Disclaimer: Yeh, still not mine. sigh
A/N: Okay, so the muse chomped down pretty hard and gave me another nudge. This is to the kids at Avistrum, to Cliona, to Carriegan, to Aurelia, et all, and here's hoping the tolerance really can be there once more. Love, Kushiel de Navarre
P.S.- Please review!
Chapter Seventeen: Where We Belong
Albus stood in the doorway of the suite and watched the man and woman pack the last of their belongings with graceful sweeps of their wands. He was truly sorry to see them go, but he knew that as soon as their children came home from visiting the grandparents, cousins, aunts, and uncles one last time, they would be leaving. True, communication was not going to be impossible, but it was never the same. Sighing, the old man shook his head, running his slender fingers through his long, wispy beard. Of course it was never the same; after over a century and a half of life, hadn't he learned that by now?
The younger man sealed the last box and shrank it into his valise, turning to face the Headmaster. "It's just America, Albus," Remus laughed, running a hand through his hair. Now entirely grey but for two streaks of light brown at the temples, his wife had been itching to cut it, but he continued to leave it just long enough to drive her crazy. "It's not the end of the world."
"I know that, my boy," Albus chuckled, his piercing blue eyes misty. "But I shall miss you all the same."
"Albus, I would appreciate it if you weren't sniffling when the children get back; their hero worship would be shot for sure."
Drawing himself up with great dignity, Albus stared down his long nose as Ginny Lupin, who remained spectacularly unimpressed. Giving up, he passed a hand over her flaming hair. "And you remain our rock of good sense, as always, my dear."
"Yes, one of the many ways in which I take after my mother," she replied dryly.
A whoosh in the fireplace drew their attention to the flames burning green, and three children came tumbling out, laughing madly, followed by a young man with a wry grin on his face. Straightening, he brushed the soot off of his clothing, one blue eye and one grey eye twinkling with amusement.
"Oh, dear," Ginny said without thinking.
The young man laughed and helped the lone daughter gain her feet. "No fear, Ginny, it's nothing quite that bad." Brushing an auburn curl off his forehead, he gnawed a hangnail and reconsidered. "Then again, perhaps it is."
"Callum," she warned, and he laughed, holding his hands up reassuringly.
"Your brothers gave them a few things to, ah…'open up the market to the Yanks', was I believe their words."
Ginny planted her hands on her hips, staring down her three children. "What did they give you?"
Morrigan smiled sweetly at her mother and handed her the treat bag her twin uncles had given her. "Just some candies, Mum."
Taking the bag, the woman sifted through it, matching the wrappers against her memory. She sighed and slid the bag into the pocket of her muggle jeans. "There are some new ones there I'll have to figure out."
"Children, say goodbye to the Headmaster," Remus instructed fondly.
Callum helped the two boys up, who were more or less content to stay on the bare floor. At seventeen, he had grown taller even than Remus, but had yet to fill out across the shoulders. He had graduated only two months before from Hogwarts, and was looking forward to an apprenticeship at their location.
Tom, the youngest child, threw his arms around the ancient wizard's thigh, the tallest part he could reach. At six, he still had the habit of sucking on his thumb, despite all of his mothers attempts to convince him otherwise. "Goin' visit?"
"Yes, Tom, we'll be able to visit," Albus assured him gently. He slid his arms about the child's shoulders and held him close. Most people hadn't understood the significance of Ginny naming her youngest child as she had, but Albus did; it was something he often wished he could do, replacing the memories associated with a specific name. Tom, or Tommo, as he was often called, was everything that his namesake had not been, and with his birth, Ginny's nightmares had finally ceased entirely.
Morrigan embraced the ancient Headmaster next, her flaming red hair in two long braids down her back. She was her mother in miniature, right down to the amber eyes and dusting of freckles across her adorable nose. Of the three children, Albus had long considered her the most dangerous, for all that she was only eight. She charmed the pants off of everyone she met, but he saw her mother's steel in her, and more importantly, her mischief. Part of him was secretly, regretfully, glad that she wouldn't be attending Hogwarts; he wasn't as young as he used to be.
