Posted Sep 2, 2015
SUMMARY: The Weasley children and Hermione join Rasalas for the holidays; the final public live-steam day of the year is held; An afternoon is spent skating, during which Rasalas and Arthur do something they've been trying to avoid for sometime; and with some extraordinary guests attending, a ritual is held to mark the Winter solstice...
220. YULE, 2006
December, 2006
"Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love."
- Hamilton Wright Mabi
The last day of term at Hogwarts had been on the 15th. Bill had taken a port key to the school and collected both Ron and Ginny, as well as Hermione—she had written to her parents asking for permission. Rasalas had then sought out permission for her to be in the country, which had been easily granted. A brief reunion was had, but the three of them travelled by floo powder to visit the twins for the weekend, and so would join everyone on Monday.
There wasn't a whole lot of time to relax, as December 17th was the last live steaming day of the year for the steam club. Therefore, Saturday was spent clearing the track. Thus far, old man winter had attacked with a vengeance, with two feet of snow down since late November.
The snow-clearing operation for the miniature railway involved a scale model of a railway snow blower, which was powered by a gas engine. Since the plow did not have its own motive power, it was then coupled to the front of the Y-6-b, which provided more than enough tractive effort.
It took several hours to complete the entire circuit. Sure, they could just use magic to vanish the snow, but it was about the operation, as it functioned exactly as the real-scale counterpart. Rasalas had seen CN clearing the mainline a week earlier after a snow, though in that instance it had been a wedge plow. According to Ryan, CN did not own rotary snow plow equipment anymore.
Rasalas caught on pretty quickly to Ryan's signals, but it was slow-going. The snow was in itself a foot and a half deep, but the drifts made it much worse in many places. In those instances, they would only be able to go a few feet before backing up and doing it a second time.
In a few instances, the shovels had to be brought out, since the drift had reached over five feet high. Quite literally, it was like passing through a canyon, the snow was so high.
Toward the end of it, Rasalas began vanishing some of the snow, to make things move a long a little quicker. Though he had driven the locomotive for the most part, he most certainly helped out when they needed to use shovels, and so was more than thankful when they at last pushed the equipment back into the storage shed and the shop for the night.
The live steaming day was as busy as it had been during the summer. There had been six locomotives, including the Sawyers' Y6B, and the enormous Selkirk. It made quite a sight, as they passed through the canyons cut through the snow. A large bonfire had been lit, and there was appropriate refreshments.
Given it was close to the holidays, there was hot apple cider, hot chocolate, Christmas cookies, and other holiday treats. One of the members had dressed up like Santa Claus, handing out small gifts to the number of children who attended. It had taken Rasalas about a minute to conjure a large Christmas tree, complete with lights and decorations. That, of course, had been done in the morning, before anyone arrived.
For this event, it was suggested that Arthur and his knights remain at Camelot, since there were a lot more cameras about, which increased the risk of discovery. Rasalas was disappointed with that, but knew it was best to err on the side of caution. Last thing he would need, was something happening to Arthur while he was visiting.
He was more than glad when the day was over, and the engine was once again put away. Far too many young children with no concept of the words, 'Do not touch', and 'Hot'. A more apt way to phrase it, the lack of common sense. One boy had nearly derailed the train, having dragged his feet rather than keeping them up on the foot rest as instructed. Phil had banned the boy from riding from then on. They did reserve the right and all that.
Driving the locomotive was fun, but dealing with annoying little brats really offset the entertainment value. If anything, Rasalas preferred his broom (and perhaps, a certain blond-haired man sitting behind him).
Ron, Hermione, and Ginny joined them Monday afternoon. Much as it had been during the summer, everyone took the same rooms, with Bill taking the room his parents had used. The twins, meanwhile, did not stay in the house, since they did have their own flat in Toronto. It was nothing for them to Apparate between the house and their shop, and Rasalas had given them Apparition rights.
With everyone settled, it was Ryan who came up with the perfect afternoon activity. "We sh-sh-should go skating."
"And what might... skating... be?" Arthur wanted to know.
"Uh... hold on."
Ryan hurried through the door into his room back in the house. He was gone for a minute or so, returning with a pair of boots that had blades attached to them.
"Goodness... it's been years since I've done that," said Hermione, "And... what about skates?"
"We can transfigure peoples' boots and shoes," said Rasalas, "But... I've never gone... least as far as I know."
"We'll teach you," said Aaron. "And we'll need a good ice sheet."
"Easy enough to do. And put up some kind of shield so it's not so cold. Running the train yesterday was evil sometimes," Rasalas decided.
