A/N: Well, damn me that's one hell of a delay... therefore this one has 14k words.
Gin110881: I didn't change any birthdays from canon (though it may entirely be possible that I forget at times) so this chapter does indeed begin on the 31st of July. I don't plan on repeating all this birthday and gifting stuff over and over while trying to think of meaningful gifts. Unless it's coming of age or anything else I have planned, future birthdays will just be glossed over. Or replaced entirely with copious amounts of fluff...
Now I realized that I've spent over 60k words before ever going to Hogwarts. Geez, what did I do? I don't plan on dragging things into bookish length in the future.
Just, uh, a quick request. Please point out when a through became a though or the other way around. I tend to miss these and when I re-read these chapters I mostly miss them again and it's just hella annoying to see these mistakes. Feel free to point out anything you find, I'm definitely not perfect after all.
:3
Ginny was getting more nervous by the minute. After her father had personally handed Jane a notebook that was able to record whole lessons or conversations in Braille for her, it was now more or less her turn to give Jane her gift. Maybe she was having a panic attack, or something pretty close. Would she even like the gift? What if she didn't? Ginny didn't want to make her sad, or even just disappoint her!
"You worry too much."
The voice almost startled her, but she knew it to be Conry's. The strange thing about it, was that she heard it from... inside her head. She looked up to him.
"Mistress Jane will love what you have for her more than everything we could ever give her," it echoed in her head. She nodded slowly but suddenly her vision was obscured by an angel. Ginny regretted not being able to see Jane's beautiful eyes but she took her hand end gently pressed the box into her grasp.
"Happy Birthday," she whispered and quickly kissed her cheek. She didn't dare kiss her lips (mostly because that could quickly escalate) but was still rewarded with a beautiful smile.
"Thank you," she breathed, so quietly that no one else could have possibly hear it, but the words weighed with so much adoration that Ginny almost felt like crying. She opened the box deftly, her long fingers running over the contents. They felt the smooth metal of a medallion, the small grooves of the inscribed runes and the glass marble that was let into the very center of the diamond shaped pendant. Inside the small glass marble that was barely as big as Ginny's thumbnail, was a small flower. A small, blood red flower. It glowed softly as it hung there inside the marble, suspended by magic.
Jane hummed lowly, a sound that Ginny wasn't sure a human could have produced and the flower glowed brighter. She smiled widely. "A wolf blossom," she breathed and the flower tinkled in response. "It's wonderful."
Ginny swallowed. "I... carry a similar one. It will grow warmer the closer we are so that you always know I'm there," she explained, holding up and pendant with the same flower for Jane to touch.
Jane looked about ready to kiss her and Ginny would probably not have refused but the door that led out into the backyard was pushed open and Luna strode in with what appeared to be a flower growing on top of her head. It was a silvery blue color and shone softly in the sunlight, but it hadn't bloomed yet. Luna's silver eyes zeroed in on Jane and she chirped cheerfully, "Happy Birthday!" before proceeding to hug her like an old friend.
But the most peculiar thing was, that Jane didn't seem to mind at all. Something stung in Ginny's chest but she squashed it immediately. That was just Luna!
"A wise decision," Conry's voice echoed inside her head, causing her to jump a little. "Luna is more a magical creature to my Mistress than she is human. She has no problems socializing with her. Her fears are not triggered by them." Ginny looked up to him. "For that reason we spent a great deal of time with the elves. They behave fairly human and it helped her a lot."
Ginny nodded absently, almost missing how Luna plucked the flower off her head and held it out to Jane, begging her to make it bloom. As Luna departed for the yard, as if she knew that Jane would follow, Ginny stood up to stand besides Jane. It seemed like the right thing to do. "You can make it bloom?" she decided to ask, grasping her hand.
Jane nodded. "I can. It's a moonflower, a strong one. They are highly poisonous when they bloom in a full moon night but you can brew powerful elixirs from one you managed to let bloom during the day."
"And they look absolutely mesmerizing," Conry added from behind her. "Let us go outside. I am sure the cake will taste phenomenally even out in the sun."
Jane whirled around to him so fast that she almost stumbled, hey shy demeanor forgotten in favor of cake. "Will you carry it? Is it delicious?!"
Conry chuckled and gently mussed her hair. "It is indeed. Molly put a great deal of work into it."
Jane squirmed away from his hand and then briefly stilled. Her long ears twitched before she glided along the edge of the table to where Ginny's mother sat and hugged her tightly. "Thank you!" she laughed loudly, much to the surprise of everyone in the room. Jane really never initiated contact on her own. Unless it was Ginny or her aunt, of course. Conry didn't count. Ginny glanced at him and noted that he looked at the scene with approval in his golden eyes. His eyes found hers and he nodded in Jane's direction, who stretched over the table to dab a finger into the cake, tongue peeking out from the corner of her mouth. She appeared so unburdened then, so free, much unlike she normally looked. Haunted and hurt, small and scared. Ginny found herself wishing to keep it that way.
Maybe one day, she would.
Luna watched in awe as Jane, moon flower in her lap, worked her magic. It was beautiful, magic in so many colors, so many feelings and so many different types, it all flowed though her, saturated her very being and from her core there was magic in the purest white and gold, it almost blinded Luna as she took it all in. She and Ginny watched with the rest of the Weasleys how the flower began to glow softly in a pale blue light that never grew any brighter but seemed to spread more and more around the plant, encompassing it in a light halo. Jane hummed a single note that Luna couldn't have placed if she had possessed a perfect hearing and suddenly the flower moved, swayed not in the wind but under the gentle caress of Jane's power. A shudder, a twist and gently tugging later, the moonflower opened, bloomed in the daylight. It revealed the pure silver bud that glistened in the sunlight like a million stars surrounded by the velvet inside of the blossom.
Jane set the flower down and the grass bent and twisted to get in touch with her skin, the green became so much greener were the few lucky blades managed to brush against her and the earth parted willingly to accept the roots of the moonflower as if it was destined to be rooted at the foot of the ancient oak.
Even after Jane let go of it, the flower shone like a star, it smelled heavenly sweet, to Luna it almost tasted like plums while Ginny, surely, must have smelt apples and strawberry. It was this flower, the silver buds that one would call moon stars once harvested, that was a key ingredient for the amoretina potion.
"So," Luna said, clapping happily," I have heard there is cake?"
The early days of August were spent lazily by all of the Weasley clan. But there was one thing they all did together nowadays and that was attending these little lessons that Conry, and occasionally (such as that day) the Lady Emrys herself, would hold.
The emerald staff was circling Emrys like the earth orbited the sun, occasionally producing pictures, runes and sounds for them. A greenish projection of the moon was currently drifting past Emrys' golden eyes as she revealed to them the magical effects the moon had on rituals, runes and potions.
"Despite popular belief, magic is affected by gravity," Emrys told them, stroking Conry's head, who sat at her side. "It merely reacts differently like tangible matter does. Magic has no weight, gravity is void to it, theoretically speaking, but in reality, magic is drawn by gravity, not because of it's force, but because at the center of a gravitational force, there is an object. And it does not matter what this object is, the moment it exercises the force of gravity at it's surroundings, magic will latch onto it and take part in it. The moon, as it is responsible for the tides for example, is what you could call a magical weight."
The depiction of the full moon darkened into a half moon and it glowed a bit brighter. "Magic latches onto forces that affect space and time, and light is one of these things. That basically means that the moon reflects more magic the more light is remitted from it's surface."
Bill and Percy were scribbling along furiously and even Ginny took the occasional note. As she finished her last sentence, she spotted Fred and George write something down, something that definitely would cause a lot of mayhem. Ron wasn't writing anything down but he was listening intensely. Her parents were sitting back but they, too, were visibly leaning towards Emrys.
"By now you know that magic resides in a plane that is not connected to this reality naturally, but rather through humans, who draw magic through their core and release it into the world, adding their own to it and ever increase the existing amount. A part of the magic you cast, a part of your will and intention, seeps back into that realm you have drawn from. It does not go back through your core but rather dissolves from this plane to appear in the other. It is not a process one could explain with arithmancy or runes for not even a spell can trace this phenomenon, nor can this process be stopped from happening."
