Luna, Dean, Sam, and Jo stared blankly at the space their respective caretakers had been a moment previously. Then Luna blinked and her Ravenclaw common sense took over.
"We have to get out of her. Now," Luna told them frantically – or what passed for frantic for her, which was a cool yet urgent voice.
"Why? They're gone," Sam said.
"As soon as they get to their destination Bellatrix can come back here and get us." Luna bit roughly into her lip, determined not to get too upset by the thought of what might happen to Spike and the others.
"But you're a witch, too," Dean pointed out.
She shook her head frantically. "Not like her. Bellatrix Lestrange is one of the darkest witches of the modern era. She was supposed to be locked up in Azkaban, but…" Luna trailed off helplessly. "We have to go."
Dean shook his sixteen-year old frame into action. "Alright. Let's go."
They raced out of Harvelle's Roadhouse and into the parking lot, where Dean directed them to his dad's Chevy Impala. Out of habit Sam slid into the backseat and Jo followed him, leaving Luna the front seat. "Thank god dad makes me carry the spare key," he muttered as he started the car. He peeled out of the lot and headed north. Luna stared silently out the back window, waiting for something to happen, and she wasn't disappointed. Lights flared in the bar and soon after the bar lit up in flames.
"My house," Jo whimpered as she watched the flames quickly consume her possessions – fire spells were notoriously quick and uncontrollable. Sam wrapped his arm around her protectively.
"Can she track us?" Dean grunted as he glanced into his rearview mirror.
"Maybe."
"Maybe?" Dean repeated incredulously.
"There are tracking spells. Or she could just fly down each end of the road."
"FLY?"
Luna grimaced in irritation at Dean's outburst. "Yes. On a broom, if she has one handy."
"Fucking witches," Dean grumbled.
Luna opened her mouth to respond to his harsh statement but then she thought better of it. His father had just been kidnapped. She could understand the anger he must be feeling right now."
"Luna's a good witch!" Sam chimed in, smiling at the girl in question.
His words brought a smile to her face. In her life, she wasn't used to people sticking up for her.
"Whatever," Dean said with a roll of his eyes.
They drove at breakneck speed down the highway for the next thirty minutes in silence, each of them lost in their own thoughts. Finally, once they began to see signs for Sioux City, South Dakota, Dean spoke up.
"So where would this Drusilla bitch be?" Dean stared straight ahead as he talked, his eyes intent on the road. Little could be gathered from his expression but the tension in his shoulders spoke volumes.
"She said west," Luna murmured.
"Yeah, okay," Dean snorted. "There's a lot of things in the west."
Luna sighed. Dean's negative aura was flaring red and it was certainly distracting at the moment. "She gave me a riddle once. But I'm not sure what the answer is yet."
"Let's hear it," Sam suggested, eager to help.
"When the sun sets in the west, little moon will come out, but she will not be able to see the stars. Ancient beings will hide the stars, just as they hide your secrets. You will find trees, and then you will find a family tree,"Luna recounted.
"A family tree?" Sam asked with interest as he leaned forward in the backseat.
"Yeah…" Luna answered slowly. "She said she had books for me – my legacy."
"What kind of legacy?" Sam questioned earnestly.
"My heritage, what it means to be a Guardian…I think," Luna said with a subtle shrug. She could not believe that after looking for her legacy since she and Spike arrived in America that it was finally within arm's reach. The only problem was, it was in Drusilla's hands.
"Wait, wait, wait. What's this family tree business? You related to the broad?" Dean asked with a furtive glance in her direction.
"No," Luna answered quickly. After all, that would be madness…
"I assume she just meant my family books," Luna finished softly. She was staring out the window now and trying to calculate Drusilla's location. Out west, ancient beings, trees…The western United States was a great expanse of land and there were plenty of trees.
…In fact, her uncle lived in a very forested area!
"Head west," Luna ordered Dean.
He gave her a skeptical look. "Where west?"
"Portland, Oregon. My uncle lives there and there are a great deal of trees. He may be able to help us better."
