Chapter 2
"Doctor, isn't there anything we can do? We have been trying for a child for few years now without any luck." Said a young man holding his crying wife.
"Mr. Moore, I'm afraid not. Whatever accident she was in in her youth caused your wife to become unable to bear children. I'm sorry to be the one to inform you of this, but there is nothing we can do." The doctor shuffled a few papers around on the desk, seemingly uncomfortable being the source of the tears. "If you truly desire children, might I suggest adoption? There are a lot of kids out there who don't have a family to care for them that would be sure to accept you two as parents."
"We will have to think on that. Thank you doctor. We'll be in touch." The man got up to leave, nearly carrying his inconsolable wife out the door. The doctor could be heard sighing in relief as they left.
"What are we going to do Lewis? We've wanted a child for many years..." the wife spoke.
"I'm not sure love. When your family cast you out, I never thought that they truly meant what they said when they assured that you wouldn't be capable of baring any disgraces to their family."
"It's all my fault. If I wasn't…"
"No, Selene. This is not your fault. This is entirely your family's fault."
"They're no family of mine. For them to do something like this, just because I am a squib… If you want to leave-"
"No, don't. They did it because of me. They didn't like the fact that you fell in love with a muggle. Even when you told me of the wonderful world of magic, I never left you for another. Just because you can't bear children, won't ever mean I will leave you for another. I'm not them. I am not conceited enough to leave you just because you are barren."
Selene smiled at this. She truly feared that her husband would leave her because of this. Her upbringing wouldn't allow anything else.
"As for what we'll do… we'll just have to adopt. I'm sure there is a young boy or girl just right for our family." By now they both arrived at their car and proceeded to leave the lot.
"Do you really think so?"
"I know so."
( | )/_/ _( O ) \_\(_|_)"Sister, how do we do this? We can't risk revealing ourselves to the Dark One over something like this." Ice said after they had rested.
"Don't worry. We'll be fine. We have a plan. Though we'll have to reveal ourselves to them to explain, we can lock their memories of the encounter, so no one will be able to steal the information from them." Blizzard answered.
"Do you think they'll let us visit?" Snow asked. "We can hide as children to play with her or something."
"I'm sure. They seem nice." The forest around them was silent in an unearthly chill around the fey trio as they discussed the inevitable. Rose lay behind them in an enchanted sleep, preventing her from revealing them to the denizens of the forest. "We should go soon sisters. We cannot stay in this realm for too long or risk discovery."
Blizzard then picked up the sleeping form of Rose and faded away to her next destination. The other two, after masking any magical signature they might have left, followed soon after.
( | )/_/ _( O ) \_\(_|_)The Moore family arrived at their home after a late night relaxing out on the town, attempting to keep their mind off the horrible news that they were given earlier that day. When they entered their home however, they were greeted by a beautiful woman sitting upon their living room chair.
"Ah, Mr. and Mrs. Moore. Just the people I wanted to see." The woman said with a silky voice.
"Who are you and what are you doing in our house?" Lewis said. He placed himself in front of his wife, defending her from the possible threat.
"My name is unimportant at the moment. But if you insist, you may call me Fae."
"Miss Fae, in not sure what you're doing in our house, but I would like you to leave before I call the constables."
"Don't worry Mr. Moore. I'm not here to harm you or your wife. I'm actually here to see if you would help me and my sisters with a dilemma."
A sense of calm seemed to wash over the couple at her words. Something seemed to be alright with this woman, they could trust her. Both sat in the couch opposite her. The calm didn't last however, but they didn't get angry right away.
"What is this dilemma that you think we could help with?"
"First off, Mrs. Moore, or rather, Selene. Do you know of the Fey? Specifically of the Fey Circles."
Selene blinked at that. "Of course, I do. All those raised within the wizarding world know of the Fey Circles."
"She's a witch?" Lewis asked.
"To answer that question, not exactly. Selene, have you informed your husband of these Fey Circles at all?"
"No. They never came up when I was discussing the wizarding world. What is this all about?"
"I represent the Winter Circle. Or rather what remains. My sisters and I would like to ask of you something. We are willing to grant nearly anything in return within reason."
"The Winter Circle?" Selene seemed to wilt at that. "It's my understanding that the Winter Circle is classified as dark."
"No fey is dark. Neither are they light. We cannot be classified so easily. We simply are."