Emrys placed a delicate hand over her heart. "My magic, the source of my existence, right now resides within Jane, in this very body, not in the plain beyond your core. At this very moment, I am not human, not even remotely, neither am I an elf nor about to a twelfth a dragon. I am not a being of magic, I am magic. I am a construct that has been created using Jane's very soul and the will of everyone that ever contributed to my ways. Because Merlin was very young when he first used this magic and connected to it, his person and his very soul were very much the same. Aside from an unusual boost in maturity one would not have been able to tell the difference after he became Merlin Emrys. But Jane was almost ten years older than Merlin had been and merging with her would have... effectively killed her as a person and only I would have been left." She lowered her eyes. "It would have been as if I had taken over her body entirely, stolen it from a girl that is so much my daughter as she is my sister and my closest friend. And because I exist solely to preserve life and magic, I could not possibly do that. Hence, I am allowed to command Jane's boy whenever she lets me."
"So... you are, like, two people in one body?" Ron dared to ask after a slight pause.
She shook her head and even this simple motions had something so very graceful to it. "We are not, young Ronald." Ron blushed furiously at that. "I am always with her but when I am not acting through darling Jane, I hover around her, you could say."
"One with the ability to see magic would describe it as a halo of white and gold," Conry spoke up.
"Like Luna?" Ginny found herself asking.
"Indeed my dear," Emrys told her kindly. "Little Luna has such gifted eyes, she could probably see me from miles away."
And so the afternoon continued, at some point the Lady Emrys simply chuckled, excused herself and relented control to Jane, who immediately blushed and left the center of attention so to sit at Ginny's side. Conry took over and talked, surprisingly, about the non-magical people, about the wars they fought, the things they did with their technology and their culture in comparison to their's.
It was during an explanation of electric music instruments that Professor Dumbledore joined them, she found it strange that he would simply show up like that but guessed that it was school business. He talked a lot with Conry but Ginny never got to listen in on it.
She and Jane spent some time under the old oak after the others went inside, talking to Conry about wandless magic and how she could seriously hurt her arm if she focused too much on channeling it through her hand. Magic could, in higher concentration of it's raw state, apparently have uncontrolled effects on it's surroundings. That generally caused accidental magic and could very well just vanish Ginny's arm if she wasn't careful with it.
As her own birthday got closer, Ginny began to grow... restless. Not because she anticipated anything special, her family was more one for sentimental gifts, but because she wasn't sure what Jane would get her. They were at the others side most of the time so Ginny didn't think Jane had gone and bought her something (which was good because Ginny didn't think that some expensive trinket would be of use use to her). So when Jane excused herself to talk to Conry and then promptly vanished from the premise, just a day shy of Ginny's birthday, she just knew she was going to get her something!
"Calm down, Gin-Gin," Fred said as he entered the sitting room. "You keep on worrying that shirt and not even magic could fix it."
"Not even little Jane!" his twin chimed, following his brother.
Ginny released her shirt and pouted mockingly. "I'm sure she could," she protested before sighing. "What do you think she'll get me? I hope it's nothing too expensive... What if I don't like it!?"
Both twins laughed loudly and sat down to either side to their little sister, both put an arm around her. "We'd like to believe-," Fred crowed.
"-that you'd love just about anything-," George continued.
"-little Jane would give you!" they chorused.
Ginny's face grew warm and she sniffed primly. "I-... Maybe," she admitted, ducking her head, "but what if it's something terribly expensive?"
Both twins sighed loudly and Fred shook his head at her. "What would it matter if it was?"
"It's not like she's going to gain anything from it, no matter how expensive!" George snickered.
"You'd already give her whatever she'd ask for!" Fred laughed.
Ginny jumped up and off the couch. "Shut up!" she exclaimed, her voice pitching higher than ever before. She vacated the room with a fiery blush, much to her brothers' amusement. She returned with experimental and highly magical color bombs from the twin's room and proceeded to chase them thrice around the house.
All three of them could have shamed a rainbow that day.
Jane returned in the afternoon with a happy little smile adoring her beautiful features but she never said anything about what she had been doing in the time she and Conry had been away. Good thing she couldn't see how hard Ginny pouted once she realized that Jane wouldn't tell her unless she asked it of her. And that was something that the Weasley wasn't about to do, forcing her to answer. Besides, Jane was just way too cute when she realized that Ginny was staring intently at her. It got her to squirm. That, on the other hand, Ginny did with pleasure.
The next morning, the day before her birthday, Ginny found herself sitting in the parlor, willing a cup of tea to heat up. Without a wand, mind you. Luna was lounging in an armchair, combing Jane's long hair as she watched with fascination as Ginny tried and failed to boil the water. Conry sat opposite from Ginny, also watching intently.
"The flow is not constant," he commented, "Your will to boil the water is wavering as you become more frustrated. Let us take a break." He rose from the couch. "I shall inquire about dinner." He left the room with a bow in Jane's direction, which she somehow seemed to take note of and returned with a small smile. It always puzzled Ginny and she wondered just to what extend they were connected.
The Weasley sighed loudly and let herself fall backwards to lay her head down in Jane's lap and pout extensively. "This is ridiculously hard," she whined.
Jane smiled down at her as she began to play with her hair. "You are doing good, Ginny," she told her, "It's just harder for you to imagine."
Ginny frowned up at her. "Imagine?"
"Yes," Jane affirmed, "You have to imagine boiling while I merely have to feel it."
That... went over her head. "I.. uh," she began, "How do you feel it boil?"
"With magic, of course," Jane laughed. "I reach out with it, I can tell that the water is cold, that it isn't moving, so then I put the energy that it needs to boil inside the water. That make's it boil."
Ginny didn't quite understand. Energy to boil the water? Like... fire? She was trying to make it steam and bubble, like... boiling.
Unlike Jane, Ginny didn't have a basic understanding for physics or chemistry, which was very much essential to shift the state of matter of just about any object. With a wand and the usage of spells, the matter of lacking knowledge was circumvented. The spell was what carried the action with it and how to enact what the wizard or witch wanted. Wandless magic required Ginny to truly understand what her magic was doing.
Conry had realized this and wondered if he should teach her physics and chemistry. It couldn't exactly harm her, though the concept of electricity was something that was so foreign to most wizards that they refused to accept and understand it. Jane had an excellent grasp on the theory, she knew what magic had to do, the possible and the impossible, to achieve amazing feats of magic.
Maybe, once he was in Hogwarts, he would teach those who were willing to listen Merlin's way of magic. Emrys' way of magic.
No matter how one would look at it, today was Ginny's birthday and she was so excited that she awoke yet again before Jane. Ginny managed to restrain herself for a full hour before she woke the girl that slept so peaceful in her embrace. Because it was her birthday, Ginny decided to indulge herself a bit. Jane's lips looked oh so inviting after all.
She tasted of the toothpaste they had used yesterday night but it gave way in seconds and was replaced by the sweet taste that Ginny learned to be Jane's own, unique one. Sweet and sweet all over, and there was a hint of something strong the she couldn't place. She didn't waste too much of a thought on it when, after a mere few seconds, Jane woke up and responded almost eagerly.
Ginny smiled against her lips. She liked doing this, being all cuddly and lovey dovey with Jane. It was a funny feeling, the good sort of funny.
"Happy Birthday to me," she sighed against her lips and a small laugh escaped Jane in response.
It was perfect. But - as it is - nothing lasts forever.
When Conry opened the door, Ginny was more or less devouring his mistress. While it was nice to see that the Weasley girl had gotten comfortable with the relationship, there was a birthday dinner to feast at.
He cleared his throat. Once. Twice. And even a third time but it had no effect whatsoever aside from a sluggish wave from his mistress in his general direction accompanied by a breathy whine that, even to a wolf, had no meaning at all. Wit a sigh, he barked sharply one, the sound not matching his human mouth at all.
Ginny yelped and fell sideways off the bed, leaving the more or less undressed body of Jane to the cold.
"There you go," he said, "Dinner in five. Don't make me come back." He smirked as he left the room but they didn't have to know that.
He felt Jane's embarrassment spike once she noted that her shirt was not were it where it was supposed to be and a small laugh escaped him, a rough sound that startled Arthur as he left the bathroom.
"Mornin' Arthur," he greeted, though it was a bit awkward. He hadn't gotten used to calling the man by his given name yet. Red one had been what he called all the Weasleys before Ciel-
"Morning," the man returned, shuffling out of his way in the cramped landing. "The girls up yet?" he asked as they descended the stairs, Arthur in morning robes and Conry, dressed in a button up dress shirt and vest as always.