"Uh…the same uncle who's the daddy of your Bigfoot cousin?" Dean asked with a laugh.
Luna just glared in response.
It took over a day of driving to get to Portland. By the time they got there it was five in the morning and the city was silent. They asked for directions to the Oregon Zoo at a gas station and then parked easily in the empty lot. The four of them got out of the Impala looking worse for wear and Dean, Sam, and Jo looked at Luna for orders.
"Okay, well the entrance to the wizarding village – Columbia Village– is inside the zoo, inside Elk Meadow. Since the zoo's not open, I suppose we'll have to break in," Luna mused.
Dean smiled for the first time since his father was taken. "Cool. I've got some supplies in the trunk."
"Er, as helpful as that normally would be, I have a much easier way of getting in," Luna smiled as she held up her wand.
"Oh," Dean said with a dejected look. Breaking into places – by himself – always put him in a better mood. He really hated this magic business.
Luna used the 'alohamora' spell several times as they broke into the various zoo gates. After reading a giant map near the front of the zoo, she led them to Elk Meadow.
Along the while, Jo's curious nature seemed to have won out over the fear she felt for her mother. She asked Luna dozens of questions about magic and the Wizarding world throughout their walk, to which Luna answered happily; if for no other reason than to take her mind off what Drusilla and Bellatrix may be doing.
Once they got to Elk Meadow, Luna showed them the wizard-only entrance into the enclosed area and explained how the actual entrance into Columbia Village was hidden. The four of them walked into the grassy area, but Dean let out an immediate shriek of terror as he spotted twin yellow eyes watching him. His gun was out in a flash but Luna smacked it out of his hand.
"What the hell, Luna? There are wolves here!" Dean shouted angrily.
"Yes, and they are magical wolves and specially trained. They won'thurt you, so put away your firearm," Luna ordered severely. Merlin help her if one of these wolves got hurt. She would never be able to forgive herself for bringing gun-toting muggles here.
Dean gritted his teeth but reholstered his gun. "Uh, gee, you could have mentioned it to us. After all, this is called ElkMeadow. How was I supposed to know there were fangy things in here?"
Luna rolled her eyes. "There was a bloody sign back there clearly saying 'wolves'," she snapped back irritably; falling into Spike's manner of speech now that her ire had been struck.
Raising his eyebrows at her reply, Dean smirked slightly. "You know, it's almost kind of funny when you're angry. You're usually so zen-yoda like." He stared at Luna with rapt attention, playing close attention to how her normally pale cheeks were flushed with anger. Her long blond hair hung in waves over her shoulder and he was amused with how she huffed and threw some of her thick hair over her back.
"Well forgive me for only being able to handle so much Dean Winchester time in one summer," Luna scowled.
"Excuse me?" Dean snorted in amusement as he waved his hand over his body. "I just happen to know that most chicks beg for more Dean Winchester time. You should consider yourself lucky."
"OH! You really are an arrogant arse, aren't you?" Luna shouted as she pivoted to face Dean. "People we love are in danger and all you can do is make jokes!" Hot tears formed behind her eyes and she was certain they would give way any moment now.
"Yeah, well making jokes is better than crying, isn't it?" Dean growled heatedly. He had been driving nonstop with no sleep in almost two days and he was so not dealing with a PMS-ing witch right now.
"Whoa, guys," Sam interrupted calmly. "Um, can we just get moving? Listen, we're all kind of stressed, okay? We should save it for Bellatrix and Drusilla."
Dean and Luna stared at each other furiously for a moment longer before looking away abruptly.
"Fine," they chorused.
In silence Luna led them through Elk Meadow and into the muggle-proof woods that held the entrance into Columbia Village. The only problem was, the last time she came here it was with Luke Matthews, who had worked with the Office of Secret Services, and they used a special departmental entrance. She had no idea where the normal entrance was.
"Well?" Dean asked in a bland voice after Luna looked around for a while.
"It's in one of these trees, I'm sure," she murmured as she tapped each thick tree with her wand. Finally, one tree sparked like a muggle firework and a door slid open in response. "In here!" Luna called out with a smile.
