Against the Current

"Change will not come if we wait for some other person, or if we wait for some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek."
― Barack Obama

Teaching Faramir had blind-sided Heather to several things she was keeping an eye on. He was a joy to teach because he never gave up and he never complained after that first day…he just made faces at her, which was more entertaining than anything he could say.

But going back to the point.

She had forgotten that she had tuned in her subconscious to watch out for visions regarding the Dunedain, the Order and the Brotherhood. A teensy tiny part of her was also watching over Rohan and Gandalf the Grey, to make sure they didn't get into mischief.

No matter how much fun it was to teach Faramir, her responsibilities came first. So when the vision came because of the letter, (Heather had stopped calling these things accidents. Accidents and coincidences kept happening to her anyway and she needed a new word to call these things.) she turned over Faramir's training to her son.

Initially, Guiomer complained in keeping her insane schedule and he didn't want to do it because he'd had enough of it from his own training with her. Heather was quick to point out that taking over Faramirs training would mean getting up with Cailyn in the morning since Cailyn, being a baker, kept an even more insane schedule than Heather. A look entered his face then and Heather quickly ignored it, despite the amusement. No matter how funny it was to tease Guiomer, there are truly some things a mother is not supposed to know about her child.

"And where are you going?" Hermione asked after she had broken the news to her family that night.

"I'm going to look for Aragorn. I saw something, and its important that I tell him about it," she said.

Draco scowled and Luna's eyes were large on her face. Even Guiomer was frowning as he held Aedan in his lap. It was evident that all of them didn't like the idea of her leaving Haven. That was understandable since the last time she had left Haven, it had been for Rohan and the Dunlendings and they had received no news of her for nearly six months.

"Do you need Hafny this time?" Draco asked.

"Yes, I'm bringing her with me," Heather said, trying not to roll her eyes at the relief on all their faces. "Honestly, you lot! You're acting like I'm not the bearer of the Elder Wand."

Guiomers frown deepened even as Luna put in, "But you sometimes forget, feather. You are more in the public eye than the rest of us and you have gotten used to only using your own physical weapons."

Heather drew herself up, feeling irritated. That seldom happened and it was even rarer when it was directed towards Luna.

"And it seems that all of you have forgotten the devastation that our magic can do to a battlefield," Heather said softly, steel in her voice. "This world is new. From the books we've read, it's only in its Third Age. Blood will wash out with the rain and vultures eat the corpses. But excessive magic causes almost irreparable damage to the environment, and to the very earth itself. Are you lot asking me if I am willing to damage this clean, new world?"

Cailyn, who had never seen Heather irritated or even angry, was pale. Her hands shook as she placed her hands on top of Guiomers shoulders.

Draco glared at her. He was almost immune to her temper since his was even worse than hers.. "The magic you're talking about was used by the Death Eaters. Don't go all righteous on us, Potter. Lovegood is as concerned as the rest of us. There is no need to bloody bite our heads off," he said, nearly snarling.

Aedan was listening and that was curtailing Heathers language, otherwise, it would have degenerated into a cursing contest between her and Draco.

"Don't you use your Merlin-blessed cursing at me, Malfoy. There's a child listening. And just because we don't use it doesn't mean we can't slip-up. Why do you think I'm careful?" she snarled.

They glared at each other and it was very frightening, especially since Draco had taken off his blindfold, showing his very expressive silver eyes.

The atmosphere was broken by Aedan's gurgling laughter as he played with a spoon. The tension went out of everybody, though some shoulders were still stiff with residual irritation.

"Both of you are insane," Hermione remarked. "Actually, all of you are insane. Feather, what has you so bottled up?"

Everybody could almost visibly see Heathers hackles go up again. Luna stopped that by placing a hand on her forearm.

"Stop that, feather. Your soul is distressed. Stop avoiding it and don't even brood about it. Tell us what you saw that made you so angry and sad." Luna's voice was soft and gentle. But even with that gentleness, there was a hint of a demand in it.

Heather stood up abruptly, mussing up her hair with her hands as she grabbed it in her frustration. "I'm not brooding about it, for Salazar's sake. What I saw…" Another tug at her shortened hair. "What do you lot know about the history of the Dunedain?"

Everyone turned to look at Hermione, who shrugged. "Not much. Their records are incomplete. The ones who know the most about them would be the elves," she said.