After Morri kissed the wrinkled cheek and backed away, her twin brother stepped up and paused, clearly torn on whether to offer a handshake or an embrace. Lorcan was a great deal like his father, older than his years, and quiet enough that others often underestimated him. After a moment, Albus smiled and rescued him from trying to be older than his years.
"Please forgive an old man's sentimentality, Lorcan, but I cannot let you escape my sights without a hug, however young it may seem."
Fighting back a relieved sigh, Lorcan slid his arms around Albus' waist and hugged him tightly, his hazel eyes closed as he inhaled the scent of the overly-decorated robes. Stepping away, he reached back and took his twin's hand, and she squeezed it silently.
Still smiling wryly, Callum extended a hand to the Headmaster. "Finally rid of me, sir."
"For which I'm sure certain professors are eternally thankful," he chuckled. "Ah, my boy, I shall miss you very much indeed."
"I'm sure I'll be busy with my internship, but I do know how to write, sir. Communication isn't a totally alien concept."
Ginny checked her watch and frowned. "The portkey will be activating in about three minutes; we'd better head out to the field."
Scooping the last of their shrunken belongings into his battered old briefcase, Remus ushered out Callum and the children, leaving his wife to walk arm in arm with the old man. Their pace was brisk, but somehow unhurried, Ginny's eyes traveling over her home for the last time. Just outside of Hogsmeade, right at the edge of the trees in the back, and with a wide yard to the front and sides, this house had truly been home since she had married Remus. Having their own children had never made Callum less welcome, and the house had been filled with the tears and laughter and lectures and dreams of children. Smiling fondly, she turned her eyes away, towards the trees that had embraced her family with each full moon, for all three of their children had inherited their father's lycanthropy. Severus and Hermione were still working on a cure, but their advancements had made the three days rather enjoyable, in a sense.
"You are absolutely sure you have to go?" He asked, his voice startling her out of her memories.
"It seems for the best," she answered firmly, but gently. "We love it here, Albus, and we are loved here, but we're not truly needed, especially now that Callum is done with Hogwarts. Tom is gone, his curse on the DADA position gone, so you have no problem filling the seat, and Remus and I both agreed that this would be good for everyone."
"Yes, I understand, my dear. The fact remains, however, that I shall miss you greatly."
"As I shall miss you," she replied, smiling. "But this will be a good change; I can feel it in my bones."
Stopping her a few feet away from her family, he softly kissed her forehead. "You have come through a great deal to get to where you are now, Ginevra Molly Lupin," he told her solemnly. "And if I have not said it before, I am very proud to know you."
"Albus, please don't make me cry in front of my children, I'll never live it down."
Chuckling, he embraced her swiftly and handed her off into Remus' arms. "Safe journey," he called, just as the familiar tug began behind their navels. A moment later, an empty space was all that remained of the Lupin family in Scotland.
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They landed in an undignified tangle of limbs and bodies, a heap quickly sorted out with the ease of long practice. Standing up and dusting themselves off, they took the opportunity to look around them. The courtyard was dominated by a large fountain of grey stonework, two witches and two wizards standing above it with wands crossed in unity. Beneath them, water spouted out from four figures. Tom walked slowly around the fountain, identifying the beasts it contained.
"A dragon, a phoenix, a sphinx…look, Da, a wolf! Sweet!"
A cluster of girls seated around the edge of the fountain watched the small boy and laughed, not unkindly. "Those are our House mascots," one of them told him.