"They are now," Conry chuckled. "Your daughter is very excited about her birthday."
Arthur laughed and picked up the Daily Prophet from the windowsill next to the front door as they passed. "She always is. Gods, she is fifteen already..."
"And she will turn one hundred and fifty years just as fast," Conry said sagely. "Believe me, even eternities can pass in the blink of an eye."
Molly was humming to herself as she pushed the last pieces of strawberry and chocolate atop the cake into position as they entered. Conry wondered why he had in over a millennia not met a cook quite as skilled as her. Arthur sat down at the end of the table, where a cup of coffee was already waiting for him. "You must have seen many, many birthdays," the man mused as he took a sip of his coffee. It was obviously too hot so he pulled out his wand and quickly muttered a cooling charm.
"More than I could count but I remember every single one of them," Conry told him. There were so many of them. The memories, wonderful and cruel all the same. Even the happiest tended to haunt him. "The very first one besides Merlin's I remember was Arthur's. King Arthur, mind you. And he wasn't even king then. It was his seventeenth birthday, just a few months before Merlin would have turned eighteen."
A mess it had been, for an evil sorcerer had tried to murder the young prince. That didn't do a lot of good on his stance on magic and it took Merlin and the hounds years to set his head straight while simultaneously defying evil ploys all over Europe.
"How was he? The King, I mean?" Molly asked curiously, levitating the cake onto the table.
Conry was momentarily distracted by the sheer size of the thing. Even if he stood up now, it would tower over him. "Well... Merlin called him a prat on more than one occasion but he was a noble and honorable man. Once he knew what magic was, he pledged his life to it, even though he hadn't been magical himself. He and Merlin worked hard to get magic into a safe place but... well, you do live in secrecy now so it didn't exactly succeed."
His ears perked up and he heard three doors open all at once. The ones higher up thundered down the stairs only to abruptly slow down behind the occupants of the lowest room. Jane still didn't skip down the stairs but she walked faster than you'd think. The Weasley brothers didn't dare overtake her and the birthday girl so it was them who entered last.
Ginny squealed when she saw the cake and the pile of presents Conry had neglected to notice, which sat on her chair and on the table before it. She skipped ahead and dragged Jane after her to hug her parents and immediately shovel some cake onto two plates.
While Ron's eating habits were definitely more reminiscent of a starved wolf than a human being, Ginny wasn't exactly lady-like either when it came to cake. Or Jane for that matter, Conry added in his mind with a smirk.
They chimed a birthday song for her, Fred and George sung purposefully out of tune, and it all was a general mess as Ron and Ginny fought over the last whole strawberry only for Jane to snatch it from them. Ron gaped at her in disbelief as Ginny and the twins howled with laughter. Jane, even though she blushed, smiled widely at them all. There wasn't a moment of rest, for not a minute after they had calmed down somewhat, the floo chimed loudly and ejected the two oldest brothers in a heap onto the carpet in the parlor. Evidently, they had the misfortune of ending up in the hearth at the same time.
"Bill! Charlie!" Ginny cried, skipping and actually twirling her way over to them and jump them both.
Conry guided his mistress into the parlor as well, where he stood at her side as she settled down on the couch.
"Why look who's there!" Bill laughed as his sister almost tackled him to the ground again, after he had just managed to stand straight. "Say, how old are you now?"
"You prat!" Ginny laughed and mussed his hair while she still hung off his shoulders. Otherwise she wouldn't have reached it anyways, Conry noted.
"Hey!" Charlie exclaimed, dusting of his shirt. "What about me?"
Ginny turned to him and pretended to think. "Hmm," she made, "Gimme a good present and you might get a hug!"
"Uff!" Charlie breathed, pretending to be wounded, "Harsh, little sister! So harsh!"
The twins howled with laughter, even as they were doing something to Ron's cup of tea. Conry mused that it might be a voice changer in nature. As Molly reprimanded them lightly, Charlie searched all his pockets for something that was obviously somewhere in those trousers with far too many zippers. Eventually he pulled a small box out from them and presented it to Ginny.
"Will that be enough?" he asked his sister while she eagerly opened it.
Conry could feel it before he saw it. The tooth of a dragon, willingly given and charmed with light protective spells and an eternal warming charm that only an object belonging to a dragon could have. Should Ginny wear it, she would never be truly cold. Besides him, Jane perked up as well.
"Is that... from an Icelandic Ridgeback?" she mumbled, meant only to herself but Charlie had obviously heard her.
He turned towards her and beamed appreciatively. "Yes!" he cried out, "And what a beauty she is! Kana is the oldest dragon back in Romania!"
Jane flinched at the volume but did otherwise not react much. A huge advancement, Conry noted. She smiled shyly back at him but didn't say anything more. Charlie returned his attention to his sister when she wanted him to put the blueish tooth around her neck.
"Hmm," she made, fiddling with the rather warm tooth between her fingers, "I think... that might just be enough!" She hugged him with enough force to make him wince.
"Uh, ah! So you like it then!" he said, "Just don't break my bones over it!"
Bill cleared his throat and held out a black box for Ginny. "I got you something, too, you know?" he asked, frowning playfully as he, too, pretended to be hurt.
"Really?" Ginny asked almost sarcastically, but couldn't contain her excitement. "What is it?"
"Open it!" Bill laughed and handed her the wooden box.
Conry was proud to note that he was still able to fabricate magnificent ward stones. One of those was now in Ginny's hands. While it wasn't as powerful as what Ciel could have done, it was still a beautiful thing. It was a ruby in the size of a bludger, though by far lighter. In it's center was a golden core, made of a leaf from the Golden forest. This stone was not a protective one, rather one that could protect if Ginny would acquire the skill to enchant it correctly. Until then, Bill had crafted a truly intriguing chain of spells together to create magic that could spread throughout the room. Said magic being either light, sound or a certain feeling. It was also charmed to ease nightmares and in it's presence the body would continuously soothed by the magic that the golden leaf harbored.
All in all it was a nice trinket to posses. He watched as Ginny tested the ward stone out, the chirping of birds filled the room and shimmering flecks of light flickered around them. Jane laughed when one touched her. She might not have seen it, but could feel them all the better.
"That is so cool!" Ginny said, making the stone flash in every color she could think of, projecting a rainbow onto the ceiling. "Thank you!" she told Bill with a fierce hug.
She sat down on the couch besides Jane, handing her the stone. It lit up like a torch when his mistress touched it. The warmth of her magic was radiated through the whole room. She sheepishly handed it back to Ginny. "I-I'm sorry," she apologized, albeit smiling.
"Never mind that," Ginny said, beaming at her, "It was really cool!"
Jane smiled before she remembered that she, too, had something for Ginny. She turned towards him and before she could even ask, he conjured the long, wooden casket for her. It was an ornate thing that bore the crest of the Potter Family on top, the silhouette of a wolf pack with a half moon in the background, framed by two trees. Unlike with her previous presents, Ginny took this one carefully from his mistress, who shyly held it out to her.
It was endearing, though it also reminded him of the fact that his mistress was still a long way from the person she could have grown up to be, if only he could have protected the family properly.
Ginny slid the lid off the box and gasped.
It was a wand. But not just any wand. It was a wand crafted by him, he who had crafted the first wand of it's kind eleven hundred years ago. Conry was the best wand maker out there, every wand maker after him had learned from him, in one way or another. In fact, Garrick Olivander had been the last man taught by him. But even so, Ginny's wand was special. It had been bathed in the dragon fire Jane could produce, cut from wood she had grown and nurtured with her elven magic and it's core was a tooth of her own animagus form.
Conry had her swear that he would never have to pull a perfectly healthy tooth again, animagus or not.
The wand was made of a single branch of a weeping willow from the isles of Avalon, wood no one should be able to obtain. Jane had coaxed a sapling to grow strong enough to let them harvest a young branch. The wood was unique, it would age even after being cut and would effectively grow with Ginny. It was naturally a magical conduit and happened to turn into a dark, reddish brown once Jane flooded it with her magic. For the handle, Conry had carved a howling wolf, a perfect depiction of the Red Hound, of Ciel, so that she may watch over her family from the depth of magic even after her passing.
