"What are you doing here?"
Susan turns around to see Marianne standing there in traditional Celtic clothing and her hands on her hips.
"Harry's teaching me Celtic magic, and he wants to discuss what happened with my aunt last week."
"But this is supposed to be our secret garden."
"Look, I don't know about that. All I know is that Harry let Daphne come here because she needed a place to feel safe. This is the first time I've come here on my own. For the last week, I've been keeping Daphne company once I've done my practice navigating the mist. How did you get here?"
"Oh, I've been living with Mum2 in her domain, and I got bored so I walked into the mist and came here."
"Oh? What happened to your mum?"
"You don't know?"
Susan shakes her head, "I'm not that good a friend with Harry yet."
Marianne slumps, "Oh. Well my ancestors used to be witch finders. Only it turns out it's less used to be and more are. My dad found out I have magic when I blew up the bulbs in the house, and I called out to Harry for help."
"I read something in the daily prophet about a witch finder being found torturing a young magical, that must have been you. Are you ok?"
Mutely Marianne nods, her eyes glistening slightly. So Susan steps forward and pulls her into a hug.
"I'd only been awake a few minutes before Mum2 found me, but it took her 15 minutes to get me out of the chair. I found out later that my mother was put in the same chair before I was born."
Susan does the only thing she can, she holds Marianne while she cries. This is what Harry and Daphne walk into.
As soon as he sees her, Harry rushes forward to join the hug, "Marianne, are you ok?"
"It's just, your mum saved me and then enslaved Dora."
"I was going to talk about the Tuath Dé and explain some of what I know. It may help you if I do."
Once they're all lounging on a knoll, Harry begins.
"From what I understand, what the Celtic people called the Tuatha Dé Danann, existed long before Humans came to this part of the world. When they found, or came into being on, what we now call Ireland it was a barren plateau surrounded by glaciers. The surface of the island had only just become free from the grip of the ice age. They then worked to make the place liveable by taking seeds from the sky and attracting animals from afar. Over time, the rest of the glaciers receded and humans migrated into the areas that are now covered by the Irish sea. When the ice continued to retreat, and the sea levels began to rise, those humans migrated up to the plateau and met the original gods.
"Fast forward a lot of long and boring history, and you come to the time my mother came into being. I'm sure you've all heard enough about that time to have a rough idea of what happened and you know that Brigid, the previous owner of this domain, gave it up in an attempt to save her people. All three of you know that I found this domain and it became part of me. That means I have moments of uncharacteristic insight, or I have skills I never learnt.
"This is true of all the Tuatha Dé, even my mother. Brigid was a goddess of healing, poetry, the forge, protection, and domestic animals. I'm slowly adding my own personality to the domain, but I'm never going to be able to change it completely."
Marianne frowns, "Wait, does that mean that you're not human?"
Harry smiles sadly, "Mostly, I am my mother son by blood not birth. But my blood doesn't determine my humanity or lack thereof. There have been some mortals that became of the Tuath Dé by their own hands. In the old stories they're often celebrated as kings, though according to my mum they were nothing of the sort. Titania, Queen of the Fae has her own domain and is counted amongst the courts. It only requires two things for a mortal to gain Immortality this way. The strength of will to carve out a home in the Other, and enough people that believe in them to turn that home into a domain.
"I've got a little off topic there. In the same way that I have my Brigid moments, so does Mum with her own moments. In many ways, hers are worse because she's never been human. The way that she copes in the mortal world is by using a glamour to separate herself from her natural form and reign in her magic."
Harry looks over at Susan, "My guess is that when your aunt visited, my mother released her glamour before the recruit begged to learn from mum."
Marianne says, "Dora. Her name is Dora."
Harry inclines his head, "Before Dora begged to learn from my mum. Now, this is pure conjecture, but I think I'm having a Brigid moment so it's probably accurate. Mum use to tell me stories about her battle crows, men and women who she had empowered with a touch of her own magic. Every single one of them is dead, killed defending themselves, their families, or other families. However, each and every one took the mark willingly. Some of mums favourite stories are from when she disagreed with them, or they disagreed with each other. What is true about all of them is that my mother loved them like they were family."
