It was raining outside. Amadeus, an up-and-coming young Auror, shivered
slightly under his cloak. He and his team were standing outside the old
stone house of their mark, and it was nearly time.
Amadeus squinted at the gray granite blocks. "You sure you got the address right?" he muttered to the man next to him.
The man snorted. "'Course it's right. Jacob Colbsey, assistant to the Minister of Magic, his wife Rachel, and their two kids Ashley and Sam. You want me to give you their ages? They were on the dragon-flamed list Dumbledore sent us."
"This just doesn't seem like the sort of house the personal assistant to Fudge would have, Valentino."
Valentino snorted again. "Listen, I have the list, I tell you where your mark lives - you and your boys pick them up. Got it?"
Amadeus glared at him, but the scowl lasted for only a few seconds. Nobody could stay mad at Valentino for long. Particularly if you had been friends with him since Hogwarts.
Amadeus took a deep breath. "Well, let's go." He raised his wand. "Explosivaria!"
The wall shattered inward. Amadeus and his men charged through, their black cloaks streaming water.
There were screams from inside the house. A young boy ran out, took one look at the Aurors, and ran away down the hall. Amadeus followed him quickly, his pulse pounding with his footsteps. Beat-beat. Beat-beat.
There was a large wooden door blocking their way. One of the Aurors blasted it away, and Amadeus shouldered past him. Jacob Colbsey was sitting, pale with shock, at an ornate table. His wife had fainted, and the little boy and girl stood huddled in the corner.
Jacob knocked his chair over and ran to the bookcase on the opposite wall. Amadeus saw Jacob's wand gleaming there. Without a word the Auror jumped up onto the table and then onto Jacob, knocking the heavy-set man to the floor. Jacob threw him a punch but Amadeus easily ducked and landed one of his own on Jacob's jaw. The man lay still, shuddering with pain and with fear. Amadeus carefully pointed his own wand at the traitor's throat.
"My name is Amadeus Westerly," snarled Amadeus, flicking his coat open to reveal the golden badge of the Aurors. "You are under arrest for high treason."
*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Glad to be back?" Severus Snape asked his daughter.
"I was until about a half hour ago, when you made me start peeling rowan branches."
A ghost of a smile crept up Severus' face as he watched Erin assiduously stripping the bark off the green twigs. The smile vanished at her next sentence.
"So, what do you think of the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?"
Severus scowled. "I think she's late. It'll be halfway into the term by the time she arrives."
"Are you going to sub for her?"
"No," he muttered ungraciously, tipping powdered acorns into a green flask. "I need to teach my own class."
"And Dumbledore won't let you, knowing full well that you would me most reluctant to give up the position once you'd started teaching it." That earned Erin a glittering glare.
"Okay, okay," she grinned, piling the strips of bark into a pile. "I'll lay off."
"Thank you," came the reply, heavily laden with sarcasm.
Erin prudently changed the subject. "Where's Bryan?"
"Off in the Forest."
Erin's gaze dropped in disappointment. She tossed the peeled sticks into a box. "Gotta go."
"Good night," said Severus, and he meant it. She smiled rather sadly at him.
"'Night."
*~*~*~*~*~
(There's a woman coming,) said Wind-Runner to his brother, Dreamer. Better known to humans as Bryan Quirrell.
(Where is she?)
(About half a mile away,) said Flower-Scent, a pretty young mare. She trotted up next to Dreamer and Wind-Runner. (She smells strange.)
(She is strange,) said Moon-Mane, Wind-Runner's mother. (There is something smoky about her scent.)
The leader of the herd, Watcher, raised his head to sniff at the wind. His horn gleamed in the moonlight, and once again Dreamer felt distinctly naked without one.
(She is not a danger,) Watcher told them.
(Is she a friend?) asked Little Prince hopefully, shouldering up beside his father. The colt's gold hair was brilliant against Watcher's white.
(Maybe,) said Watcher cautiously.
(Not maybe,) said Vision. The others turned to look at her. Vision was the newest member of the herd, having only joined two months ago. Even so, the unicorns already respected her. There were reasons why she was called Vision.
(Go to her,) she told Dreamer.
