal to make the journey back to the ranch house owing to every bump they hit drawing a gasp or whimper from the unconscious undercover agent. After several winces and hisses from various passengers and a permanent growling noise from Chris the road suddenly became as smooth as tarmac. Chris raised an eyebrow and glanced at Remus. Remus just smiled a smile that would rival the Mona Lisa and waggled his fingers in explanation, then nodded toward Snape who was trying to ignore the whole affair. 'No point in pouring potions down a persons throat if the heathen countryside chooses to undermine one's efforts' thought the hawk nosed professor, scowling as Chris smirked at him and then nodded his thanks.
'Bloody Yanks' he decided.
This time the offer of help with moving Ezra was accepted, nobody wanted to disturb the sleeping man, so Remus levitated him into the main guest room where he was magicked into pyjamas, silk, at Vin's insistence and subjected to examinations by both Snape and Nathan who was mollified a little at Chris's insistence on his inclusion before being left to sleep. Vin took up a seat at the head of the bed and his owl perched itself on top of the wardrobe. Nobody commented; they knew that one of them would sit by his bedside until he woke, taking turns if necessary. The remainder of the seven and their exotic guests congregated in the large lounge where Josiah and Nathan automatically left to go through to the kitchen to start on coffee, tea and snacks.
"I could save them the time and trouble" Remus whispered to Chris, unhappy at the thought of putting anyone out. They had all been through so much. He communicated his thoughts to the leader of the seven.
"Please don't, it's ok; they need to have something normal, something routine at the moment. This has all been a bit fantastic and more than a little frightening."
Remus nodded his understanding and the men began to settle in various chairs and on various couches, casting looks which varied from wonderment from JD to suspicion from Nathan as he came back in with a large tray of beverages. Josiah soon followed with sandwiches and potato and corn chips with dips, his face as calm as ever but his eyes showing concern, which nobody would assume was anything other than natural since Ezra brought out the father in him.
There was a few moments companionable silence as people ate and drank. Remus tried hard not to chuckle at Snape's new love/hate relationship with Doritos; frowning at the corn chips taste and texture yet unable to resist taking another, and another.
Chris took a few moments to plate up some food and coffee for Vin and on being reassured that they were both ok he returned to the others. Vin in turn knew that Chris would pass on any relevant information when they were done.
Vin sat by his soul mate's bedside. His fear of a few hours ago still a strong memory, one that made him shiver for what could, so easily, have been. But thankfully it was no more than a memory now, and if he had ever had any doubts about his and Ezra's destinies being entwined they had been answered overwhelmingly under the lightning tree. Their spirits had meshed seamlessly and he had felt the power that Ezra carried inside of him. He had also felt the terror that the overload had caused. It made him angry that nobody had ever taken the trouble to explain to his love just what his gift entailed and how to control it. And somebody must have known because power like Ezra's would have been heralded by a seer's visions or prophetic writings. If this had happened in his own tribe a spirit as strong and yet as vulnerable as his love's would have been protected and nurtured. Vin made a silent decision that at some point the would take Ezra to his people and show him that his gift was nothing to fear, was, rather, to be celebrated. He would also take the opportunity to check for any prophesies.
Watching his Ezra sleep Vin smiled as he recalled the most important thing he had learned today. That his love for the southerner was not one sided. He had felt the love he had projected to the skittish man shyly returned through their link. His hopes were now high that they would soon be able to make that link permanent. He knew that they would have Chris's blessing and Buck was such a romantic that he loved seeing others in love no matter what their age, race, or orientation. Vin suspected that his empathic nature magnified happy thoughts and feelings; Buck was happiest around happy people and no-one stayed miserable for long when they were around Buck. Not so much a vicious circle as a fluffy one! And Vin couldn't imagine JD being anything other than supportive; the kid didn't have a prejudiced bone in his body. A frown briefly crossed his face as he contemplated Nathan and Josiah…them he wasn't so sure about.
Before his thoughts could take him down a darker path sounds from the heap of blankets that cocooned his chestnut haired partner indicated that the wizard was waking up. Sure enough the pale yet intense jade green eyes were soon gazing sleepily into his own blue orbs.
"Hey Ez, welcome back."
TBC
A/N Whatever happened to a once a week post I ask myself? Oh well, as the saying goes - I can resist anything but temptation! Hope you enjoyed and a Happy New Year for those who celebrate it. Now I must really get on with coming to terms - regular updating is on my New Years resolution list….Oh dear! Well let's hope I have better luck than with previous years resolutions.