There's silence for a few moments before Marianne blurts out, "But that doesn't explain why she did it."
"Could you ever not eat that apple? Can you stop yourself from breathing? When her magic is high, and she is unbound by her own glamours, my mother is ruled by her nature far more than humans are. Until this, I've never known my mother to completely let go of her glamour in the mortal world. The closest she came to it was when she rescued you, but she held off because you are her child and she didn't want to hurt you."
Daphne scoffs, "It can't be that bad."
Harry gives Daphne a long look, "Daphne, I keep my magic concealed all the time for the same reasons as my mother. Even doing that, I still have my Brigid moments. I am not as strong as my mother as I'm only 11. You are already noticeably stronger than you were a couple of months ago. If you stop learning once you can step into the other with no effort, that strength will plateau. Like someone running for fitness who stops pushing when they can run their half an hour around the park. You still have your natural growth on top of that, which builds on top of the work you do. But you will never be as strong as Marianne will be. Simply because she's exercising her magic safely so that her body learns to produce it before the start that the apple gave her. I remember once letting go of my concealment at junior school, just after I found this place. Mum was so angry with me that day because all of the children collapsed, so we had to see the doctor for a few weeks after that. And they closed the school to check for something."
Marianne giggles, "I remember that, we had so much fun playing at your house while the school was closed."
Harry nods, "It was a couple of months after that, that mum started home-schooling me. Mari, your magic feels like it's almost back to normal. Do you still need to go to the mundane doctors?"
Marianne shakes her head, "No, we went earlier and they said that I'm healing nicely so I don't have to go back unless something goes wrong and I get sick."
"Oh thank Danu, sorry I haven't been to visit more often, but Mum's been stopping me from healing you. I'm going to slowly let go of the concealment I use. I want all of you to keep an eye on Marianne in case I start hurting her. Once I'm done, I don't think I can stop myself from healing you Marianne."
Susan and Daphne look confused until Harry's magic starts to fill the air. It takes a little longer, but Marianne gasps as she start to feel it too. When she starts to mewl in pain, Daphne shakes Harry, "Enough!"
A look of concentration appears on Harry's face as the pressure lowers slightly. Suddenly his eyes snap open and they all imagine that they're glowing with power even though nothing has changed.
Harry stands and moves over to kneel in front of Marianne. Gently he kisses her forehead and a pulse of magic runs over her skin healing the last of her wounds and removing even the slightest hint that they ever existed, "Marianne, know that you will always have a home in my heart. When you were harmed it was only my faith in my mother that kept me from you." A naturally holed stone comes flying from the forge area, "I have made this for you so that you will never be without protection again. The lightest touch of magic will see you deep in the Other, and once you claim it, only those that can see will be able to perceive it, and none save those stronger than I will be able to remove it unless you do so of your own free will."
Marianne takes the stone and then gasps as she sees the goldwork that is running around the outer edge of the stone. Forming a snake eating it's tail, each of the different squares in the pattern along its length holding a scene from their childhood. A leather thong has already been threaded through the loop.
"It's beautiful, thank you. Are you Harry or Brigid?"
Harry smiles as he answers, "Yes."
"How do I claim it?"
"Freely given blood, just a spot."
Without any hesitation, Marianne draws her now ever-present dagger and pricks her finger with it before placing the finger on the stone. As she does, Harry turns to the others.
"Susan Amelia Bones, Daphne Rose Greengrass, you are both my students. I offer you now the chance to become my companions. To take of my power and become more..."
Daphne strangles out, "Harry, you need to stop this and cover your magic again."
Harry looks at her uncomprehendingly for a moment, and then the magic starts to recede.
"Harry! What was that?" Everyone looks at Marianne as she continues, "What? You were both thinking that too."