Jane had insisted on engraving runes into the length of the wand. Three in total, all of them ancient and powerful. Some could read Lifeblood in one of the runes, if they were studied enough. It was an old way to call ones family, ones own blood. The second rune was called Inumial, the ancient elven word for heart. The heart of life, the heart of magic. The last rune read Riigro, which was taken from the dragon tongue. It described the connection from one soul to another, heart to heart. It was the closest word the dragons had for love.
Runes on a wand did, in itself, nothing at all. But if the wielder would cast magic, they had the ability to sway it's nature. Ginny's spells would naturally be attuned to the wild, to the flame and to the soils of Yggdrasil's worlds.
It didn't make her any stronger, but should she try to cast fire, the dragon rune would draw the magic easily though her core. Influencing plant life would come easier and moving the living earth would not be as strenuous.
Ginny made a noise of awe in the back of her throat as she carefully picked the beautifully crafted wand off it's satin bedding the the casket. It thrummed audibly in her grasp, and an invisible breeze ran through her hair.
The wand was perfect. Jane smiled so widely it must have hurt. The wolf knew he had done good. It was also his way of repaying his absences from the descendants of Merlin's allies.
"Thank you," she whispered to his mistress, drawing her into a gentle hug, "It's beautiful. I love... it."
Conry retreated back into the kitchen, followed by Bill and Charlie, when Ron presented Ginny, who was still starring at the wand in awe, with a pile of sweets she seemed to have expected all along. Neither did the twins bewitching potions made for dress-up really shock her. They tested one that put a horrid pink bow onto Jane's head. Even he had to suppress a grin when he spied her glowing pink mane through the doorway.
"We will visit the alley tomorrow," Molly told him when he took a seat at the already cleared table, Bill at his left. "Wouldn't want to get caught up in the crowds."
Conry nodded. "Thank you for your consideration," he said. "While mistress must one day face her agoraphobia, I wouldn't force her either. These things take time."
Arthur sneaked his way into the kitchen as well, having just returned from Ginny's room where he had placed his and Molly's present for their daughter. It was an entirely new wardrobe, something that the girl had truly needed since she had begun growing so fast. Conry knew that both felt guilty, if not ashamed, to have splurged as much money as they had on Ginny's birthday. Money that came from Jane's coffers. It had been a most tiring process to convince them that Jane would never need as much money as she had and that the Weasleys only were as poor as they were because of the purge. Aside from that, Conry had argued, they were formally allies now. Financial aid was merely something that entailed.
"We are all set for tomorrow," Arthur said, sitting down and thinking his wife for the cup of coffee she summoned for him. "Still, are you sure we should buy the books as well?" he asked, sipping from his cup. "They are rather expensive and-"
"Please, Arthur," Conry said, almost sighing, "We already talked about this. Even if Jane wouldn't offer to, then I would. I have not done my duty to your family since Ciel passed. If need be, I shall pay myself. You can do naught but accepts this."
Arthur sighed, rubbing his temples. "I... suppose."
"I'm not really fond of this either," Bill said, "I mean... alliance or not, we didn't really do anything to earn all this."
Charlie nodded in agreement from the cold pantry, through which he was rummaging for something edible until his mother shooed him away. "We could step up, Bill and me, you know?"
Conry sighed. "I will not stop you, but know that the refusal would weigh on my mistress' heart."
Just then the door to the backyard opened and Luna Lovegood danced inside, a big basket balancing dangerously on her head. "Hello!" she chirped. "Luna came to see the birthday girl!"
So she spoke of herself in third person perspective. That was new, Conry noted. Liliths had always been on the more eccentric side but Luna seemed to top that easily. That aside... in that basket on her head... was that...?
Luna ignored his scrutiny with a quick grin and ambled past them into the parlor.
"What was that on her head?" Molly asked, apparently worried that it might be something dangerous.
"Something... exceedingly... fluffy," Conry said lamely. "Well, it will do no harm, I suppose. Though I do wonder where she found that one."
"What the effin' hell is that!?" Ron exclaimed, jumping off the couch when Luna placed the basket at Ginny's feet, which squeaked upon impact.
"A present!" the girl said in singsong voice. "Happy Birthday, Ginevra!"
Ginny rolled her eyes. "Thank you, Luna. Just... don't call me that."
"It's a beautiful name," Jane mumbled to herself from Ginny's left.
Luna wedged herself between Ginny and the armrest, the place Ron had occupied up until now, and pocked the basket with her bare feet. "Come on," she called out, "Don't be shy now!"
Something squeaked from within the basket, form underneath a baby blue blanket that covered whatever kind of thing Luna had dragged into Ginny's home.
"Luna...," Ginny began, "You haven't captured a garden gnome again, have you?"
Luna laughed loudly. "Of course not silly!" She bent down to the basket and nudged the blanket with her hands. "Come on! You'll love her!"
Something squeaked again, high pitched and terribly cute, before the blanket slid aside and something stuck it's head out.
"Merlin's balls!" the twins shouted.
Ginny was staring down into a pair of huge, blue eyes. It was... fluffy, no doubt. White fur covered just about everything she could see and two rather large, floppy, cat-like ears rested atop it's head. It had a tiny, tiny nose that twitched excitedly underneath all the fur, only visible as a pink dot. Ginny couldn't see if it had a mouth or teeth that would gnaw her fingers off so she refrained from trying to pet... it.
It, whatever the hell that was, wasn't big, maybe a bigger than the average cat. It had fury legs and, as the blanket slid off completely, two tiny, white feathered wings were brought to light, twitching lightly. All in all, it was really cute but a weird cat. With... wings?
"What the effin' hell is that?" Ron repeated himself, peering over the backrest of the couch. "It won't bite me again, won't it?"
Ginny snorted as she remembered the Kneazle Luna had brought with her once. It had bitten Ron every time he tried to pet it. He wouldn't touch anything breathing that Luna brought with her since then. "Maybe," she said, "So just stay behind us, scaredy cat."
Ron jumped up in an instant. "I am not!"
To prove his point, he rounded the couch and crouched down besides the white... thing. Carefully he extended a hand and the wide blue eyes followed them with interest. The little nose twitched intensely as the animal sniffed Ron's hand.
Before it bit him.
"Gods freakin' dammit all for the love of-!"
"I like it," Ginny declared with a grin as the twins howled with laughter. "But what is it, Luna?"
"Oh, you don't know?" Luna asked with the widest of grins. "But I bet you a nargle that Jane knows!"
Ginny wanted to argue that Jane couldn't even see it, but she supposed that Jane could probably tell anyways. Her senses were kinda astounding.
"It's a forest elikar," Jane said quietly, though she was just about ready to crouch down at the little animals side. "They... are very rare and are protectors of whatever they take a liking to, forests and lakes most of the time. They grow up to be as big as Conry." She held a hand out to the little white creature. It crooned, a noise somewhere between purring and humming, and pressed it's nose against her hand. "They can fly, you know?"
Ginny bent down to the elikar. "Hmm, fly.. can you now?"
Luna laughed. "Not yet, silly! It's too young!"
Ginny huffed. "Well, I didn't know that. So... you want me to keep it?"
"Oh you just have to!" Luna said airily. "The little one has waited so long to meet you! It was just too scared!"
"Meet me?" Ginny asked. "Why would it want to meet me?"
"It likes you," Jane said and added, "Not as much as I do, though," under her breath. "It's probably seen you from afar and wants to be your friend."
Ginny nodded slowly. "Is... that how it works? Well... I mean, why not? It's cute."
The elikar purred loudly and hopped out of the basket in Ginny's direction. Surprised, she reached out to catch it and placed it in her lap, where it at on it's hinds, observing it's surroundings.
"Well... should I name him... her?" Ginny asked, eyeing the way it's ears twitched.
"It's a girl," Jane assured, "And she already has a name, she just hasn't told you yet."
"That thing can talk?" Fred asked from the armchair. "You think we can teach her a few jokes, George?"
"You bet we will, Fred!" his twin agreed from the armchair next to him.
"I dare you to teach her tasteless jokes!" Ginny threatened. She locked eyes with the elikar. "So... what is your name, huh?"
It gurgled something, most definitely not a word Ginny had ever heard before.
"What...?" she asked after a beat of silence. "Did I... miss something?"
