I know that I said I would be moving the story at this chapter, but a few people have added the story to their favourite or alert lists since then, and I'm not sure that everyone got it.
Just to make sure: I'M MOVING THE STORY TO THE WILL OF THE EMPRESS CROSSOVER SECTION. THIS ONE WILL BE DELETED AT THE NEXT UPDATE!
Thanks for favouriting or adding the story to your alerts though. It makes me happy to see that people are interested in my fic.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or the books that they came from. They are the creations of JK Rowling and Tamora Pierce. All that is mine is this particular scenario that I am putting them in.
...
Moody had his wand out in seconds. "What are you," he growled.
Tris, Daja, and Briar looked back at him blankly and continued to move Sandry onto the couch. "Why are you pointing a stick at us?" Daja asked.
"We've never heard of wizards before," said Tris. "We're mages"
The word meant nothing to Harry, but Dumbledore went still.
"Is that so?" he said under his breath. Then he asked them, "Can you all do that?"
"We all have powers," said Daja, who seemed the most willing to talk. Harry had gotten used to their accents enough to realize that hers was different from the others'. "But we don't have the same powers."
They were tensing again, looking reluctant to say more about what exactly their abilities were, and Dumbledore dropped it. He nodded at Mrs. Weasely, and she left the room.
"Now then," he said. "I believe we have some things that belong to you"
Mrs. Weasely returned with the box and set it on the table. Tris, Daja, and Briar crowded around. Looking in, Harry saw that the knives had been removed.
Briar took the pouch and the thread circle. Harry watched carefully, but the boy didn't seem to be feeling the same effects from it that he had. If anything, he became steadier after he touched it. Briar carried them back to Sandry, who was still sleeping on the couch. He put the pouch on her lap and draped the thread around her neck. Sandry's eyes fluttered open.
Her eyes struggled to focus. "Briar," she muttered sleepily, her voice hoarse. "Why are you–"
Then she seemed to remember where she was. Her eyes opened fully, and she struggled to get up. Daja pushed her back down.
"Don't even try, saati," she told her. "You overdid it."
Sandry's hands went up to her neck. She sighed with relief when her hands made contact with the thread. She looked at the pouch in her lap and managed to pick it up and get it open. As she did, her face was illuminated by the light streaming from it. She looked even more relieved, but then noticed the curious stared of the others in the room and closed it as quickly as she could.
"As I was just telling your friends," Dumbledore said after a moment, "the contents of this box were found with you when you arrived."
Briar reached back into the box and pulled out what looked like a coin purse. "I don't recognize this," he said. Then he opened it and looked at the copper, silver, and a few gold coins inside. "I'll take it though."
"May I see that for a moment?" asked Dumbledore, and the boy reluctantly handed it over. Dumbledore took out one of the silver coins that Harry had initially thought to be sickles. Taking a closer look, Harry saw that the coin had a completely different pattern and was slightly smaller. It wasn't wizard money, and it didn't look like any muggle money that he could recognize either.
"What do you call this type of coin?" Dumbledore inquired.
Daja moved in for a closer look. "It's a silver astrel"
"Does everyone use this currency where you come from?"
Daja shrugged. "We do in Emelan. Other countries use different money, but a few of them accept ours."
Everyone absorbed this for another moment, and then Sandry warily asked "Just how far away from home are we?"
"We are wondering that ourselves," Dumbledore replied softly. He raised his voice. "Do you recognize these medallions?"
"Medallions?" repeated Tris, and then all four of them froze. Daja grabbed the box and they looked inside.
"Those aren't ours," said Sandry, but her voice shook slightly. Daja picked one up and stared at the symbols on it.
"That's Niko's–," she started, but was interrupted by Tris saying "Those can't be ours." Tris snatched the medallion from her and dropped it back into the box.
Whether they belonged to them or not, the medallions obviously meant something to the kids. They all looked a bit shaken.
"Now then," said Dumbledore. "You still seem to be rather tired. Would you like to return to your room?"
They looked at each other again. Daja looked back at Dumbledore and said "It's not an equal exchange"
"We answered your questions," Tris clarified. "Now we want answers"
"Certainly," Dumbledore answered lightly. "What would you like to know?"
The next several minutes were spent going over the basics of the wizarding world and told them what he knew of their arrival. All that Dumbledore told them about the Order was that it were created to fight a group that was a serious threat to their world. When he was done, Sandry asked to see some wizard magic.
"May I see your glasses?" he asked Tris.
She stiffened and clutched at the oversized frames. "I need them!"
"I will not damage them," he reassured her. "I am merely going to adjust them. They are too large for you, are they not?"
She deliberated for a moment, and then reluctantly handed them over. Dumbledore drew his wand and used a shrinking charm on them. Tris tried to squint at him while the other three stared. He handed them back, and she put them on.
"Did you find anything else with us?" inquired Daja.
Dumbledore cleared his throat. "I believe that you had about ten knives."
The three girls slowly turned to look at Briar.