Heather gave an almost hysterical laugh. "There was an island in the West in the shape of a star," she started breathlessly. "The people there were men, but they were the favorite, the blessed of the gods of this world and so they were given extraordinarily long , the Valar who fell into darkness and hatred, seduced them with power and it corrupted them all except for a few. Eventually, the island was sunk into the bottom of the ocean by the gods after they had done the most evil deed. The elves and the survivors call that lost island as Atalante."

There was a brief moment of shocked silence, and then…

"Atlantis!" Hermione gasped. "Sunk to the sea by their own doing."

Draco looked puzzled. "Atlantis?"

Hermione launched into a small explanation of the mythical island. Draco then shrugged and said, "It sounds like Avalon to me."

That was a very derailing statement for those who had read the books. Even Luna was leaning forward in interest.

"Isn't Avalon a mythical island that holds the body and sword of King Arthur?" Hermione asked.

Draco looked even more puzzled. "No. It's an island of blessing, where the greatest magical deeds occur. It is said that Morgan le Fay and Merlins battle on it sunk the island."

A debate would have started but Cailyn cut in saying, "Can Lady Gryffon continue? I would like to hear about the Dunedain."

They turned to look at her in surprise and Cailyn shrugged, giving a wan smile. Under the table, Guiomer squeezed her hand in approval and Cailyn sat up straighter.

"There were two groups that survived, good and evil. The uncorrupted ones remained friends with the elves and they eventually recovered. The north is theirs after the fall of the Northern Kingdom. But what I saw…" Heather struggled to say it. Her anger and despair of it made her nearly incoherent. "The Dunedain don't look like their descended from noble kings. Some people don't trust them and over the years, that has spread and things have become more and more dangerous for the Dunedain."

Comprehension was on Hermione;s features and Heather could feel the vindication of her anger being right.

"So those faithful men are now dwindling because of the paranoia and the suspicion that they receive," she continued softly. "They are unable to rest in comfort. And so they are getting smaller. Within another eighty years, there won't be any of the Rangers left and all that there is would be myths and legends."

Her last words were said with such grief and anger that they all fell silent, sympathizing with her. All of them knew how much she loved the Dundeain. There was always the special kinship one felt with ones teachers, after all.

"What are you planning then?" Guiomer asked.

A muffled sigh. "I don't know. One of the main problems we have is that the Rangers don't have a place to stay in that they could let down their guard. Like…like…" Heather trailed off, looking like she had been cursed, or charmed. "A safehouse!"

Dinner was already done and it was quick work to turn the dining table into a command table. Within a second, Hermione had already summoned parchment and quills. Luna trotted off to talk to Fenny for a moment and the fox vanished, returning with a map of the north clamped between his jaws.

Cailyn and Guiomer stood to the side in astonishment, clutching their son. They knew about their planning skills, having glimpsed a small part of it in the wedding, but that was all Hermione. This time was all four of them and the efficiency of it was astounding.

"Don't act like ninny's," Draco snapped when he noticed them. "We have work to do. She's leaving tomorrow and we need to get this done."

With a startled laugh, they joined the conference around the table, the map spread on top of it.

"How many Rangers exactly are there?" Hermione asked with exasperation.

"Nearly a thousand," Heather answered promptly. "But they are very scattered. Aragorn knows where they are since he makes the patrols and the schedules. Halbarad knows the other patrol routes better than Aragorn sometimes, but there's Maethor for that."

Draco gave a sharp nod. "Then we can't exactly plan where to place them since we lack that bit."

Luna's brows were furrowed. "We can plan what to make. These safehouses…what exactly will be inside it?"

"A bed," Heather said quickly and with startling fervency. "Days of traveling in the wilderness and you'd kill for a bed as well."

Hermione exchanged looks of amusement with Draco and Luna. "Err, feather?" she said. "Normal people would look for a bath as well."

To everyone's amusement, even Guiomer was confused. It was obvious that he agreed with his mother on the point of the bed.

"Baths really aren't all that important to survival, Hermione," Heather explained with exaggerated patience. "You can add that in, however."

Noticing the crease on Hermione's forehead that indicated irritation, Guiomer cut in before things could turn into an argument, as conversations were wont to do with the four of them involved. "Food?" he said. "Clothes? Weapons and medicine?"