While Brady created the ice surface on the west side of the house—simply converting the piled up snow, Rasalas put up an invisible barrier that blocked the wind. Without, the wind would have been ferocious, considering the vast field extending west of the house. There had been no landscaping done with the house at all, and now, Rasalas regretted the neglect. A tree line to mark off the inner yard, and to act as a wind break would have been most useful. Perhaps a few evergreen trees.
Hearing what her son and his friends were up to, Casey coaxed Betty to join her in Rasalas' kitchen, baking up some treats and some warm drinks. It took no time for Dobby to get in on the action, while Kreacher continued to work on dinner. Corey, meanwhile, helped Phil bring a load of wood over so they could light a bonfire.
In some aspects, it was a rather comical afternoon. The twins seemed to have very poor coordination when it came to ice-skating for some reason. Odd, considering they were absolutely brilliant in the air. Ginny seemed to be a natural, and given Hermione had been on skates before, she held her own. Brady and his brother, meanwhile, could also hold their own, and if Rasalas had to guess, it was definitely not their first time.
As for Rasalas, Ron, Arthur, and his knights, they all made a passable effort, though the majority of the first hour seemed to be spent on their arses, rather than upright. Of course, it got somewhat easier, when Arthur decided to just lean on Rasalas... and if Rasalas were honest with himself, that was perfectly acceptable.
"Doing this back at Hogwarts would be brilliant," Ron thought aloud. He and Hermione were again hand in hand, skating gentle laps around the ice surface. They'd pulled up beside Rasalas and Arthur.
"Talk to Professor McGonagall," Rasalas suggested, "I think she's much more reasonable than Dumbledore ever was. And this... really, it's been a wicked idea. Doing it back at the school would do loads toward unity."
"But the Slytherins..."
"Not all of them are bad, Ron. I mean... I think your current Potions professor was a Slytherin, and honestly guys... he has to be better than Snape ever was."
"Oh, loads!" Ron quickly agreed, "Neville's not petrified about attending potions anymore for starters..."
"I think he probably taught Snape, y'know."
"And Snape won't be back after the end of the year," said Ron, happily, "No Dark Arts Defence professor ever lasted more than a year."
"As I pointed out to the headmaster recently," Rasalas agreed.
"It is a shame your school continues to employ such dreadful teachers," said Arthur.
"Dumbledore," said Rasalas, simply, "Everything falls back to Dumbledore and his self-centred point of view. And one day, there will be a reckoning. I know of a few rather disturbing truths about him that I will take distinct pleasure in airing in public."
Arthur put an arm around Rasalas' shoulder. "Not today."
"No. Not today. But eventually. Our little outing here today though. I think we will do it again. It's nothing to leave things as they are."
"That would be awesome," said Aaron, as he and Ryan pulled alongside on the opposite side. "We could dig out the net and play some pick-up hockey."
"That Muggle sport you guys like," Ron remembered.
"Go Leafs g-g-go," said Ryan.
"No, Leafs suck," Aaron answered, "Hawks rule and you know it."
"Uh huh. 'an who got t-t-t-totally trashed last time they visited the ACC?"
"Chicago had an off-night," said Aaron with a shrug, "More often than not the Leafs' net is better described as a red-light district."
Rasalas furrowed his brows in confusion. "Do I really want to know?"
Hermione, meanwhile, looked scandalized. "Aaron!"
"What?" Aaron asked, innocently, "All I meant, is that... oh... uh... see, there's a light that comes on behind the net when there's a goal. Trust me it's not what you think it is."
"Aaron's just b-b-being an ass."
Aaron stuck his tongue out.
"Okay th-th-then."
Ryan proceeded to push Aaron into the snowbank at the edge of the ice surface. That turned into a wrestling match, where Aaron attempted to wash Ryan's face with snow, somewhat succeeding, Ryan getting revenge, then resorting to snowballs...
An errant projectile struck Fred by accident, but no opportunity was ever wasted when it came to the twins, and so they joined the fray, using their wands to conjure and fire snowballs back at the instigators. That then seemed to be the cue for things to completely degenerate into an all-out snowball fight.
The use of magic brought about some pretty elaborate fortifications, and some equally elaborate war machines, all built from ice and snow. Rasalas wasn't sure if he was impressed or terrified of Brady's creations—snowmen that quite literally stormed the battlefield, or the ice mortar which hurled foot-round snowballs.
Such projectiles were devastating against opposing fortifications, and one volley brought about a stoppage in the fight, as Aaron suffered from a sprained wrist. A healing charm applied, everything picked up right where they left off.
Rasalas, meanwhile, went with an old-fashioned catapult. Chunks of snow were summoned from a nearby snow drift, and when sent flying, it made for a rather startling explosion of frosty white powder.