They squeezed into the trunk of the tree, which resembled an elevator made of smoothly carved wood. The door slid shut and a crisp female voice spoke to them from above.
"Destination, please."
"Lovegood's Wand Emporium," Luna responded promptly.
"Destination noted. Please hold on."
"Hold on to what?" Jo asked.
"This," Luna replied as she grabbed onto the curved bark handle that lined the walls of the small room.
Immediately their bodies were flown into the air as the room rushed downwards. It snapped briefly and then began flying sideways, making them all bang into the walls.
"What the freaking hell is this? Some wizard Cedar Point?" Dean shouted as he hung on for dear life. He hated airplanes and now he decided that he hated freaky Wizarding travel boxes, too!
The crisp female voice came over the loudspeaker again. "You are using the Magical Automatic eXpress, often referred to as the MAX line. The MAX line runs throughout Columbia Village and the surrounding Wizarding locations in order to properly disguise the travels of wizards and to assist guests in avoiding the precipitation."
Suddenly the MAX halted again and then shot upwards, plastering them against the floor, before suddenly halting for good.
"Journey complete. Welcome to Lovegood's Wand Emporium ," the automatic voice informed as the door opened to the outside world. Facing them was a crooked three story cylinder home made of stone and resembling something out of the Middle Ages. It was completely covered with ivy and on the front hung out a wooden sign that said 'Lovegood's Wand Emporium'.
"That. Was. Awesome!" Jo shouted as she jumped up and ran outside.
Sam laughed and helped Luna to her feet; she may be a witch but not even she was ever prepared for another MAX trip. After they walked out, Sam glanced back with a knowing smile at Dean. "Coming?"
Dean, looking pale and sickly, could barely nod in return as he struggled to get to his feet. As soon as he walked outside, he ran straight for some bushes and threw up his breakfast of convenience store hot dogs.
Sam and Jo burst into laughter at their eldest companion's response, but Luna just shook her head in condolence. Sometimes she just felt bad for how poorly Dean handled all things magical.
"Come on, let's see if my uncle is awake," Luna said in a slightly nervous tone. Now that she was here she was wondering if her uncle would want to tell the American Department of Magical Affairs. Of course, that would make perfect sense. But if it did make sense, then why did she feel so uneasy about it?
Trust. She could not quite bring herself to trust the Department, even after they helped them all in Sunnydale against the First Evil. After all, what if they killed Spike by mistake, in the course of pursuing Drusilla? Or destroyed her books that she was meant to have? Not to mention, they would most certainly wipe the memories of all the muggles involved.
No, that wouldn't do. Although she reckoned to herself that she should tell someone back in England. With her and Spike's rental car gone, she had lost the numbers to the Watchers Council and had no idea how to communicate across the Atlantic Ocean.
Telling herself she would figure out something soon, Luna knocked twice on the door; and twice more after no one responded.
"They're probably asleep," Sam guessed.
"Pretty much what I'd like to be doing, after we find dad" Dean grumbled as he leaned against the building.
The door opened with an inquisitive growl and Luna smiled as she spotted her Aunt Brumhilda's seven-foot frame; the doorbell of didgeridoo music sounded in greeting. "Aunt Hilda!" she said with delight as he aunt scooped her up into a hug. "I'm so sorry for waking you up this early but it is an emergency."
Aunt Brumhilda nodded and growled a bit more, looking curiously at Luna's friends.
"Oh, sorry. This is Dean and Sam Winchester, and this is Jo Harvelle. They're friends of mine."
With a smile – that was terrifying for those who did not know the sasquatch woman - she gestured for them to come inside went upstairs to get Uncle Bartholomaus. Brumhilda looked like your average sasquatch – long tan hairs covering her entire body and an almost ape-humanoid body, but she was also currently wearing a frilly pink and white apron.
Smelling of crisp cedar and oak, the inside of the wand shop had a homey feel to it. Their feet were cushioned by thick grass that served as the carpet and strands of ivy covered the oak cabinets lining the walls. The cabinets displayed hundreds of dark blue wand boxes; some covered with dust and others clean as can be. Eccentric cherry wood carved statues in various nature-centric forms of trees and animals were scattered around the floor. The only bit of light streamed in from the front window, a pale pink from the sunrise. At the front of the shop were a dark oak counter and an ancient cash register.