"We don't what anything to do with the Winter Fey. They've tricked and harmed many a young witch or wizard. Why would I submit myself to their wishes?"
"Normally I would be very angry with that assumption, but I can tell this is just information based on a bias representation of the Winter Fey. If I wanted to harm or trick you Selene, I would have done so without asking for help."
"What is all this fey stuff you keep speaking of?" Lewis asked, well out of his depth.
Taking a calming breath, Selene began to explain. "Fey are creatures like fairies, pixies, leprechauns and the like. They exist in multitudes, and usually tend to pull pranks or trick other, sometimes maliciously, for their own enjoyment."
"While accurate, that leaves out the other fey. There actually are many tiers making up the Fey Circles. There is the lowest tier, the pixies and fairies. These are quite numerous in their variety and quantity. Then there is then there is the next tier, containing leprechauns, brownies and such. Then there is the third tier, containing nymphs, dryads, veela, and elves. Then there is the final tier, containing what amounts to the fey royalty, the Archfey. Every tier has fewer in number and quantity, but greater and greater power. Like a pyramid if you will."
"I am specifically referring to the final tier. The Archfey within the final tier are separated into two main influences over nature, or Circles if you will. The Winter Circle are connotated with ice, snow, and death, but also with joy, renewal, and family. The Summer Circle is connotated with fire, rain and life, but also with war, drought, and famine. As you can see, the fey are more aptly described as forces of nature, rather than good or evil."
"What do you want with our family then?" Lewis asked, still overwhelmed, but seemingly getting a handle on this information.
"I have come with an offer. Of course, you may refuse, and we will simply leave. I am willing to swear upon the Circle of your safety if you wish." Selene's eyes widened at that.
"Okay, I'm missing something hear, what does she mean about swearing on a circle?" Lewis asked.
"It means that if she breaks her promise to her, the magic of the Circle will strip her of her magic, and most likely of her life." Selene said in response.
"Yes, as you can see, I mean you no harm."
"What is this offer then?" Lewis asked.
"First, you need to be aware of something, as this may sway your choice. The Archfey, and by extension the rest of the fey, are being hunted down by an evil being. Of the Circles, only three of Winter remain. I am one of them, and my two sisters are the others. Only one remains of Summer. This is what I am here about."
"You don't look like fey, Fae." Lewis said.
"I am masking myself in order to not cause you alarm. If you wish to see my true form, then I am willing to show you."
"Please."
"Very well." With that, her form rippled, slowly returning to her natural looks. With her form, also came a blast of freezing wind. The couple began shivering, even though their winter coats protected them. "I apologize for that. When my magic asserts itself, it tends to cause blizzards." With her words, the wind died down to manageable levels.
"Okay, I can definitely see a fey resemblance now." Lewis spoke. "You look similar to a Tolkien elf."
"As I should, as they were based off of us."
"That's not something you hear every day."
"Regardless, we should return to the matter at hand. What I am asking of you two, is to take in the last child of Summer. She has been through much within her short life, and she needs a loving family to help heal her from her past."
"You want us to take in a child we never met?" Selene asked incredulously.
"Sadly, it's necessary." With that, Ice faded into existence next to Fae, or rather, Blizzard. She was carrying the sleeping form of Rose within her arms. She then gently laid Rose down upon the lap of Blizzard, then faded away. "She was heavily abused by her previous guardians and will require a delicate hand to heal her from this."
Selene immediately went to Rose and gently picked the frail five-year-old girl up, taking her back with her. Her motherly instincts kicking in, working overtime trying to help the poor thing.
"As you can see, she has been starved, and was badly beaten. My sisters and I, upon her rescue, healed most of the physical scars, however the emotional and mental ones remain."
"Who is she?" Selene asked.
Blizzard sighed heavily at this. "That will be difficult to explain. That was once one Harry James Potter."
"What!?" Selene exclaimed.
"That doesn't make any sense. Harry Potter is a young boy, last I heard. Not a girl." Lewis said.
"Let me try to explain. Her mother, one Lily Potter nee Evans, was secretly a part of the Summer Circle. How this came to be, or how she kept it secret, we are unaware. But upon their death that Halloween night, Harry was taken to Lily's sister's house. They then systematically abused the young orphan, starving, beating, and treating him like a slave. Yesterday evening, they threw him outside, telling him to shovel the front drive, without a coat or shoes. They then locked the doors, preventing him from going back inside. I am unsure as to why, but he then tried to go someplace else, most likely to someone he thought could help him. He never made it. He collapsed in the snow, slowly dying from multiple reasons, namely hypothermia and starvation."