Harry looks at the grass, "That was me thinking that they are both here in my domain, so I trust them. Why don't I offer them part of my power."
"But why offer like that?"
"Why not?"
Daphne shakes her head to clear the last of the effects of the magic, "What I want to know is how you knew my middle name."
Harry shakes his head, "I didn't and I don't. The magic of that ritual comes from inside me and gives me the words to say. I guess it's one of the downsides of Celtic magic. Sometimes your magic knows things you don't, or wants you to do stuff, and because you're more in touch with it it's harder to ignore. I still remember when we were in the Spring Court once, visiting Titania, and the winter court invaded in search of pixie wings. My mother opened herself to her magic and she was untouchable, she knew where everyone was and killed 50 of them before the rest retreated with only a few captives. So, no we're not human and we're not mortal. We are born of Danu, The Earth, of Magic… At some point in the future my fate is to choose, to be mortal or to be Danann. It's got something to do with my scar, that's all we know. I'll understand if either of you want to stop being my students now."
At the end, Harry looks broken, and Marianne doesn't even hesitate when she pulls him into a hug.
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Morgana lifts her practice sword and brings it down on the wooden post with a clear thunk four times. A high and low forehand swing, and the same backhanded. Turning to Dora she gestures at the post, "This is what you need to do first. Do it 20 times and then run around the house 3 times. Once you've finished I'll show you the next exercise.
Dora looks at the exercise thinking it's easy. Stepping forward she lifts the sword to bring it down overhead at an angle, "No! Your shoulder's wrong, it's not an overhand strike. Bring your arm down to your side, now bend your elbow so the sword is vertical. Good, turn your forearm to your right, there stop. That is the angle you're attacking from, bring your arm up and take a step back. Now step forward while swinging down. Better, feel how your shoulder was set differently?"
Even when she thought she'd got the strike right something else would come up.
"No, you're not fencing, raise your shield, do not let it fall. That is your defence."
"How do you expect to defend yourself when your shield is pointing to the left, square up your hips so that your shield is facing your opponent."
"Move your feet, did you see me just stand there like a tree and strike the post?"
The next exercise is worse, as she's moving between 8 posts, in a specific order, and striking the red patch on each of them. If she uses the wrong strike, footing, pacing, or forgets her shield it's a shouted correction. After another 3 laps around the house, she's blocking those strikes with her shield for 30 minutes. Whenever she lets the shield drop, she gets hit on the head with the flat of the blade.
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November turns to December and the planning and paperwork for the new school is completed and approved.
In the school, Pomona and Minerva agree additional timeslots for mundane education, and send a letter to Morgana.
Marianne returns to school, only this time she gets accused of being a witch as well as everything they were doing before. The most upsetting time was a week into December.
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Marianne trudges to her small grey locker in the school with her PE kit. Opening the door, a flood of printed pages fall out. Each one torn from a bible, and each one from Exodus chapter 22 with verse 18 highlighted in green highlighter. A couple of nearby children start to giggle when she begins crying. Sobbing harder, she grabs a couple of pages and her keys before making her way to the reception.
"Excuse me Miss, I found these in my locker this morning."
The receptionist looks up from her desk, "You should be in your home room for the register."
"Yes, but I found these in my locker this morning."
She glances at the pages before throwing them in the bin, "Yes, and, you should still be in class unless you want to be marked as late?"
Marianne sniffs, "Can you call my mum?"
"Isn't she in prison?"
Marianne breaks into a fresh round of crying, and sobs out, "Not that mum, Mrs Danann."
It's only when the headmaster comes past on his way to assembly that Morgana finally gets called, and Marianne is led into the hallway outside the headmaster's office to wait.
When Morgana arrives and sees the dried tear tracks down Marianne's face, she immediately sits down next to her, "What happened?"
Marianne sniffs, "I found pages from the bible in my locker, and they had the witch line highlighted."
"Why did the headmaster call me then?"
"The lady at reception just told me I should be in class."
"Did you show them the pages?"