"This place is so cool," Jo grinned as she began inspecting the area eagerly.
"So this is where people get wands?" Sam asked as he looked up at the nearest shelf while Dean patrolled silently through the shop.
"Yes, here in the Americas it is considered one of the better shops. My uncle Bartholomaus loves nature and he has a good bit of luck in coaxing the finest wands into being," Luna responded dreamily. Her uncle and father were very similar when it came to their love of nature and it was something that had passed down to Luna.
Footsteps sounded down the staircase and Aunt Brumhilda returned with Uncle Bartholomaus, who was holding her youngest cousin Bathilda.
"Batty!" Luna squealed. She had not seen the toddler since she and the Scoobies visited in January, and before that it had been even longer.
Uncle Bartholomaus gave her a fond smile and held out Batty, who was cooing and stretching out her hands towards Luna. "Lu-lu!" she said, her voice a high-pitched growl that sounded like it was trying to form human sounds.
Dean stared at the Lovegood family with a freaked out expression that he was struggling to maintain. He remembered Luna's story about her cousin Bach; how his dad (her uncle) had married a sasquatch and that Bach looked like the dad while the daughter looked like the mom, but he had never expected to see it up close. Batty, as Luna called her, was the size of a human toddler but a ball of fur – kind of like an itty bitty Cousin It.
He let out a snort of laughter. Itty Bitty Cousin It. Yeah, that was about right.
"Hiya Batty," Luna cooed softly as she hugged her little cousin against her chest. She pulled her away to inspect the girl closer. "My, you've gotten bigger!"
Aunt Brumhilda laughed softly and growled in response.
"Yup, she might even get as big as her momma," Uncle Bartholomaus stated proudly. He was young-looking for his age, perhaps due to all his time spent outdoors. Almost as tall as Brumhilda and built like a Quidditch beater, he had thick white blond hair that fell to his shoulders and a sunny smile. Unlike most wizards, he didn't wear a robe. Instead he opted for a flannel shirt and dark, aged denim jeans. In short, he kind of almost looked like a Winchester, which Luna found amusing at the moment.
Luna spun around, laughing as Batty began giggling and clapping her hands in delight. "Oh yes, I bet you'll be too big for me to even hold soon!" she grinned.
"So, what brings you kids here? Not that I'm not glad to see you," Bartholomaus added quickly. "After all, we usually wake up at dawn to do a bit of hunting, so it's not early by our standards, but this is a bit of an odd time to visit." His voice still carried a strong English accent even after living in America for over twenty years.
The happiness she felt at holding her little cousin vanished and Luna exhaled deeply. Her uncle was rather laissez-faire, but not as much as her father, and her aunt was deeply protective (after all, she had been the one to send Bach to visit her in the New York hospital). She knew if she told them the truth they would get the Wizarding authorities involved and Luna still wasn't sure if she could trust them….
"We're on a treasure hunt," Luna supplied quickly, being sure to give her friends bright smiles.
"A treasure hunt?" Bartholomaus repeated.
Brumhilda let out a skeptical growl.
Luna made sure to put on her best 'dreamy' face and speak in her dreamiest voice. "Oh yes. You remember how I'm traveling with Spike, the vampire?" They nodded; her father had told them this before she left for America. "Well he's taking us on a delightful treasure hunt and has given us a most difficult riddle." Realizing she forgot to introduce everyone in the excitement of seeing Batty, she gestured towards them quickly. "This is Dean and Sam Winchester and this is Jo Harvelle. They're my traveling companions."
"Oh, huh." Uncle Bartholomaus cocked his head to the side as he looked over Jo. "I would have thought you were here because you needed a wand for this one. She's the right age, isn't she?"
Jo's hazel eyes widened at his attention and she looked quickly around the room. "M-me?"