"Before he passed out, probably through a bit of accidental magic or a lingering fey ability, he called out for help, and his plea resonated throughout magic. We of the Winter Circle, as we are technically family, heard his call, and came to the rescue. Because of reasons I am not truly at liberty to say, we attempted to create a new body for him. This new body, being purely of fey, would have saved his life. Something went wrong, however, and he now resembles his diseased mother. As we cannot even attempt to fix our mistake for several months at least, as our magic has been nearly diminished with this act, we have left him as such. By the time we could do so, it would sadly become permanent."
"We have decided to name her Rose Lily Potter, after her mother's family traditions."
"The poor dear…" Selene said, tears falling from her eyes. Lewis' eyes on the other hand, were hard and burning with an inner rage.
"Who are these despicable creatures. I wish to make an example of them."
"I can't let you do that. All I can offer in repayment for your compliance, is the fact that when we created her a new body, it left behind her old one. I am most definitely sure that someone shall find the lifeless corpse and notify the authorities. They will deal with them."
"Good. Serves them right for treating a young child like that."
Seeing the willingness to leap to Rose' defense, Blizzard allowed hope to fill her. All that remained was for them to accept her into their lives. "As you now know the situation, will you be willing to take her in? Again, I will repay you with anything within my power to grant."
The young couple looked into each other's eyes, having a silent conversation. After a moment, they both nodded. "We will take Rose in. Though I do have to ask, is there anything special we should know about raising an Archfey for a daughter?" Lewis asked.
Happiness filled Blizzard's eyes at that. "No. Most of her fey heritage will not come into play until much later in her life. Most everything at this stage would just be like raising a young witch. The only true difference would be that her accidental magic, especially when angry or scared, will be mostly fiery in nature, as Summer Fey have a natural connection with fire. Similar to that of veela, but stronger."
"That's reassuring." Lewis said, being slightly sarcastic, but mostly relieved.
"A few final notes. In order to help Rose adjust to her new gender, I will be altering her memories a tad, placing her true memories behind a mental barrier. This barrier will deteriorate over time, and her original memories will reassert themselves. It should last for a few years however, so there won't be any immediate concerns. In addition to this, I or my sisters will pop by every so often to check up upon her, to ensure that she is heathy and happy. This is no way an insult to you, but we will not allow even the slightest possibility of her ever being in the kind of environment she was in happen to her again."
"Those are acceptable concerns, and we will accept them." Selene said.
"Then I will take my leave. Take care of her now."
With that said, she faded away. Shortly thereafter, Rose awoke in Selene's arms. "Good evening sleepyhead." Selene said with a smile.
( | )/_/ _( O ) \_\(_|_)"It is done sisters. She is now safe with new guardians who will watch over her." Blizzard spoke as she returned to the Feywilds with her sisters.
"Good." Ice said. "Here's hoping that the Dark One doesn't notice our interference."
"We can only hope." Snow said softly.
( | )/_/ _( O ) \_\(_|_)Several days later, Dumbledore approached the home of the Dursley's. he was haggard in his appearance, as if he hadn't slept in a few days. Upon his arrival, he was able to see the house was cordoned off with police tape and surrounded by officers. He watched as both adult Dursley's were carted out with handcuffs adorning their wrists.
Diving off into a nearby alley, Dumbledore quickly transfigured his robes into a prune colored muggle business suit and tidied up his appearance a tad with a few cantrips. He then walked up to an officer that wasn't currently busy with anything and asked, "What's going on here?"
"I'm sorry sir, but I'm not at liberty to say. This is police business, please return to your home."
Dumbledore, not put off with this, simply used a bit of wandless legilimency, and pulled the information from the officer's mind. "Very well, constable, I'll leave you to it." He then hurriedly left to the same alleyway and apparated away. Reappearing at the Hogsmeade apparition point, he briskly walked back to the castle, muttering to himself the entire way.
"How could he be dead? My instrument tracking his magic is still active, implying that he is still alive. But everything else that I had tracking him has ceased working. What could this mean? If only I could see his life stone, I could ensure that he was still alive…"