Jane giggled softly and Luna outright laughed. "You dummy!" the ashed haired girl crackled. "She said her name is Leea!"
Ginny stared at the little white creature, who appeared to pout. "It didn't!" she exclaimed. "You didn't!" she told the elikar directly. "Say it again!"
'Leea' purred loudly before she made the same noise again.
Jane giggled and Luna cracked up once more. "You are having me!" Ginny exclaimed before looking accusingly at the elikar. "And you too!"
The little creature purred loudly once more before it buried it's face in Ginny's lap, gurgling again.
Ron, still glowering at the ball of fur, huffed. "You see? Evil little thing!"
Conry would never say it out loud, but he was worried. He worried how Jane was going to take going to Diagon Alley. She had come a long way from when he had been reunited with her, but it may not be enough to defeat her anxiety. He would support her efforts with everything he had but he refused to stand by and watch her suffer. The trip to London had already taken it's toll on her. Conry didn't like seeing his mistress so stressed and on the morning of their trip, he watched Jane anxiously transfigure a pebble on the front porch into pitch black shapes. Sometimes he could recognize the shapes, leaves, apples and other fruit, but most of the time they didn't seem to be a thing he had seen before, outlandish shapes and edges that didn't from an object Conry could connect to one in his memory.
Once, however, Ginny drew closer from inside the house, the shape changed to a small ring, one that could have fitted on his mistress' finger, and gently pulsed in a warm golden light before she let the pebble return to it's original form.
A smile let her tense features soften and she turned around just as Ginny lept out of the front door, her hair a messy bun on her head that barely contained her hair and strands of it were basically everywhere. "Why didn't you wake me!?" she whined, grasping Jane's hand and pulling her up.
The girl blushed furiously for a moment before the skin contact eased almost all of the embarrassment. "You threatened to snog me unconscious," she purred. "And as much as I would have loved to, your mother wants to make it before the rush hours."
Ginny had the decency to blush before a feisty smile appeared on her lips. "Well, we still could-"
Conry decided to interrupt them. He found it rather interesting just how fast Ginny had become comfortable with the idea of this relationship and the included skinship. One would think they had known each other for ages. Yet it was just a side effect of Jane's rather strong affection for Ginny and probably the fact that elves liked to share with their mates, magic included.
Conry couldn't truly make out just how much of Jane's magic had made it's way into Ginny's body, but it seemed to already have an emboldening effect on both of them. Then again, Ginny may just be that bold of a girl. All female Weasley had been and there were precious little of them. In fact, Ginny was the first since Morgana's own granddaughter...
"Ill advised decisions, my ladies," he said from behind Jane's back. Instead of jumping in embarrassment, Ginny threw him a mutinous look and drew Jane closer. Conry barely kept the grin from splitting his face. "Molly is as good as here, with your brothers in tow."
Ginny sniffed rebelliously but didn't continue her advances. His mistress threw him a look (well, she faced him) and Conry was sure she would have rolled her eyes at him if she could comprehend the gesture.
"We are late!" Molly grumbled as she strode out of the door, all but yanking her youngest son out of the house, who looked like he had been fast asleep five minutes prior.
"Stop. Pulling. Mom!" he grunted after each step down, until he spotted Jane and produced a rather noteworthy blush.
Ah yes, the beauty of his mistress still managed to render Ron speechless at times. The embarrassment over his disheveled appearance, however, didn't last long for obvious reasons. When the twins, both appearing more or less singed, tumbled out of the house with feisty grins on their lips, Arthur and his two oldest sons were just about to open the doors of the old Ford Anglia for the rest of the family. Percy was already with them, his nose in a rather thick book that was propped up on the car's roof.
"Snap out of it, Ronnikins!" Charlie half shouts, half laughs, "We've got to go!"
Ron sputters , his fading blush returns and he stomps over to his brother with a fierce scowl.
Ginny laughs and even Jane can't help but let a small laugh escape her lips.
Molly beams at her, the sheer pride the woman seems to take in a child that is just short of a stranger to her rather impresses the old wolf. A family, he realizes. The Weasleys are becoming more than just allies. All of them, even the ever stoic Percy whom Conry had caught rearranging furniture to allow Jane easier passage in the house, they will be trusted friends and companions in the future. Conry had no doubt about it.
It was rather a mystery how the people of England knew what Jane looked like. Ginny wondered if they had simply aged a baby photo, but where would they have gotten it? If not for the blindfold, they surely would have already spotted her. Some looks did linger on her and Ginny could hear the whispers and heard "The girl who lived" be spoken once or twice. She was walking at her side, holding onto her hand rather firmly, but she seemed to manage. The alley wasn't even half as crowded as last year, but for that time of day, there were still a lot of people. Maybe there was an event of some kind?
Conry was walking on Jane's other side, towering over them all. He had his hands folded behind his ramrod straight back and his face was terribly serious. His eyes kept scanning the alley and, from time to time, fell on Jane to make sure she is still okay and he was generally scaring away everyone else. Bill and her dad were with them while her mom and the rest of the brothers were going ahead to buy new robes.
"Were are we going first?" she asked when they walked past Flourish & Blotts.
Bill fell back to her side. "We're heading straight for Gringotts. Apparently, this alliance we have with House Potter has a lot of reach. It notified the Goblins and now there are papers to sign."
"Against ample coin, of course," Conry added. "They will already have formulated a contract that makes the transfer of monies and properties a lot easier."
Her dad looked rather nervous and dabbed away some sweat with a handkerchief. "I only hope it doesn't have anything to do with the property."
They walked past Knockturn Alley and Ginny noticed how Jane's nose suddenly crinkled for a moment and Conry coughed once. She didn't smell anything bad...
"The property will be yours still," Conry says, sniffing in annoyance at whatever had invaded his nose. "Even though your forefathers had to give away your bonds after the purge claimed the hounds, you have managed to pay the costs and remained the sole owner. With this alliance, we will get rid of the bonds as well. The House Potter shall simply buy them. Once they're out of the Goblin's hands, it's over and done with."
Her dad looks terribly uncomfortable and even Ginny has to admit that all this money being thrown at them felt.. undeserved. Jane suddenly squeezed her hand and smiled nervously at her. "Don't worry," she said quietly, "your father is already paying us back by letting us stay with you."
"I suppose," Ginny relented. She couldn't really argue with that. Conry had told her that there were still people out there that sought to harm Jane, simply because she survived Voldemort. Ginny wondered in how much danger that put them exactly.
Last year Ginny hadn't been allowed into the bank, so she felt just the tiniest bit giddy at finally going to see the place her oldest brother worked at. The more than thirty steps of shiny marvel up to the two, huge oaken doors with golden runes inlaid into them were a wondrous side to see, no matter how often she saw them. The inside was the same. Marble and dark, polished wood everywhere but Ginny noticed the gold that was just about everywhere in the bank. The chandeliers, the lamps, every railing and every doorknob. The glasses most goblins wore, the rings on their fingers and even the ones they used. All of it was gold and for the first time, Ginny understood that they do so not for petty greed, but because gold was what fueled their magic.
It even made their greed understandable. To a degree.
"T-Twelve Galleons!?" she sputtered once the teller named his price for a private room. "That's gotta be a joke!"
Conry, who had been the one to address the hook nosed goblin, turned to her and smiled wryly. "Oh I assure you, Irontooth does not joke. In fact, it is only half the fee they usually demand."
The Goblin smiled a sharp toothed grin and... sure enough there was a fake tooth, one of iron perhaps, on full display. The Goblin rose a bit from his desk to peer down at Jane, who seemed terribly at ease in comparison to when they walked through the alley. Magic must really put her at ease, even if it was Goblin magic.
Irontooh said something that was definitely not English. It sounded harsh, too many hard and harsh 'clicking' noises, a dragging of the tongue as if he was lisping intentionally. Ginny wasn't surprised that Jane could respond in what she assumed to be Gobbledegook. It really didn't sound human at all. However, coming with Jane's ever pleasant and soft pitch, it was pretty interesting to observe her lips move to the absurd sound and her throat vibrate at every harsh, almost guttural rasping.