Sometime later, after a particularly powerful double volley from both war machines, Ryan and the occupants of the opposing fort raised a white flag. The foot-round mortar had punched a hole through the fortification, while the shot from the catapult sent some of the combatants sprawling.
"Arthur, we conceded to your superior fire power," came the voice of George.
"Rule Britannia," Aaron shouted, "We surrender!"
"Good job everyone," Rasalas smirked.
"Now that was fun!" Corey exclaimed.
"Not bad improvisation, yeah," Rasalas agreed, "Not sure whether to be impressed or terrified though... holy Merlin..."
"Go big or go home," said Brady, with a shrug.
"Such a contraption would be a most powerful thing on the battlefield," said Arthur, as they began walking toward the side of the house, where refreshments had been set up.
"Mortars, y'mean? Yeah. Can take out a bunch 'a threats all at once. Bust through walls an' shit like that."
"The catapult, meanwhile, that was pretty simple. I think there are better designs out there. But good for similar tactics. Putting holes in stuff, or hitting a bunch of enemies all at once," said Rasalas.
"A real fight though... there's stuff I'd do that'd be more useful. Here I didn' wanna hurt anyone."
Corey smirked. "Yeah, go an' blow stuff up, y'mean."
Brady smirked right back. "Damn straight!"
The chairs had been brought around from the patio, and Phil had already lit the fire when they arrived. The sun was already low on the horizon, and only then did Rasalas realize they'd been out there all afternoon.
"Damn... we've been out here all afternoon."
"T-t-t-time flies when we're havin' fun," said Ryan.
He gestured with a hand to resize the chair, but it took several tries before he got it. He and Aaron then occupied it.
"Been a blast though. We need to do this again."
Rasalas could only nod, as he resized a seat for him and Arthur.
"My thoughts exactly. And since my training schedule is relaxed until the new year, there'll be plenty of chances."
"Da says we can bring out the snowmobile now, too. W-w-w-with both our properties, it's enough to have a b-b-b-bit of fun."
"What's a snowmobile?" asked Ron.
"It's a machine meant to drive on snow," said Aaron, "It's a lot of fun to drive."
"You guys go on the lake with it?" asked Corey.
"Not in recent years," answered Phil, "The ice hasn't been thick enough. Lake Scugog north of here freezes over usually, but Lake Ontario's so big and so deep... it acts like a small ocean rather than a lake. Last time the lake completely froze was back in the thirties(1), if I remember correctly."
"Know this much. Really likin' this magic thing," said Corey, "We're out in the snow, an' I ain't freezin' my ass off."
"I do agree," said Accolon, "I have experienced dreadful cold living in North Wales. This would make it far more pleasant."
"You know how to do it though," said Rasalas.
"Though the snowball fight was entertaining, I enjoyed skating more," Arthur confessed. "I share the sentiment that we must do it again."
"Perhaps then, we should continue after we have dinner," Lancelot suggested.
"Yeah, we could. Need to put up some lights though."
"Oh. Th-th-that would be awesome. What if we got some Christmas lights?" Ryan suggested.
"We'll need some poles to string them from."
"After," said Arthur, "I would rest for a spell. There is no hurry."
"Well, considering you guys are nearly on top of each other," Aaron smirked.
"Piss off," said Rasalas, though he smirked as he said it.
Aaron was dead on, though. Rasalas and Arthur were snuggled together on the double seat, with Arthur resting his head on Rasalas' shoulder.
Ron and Hermione were in a similar position, if perhaps not quite as close. Casey and her husband also shared a seat, their son having performed an enlargement charm on their seat, and as for Ryan and Aaron, they too, shared a seat. Everyone else took up single seats, though Brady, as was typical, sat close to Rasalas.
Dobby was once again in his element, serving the various treats and drinks that had been made earlier.
"Your island was really cool, Ras, but I think I like this better," said Aaron.
"Yeah... d-d-doing the Solstice ritual where it was warm was w-w-weird."
"Speaking of," said Casey, "I hope all of you will join us."
"I will speak to Morgaine; she will likely wish to attend," said Arthur, "As will I."
"And we would be honoured with her presence," said Casey, "As much as we will be honoured by yours, sir."
"Please. No need for formality here," said Arthur. "Here, I am only Arthur Pendragon. Here, no crown weighs heavily on my head."
"Just as here, I am only Rasalas Black. No titles, no burdens. Surrounded by those I love and care about."
"What Christmas is about," said Aaron, "Putting all that crap aside, just enjoying things that really matter. Hell, I even call my parents Christmas day."