Hermione gave him a quick smile. "Basically, anything that warriors will look for when going inside a town. But the food…and the medicine? These are perishables and stasis charms only get removed when the person is another wizard."

Here, Luna perked up. "Actually, I might have a solution for that. Some of my Master Healers wish to have less strenuous activities since they weren't young when they joined. There are maybe ten of them that note that in their last report. I will have to check again to be certain of the number."

"But humans don't like to be alone," Heather pointed out. "If you're by yourself, you'd end up talking to no one and that's the first sign to insanity."

Luna pouted and Hermione interrupted this time. "That's a great idea, Luna. I'll just solve that loneliness bit."

Draco laughed at Hermione's harried tone. "That's already solved. Some of my brewers want to go out of the city. They want to experiment on other ingredients that are only found in the wild."

"And that's that," Luna said sternly. She shot Heather a look of childish triumph that made everybody laugh.

"What about replenishing the supplies?" Cailyn asked softly.

There was a moment of puzzled silence, and then Guiomer said, "Kreacher can do it. Aunt Eilys kicked him out of cleaning the hospital after she made washing the linens a punishment for the trainees. He's been complaining about it."

Everything was almost set. A quick sketch showed at least eight beds and a storeroom. There was a small kitchen and a dining table. Lastly, there was an outhouse and a bathroom. After some thought, they added a fireplace.

The idea was to show the sketch to Aragorn and see if he liked it. They were his people after all.

Hermione smiled in satisfaction of a job well done and then a thought occurred to her. "What about the wards?" she asked.

Everybody groaned. Oh, Godric! Some people were perfectionists.

"Can that be done later?" Luna pleaded. "I do not think I can muster the energy to think of Runes."

Hermione acquiesced, but only because even good-natured Cailyn was scowling with sleepiness.

Over the course of her journey, there was a liberal use of the Point-Me spell and the guidance of Hafny. Nothing could go wrong. However, since she was headed North, there was an increase in the number of dark creatures she encountered.

For the first time in a while, Hafny prodded Heather to suit her up in the sharp battle armor Heather had commissioned for her. There were the sharpened metal blades that attached to the claws and the small knives that clipped to the wings.

Almost like the years between their last fight together didn't exist, their bodies moved in tandem and worked with each other.

When they did find Aragorn, the man was so surprised at their sudden appearance that he almost forgot that he was in the middle of dispatching a troll. Hafny was quick to slice the tendons of his ankles and when the Troll fell with a roar, Heather beheaded him.

"Gryffon?!" he exclaimed. "What in the Valar…"

Heather grinned, finally understanding why Aragorn loved to surprise her in Haven. "You should see your face," she said. "I needed to talk to you."

The initial shock had worn off by then and he greeted her with enthusiasm and some laughter. "Whatever you need my friend."

She beamed at him. Both of them lived dangerously and even if Heather was safer than Aragorn behind Havens wards, they both treated each meeting like it was the last. It was by mutual agreement that they wouldn't mention that out loud.

They shared a meal and exchanged stories. Aragorn learned of Aedan and gave a quiet guffaw as she described the birthing process. She learned about the last mischief his brothers got into and the recent loss to his men.

"That is why I came to you," Heather started. "I received a vision when I touched your last missive."

He nodded. "Is that why you did not answer? That worried me, you reckless thing."

Heather was contrite. "Sorry, but what I saw…I felt like I had to tell it to you in person and not in letter."

That was a very serious statement coming from Heather and Aragorn sobered up accordingly. "What is it?" he asked softly. "You can always tell me, my friend."

She took a deep breath and plunged. "If nothing is done, Aragorn," she whispered, her eyes sad in the firelight. "Your Rangers, the Dunedain, will become myth in the near future."

The wood he was whittling was held in a tight-knuckled grip. The carving knife was set down carefully.

"You are certain?" he asked. His voice was rough with an emotion she could not decipher in the darkness.

"I have never been more certain of anything in my life," she said with conviction. "If we do not act now, within another decade, it will be too late to change anything."

He took a breath and let it out again. He picked up the knife and his hands did not tremble. He resumed his whittling and Heather admired his composure for a moment.

"What must I do?" he asked, and his eyes looked straight at Heather with trust and resolve.

That trust went right into Heathers soul and she knew that failing Aragorn was not an option. She had received his faith and she would do her best to prove that faith true.