Ginny brushed her hair out of her eyes and smiled. This place felt like home. In some ways, it had an atmosphere very similar to Hogwarts, though nowhere near as ancient, and yet that freshness was exciting, almost intoxicating. It was a softer beauty than the rugged Scottish highlands, a younger one. Her attention was caught by a motorcycle growling up the path into the courtyard, squealing to a halt with a skate and a cascade of gravel. A young man , probably no older than his early thirties, stepped off, removing a black cowboy hat and beating at the dirt clinging to his black leather duster. An Eye of Horus blazed around his right eye, and the girls at the fountain all greeted him cheerfully.
"Welcome back, Headmaster! What news this time?"
"Any new souvenirs for the office, sir?"
"Any injuries for Nurse Kayenta to scold you for hiding?"
Smiling, the man shook his head and sat down amidst them on the edge of the fountain. "The news will have to wait until a little later, I'm afraid, but we were successful, I do have a new souvenir, and how can I expect to hide anything from Nurse Kayenta if you lot know about it?"
A blonde girl with huge blue eyes glanced down the path. "Where are the others, Headmaster? Are they alright?"
"Yes, Aurelia, they're fine," he assured her quickly. "I just came back ahead of them because I'm supposed to be meeting our new Defense Against Dark Magic Professor."
"What?" One of them exclaimed, her hair flashing from a silky black to a shocking purple. "What happened to you!"
Remus smiled and settled his arm around Ginny's shoulders, watching the scene play out before them. His wife rolled her eyes. Men. They were all so juvenile.
"Nothing's happened to me, Carriegan, it's simply getting very difficult to be in charge of the Dark Hunters AND be Headmaster of the school AND teach Defense. In picking one to turn over to someone else, which would you rather I choose?"
A curly haired redhead glanced over to the newcomers, her green eyes speculative, but she said nothing, merely smirking and turning back to the Headmaster. "Well, I know there would be a lot of out of date posters hanging in childrens' bedrooms if you gave up the first," she replied.
Aurelia grinned brightly. "When there's something strange," she sang loudly, "in your neighborhood, who you gonna call?"
"Dark hunters!" The other three cried in unison, before all of them started laughing.
The man shook his head ruefully. "I'm not entirely certain I appreciate being compared to the Ghostbusters; Lady Viola Fey and Estel Leeds might have something to say if I did. But seriously, girls, have you by any chance seen the new professor?" This time, he caught the movement of the redhead's eye, and regarded her sternly. "What is it, Kushiel?"
Snickering, the girl gestured over to the Lupins. "You mean those people you almost ran over on your bike, sir?"
He had the good grace to flush, rising quickly to his feet and walking over. Extending his hand, he found it taken in a firm grasp. "Welcome to Avistrum, Professor Lupin."
"Headmaster Dowling, I presume?" he asked quietly, his innate shyness taking over.
"Clark Dowling, yes. How was your trip?"
"It was just a portkey," Tommo whispered loudly to his siblings. "Why is it a big deal?"
Laughing, Clark knelt down in front of the boy, late afternoon sun gleaming off his somewhat battered armor. "Well, Avistrum can be a bit hard to find sometimes, and I was worried that you may have gotten lost."
"Mum didn't let Da make the portkey, so no worries there," Morri quipped, and the gaggle of girls started snickering even more.
"I sense a future Colubrae in that one," Carriegan murmured.
"Hey! Enigmuses can have sarcasm, too, you know," answered the only girl whose name they hadn't heard.
"Enigmuses?" Kushiel echoed, one eyebrow quirking up bemusedly.
"Well, it's better than Enigmusans."
"I'm rather partial to Enigmites, to be honest."
"Kush!"
"Girls."
They fell silent at the soft warning from the Headmaster, but Ginny could still see the mischief dancing in their eyes. Her gaze fell upon each girl in turn, and she smiled to see the last one sniffing the air absently. It wasn't until the wind came at her face that she caught a familiar scent. A werewolf! She looked sharply at Remus, and could tell that he also had smelled the telltale marker.
"Headmaster, what-"
"Please, call me Clark," the younger man interrupted, his eyes following their gaze. "Cli, if you will?"