Whatever Jane said, it satisfied the Goblin immensely, for his smile grew even wider, and drew the attention from the otter tellers and even a few customers. While the Goblins stared at Jane with some kind of intense appreciation (or murderous intent, Ginny couldn't tell) the other wizards and witches gaped at the slight girl and the whispers returned. Conry merely waved his hand over her and suddenly the people seemed to forget about Jane and found that other things were a lot more interesting.
The Goblin Irontooth abandoned his desk, uncaring for the people who were standing in line behind them, and came around to guide them out of the atrium. Well, relations between Goblins and wizards had never been that good as far as she knew. Ginny stuck close to Jane and insisted on taking the girl's hand. As much as Ginny told herself that it was to put Jane at ease, in this foreign environment, it was just the other way around.
Irontooh rasped something at them, and Jane slightly bowed her head and returned what could have been question, judging from the way her voice rose a little in it's pitch in the end. The Goblin sighed and addressed them in English. Ginny squeezed Jane's hand in appreciation. It earned her one of these sweet, almost coy smile.
Ginny almost blushed.
"The next door to the right," Irontooth said gruffly, the distinct guttural rasp still audible in his English. "The Manager will come see you shortly."
The Goblin, who wasn't even half as tall as Jane, roughly pushed the first door to their right wide open and Ginny thought she had spied a golden shimmer in the air between the golden door knob and the goblins hand. They were ushered inside and before Ginny could turn around the door was already closed again, completely silent.
The private room had no shortage of gold and marble either but the enormous table, which was made wholly out of marble with golden lines flowing through it seemed a bit over the top.
"What's gonna happen now?" she decided to ask.
Bill sat himself down in a leather chair that stood off to the side of the room. "Now we wait. The manager is a busy goblin, I only ever met him once and I do work for him."
"He will be here shortly," Conry assured, taking Jane's hand and guiding her to the head to the table.
Ginny would have followed but her father kept her back. "You must sit with your brother for now. This is an official matter and the Goblins are very picky about proper things. That and they hand out fees for breaches in protocol."
Ginny frowned. "Okay, I guess." Keeping her eyes on Jane, she sat down heavily besides Bill, who grinned at her. "What?" she snapped grumpily.
His smile only grew. "Whoa there, little sis. You will get back to your girlfriend in a minute."
Ginny huffed and crossed her arms in front of her. Girlfriend. The word stuck in her head. Ginny hadn't thought about boyfriend and girlfriend things before. But... that was what she and Jane were, right? 'Cause... what friends snogged like that? Ginny was pretty sure that Ron and this Hermione he had talked about didn't snog and sleep in the same bed and... showered together and, ah... other tingly things. She licked her suddenly dry lips and never even noticed the slightly taller Goblin ever the room.
She felt like she shouldn't have been so... casual about all this. Jane did say that she liked her and put a lot of emphasis on it while kissing her senseless. For someone like Jane it seemed strange to be so trusting. Ginny wouldn't say she was the most approachable witch to go around and she was most certainly not a magical creature, which would have explained Jane's ease around her perfectly, like it did with Luna.
Then again, how Luna was a magical creature still eluded her. Conry did call her one. Were all people who were slightly barmy magical creatures? Was the headmaster one? That could explain these hideous magenta and yellow robes he had worn the other day.
Anyways, there had to be something that drew Jane to her. Because it sure as hell wasn't her charm. Flirting with Jane was already something rather funny but she hadn't done it until they got all touchy feely. So what did draw Jane? She had said something about her magic. And... didn't she overhear Bill and Charlie talk about elves a lot these days?
Ginny tried to think of something that could connect these two things, but she drew a blank. Great, now she felt stupid. Should at least know who and what her girlfriend is! Better pick up some books when she got the chance latter!
There was a sudden, loud clearing of the throat to her left, the opposite of where Bill was sitting, and Ginny almost jumped out of her skin.
Maybe it was a strange thing to do, but Jane rather liked the Goblins. As rough around the edges as they seemed, their magic was rather... cozy, one could say. Goblins were, despite outwards appearance, very caring beings. For their own, mind you, but very caring. They'd go the extra mile and add three more just to be sure their family is well cared for. The fact that they dislike most wizards just proved that. After all, the first rebellion only ever happened because some fool of a minister five generations after Merlin decided that all the gold shouldn't be handled by the goblins. The Goblins didn't just fear for their riches then, they feared for their life.
Anyhow, Jane could respect them. Her mother had offered up love and life to grant her daughter a chance and Jane would forever be grateful for that. The Goblins would do the same in a heartbeat, fight every war if only to save a single on of their own.
"The transfer will not be cheap," the manager told her in his native tongue. Jane wondered why Gringott II. didn't sound as happy about it as any other goblin would have. Then again, he was about half as old as Conry and should own more money than he'd ever need.
"Worry not," she responded kindly and as loud as she could muster the words, "For my gold to sustain Goblin magic is an honor to both me and the Houses Potter and Weasley." She really hoped he could understand her correctly, the distance between her and him was pretty great with this stone desk in between them. Jane wished Ginny's touch could embolden her to speak up but she had to settle for her presence in the room for now.
The Manager made a noise of approval, something most would mistake for a dismissive snort. "Gringotts appreciates your aid, Lady Potter. The transfer shall be made and the proper fee will be charged. May the roots of your magic grow ever stronger."
Jane smiled a little as she recognized the elven saying. "And may your Gold ever shimmer, Master Gringott."
The magic in the room acknowledged the contract and Jane could feel a few runes carry the magic down into the bowels of the bank. She couldn't help but feel proud then. Proud of the fact that she had handled this by herself. Conry had taught her all about the way Goblins traded and she felt she had done everything right. It was an achievement, albeit a small one, that felt like it was entirely her own. One of Jane Potter's, not just the Lady Emrys.
The Goblin rose from his seat opposite from her and left the room. She felt him bow his head to her as he passed and she almost returned the gesture but remembered that she was not to move away from her seat before the Manager had left. Once the door closed, she let a breath escape her.
"Masterfully done, mistress," Conry said proudly, pulling her chair back.
She smiled at him and took his offered hand to stand. "I remember having a good teacher."
He bowed his head, closer to her, and brushed a stray strand of hair out of her face that had been tickling her jaw since forever. "It was all just the theory. You, little mistress, left a grand impression on the Master Goblin. Be proud, milady."
She could feel just how proud he was. It made her smile all the wider. It was a step forward. Goblin's weren't as highly magical as the elves or merpeople, so it had indeed been a bit harder not to fidget or stutter. But she did it, and she would keep up the effort. She would joke with the twins, tease Ron, talk about dragons with Charlie and wards with Bill. She'd cook with Molly and tell Arthur all about the radio and the telly.
Back when she had been hidden away underneath the stairs and all she had to cling to was her aunt, all this had seemed impossible, a distant dream. Now, with Conry and all the magic in the world, Jane would move mountains and make sure that there would be peace.
Emrys thrummed in approval, pledging her support. It was not surprising that the absolute support of the greatest magical being in existence would make seem everything possible.
Jane smiled widely up at her wolf. "Where to next?"
Arthur had almost laughed out loud when his daughter jumped a foot into the air in fright. She must have been rather deep in thought.
"Come on," he said, keeping his voice straight, "We are finished here."
His daughter blinked and looked around in obvious confusion. Bill was laughing not so quietly from her other side and she glared defiantly at him. She jumped out of the chair and strode purposefully over to Jane, whose hand she took and drew into a loose hug.
At times, Arthur wondered if his daughter understood the gravity of all the seemed to surround Jane but then he saw this beautiful smile on her face and knew she would come to understand it in time. For now, she was happy, a happiness he had watched slipping as she had been forced to spend more and more time at home. It had been pretty bad for her last year when Ron had gone to Hogwarts as well. Jane had brought all the smiles and laughs back to his little girl.
He walked with Bill as they left the bank, curiously watching as many goblins inclined their head in Jane's direction. Even more curious was the fact that she returned every nod with one of her own and a pleasant smile. She must have left a strong impression with all of the goblins and, well, no other human (more or less human) that Arthur knew could claim the same.
Arthur chanced a look at his pocket watch, his fathers pocket watch, and noted that they had been in the alley for over an hour already. Molly and the boys must have finished buying and entirely new wardrobe for the whole family. No doubt word would spread about the blood traitors coming into money all of a sudden. That, added to the fact that Jane Lily Potter was sauntering though the alley with him, would make for an interesting day at the ministry, no doubt.