Luna gave the girl a closer look. When looking for the slayer she had determined there was something special about the girl but she hadn't known what. "You think she's a witch?"
Her uncle gave her a broad smile. "Certainly. I can spot a human with magical abilities from ten miles away. As soon as I saw Jo I figured that was your purpose in coming here."
"Wow! Are you serious? I actually get a wand?" Jo exclaimed, jumped up and down at her words – probably as most ten-year olds would at the sudden knowledge they had magical abilities.
"What the heck? First Ellen's a slayer and now her kid is a witch? This is insane," Dean scoffed as he shook his head.
"Uh, just checking, but, um, do you think I'm a wizard?" Sam asked hopefully.
"Sammy!" Dean chided.
Bartholomaus walked closer to Sam, even going so far as to touch his temple and stare into his eyes. "No," he said in a hushed voice as he suddenly pulled back. "You're not a wizard, young sir." There was something fairly peculiar about his tone and Luna wondered if maybe her uncle had just come to the conclusion that Sam was a hunter or something.
Shaking his head, her uncle Bartholomaus looked at his wife. "Darling, could you make some tea for the children and I while Ms. Harvelle's wand comes to her?"
Aunt Brumhilda nodded and went back into the kitchen.
"Now Ms. Harvelle," Uncle Bartholomaus said with a kind smile. "How about we look for your wand?"
As Jo tore through the shop with Uncle Bartholomaus while Sam observed their every moment, Luna, Batty, and Dean sat on the couch in the center of the shop. Batty was currently content playing with Luna's long locks and Luna took the opportunity to smooth things over with Dean. It was clear he needed sleep, not just judging by his attitude but by the haggard worn expression on his face.
"Dean, I'm sorry if I was short with you earlier," Luna commented softly.
From his position sitting at the opposite end of the couch, he looked at her in surprise. His expression softened when he realized her sincerity, and he quickly shrugged his shoulders. "No big deal," he said gruffly. "It's not like I'm always that fun to be around."
Luna smiled. "When you're not being a smartass, you can be a lot of fun."
Dean laughed and leaned back, finally looking comfortable since they got to Portland. "When you're not being a know-it-all, you can be a lot of fun, too," he replied, his lips tugging into an amused smile.
Her laughter hitting the air like wind chimes, Luna nodded. "Perhaps so. That is a common problem with Ravenclaws."
Remembering her description of Hogwarts to Sam back in the hospital, Dean asked, "That's that house thing at the Pig Latin Warts place, yeah?"
Luna laughed again, unable to help herself. The last twenty-four hours had been awful and the next twenty-four were likely to be just as bad. Laughter felt good right now. "Hogwarts," she corrected with a smile. "Not that you didn't know that, I'm sure."
Dean just smirked.
Batty, distracted from playing with Luna's hair by the conversation going on, began to observe the new boy she did not know. Her wide chocolate-brown eyes peered curiously at Dean, and he seemed a bit taken aback by her interest.
"Uh, hey," he said with a little wave at the girl.
Taking that as an invitation, Batty giggled, ran, and leapt onto Dean's lap. "Whoa!" he said as the little girl settled into his lap and just stared up sweetly at him.
"Don't worry, she doesn't bite," Luna said with a slightly smirk, knowing exactly what Dean was thinking.
"Wha-what?" he said lightly, albeit sounding a bit embarrassed. "Of course I didn't think that."
"Hmm."
"Um, hi," Dean said to the little sasquatch girl. He looked pleadingly at Luna. "What am I supposed to do with her?"
Laughing, Luna shook her head. "She's just like any other toddler. Haven't you ever played with kids before?"
"Hunting demons doesn't exactly leave room for baby-sitting." He moved his knee up, just to see what the little critter would do. She laughed and he couldn't help but grin in response; besides the whole Chewbacca-type look, she did have the cutest brown eyes. Something in his memory clicked and he remembered what his mom used to do with him as a kid.
"Hey Batty, you ever play the button game?"
She tilted her head and shook 'no'.
Dean grinned. "Okay, every part of my face is a button, like here and here," he said as he pointed to his nose and chin. "When you press the wrong button you fall. Wanna play?"
