Kyra presses play on the music in her car and Christopher Cross' "Ride Like the Wind" begins to play.

"It is the night, my body's weak

"I'm on the run, no time to sleep

"I've got to ride, ride like the wind

"To be free again"

"And I've got such a long way to go (such a long way to go)

"To make it to the border of Mexico

"So, I'll ride like the wind, ride like the wind"

"I was born the son of a lawless man

"Always spoke my mind with a gun in my hand

"Lived nine lives, gunned down ten

"Gonna ride like the wind"

"And I've got such a long way to go (such a long way to go)

"To make it to the border of Mexico

"So, I'll ride like the wind

"Ride like the wind"

"Gonna ride like the wind

"Accused and tried and told to hang

"I was nowhere in sight when the church bells rang

"Never was the kind to do as I was told

"Gonna ride like the wind before I get old"

Tonks sees Kyra is watching the road lost in thought. Luna had said Kyra was sad. Tonks wonders how close to home this song hits. Tonks recalls part of what Kyra had said to Ginny about a man Kyra was protecting being killed.

"The man you lost… Tell me about him…"

Kyra bites her lip. "He was a judge I was assigned to protect. We fell in love. Being around him was like being in a bubble of warm light. We were together for ten years… about half your life. I never wanted it to stop. I tried to warn him what he was dealing with and told him what I am…that mortal justice didn't apply. Vladic was a drug kingpin and the cause behind a war in the Balkens. Bad guy…had been for about a thousand years. But I didn't want to go against the judge's wishes. I knew it was wrong, but I respected him. I paid for that with his life…and for a time my mind… traumatic amnesia. A friend saved me from wondering on the streets not knowing who or what I was and eventually my memory returned. I corrected my big mistake although it was too late for Richard. Now I'm wanted for it. I was on my way out of Europe when my friend asked me to protect the Weasleys and their home for a while. I wasn't ready last time, this time I will not fail."

Tonks gets a lump in her throat. "I know you won't." Tonks searches her soul for a moment. "I'll help if you let me. I'm still in training, but I did very well on my N.E.W.T.s."

"You're good with those little salamander things?"

"No. N.E.W.T. stands for Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests."

"Oh…" Kyra responds still mystified.

"I noticed you don't think much of Amanda."

"It isn't that…she isn't good with a sword. She isn't in Alex's class, or Ceirdwyn's from what I've heard, let alone mine. But she's better than all but the best mortals. It is that when she gets in trouble for doing something she shouldn't have; she runs to someone who's kind heart obligates him to protect her…"

"That one be the same one that saved you…" Tonks observes. Kyra nods. "The same one that asked you to come here…" Kyra nods again.

Tonks asks "I noticed Amanda's outfit. What was that about?"

Kyra snorts a bit. "I have a theory, but you'd laugh…" Tonks nods eagerly. "I think that was her idea of a sexy witch…" Tonks bursts out with a hearty laugh. "Told you." Kyra says with a giggle.

Kyra and Tonks return to the Burrow much to Molly's relief. Tonks sees Amanda and starts laughing all over again.

"What?" Amanda responds.

Quick to avoid a conflict, Ceirdwyn says "We should start making dinner. Alex and I, and whoever else is going will need to get going before long. Are there any vegetables we can cut up?"

Amanda is agitated. Molly says "I was planning to have stew, but I use magic…"

Alex looks around curiously. "What are you looking for?" Molly asks.

"I haven't seen an electric outlet let alone a microwave." Alex responds to Molly's confusion.

"Alex, I think she means actual magic not a Magic Chef microwave…" Kyra points out. "Although she is a magic chef herself."

Soon Ceirdwyn, Alex, and Kyra are cutting up potatoes and carrots as Tonks watches fascinated at the thought of being with so many Old Ones taking on such a mundane task.

Ceirdwyn begins to hum quietly to herself imitating the opening chords of Neil Young's "Cinnamon Girl." Alex and Kyra pick up on it and soon begin to sing the lyrics. The three begin to move to the music as they peel and slice up the ingredients tossing them into the cauldron. They jump when the cauldron also begins to dance along.

"I wanna live
"With a cinnamon girl
"I could be happy
"The rest of my life
"With a cinnamon girl"

When the finish. Molly asks "What was that?"

"A tribute to red haired women." Amanda explains. Molly smiles. Ginny beams. Kyra gives Ginny a wink.

Tonks mutters "People don't like me when my hair is red…"

Tonks observes the Old Ones. She doesn't know much about muggles, but thinks she would not be able to recognize any difference between these Old Ones and an ordinary muggle. Though they dress differently and act differently in subtle ways than those of the wizarding world, in one way the Old Ones are similar to those of the wizarding world, they each conceal the signature weapon of their kind.

"How old can someone like you live to be?" Tonks asks.

Molly gives her a disapproving look. Kyra glares. But it is Ceirdwyn who answers. "There is no limit. We don't age."

Tonks follows up with "How old is the oldest?"

"Physically? We're al frozen at different ages."

"No… In how many years they've been alive."

"There are rumors…legends about someone called Methos. But we don't know." Ceirdwyn explains.

"One that old would be as elusive as smoke or we would know about them. They could be in this room and we would not know…" Kyra adds.

"Really?" Michelle says.

"Really" Amanda confirms. Michelle looks around the room nervously.

"…Or they may only be a myth." Kyra concludes.

"But you can die… Can't you?" Tonks asks.

Molly quickly says "We don't ask questions like that dear."

"Not when there is a large field and a shovel nearby…" Kyra chides.