They passed the Ice cram Parlor when Arthur spied the lanky forms of his sons admits the crowd. They squeezed through the mass of people that had gathered in front of Flourish & Blott's, his wife leading them in their direction. Arthur didn't remember that many people being there before, so he observed the storefront.
"Gilderoy Lockhart's Autograph session," he read aloud from the sign that dangled above the entrance. It glowed a it, a hideous purple no less.
Bill groaned besides him, taking his sister and Jane in between himself and Conry. "Doesn't ma just love this bloke's books?"
Yes, there was something like that. Arthur distinctively remembered how Moll had saved up to buy a collection of the man's books just last year. If he remembered correctly, the man had an order of Merlin. "I suppose she does. His presence would explain this crowd."
Conry, one hand firmly on Jane's left shoulder, sighed. "Now imagine coming here when every other in the rush hours. I suppose this to be rather tame by comparison. Are you alright?" he asked, bowing his head down to Jane.
Her smile was weak, but it was there. "I-I'm okay," she said, barely loud enough for him to hear. "Just... stay close, okay?"
Whenever Arthur was reminded of just how hurt this girl was, he found himself to grow incredibly angry. He took a deep breath and clapped Bill on the shoulder. "If someone gets too close for comfort, do whatever you have to. I'll deal with the aftermath."
Bill's face hardened before he nodded resolutely. His hand slipped into his pocket where he kept his wand. Ginny's excitement seemed to have been replaced by a major distaste for crowds and she was scowling crossly at everyone in front of her, a firm grasp on Jane's entire right arm.
As they walked off to meet Molly and somehow get into the book shop, Arthur realized that he may have worried too much. Conry excluded an aura of absolute inaccessibility. Towering almost two head over everyone around them, his mere presence served to have people flinch back rather violently as he approached or passed. His cool, golden eyes quelled every attempted approach on Jane and so they met Molly with a surprising amount of space all around them right in front of the entrance.
"Well, that is rather unexpected," she remarked, casting a worried glance at Jane, who seemed to take this far better than last time, but Arthur was sure she was just putting up a brave front. Molly's eyes kept wandering to the picture of Lockhart and the queue that had formed to where he was giving autographs. "I hadn't heard about this on the wireless at all."
He smiled at his wife. "Go on, Molly," he said, "We can take care of the books." Thankfully, and courtesy of the headmaster, the Weasleys were already in possession of a list of everything their children would need for this year.
His wife smiled gratefully and guiltily at the same time. She squeezed Jane's hand and said a few hushed words, earning a semi-hug in response, before entering the fray.
Arthur noted that Ron and the twins fell into step in front of them while Percy and Charlie joined him at the rear.
"A lot of people seem to know who Jane is," Percy told him. "Mind you, that should be quite impossible."
Arthur sighed. "Oh yes, it should be. But after they made Godric's Hollow a memorial, baby photos turned up and, well, there are aging spells that work even on normal, non-magical photographs. If not for the blindfold, everyone would know already."
Percy scowled at a group of men that were staring at them, talking among themselves. "I am pretty sure that is illegal. A violation of basic privacy rights!"
Charlie huffed loudly. "Oh but these photos don't exist. Not officially, I'm sure."
Thankfully only one part of Flourish & Blott's was as painfully crowded as it seemed from the outside. Once they had squeezed past the crowd and deeper into the shop, it was far more bearable and easier to breath.
"Now the," he said to his sons, "You have your lists. Go collect your books." After a slight pause, he added, "And whatever else catches your fancy."
There was an excited glint in the twins eyes and Arthur reminded himself to restrict their access to any cauldron or source of fire. Percy made a beeline for the section with biographies and pieces on politics while charlie ventured towards the magical creature section. For a second it looked like Ron would head straight towards the quidditch section but he glanced back at Jane, who, while breathing easier, still didn't appear entirely comfortable in the shop, and stayed with them instead. Arthur felt immensely proud in that moment ad decided to maybe splurge a little for a new broom.
Conry, list probably perfectly memorized, headed off to collect the First year's books with Jane and Ginny. Ron decided to tag along, trying to look bored, leaving Bill and Arthur to themselves.
"Will she be okay?" his eldest asked, his eyes following Conry's easy to spot white head of hair.
Arthur hummed lowly in thought. "I must say, I'm surprised she's gotten this far. The poor girl had a panic attack before we even entered King's Cross. This here is worse and she's doing better. She's strong, Bill, and I'm not talking about her magic."
Conry found most books with ease. He had been in here about... twenty eight-ish years ago and it was mostly the same. To a degree, that was terribly sad. No new books, no knew knowledge found it's way into a wizard's hands here. He took the liberty of collecting Ginny's books in the same breath. They were the same after all. It amused him somewhat that young Ronald had taken it upon himself to accompany them. The boy wasn't the brightest of his brothers, but certainly no fool. He had a good heart, strong magic and courageous soul. A Weasley to boot. Ciel would have adored him. She had always admired the honest and hard working, the bold and brave. At times, he wondered what she had seen in him, the reserved and stoic wolf that wouldn't leave Merlin's side unless he was ordered to.
He was already carrying the books on potions and herbology when his hand skimmed over a book he hadn't seen before. Intrigued by a new addition to the history section, he took it from it's resting place and peered at the cover. He barely kept his face straight.
"Blood-bound Familiars and their inherit danger," he spat. The author was some pure blood fool. McCarter. Conry was sure to remember the name. Jane put her free hand against his chest. Her touch was cool against his boiling anger. "My apologize," he said quietly and was about to put the book back when Ginny grasped it first.
"That's what they wrote about... well, them, right?" she asked. When he nodded shortly, she did as well. "Then I'd like to keep it. I'm sure Percy'd be eager to help me sort through that rubbish and find something wrong with the legislation or something."
Conry blinked. Oh, what a devious streak the girl had. He grinned wolfishly. "You would make a good Slytherin, little Weasley. I'm impressed. Sadly, the laws that outlawed blood familiars are rather iron clad. The purge was issued after the wizengamot deemed u-, them as too dangerous. Families caught with them were severely punished, like yours, and stripped of most of their wealth." It went unspoken that the Potters weren't caught but that was because the grey hounds faced the music before it could get connected to the family. No one had expected the leading wizards to wield magic that could destroy them. The Red hounds weren't as fortunate and were discovered on the Weasley clan's land. Same with the Black Hounds. Only him and Ciel had survived back then, for their brethren had hidden them away in the chambers underneath the properties.
Ginny nodded, taking the book and scowling at it as if it were a personal enemy of hers. Chuckling quietly to himself, the wizened wolf moved down to the next row, indicating to Ron a book about broom enchantment. He picked up books on transfiguration and charms before he realized where he'd get the books on defense against the dark arts. Conry cast a look across the shop to where masses of witches and even a few wizards were trying to get to the desk where the esteemed Gilderoy Lockhart was signing copies of his latest books.
Sadly, every Weasley brother needed one from him. Conry hadn't ever heard of the man nor had he read one of his books but the moving photograph of the blonde ponce that kept flashing blindingly white teeth annoyed him sufficiently enough to form an opinion anyways. He glanced down at his mistress, who was admirably keeping her shaky smile, and decided that this was as much as she could take. They weren't going to go over there. Conry looked up to find Arthur halfway to the crowd, looking for his wife. A small compulsion had him look in his direction.
He and Bill made their way over to them. "Yes?" the Weasley patriarch asked, apparently not angered by the charm the wolf had cast.
"It seems that we will need to enter the fray as well," the wolf said dryly. "Though I will not force my mistress through that. I'd like to ask you to pick up all these books." A piece of paper formed in the air between them, a list with the names of four different books, all of them written by Lockhart. "Sadly, the dark arts section is just, uh, behind all of them."
Arthur heaved a sigh. "Well..." He turned to his oldest son. "Shall we then?"
Bill smiled wryly. "For our maiden," he chanted halfheartedly, but with good humor.
Ginny hid a gleeful smile behind her hand and Ron outright snorted. Conry sent him a sideways glance. "Would you like to accompany them?" he asked casualy.
"Uh... I, uh... no?" Ron backpedaled, taking a step into the opposite direction.
"I thought so," Conry declared with a feral grin as they watched Arthur and Bill dive into the masses.