"I thought you only had two," Sandry muttered to him.
"Did you find a staff?" Daja asked.
She got a few strange looks for that one, which weren't helped by Briar asking a moment later if they had found a "really little tree."
They decided to go back to their room then. Tris and Briar gathered up their belongings, and Daja went over to Sandry. She reached out to touch the thread around Sandry's neck, and then turned around, crouched down, and grabbed her arms. She pulled the smaller girl onto her back despite her weak protests and carried her out of the room.
Dumbledore motioned for the rest of them to stay where they were. They waited for a few minutes until Mad-Eye said. "They're back in their room. They've got the door closed, and they're getting the blond in bed."
"Observe them for now," Dumbledore told the others. "They have power, but they do not seem to be working for the Death Eaters. Be cautious dealing with them. I doubt they will initiate anything, but I am not certain of what they will do if they feel threatened."
"They said that they were mages," said McGonagall. "Does that mean anything to you?"
Dumbledore frowned. "I recognize the term, but I know very little about it. I will see what I can learn for now."
Then he left, rushing out once again before Harry could speak to him.
Mrs. Weasely went over to the window. "It's drafty in here," she said as she shut it.
…
They shut the window, Tris told the others, releasing the breeze that she had been tugging through their own. I can't hear any more.
It sounded like they were done anyway, said Daja. I don't think we're in danger here unless we start something.
…
Over the next few days Daja, Tris, and Briar began to explore the house. Within a couple of hours they were hoping that it wasn't an accurate representation of all wizards. Pictures on the walls not only talked to them, but sneered at them. A pair of scissors tried to attack Briar, and Daja had to melt them to make them stop. On their second day, members of the order found them staring at a group of shrunken, deformed heads mounted on the wall. Tris was picking up murmurings on the house's drafts about "mistress" and "blood traitors" and the overall filthiness of the house made her cringe. Fortunately, most of the other inhabitants seemed to spend most of their time cleaning it.
On their fourth day, they heard a chant of "He got off" coming from downstairs. Briar and Tris looked from the stairwell to see what was happening and saw everyone gathered around the black-haired boy with glasses. At the redhead woman's bellow for silence, they ducked back out of sight.
The three of them had fully recovered their strength with the help of their thread, but Sandry was still very weak. She could be up for brief periods, but would have to lie down again afterwards. They discussed giving her some of their strength, but Sandry wouldn't hear of it.
You've all barely got your strength back, she told them, and they don't know exactly what we can do yet. If they see me weak for awhile from using magic, they'll probably underestimate us. Besides, she added, smiling ruefully, it's my own fault I'm like this.
The other three stared at her. That's new, said Tris. Usually you hate it when people think you're weak.
I've had a while to think about it, she explained, glancing down at the bed she had been largely confined to.
They were still having most of their conversations through their bond. The people they were with seemed to be trustworthy, but they didn't want to take the risk of being overheard when talking about their magic. The 'Order' was watching them closely.
They were now wearing the odd clothing that the wizards called robes, but they were hand-me-downs from the children of the redheaded family. As a result, they were worn and didn't fit properly. Sandry was itching to fix them, but they decided that she shouldn't use any more magic unless she had to. They had been promised new robes anyway.
On their fifth day there, they were sitting together in the room that they still shared (they bad been offered separate ones, but felt safer staying together) when they were interrupted by a knock on the door. Briar opened it to find the tired-looking man and the man with dark skin.
Remus Lupin and Kingsley Shacklebolt, Sandry reminded him. She then turned to their visitors. "Is something wrong?"
"No, nothing's wrong," Remus reassured her with a smile. "We just have something we would like to discuss with you"
"What is it?" Tris asked.
"Would you like to get out of the house for a bit?"
"Yes!"
What? said Briar defensively when his outburst resulted in everyone in the room staring at him. There aren't any plants in here.
"Well," Remus continued, "we were planning on going to a place called Diagon Alley, and we thought you might like seeing more of the wizarding world"
The four of them quickly discussed it, and then Briar said "Me and Tris want to go. Daja's gonna stay here with Sandry."
…
Tris fell over when they finally hit solid ground, still clutching the boot that had somehow gotten them there. She looked around. They were in the back of what looked like a tavern. Most of the patrons were wearing robes, so Tris guessed that it was meant for wizards. Kingsley went to talk to the man behind the bar while Remus helped her to her feet.
"Are you alright?" he asked. "I know that portkeys are disorienting..."
She pulled away from him, with a muttered "I'm fine."
Kingsley came back, and the four of them walked over to a brick wall deeper into the tavern. Tris and Briar looked at it doubtfully, but Remus took out his stick – wand – and tapped it. Instantly, the bricks began to move, stopping once they had formed a doorway.
Tris tried to keep herself from gawking.