Ceirdwyn laughs. "Of course, we can die. We all have… at least once. Most of us multiple times." Kyra grins and taps her nose indicating the comment is good as it gives away nothing.

Tonks asks "Why do you all carry swords?"

Ceirdwyn responds "We don't…some carry axes."

Molly chimes in "We met one who doesn't. You will too if you stay here." Molly's next statement astounds Tonks. "She'll be arriving with one of ours who was assigned to watch her."

Tonks knows of no witch or wizard who has spent more time with Old Ones beyond herself in the last few hours or those at Hogwarts. She realizes that this must be the one who put in the complaint about Moody's mooning. She wants to learn more, but also fearful that the tables will be turned. Tonks hides her astonishment and urge to flee, but the experienced Old Ones note that her heart rate momentarily soars.

"Problem?" Kyra asks.

"Huh?" Tonks retorts.

"What caused your heart to race… You can't hide that from us."

"Ummmm…"

"Kid… Come with us tonight…" Ceirdwyn offers in a comforting tone.

"No reason to be afraid of this Watcher kid. We don't like Watchers. I think I lost mine when I escaped the hospital. This one will report my presence and they will try to reacquire me and I'll have to lose her again or live with her reporting most of what I do. I'm not happy about it, but I'm not afraid. Besides, the Watcher is helping one of us and that carries the death sentence." Kyra explains.

"Mine tried to kill me." Amanda cautions. "He was after the Methuselah Stone."

"Jeanette knows she can't tell anyone about what is going on." Molly says quickly changing the topic.

"I believe your people aren't supposed to help muggles. She chose to do that; you can claim to be our prisoner. We can pommel you and tie you up if you'd like…" Kyra offers.

"Except whatever part of the Ministry she works for sent her and we don't even know what that is." Tonks cautions. "…Wait a minute…the what stone?"

All of the others look at each other in silence. "Well?" Tonks asks again.

Ceirdwyn looks to Molly. "Perhaps you should explain…"

"I don't know that I can…"

Amanda begins. "During the plague in 820, I was stealing food from a house and I was caught. They beat me to death and were about to burn my body when Rebecca Thorne rescued me. She became my teacher. She was the first person to ever care about me. The first one not to treat me as an outcast. When I went out on my own, she gave me a crystal which was a shard of the Methuselah Stone. She gave a shard to each of her students.

"One of the other students killed her to get her shard and he killed all of her students except me. A friend killed Luther and gave me the only other shard that Luther hadn't acquired. Luther's Watcher took all of Luther's shards to their headquarters. He knew about the Stone and that I had the remaining two and tried to have me killed to get them. Eventually, he was killed and the shards lost, all but one. They are all lost in a river, except one which was found in the Watcher's dead hand.

"Losing it condemned the girlfriend of a friend to a horrible death, unless…" Amanda falls silent.

Molly continues "Her friend knew about the Sorcerer's Stone. He made contact with my son and his friends, and then with adults at Hogwarts. We came up with a plan to save her using an elixir made from the Sorcerer's Stone to keep her alive until she can be cured by Madam Pomfrey. They have already acquired the key ingredient needed. The Old One doctor will do some things that Madam Pomfrey doesn't understand. It will take both.

"It is happening tonight. They are passing through here." Molly concludes. Tonks is stunned.

"So now you know." Ceirdwyn says. "The life of a good muggle woman about your age is in your hands."

"You can tell your people after it is done. But, if you do anything to prevent it, you will learn why your people say what they do." Kyra cautions. Tonks looks around at the stern faces.

Ceirdwyn warns "She could apparition out of here at any time."

Kyra observes "That is a problem. But eventually, one of us would find her…and…"

"Apparate" Molly corrects.

Ceirdwyn checks her watch and finds it is not working. "We should be getting ready to go…I think. My watch stopped."

"Digital?" Kyra asks.

"Yeah."

Kyra grins. "Of course. All electronics eventually fail in the presence of witches. Oh, there's a clock." Kyra takes several steps toward an odd-looking clock. She notices that instead of times, it has places on the dial and family members on the hands. As she passes in front of the fireplace, Kyra pauses, the hand with Arthur on it moves to "home," and Michelle cries out "Look out! In coming!"

There is a blast of emerald flame and Arthur collides with Kyra and they both fall to the floor.

"Again?" He grumbles before realizing it isn't Michelle.

"Are you having a good time?" Kyra snarls.

"No." Arthur responds.

"That's not the answer a woman wants to hear when a man has her breasts in his hands…even without her permission."

"No?" Arthur says trying to think of something else to say.

"Kyra gives him a of look exasperation. "How about 'Sorry."

"Sorry"

"Now… Let… Go."

Arthur moves the hands that are keeping him up and drops down flat onto Kyra.

"Alright Romeo… There are two things you need to know. First, your wife is standing right over there watching. Second, we're sterile." Kyra pushes Arthur off. They stand up. Kyra shakes his hand. "Arthur, I presume. I'm Kyra." Arthur blushes. The other women laugh. Amanda moves close to Tonks.

Arthur flees to Molly. "How were they?" She whispers.

"Not as large and soft as yours my dear."

Molly grins. "Good answer."

"Who is the other one?" Arthur asks.

"Her name is Tonks. Moody sent her."

"Oh. She's the one he's afraid that they killed. She looks healthy enough."

"The concern is that she'll apparate out and the Ministry will stop the rescue."

Amanda slides into their private conversation. She slips something into Arthur's hand. "I'm thinking she can't do whatever that is without this…"

Arthur looks down and sees Tonks' wand.