The girl stood up and approached them, a smile tugging at her lips. Her nostrils flared as her instinct catalogues the vast array of new scents availing themselves of her. "My name is Cliona, of Clan McCullough," she said simply.
"Clan McCullough," Remus repeated thoughtfully. "Why does that name sound familiar?"
"Probably because they're the largest true werewolf pack extant," Ginny prodded, letting her extra senses review the girl. Although not lycanthropic like the rest of her family, she spent more than enough time in the body of the white wolf to have that set of instincts instantly available. "You grew up surrounded by werewolves, didn't you?"
"Yes, ma'am," she answered politely, her brown eyes bright.
"Cliona is not our only lycan here at Avistrum," Clark explained. "Miss Rochon is one as well, and fairly recently bitten. Cliona grew up in a pack, knowing the rules and expectations, but Miss Rochon is new to all this and could use some guidance. And Headmaster Dumbledore tells me he couldn't ask for a better Defense professor. Perhaps I could show you to your quarters, and we could discuss this more?"
"Of course. Children." Nodding to the students, Remus ushered his children before him, with Ginny's help, and followed the Headmaster into the school proper. Callum remained outside. Finding himself the close scrutiny of four strange girls was rather unnerving.
"Are you the apprentice Nurse Kayenta was talking about?" Carriegan asked finally. "Poor Elena was all in a tizzy because she thought she was being replaced."
Callum shook his head, auburn curls falling into his eyes. "I was told in the letter that she was training someone else, but that there would be sufficient work for both of us, and that she would tolerate no rivalry in her infirmary."
The girls laughed, but they didn't giggle, which he found eminently reassuring. "That sounds like Nurse Kayenta," Cliona agreed ruefully. Her senses flared as Callum came to sit with them. "You're a lycan, too!" She exclaimed.
Bemusedly, he nodded. "I was bitten nine years ago," he explained. "Remus and Ginny took me in, though it was technically just Remus at that point. It was hard, at first, but they really helped me accept it and get through it."
"I've heard that being bitten can be very difficult," Cli mentioned, leaning forward with interest. "I was born pack, so it's always been a part of my nature."
"It can be, yes. Usually is, for those that are bitten. Are there really two of you here?"
"Seven, now, if you count you guys," Aurelia amended, absenty twirling a lock of blonde hair around her fingers."
"Avistrum's a little laid back," Carriegan explained, shrugging elegantly. "We tend to be more accepting of certain things than a lot of others. Besides, there were two of you at Hogwarts, weren't there, with you and the professor?"
"Yes, but I didn't think it was quite that common."
"So what's your name?" Kush asked quickly, shooting Carriegan a look before she could comment.
"Callum Sleipak," he introduced, mentally smacking himself for not having the presence of mind to do that earlier. "I just graduated from Hogwarts"
"Ooh, what house?" The blonde one chirped.
"Ravenclaw."
"Ravenclaw's not bad," Carriegan conceded, her hair smoothing back to a deep, glossy brown. "I'm Carriegan Ellette Chantrea."
"Do you really go by all three names?" he asked wryly, and she flushed slightly.
Smirking, the redhead extended her hand, which he both shook and grazed with a kiss, causing her to laugh. "Kushiel de Navarre."
"De Navarre?" he echoed. "Why does that seem familiar?"
"If you were in Ravenclaw, you were probably around my twin sister, Rhonwyn O'Grady. She probably mentions me and Mum from time to time."
"Aurelia Hepurn," the blonde introduced, waving cheerily.
"You already heard my name," the final girl twitted him.
Callum smiled and nodded. "Yes Cliona McCullough of Clan McCullough, I did indeed."
"So, welcome to Avistrum."
A/N: So, check out the sequel, Packsong, wherein we learn all about the Avistrum Academy of Sorcery (yay, Avistrum, which, disclaimer, I do not own), and about how our favorite friends get along there.