Marianne nods, "She looked at them and threw them in the bin. That's when I asked her to call you. But then she said my mum's in prison."
"You and I know that's not true, she's getting treatment for years of torture and abuse. Where's the Headmaster?"
Marianne sniffs, "He's still in Assembly."
"Who's been watching you then?"
"No body."
"Once we see the headmaster you're coming with me."
"What about school?"
"If they can't see how distressing that sort of passage would be to you, then this isn't a school I want you going to anyway. I was already looking to transfer you to the new school, this is just accelerating that process."
They don't have to wait long before the headmaster comes back, chatting amiably to the deputy headmaster.
Morgana looks up, "Good Morning headmaster."
The headmaster looks away from his conversation, "Good morning, please come into my office."
Once they're seated the headmaster starts, "Good morning Mrs Danann. I'm sorry you were called into the school. Miss Kincaid was adamant that we call you rather than going to register."
Morgana nods, "Indeed, that would be because of the death threats she found in her locker."
The headmaster laughs, "Hardly death threats, I had a quick look and they were just pages ripped from some bibles."
"I see, so it has nothing to do with the bullying she's been continuing to be subject to, despite our conversation in November?"
"And I told you then, just take her to church. That will shut the children up and she'll be able to start making friends."
Morgana takes a small tape recorder, with the record button already pressed, out of her bag and places it on the desk. "So you're saying that the answer to the ongoing bullying of my ward is to take her to church. Something that I will note she has not done in the last 5 years outside of events where she was forced, or during the abuse that her father has been convicted of."
"I, ah. No, that shouldn't be needed. However, it would be the most certain resolution. Our staff can only act when they catch the children in the act."
"How about the false assertation made by your receptionist."
"I wasn't aware of any such thing."
Morgana places a hand on Marianne's knee as she's about to open her mouth, "I see, so when Marianne asked the receptionist to call her mum, she called me straight away rather than telling Marianne that her mum is in prison?"
"I am not aware of the exact content of her conversation with the receptionist."
"How about the fact that the receptionist threw the evidence of death threats in the bin."
"As I said, bible passages are hardly death threats."
"Exodus Chapter 22 Verse 18, Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live. From the King James Version of the old testament. Which I'll note is based on other English translations, and is also a deliberate mistranslation of the original Aramaic, which talks about not letting a poisoner live. However, that is the verse that Marianne said was highlighted. Would you care to retrieve one of the pages to double check?"
"Um, I'm sure the receptionist has shredded them already."
"So not only did she bin the evidence when it was handed to her, she has now destroyed it? I will certainly be writing to both OFSTED and the DoE about this. As death threats are involved, I will also be making a report to the police. I will also be withdrawing my ward from this school due to the ongoing harassment and now death threats. Come on Marianne, we're leaving."
Morgana gathers up the tape recorder and puts it back in her bag while clearly not pressing the stop button. As they both reach the door, the headmaster calls, "What about the recording?"
Morgana smiles, "I will deliver a copy later in the week."
With that, the two leave the office and school, and Morgana stops the recording. When they reach the car, Marianne sits on Morgana's lap for a minute or two just been held.
"I'm sorry you had to come and pick me up."
"Shh, you are a child of my heart, of course I'd come and get you. I was going to look for Airmed today anyway, so you'll just be coming with me through the Other. The Celtic people considered her a minor god because she was always more concerned with the healing arts and herbs than with the rest of my family. Not that I can exactly blame her given who her father is, and what he did to her brother. I think Dora is heading into the office today as we've finished the paperwork for the new school. I've got a meeting at Hogwarts tomorrow, so you'll be coming to that too."
"Can't I stay at home?"
"Not after you went trapsing off through the mist before I said you were recovered."
"But you weren't around."
"I know everything that happens in my domain, besides which you have a new stone from Harry, and you just confirmed it."
Marianne scrambles into the passenger seat, puts her seatbelt on, crosses her arms, and pouts. A laughing Morgana pulls away to go back to the house.