Without hesitation, she showed him the roll of parchment she was carrying. She was confident as she explained the plans to him, but inwardly, despite how wary she was of gods, she sent them a silent prayer. Her faith didn't matter. Whatever gods Aragorn believed in were the ones that mattered.

Everything else had to be considered, after all. And even if she didn't like gods, she knew that they were there.

OMAKE:

When Everyone in Haven realized something

There was a standard in Haven regarding their Founders' personalities. Lord Hodur was the serious one, Lady Eilys was the compassionate one, Lady Enid was the wise and motherly one and Lady Gryffon was the god-like one with the ability to charm people to do most things her way.

However, on that Memorable Day, which no one will speak about, everyone saw a different side of their beloved founders. It was rather understandable since they were holding trial for a person who abused his own wife.

"Puilen, son of Kuilen," Lady Gryffon read from the parchment with a furrow on her brow. "You are charged and found guilty of abusing your own spouse. This is a direct violation to the very Charter that Haven was founded on, that is: That all citizens should live in freedom and safety, as long as that freedom and safety does not infringe upon the rights of others."

She looked up from the parchment and took in the silent audience. A silent audience was a dangerous one, since that meant a more volatile mood. No surprise there since Puilen's wife was very popular with the citizens. And Haven was supposed to be a fresh start for most people.

"She was asking for it," Puilen snarled; spit flecking out of his mouth.

Lady Gryffon was about to say something about that, but Lady Enid beat her to it. The wise lady had been sitting quietly to the side, her eyes grave as she took in the scene and at the mans words, her warm brown eyes turned cold.

"I beg your pardon?" she asked. It was quietly said, but everyone heard it anyway. There was a dangerous gleam in Lady Enids eyes. "You say that a woman who is emotionally adjusted, properly educated in the standards of my school and has a proper job was asking for a beating from a man who does not have a proper job, never managed to finish the standard of education that I set and has a drunkard for a father and a suicide for a mother? I would like to think that you would have learned at least something in the two weeks you spent in my lessons before you stopped attending, idiot."

The last bit was said with such scathing derision that it made several people flinch. Lord Hodur and Ladys Eilys and Gryffon were smiling.

"I wonder how you managed to snare her, a shining example of what women should follow. I taught her myself so I know that she has common sense," Lady Enid continued, standing up. It could be noted that Puilen was leaning backwards and looked like he was about to soil himself. "I do understand that you have a friend in the Brewing department."

At that statement, everything turned cold. Lord Hodur stopped smiling and instead stood up.

"Cousin," he said, his voice grave and serious. "I believe that this is my area now. Thank you for pointing that out."

Lady Eilys was also standing up and spoke, "No need, brother. The culprit is there."

The man she was pointing at was running away, the clear accomplice of Puilen in brewing a love potion for his wife. Lady Gryffon jolted into action, her movements fast and efficient. The man was thin and obviously spent most of his time sitting down. Lady Gryffon was fast and didn't run out of breath easily. The take down was quick and made several people wince at the roughness of it.

She used the mans momentum to turn him up and over to slam him to the ground. There was an audible crack! as his arm broke.

"And that concludes things," Lady Enid said with a creepily serene smile.

Nobody in Haven thought about placing their Founders' personality in boxes anymore since That Incident. They were simply too unique to be put in standard.

Someone mentioned an Omake with Hermione losing her temper but I realized that the only incident in my mind that matched that was this one, so I decided to show that, even if it is a bit long. I do hope that it's okay. Someone hurry and reassure me.

Questions asked:

Haven as one of Draco's symbols?

Yep. Have you lot noticed that places seem to have the tendency to do that? I've been reading Naruto and it seems to me that people tend to fight for an ideal instead of something. The symbols represent this ideal. Haven is one. Gondor is one. Heck, even the idea of a free Middle-Earth is an ideal, a symbol that created the Fellowship of the Ring.

Elladan and Hermione?

Oh, that's still happening. If you want me to go to the details, I might have to elongate things. Hmm, an Omake might do.

And that's it. Nobody really asked me questions last chapter. And I sounded like a Merlin-blessed psychologist on the last one too.

By the way fellows, sorry for the errors in the last chapter. I already corrected some of it. That's what happens when you're typing and listening to your sister at the same time.

Please R&R.

~Hallen