"Your mom 'an dad really hate 'ya?" Corey asked.
"Hate? No, I don't think so. They're... indifferent toward me."
"How'd they treat your sister?"
Aaron frowned a moment, but then remembered Brady had been at the Samhain ritual. "Well... better than they treat me. Thing is, Carla died when she was three. She got meningitis, and... the doctors tried their best, but..."
Ryan pulled his boyfriend close.
"Didn' mean to..." Brady began, but Aaron waved him off.
"It's all right. I think... in some ways, maybe it was better she didn't grow up with... with them, right? Sounds cold, but..."
"We get it," said Corey. "Ain't right though, your mom and dad treatin' 'ya that way."
Aaron scowled. "Tell them that."
After dinner was finished, the large group once again returned to the ice, though now Ryan had brought out his iPod and the portable stereo. As suggested, strings of Christmas lights were strung up, and if Rasalas had to admit, the night skate was far more magical than it had been in the afternoon. Corey had coaxed his mother to join them, and Rasalas had to grin, seeing her skating with Bill. Magic aside, she appeared to be enjoying herself.
Casey and Phil had retrieved skates of their own from their place, and now they made gentle laps around the ice surface, much as Rasalas and Arthur were doing. Aaron and Ryan, meanwhile, skated a little faster, and Rasalas was somewhat confused as to how they were paying attention, considering they faced each other most of the time, one skating backwards.
"Is that envy or jealousy?" Arthur smirked.
"Curiosity," Rasalas answered, "They have more skill than we do, I'll say that much."
Arthur licked his lips. "Kissing and skating at the same time, you mean."
"Arthur..."
Arthur gave a sly grin, before giving a strong tug on Rasalas' arm, toppling them both over into the snowbank. Now Rasalas found himself on top of the man, their noses inches apart.
"Prat."
"It was fun, now, admit it."
"I'll never tell."
Icy blue eyes stared into emerald green for what seemed like an eternity, before Arthur closed the distance, and their lips locked together. At first, Rasalas was startled at the overture, but... there it was. Out in the open. He wrapped an arm around Arthur, and pulled him closer, leaning into the kiss, the last resistance finally crumbling.
At dawn the morning of December 22, a large gathering stepped out into the yard at Rasalas' place. It was already light, though the sun had still not breached the horizon. It was clear and bitterly cold, with a biting wind, but strong warming charms easily counteracted it. They made their way through the snow to the opposite side of the copse of trees that formed a wind break, separating the yard from the field. Phil had already cleared a large space in the snow, likely the previous afternoon.
Along with Brady, Corey, Arthur, Lancelot, and Accolon, Morgaine had once again joined them. Bill also joined them, as did Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and the twins. For Casey, it had to be the largest gathering ever to join her Yule celebrations.
They at last stopped in the cleared spot just south of the wind break, and Casey produced a large, fat, yellow candle.
"Ryan, Aaron, if you will both hold the candle, we can begin."
She indicated they stand opposite one another, then handed the candle to her son. He gripped it above, while Aaron gripped it below. She then thought a moment.
"Morgaine, you would honour us by standing at centre, directly behind Ryan and Aaron."
"Of course."
Morgaine did as asked.
"Everyone else, if you would form a semi-circle around us, with the open side to the south. King Arthur, I would have you stand so you are directly behind your sister."
It took only a few seconds for everyone to get organized. Rasalas hurriedly took up a place beside Arthur on his left (with Brady and Corey immediately to Rasalas' left), while Lancelot took his right.
"Now we join hands..."
As they joined hands, Casey produced a box of matches, and struck one. She lit the candle Ryan and Aaron were holding, saying:
"Even in the darkest hours,
even in the longest nights,
the spark of life lingered on.
Laying dormant, waiting, ready to return
when the time was right.
The darkness will leave us now,
as the sun begins its journey home."
The eastern horizon was getting brighter and brighter, as she then spoke,
"As the sun breaches the horizon,
we think back to the year that has come and gone;
all of the people who have come into our lives,
and all of those who have left us behind.
We then think of all the gifts and lessons,
all the things the great mother presented us with;
and as the wheel turns once more,
we give thanks for the clean slate,
the promise of things anew."
They stood silently once more, with only the sound of the wind whistling through the trees and their leafless limbs, the eastern horizon continuing to brighten. Casey's words had hit home for Rasalas, as indeed, the year had presented great changes for him.
Who would have thought, that he would fall in love with the legendary king Arthur, never mind become friends with a number of his knights? Thinking back, that had to be perhaps the most noteworthy change of the year.
Then there was his second love in Brady—though it was somewhat different than what he was now feeling for Arthur. Rasalas did not consider his relationship with Brady anything romantic... it was far deeper. It was likely a connection both would take to their graves.