(What?)
(She is your friend.) Vision's violet eyes were reassuring, and slowly Dreamer slid off of Wind-Runner's back. He sniffed once at the air and then traveled in the direction of the strange, smoky-smelling woman.
It took him little time to get to the clearing where she was resting. She was asleep, but Dreamer knew that she would wake at the slightest sound. He paused at the edge of the trees, his hands on the hood of his cloak. Then, his decision made, he stepped into the clearing with the hood down.
Instantly the woman was awake, her wand pointed at his throat.
"Who are you?" she asked.
Dreamer was the name that rose to his lips, and he took a moment to let himself transition back into the human world. "Bryan Quirrell," he told her. Her scent was even smokier at close range, a hot smell that tickled his nose. "I saw you traveling through the forest and thought I'd see why." Not a complete truth, but close enough.
She stood. Bryan blinked. The woman was beautiful, in that not-human way. Her skin was quite pale, her hair was dark red, and her eyes - one was a clear blue, the other a bright green.
"Your family?" The wand did not lower a fraction. And then, to his great surprise, she sniffed the air.
"You smell like horse, but not like horse - " she frowned. "You aren't human."
"Neither are you." He knew now where the strange, smoky scent came from. His breathing quickened. He hadn't thought that there could be others like him.
"What are you?"
"I've given you my name," said Bryan, spreading his hands wide. "You haven't given me anything."
"I haven't killed you."
"Kill me and my family will drive you forever from this forest."
She hesitated, then lowered her wand. "I'm Sheila Flamewinged," she said stiffly. "I'm traveling to Hogwarts, to teach there."
"You're going the long way," Bryan told her helpfully. "If you go due west, there's a little stream that will lead you right to the grounds. Shouldn't take more than a day or two."
"How do you know?"
Bryan smiled, tightening his scars painfully. "I travel that way quite often myself."
Sheila was looking at him, studying him, and for the first time ever Bryan did not feel he had to hide his face.
"What's your other name?" she asked him suddenly, stepping closer. He could see the excitement glittering in those mismatched eyes, the same excitement that coursed through his veins.
"Dreamer. What's yours?"
"Ashes."
Amadeus squinted at the gray granite blocks. "You sure you got the address right?" he muttered to the man next to him.
The man snorted. "'Course it's right. Jacob Colbsey, assistant to the Minister of Magic, his wife Rachel, and their two kids Ashley and Sam. You want me to give you their ages? They were on the dragon-flamed list Dumbledore sent us."
"This just doesn't seem like the sort of house the personal assistant to Fudge would have, Valentino."
Valentino snorted again. "Listen, I have the list, I tell you where your mark lives - you and your boys pick them up. Got it?"
Amadeus glared at him, but the scowl lasted for only a few seconds. Nobody could stay mad at Valentino for long. Particularly if you had been friends with him since Hogwarts.
Amadeus took a deep breath. "Well, let's go." He raised his wand. "Explosivaria!"
The wall shattered inward. Amadeus and his men charged through, their black cloaks streaming water.
There were screams from inside the house. A young boy ran out, took one look at the Aurors, and ran away down the hall. Amadeus followed him quickly, his pulse pounding with his footsteps. Beat-beat. Beat-beat.
There was a large wooden door blocking their way. One of the Aurors blasted it away, and Amadeus shouldered past him. Jacob Colbsey was sitting, pale with shock, at an ornate table. His wife had fainted, and the little boy and girl stood huddled in the corner.
Jacob knocked his chair over and ran to the bookcase on the opposite wall. Amadeus saw Jacob's wand gleaming there. Without a word the Auror jumped up onto the table and then onto Jacob, knocking the heavy-set man to the floor. Jacob threw him a punch but Amadeus easily ducked and landed one of his own on Jacob's jaw. The man lay still, shuddering with pain and with fear. Amadeus carefully pointed his own wand at the traitor's throat.
"My name is Amadeus Westerly," snarled Amadeus, flicking his coat open to reveal the golden badge of the Aurors. "You are under arrest for high treason."
*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Glad to be back?" Severus Snape asked his daughter.