"Dean," Luna started in a worried tone. She really did not like the idea of Dean dropping her little cousin.
He shot her a 'don't worry about it' smile and then turned back to Batty. "Ready?"
She nodded and pressed his nose.
"Whoops!" he shouted as he moved his legs apart and let her fall partly, before rescuing her with his hands. "You pressed the wrong button! What'd you do that for?" Dean grinned as Batty burst into wild giggles.
Luna smiled to herself and leaned back, watching as Dean played with Batty. He was still the type of boy prejudiced against anything he didn't know, but he had a lot of potential.
Once Jo had her wand, the seven of them sat down for tea.
"Where's Bach?" Luna inquired as she nibbled on a treacle tart; they were her favorite and she loved how her uncle and aunt always had some out when she visited.
"Off on a summer vacation with some friends. You know, he's contemplating going somewhere overseas for his final year?" Bartholomaus informed her.
"No, I didn't know," Luna replied. "I heard that the American schools are fond of study abroad experiences. Where to?"
Her uncle gave her a bright smile. "Either Durmstrang or Hogwarts."
Luna grinned in delight. She was not really looking forward to returning to Hogwarts this fall – between the tug of war regarding her duties as a Guardian and a young witch, she felt torn in many directions. Plus, she wasn't looking forward to returning to Hogwarts after taking leaving last year for Sunnydale. She wasn't looking forward to the stares and pranks, especially after getting used to having friends. "That's wonderful!"
Bartholomaus looked like he was about to speak further, but Dean interrupted him. "Uh, sorry to interrupt, but our 'treasure hunt' is kinda time sensitive. Can you help us?"
Feeling like an idiot for getting caught up in things, Luna nodded and told them Drusilla's riddle. Her aunt and uncle gave each other pondering looks.
"So it'll be a coastline with ancient beings, likely ancient trees. There are trees no more ancient than the redwoods," Uncle Bartholomaus stated.
"Like in California?" Sam asked eagerly.
"Yes, and Oregon. Although," Bartholomaus mused, "the coastline redwoods are very common in Northern California."
"Where exactly?" Dean questioned.
Bartholomaus shrugged. "Well, there are many muggle-designated parks, especially near San Francisco with Muir Woods, Big Sur with the Los Padres National Forest, and the majority are near Crescent City in the Redwood National Park."
Luna looked up sharply at her uncle. "Crescent City?" she repeated in a breathy voice.
"Yup," Bartholomaus nodded, unaware that his words had any special meaning. "Probably about half of the remaining coastal redwoods are in there. In fact, Brumhilda has some family there, don't you dear?"
Aunt Brumhilda began speaking in her native sasquatch tongue describing how some of her cousins call the giant trees home. Luna nodded throughout, fascinated.
"Thank you both," she said with a smile at her family. "I think I know where we need to go now."
After all, she doubted the universe was just giving her a mere coincidence placing her legacy near a city after her 'nick'-namesake.
A/N:
First off, I have now officially posted ONE MILLION words on TTH! Wooooo!
(Whenever I write/read those words I imagine Doctor Evil saying them. Heehee).
I've heard/read a lot of writers say that the first million words you write are your apprenticeship. So, although I don't consider myself anything fancy, it is nice to have accomplished this. Thanks to everyone who has read/reviewed/tracked any of my stories!
As for this particular story…A couple more chapters and then the end shall arrive! Ahhh!
And then…comes Willow's Thief :) Which I am working on, but it is going veryslow, especially since I want to wrap all my other in-progress stories up first.
References
* Columbia Village -featured in Willow's Thief
* Lovegood's Wand Emporium - featured in Willow's Thief
*Oh, and Crescent City is a real place and really is near the Redwood Nat'l Forest ;) It seriously just worked out like that! .org/wiki/Crescent_City,_California
*Also, did you know that #2 and #3 of the biggest coastal redwoods are named after Tolkien characters? Melkor and Ilúvatar. Found that during my CA geography research. It pretty much made my day – I so have a new vacation destination!