The sun at last breached the horizon, and though squinting fiercely, Morgaine pressed her thumbs to her forehead and bowed her head. Casey, meanwhile spoke,
"The light of the sun has returned to us,
bringing life and warmth with it.
The shadows will vanish, and life will continue.
We are blessed by the light of the sun."
With the number of people, breakfast was held in the sanctuary. The candle lit during the ritual was placed at the centre of the table, which was filled with enough food to feed everyone present several times over. Rasalas had asked the elves not to go overboard, but it was still a lot of food. Perhaps he could send the leftovers down to the castle.
"The Goddess loved your ceremony, Casey," said Morgaine.
"I was wondering... you have a statue to the Goddess at Avalon, is that right?"
"Yes, of course."
"I would like to make an offering. If I send it with my son, would that be permitted?"
"I think we could do one better, and have you make the offering yourself."
Casey looked elated, while Arthur furrowed his brows.
"Sister, won't aunt Viviane be cross?"
"Avalon is a sacred place, but not strictly off limits, Art. The Goddess will make exception for a dedicated follower from these times. When we finish here, why don't you collect your offering? If Rasalas is willing to make a port key, we might all attend."
"Ma, will you be okay with us having d-d-dinner here? I'm guessing everyone's gonna want to join us again."
"It's perfectly fine," answered Casey, "As cozy as our house is, it's never been fit for having a large crowd. As long as you're okay with us once again invading your home, Mr. Black."
"It's perfectly fine, Mrs. Sawyer. It means room for everyone, and I mean, if it's a bit tight, I can always change things and make it bigger."
"Th-thing is, if we're gonna have our celebration here... Ras... you need your own altar."
"Altar... oh, right," Rasalas realized, having seen the Sawyers' altar.
"Not that we would pressure you," said Casey.
"I declared myself a champion of the Goddess. If that doesn't make me one of her followers, I don't know what does. I'll need a little help though, I wouldn't have a clue about making an altar."
"We'll help you," Casey offered.
"And it should be made manually, do not use magic," Morgaine added.
"Oh. Right."
"You'll need a table. I would suggest something that's been in your family a long time. It would function as a connection to your past, but—"
"Kreacher," Rasalas called.
The elf entered from the kitchen. "Master Rasalas call for Kreacher?"
"I need your help with something. Particularly, I need a small table—an end table. Do I have anything like that, in either the Black or Potter vault?"
"There may be."
"Could you have a look for me? I'm not looking for anything large."
"Kreacher will begin looking at once." He popped away.
Rasalas thought a moment.
"He'll likely be a while. So with the table solved, what next?"
"You've seen the cloth we have on ours. Something that would match the season," said Casey.
"Then it's n-n-nuts, evergreen branches, s-s-stuff to represent the sun, I mean, it's your altar, so think of s-s-stuff that fits the season, right?"
"You should have at least one candle that represents the sun," said Casey, indicating the fat yellow candle that still burned at the centre of the table.
"W-w-we can even put a bowl of snow on the altar to represent winter—"
"We'd have to put a freezing charm on the bowl though," said Rasalas, "Or it'll just melt. Unless magic isn't allowed."
"Not too much. The alter is about real constructs," said Casey, "So I wouldn't put anything that's made with magic on it."
Immediately following breakfast, Casey collected a few things off their altar, and the large group took a port key to Avalon. There, with a number of priestesses of the holy isle looking on, Casey left her offering at the foot of the statue of the Goddess. The offering included two lit candles, one red, the other green, a bowl of nuts, a golden yellow disc, and a spruce bough.
Then, with Ryan clasping a hand in hers, they stood and bowed their heads in respect.
Casey spoke, "Thank you, Goddess, for allowing us to visit you here. Though you touch our lives every day and every season with your gifts, it is a privilege to stand before you here."
"Thank you Goddess," said Ryan, "For the gifts I have d-d-discovered this year, as well as the new faces that have came into my life. I look forward to the gifts and challenges you will present me with in the c-c-coming seasons."
Now, it was Rasalas' turn to speak.
"Thank you, Goddess, for placing me on the path I am supposed to follow, and for the new faces and challenges that have entered my life this year. I look forward to the coming year, and both the gifts—and the challenges you will send my way."
UP NEXT: Christmas is celebrated in the sanctuary, with Ryan receiving something that winds his mother up a bit; and Rasalas and his friends receive an invitation to attend a New Year's Ball at Hogwarts...
CHAPTER NOTES: (1) Last time Lake Ontario froze over completely was the winter of 1933-34.