Molly elbowed her way past a quite portly witch and finally, after eight minutes of trading blows, came out at the desk Lockhart was sitting at. His dazzling smile and steel blue eyes were even brighter than the photos portrayed them to be. The book she had managed to get her hands on ("Dinner with Succubi") was clutched against her chest in a death grip. Five times some wench had tried to steal it! Five times! The blonde woman in front of her giggled dreamily as Gilderoy singed her book with a flourish.
Molly managed to pass to the front and may or may not have tripped some cow on her way. A little ruffled and out of breath she almost fell onto the table Lockhart was sitting behind.
"Hello," she breathed, almost wheezing. The air was getting rather thin in here.
He flashed her a dazzling smile. "Why hello to you as well, madame..." He gestured for her to introduce herself.
"Molly," she said, almost forgetting herself, "Molly Weasley!"
"Brilliant!" he declared, taking the book from her hands and flipping to the first page where there was an line already designated for his signature. His hand, already armed with a lilac quill, signed the words "For Molly Weasly, adoring fan of Gilderoy Lockhart" in an almost artistic script.
Molly was only the slightest bit put off that he had written her family name wrong but had not time to correct him for she was already rudely bumped out of the way.
Unfortunately for her, she almost fell right into the arms of one Narcissa Malfoy.
When Arthur and Bill managed to fight their way into the center of the crowd, there was a sudden opening and Arthur almost fell flat on his face. Bill stumbled into the free space after him, the hand print still red on his right cheek from a rather angry female in the crowd who had accused him of copping a feel. Given that she was a rather beautiful specimen and Bill rather hot blooded, Arthur wasn't sure how righteous the attack had been.
"You spiteful wench!"
"Ragged cow!"
That, at least on of them, was definitely his wife's voice. Arthur feared the worst. He turned his head and saw Molly... wrestle with... Narcissa Malfoy? "What in the blazes is going on here!?" he managed, loud enough for Molly to hear him.
It distracted her long enough for the Malfoy woman to land a rather hard kick to his wife's shin. Arthur shot to his full height in affront. "Molly!"
As he hurried over to his wife and tried to disentangle her screeching and nagging body from the huffing and puffing Malfoy women, a man strode into the opened space opposite from Bill.
"Cease this nonsense this instant!" the tall, belach blonde man bellowed, his ornate, snake-headed cane cracking angrily against the wooden floor.
Arthur, his hands full with his fuming wife, raised his head. His surprised eyes narrowed immediately. "Lucius," he hissed.
"Arthur," the Malfoy returned icily. "What is this? Can't your wife keep herself in check? Or has poverty driven her to try and steal from my family?"
Molly bristled and roughly disentangled herself from him. Bill came to stand with them while Narcissa tried to rearrange her black and silver dress robes on her way to her husband. His wife and Malfoy's began trading insults again, about pushing and inabilities to walk, think or other implied disabilities until Suddenly Conry walked into the middle of them.
His sudden appearance, towering form and dangerous eyes halted the verbal battle before it could escalate. He said not a word, but observed them coolly, apparently not taking any sides. "This is neither the place nor the time for this." His voice seemed to silence everyone else in the room. His pristine posture and sharp features brooked no room for arguments.
Lucius Malfoy however didn't seem to be intimidated by the man that tower almost three heads over him. "And who might you be to interfere?" he demanded brusquely.
The crowd around them seemed to feel that something was not quite right and many vacated the shop to escape the oppressive atmosphere. Lockhart, however, remained sitting at his table, that happened to be quite close to the center of attention. His smile faltered a bit as more and more people simply walked away, fearing a duel.
Arthur took the opportunity to scan his surroundings for the rest of his family. All of his sons minus Bill stood in front of Ginny and Jane, the latter seemed to try and shrink into the book shelve she was standing against. The people all pressed past them and Arthur could see why Conry seemed none too pleased with this situation.
"It is of no matter to you, Malfoy, who I am," Conry said, golden eyes focusing on Lucius. "What does matter, however, it that I am here to finish my mistress' shopping. This spat if over now."
Malfoy made a face and Arthur could see his hand reach into his robes. Both he and Bill had their wands draw before Malfoy's even left his robes. Narcissa made a startled noise and back away while Lucius' eyes narrowed dangerously. They left Conry to focus on Arthur, which the Weasley man thought rather foolish.
"It's always the same with you, isn't it, Weasley?" he spat. "First this rubbish Muggle Protection Law and now a public brawl with my wife!"
Arthur's eyes narrowed in response. "Oh? Didn't like that they searched the manor? Could it be that you did hide something? Well maybe we should look again then, shouldn't we, Lucius?"
Malfoy drew a wand from the head of his cane. "You impudent-!"
"Enough!" Conry thundered, his voice echoing painfully loud in the almost empty shop. He turned to Arthur. "We are leaving, Arthur."
Malfoy leveled his wand at Conry's retreating back but before and words could leave his lips, his wand was snapped in half by an unseen force. As Lucius cursed extensively and Narcissa fumed after them, Arthur and Bill wearily followed the white haired man. Molly had already hurried over to the children and the people were returning to the shop after the danger had passed.
"I see you have some kind of spat going with the Malfoys," Conry remarked, "I must say, I'm not surprised. They have never been the most sociable of people. Were one of the first ones to start this pure blood rubbish just as well."
Arthur nodded grimly. "Lucius was a death eater in the last war. He escaped by claiming he was under the Imperius curse and tries to pass all these ridiculous laws to keep the...ehm, first generation wizards and witches from society." He looked up and flinched when he saw the expression of feral fury in Conry's eyes. His pupils were thin slits, eyes narrowed and his canines seemed to have sharpened considerably as he snarled straight ahead.
"Then he will have to pray not to give me a reason to exterminate him," the wolf growled. "Let us leave, milady doesn't have to be here any longer than necessary."
The return to the Burrow was a bit subdued. Jane, exhausted as she was, was asleep against Ginny's shoulder, who scowled like all of her brothers.
"Malfoy's a right git," Ron growled. "A little ponce, no better than his father, the pompous arse!"
"Language, Ronald," Molly chastised weakly, a thoughtful expression on her face.
Arthur's grip on the steering wheel was vice-like, his face stony as he drove steadily onto the property. Conry, who sat to Jane's left by the window, seemed rather at ease.
"Be at ease," he told the family. "I have my research on the elder Malfoy, if only a little." He shrugged. "His political influence is remarkable but rather brittle. Strip him of is money and it's all gone. The Potter's influence can sway his hold on the ministry easily."
"Really?" Arthur asked, perplex.
"Not yet," Conry relented. "Mistress is too young to take to the political stage and after the ruckus today, I'm pretty sure I missed a few cameras." Molly blushed and a nervous cough escape Arthur. "No worries," the wolf said, "they would have heard of mistress' return anyways. One way or another."
Bill sighed loudly. "Still, this could have ended with less commotion. Think it'll be lots of press at King's Cross?"
"Of course," Conry said gruffly, "but they won't be a problem, not to any of us."
Ginny hoped he was right, playing with the fingers of Jane's right hand. They curled around hers whenever she let them. "Can't we just travel to Hogwarts another way?" she asked.
"I could arrange that," Cory admitted, "But... it is imperial that the people know that Jane traveled to Hogwarts."
"But why?" Ginny asked heatedly, "She could barely stand the alley! On September there'll be hundreds of students and people!"
Conry looked at her sadly. "Mistress' return will ruffle some feathers. There is a war coming and milady will be the very center of it. It is her destiny."
Ginny scowled mightily at him. Jane was so frail! How could she stand all that?
"She will need your help," the wolf said as they rolled into the shed at the Burrow. "All of yours," he continued, addressing them all. "We are approaching dark times and it milady that will have to lead us out of them."
Ginny tightened her hold on Jane's hand. "So be it then," she whispered. "But she won't be alone."
There was a conviction in her eyes, a fire Conry hoped would survive even the darkness to come.
A/N: Here we go. Hogwarts is up next. I've decided to keep canon going in the background while everything is happening so I'll have to think about how I'll do all the Chamber of Secrets stuff.
Anyhow, unless you can suggest a animagus form it'll be a wolf pup, reddish fur with a grey underbelly and emerald green eyes.
It isn't decided yet what house we sort Jane and Ginny into, but there's a poll up, I think. Vote if you can.
:3