"I was until about a half hour ago, when you made me start peeling rowan branches."
A ghost of a smile crept up Severus' face as he watched Erin assiduously stripping the bark off the green twigs. The smile vanished at her next sentence.
"So, what do you think of the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?"
Severus scowled. "I think she's late. It'll be halfway into the term by the time she arrives."
"Are you going to sub for her?"
"No," he muttered ungraciously, tipping powdered acorns into a green flask. "I need to teach my own class."
"And Dumbledore won't let you, knowing full well that you would me most reluctant to give up the position once you'd started teaching it." That earned Erin a glittering glare.
"Okay, okay," she grinned, piling the strips of bark into a pile. "I'll lay off."
"Thank you," came the reply, heavily laden with sarcasm.
Erin prudently changed the subject. "Where's Bryan?"
"Off in the Forest."
Erin's gaze dropped in disappointment. She tossed the peeled sticks into a box. "Gotta go."
"Good night," said Severus, and he meant it. She smiled rather sadly at him.
"'Night."
*~*~*~*~*~
(There's a woman coming,) said Wind-Runner to his brother, Dreamer. Better known to humans as Bryan Quirrell.
(Where is she?)
(About half a mile away,) said Flower-Scent, a pretty young mare. She trotted up next to Dreamer and Wind-Runner. (She smells strange.)
(She is strange,) said Moon-Mane, Wind-Runner's mother. (There is something smoky about her scent.)
The leader of the herd, Watcher, raised his head to sniff at the wind. His horn gleamed in the moonlight, and once again Dreamer felt distinctly naked without one.
(She is not a danger,) Watcher told them.
(Is she a friend?) asked Little Prince hopefully, shouldering up beside his father. The colt's gold hair was brilliant against Watcher's white.
(Maybe,) said Watcher cautiously.
(Not maybe,) said Vision. The others turned to look at her. Vision was the newest member of the herd, having only joined two months ago. Even so, the unicorns already respected her. There were reasons why she was called Vision.
(Go to her,) she told Dreamer.
(What?)
(She is your friend.) Vision's violet eyes were reassuring, and slowly Dreamer slid off of Wind-Runner's back. He sniffed once at the air and then traveled in the direction of the strange, smoky-smelling woman.
It took him little time to get to the clearing where she was resting. She was asleep, but Dreamer knew that she would wake at the slightest sound. He paused at the edge of the trees, his hands on the hood of his cloak. Then, his decision made, he stepped into the clearing with the hood down.
Instantly the woman was awake, her wand pointed at his throat.
"Who are you?" she asked.
Dreamer was the name that rose to his lips, and he took a moment to let himself transition back into the human world. "Bryan Quirrell," he told her. Her scent was even smokier at close range, a hot smell that tickled his nose. "I saw you traveling through the forest and thought I'd see why." Not a complete truth, but close enough.
She stood. Bryan blinked. The woman was beautiful, in that not-human way. Her skin was quite pale, her hair was dark red, and her eyes - one was a clear blue, the other a bright green.
"Your family?" The wand did not lower a fraction. And then, to his great surprise, she sniffed the air.
"You smell like horse, but not like horse - " she frowned. "You aren't human."
"Neither are you." He knew now where the strange, smoky scent came from. His breathing quickened. He hadn't thought that there could be others like him.
"What are you?"
"I've given you my name," said Bryan, spreading his hands wide. "You haven't given me anything."
"I haven't killed you."
"Kill me and my family will drive you forever from this forest."
She hesitated, then lowered her wand. "I'm Sheila Flamewinged," she said stiffly. "I'm traveling to Hogwarts, to teach there."
"You're going the long way," Bryan told her helpfully. "If you go due west, there's a little stream that will lead you right to the grounds. Shouldn't take more than a day or two."
"How do you know?"
Bryan smiled, tightening his scars painfully. "I travel that way quite often myself."
Sheila was looking at him, studying him, and for the first time ever Bryan did not feel he had to hide his face.
"What's your other name?" she asked him suddenly, stepping closer. He could see the excitement glittering in those mismatched eyes, the same excitement that coursed through his veins.
"Dreamer. What's yours?"
"Ashes."