Beyond the doorway was something even more amazing. It was a whole street, with crowds of people. There were shops on both sides of the street. As they walked, Tris could see a store with robes, one with brooms (although exactly why cleaning supplies were getting so much attention was beyond her), one with books, and countless other things that she could not identify. Briar stopped behind her, and she looked back to see him standing with dreamy eyes in front of a building with numerous potted plants inside. The people inside the store were looking around in alarm as the plants started to move in response to his presence, and Tris hurried him along before their escort noticed.
"Excuse me for a moment," Remus said suddenly. "I need to get something here." Kingsley stayed with them on the street while Remus entered a store with Flourish and Blotts written over the doorway.
As they waited, Tris looked into the store next to them. It was a toy shop, and she stared in amazement at the toys that set off a shower of sparks or flew or changed into something else. But the thing that caught her eye the most didn't seem to do any of that. It was lined up in a row: a plush dog decked with ivory curls.
She smiled. It looked just like a miniature version of Little Bear.
She thought about him then. She hoped someone was feeding him and Shriek while they were gone.
A young girl inside the shop walked up to the dog and picked him up. She examined it for a minute, and then moved on to something else. Tris gritted her teeth. The girl was the type that had always made her feel resentful: silky blond curls, doe eyes, and with a bearing that told Tris that she was spoilt rotten by her parents. Seeing a girl like that so casually dismissing her dog…
Something that Tris couldn't really explain came over her then. She pictured the girl, but her mind her hair changed to black curls instead of blond, and her eyes went from blue to deep brown. She thought about the new girl that was in her head. That girl would love the dog. Tris wondered if she should buy it. It was probably inexpensive enough to make very little impact in her savings. It would be worth it even if it did cost a lot. Glaki still missed living with Tris, and she would probably like to get a present from her the next time she went to Lark and Rosethorn's house…
Umm, Tris? That was Briar, picking up on her thoughts and interrupting them. You don't know anyone like that. He came over to the store window and looked at the dog for himself. You're right, it does look like Bear.
Remus came back then, carrying a bag with a picture of a quill on it. "I have what I needed," he told them. He saw what they were looking at. "Do you want it?" he asked. "It doesn't look expensive."
His voice jolted Tris out of the last of her stupor, and she snapped "I'm too old for toys like that". She left ahead of them. Briar was right; the girl wasn't real. It made no sense that she was shaking, or that she felt a strong sense of loss from the lingering image of her face lighting up at the sight of Tris.
Grimmauld Place
It had been about half an hour since Lupin and Shacklebolt had left with Tris and Briar, and Moody was still muttering to himself about it, apparently convinced that the two of them were about to run back to whoever had sent them.
"Really, Alastor," Mrs. Weasely told him. "I doubt they would run and leave their friends behind."
Harry agreed with her. It was like the four of them were joined at the hip; he had never seen one alone. The only exception would have been Sandry, but he hadn't seen her at all since she had been carried out of the sitting room days ago. The others had been taking all of their meals upstairs to eat with her. Regardless, Moody remained on edge.
When the scream rang out from upstairs, even he jumped.
He, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Mrs. Weasely and Sirius ran upstairs. Near the top, they met the girls trying to go down. Sirius grabbed them both
"What happened?" he asked urgently. "Are you alright?"
They struggled against him. "It's not us!" Sandry cried. "We have to go."
"If it's not you, then what is it."
"Tris and Briar," Daja gasped out. "Something went wrong..."
Diagon Alley, Two Minutes Earlier
They had gone into a couple of other stores by the time Kingsley turned to them and brought up getting them better robes.
Sandry will like that, Briar said. But she'll still be going over–
Whatever he had been about to say was cut off by the bolt of red light that hit him between his shoulder blades. He went down instantly.
Tris ran over to him as people on the street started yelling. Briar was still breathing, but he was stiller than Tris had ever seen him. She stood back up and saw Remus lying on the ground not far away. He wasn't moving either.
Tris drew her power and looked for someone to fight. She was dimly aware that she had started sparking. Kingsley was shooting coloured beams of light from his wand at someone wearing a hooded cloak. Tris prepared herself to blast his opponent...
She never got a chance. In the next moment another red bolt from an unseen source hit her square in the chest, and everything went black just as Daja and Sandry began clamouring in her head.
TBC
...
I wanted to answer some reviews:
Guardian Writer: I didn't mean to make you feel bad for asking! I just didn't want you to get disappointed about them losing their memories when you read the chapter
About me giving stuff away...well, you might have gotten an idea of what I'm going to do with their memories in this chapter anyway
Avatar of Wurms: I figured that there was no way Briar would go into a dangerous situation without being armed to the teeth, so the knives were coming with them, and he couldn't have possibly kept them while he was unconscious and not have the people looking after him notice.
As for Evvy and Chime: well, if Chime came with them when they only had their memories as kids, they would have just been like what-is-this-glass-thing-and-why-is-it-following-us. Evvy already had a brief appearance in chapter 2, but don't worry, I'm bringing her back in later.
Tombadgerlock: Umm...thanks
Thanks also to benthefirst, stormrider7, and Scurryfunger for your feedback.