Headmistress Megan Daniels sat in her office in quiet contemplation. Movie night had been a resounding success earlier in the evening and the children and teachers alike had been thrilled by the movie. Megan knew that most American witches and wizards were used to being around Muggle technology. Even Hermione Granger, her new Potions Mistress, had grown up with Muggle inventions. But Severus Snape had not, and Megan knew he had been impressed with the technology the school possessed. He had remarked, several times in fact, that he was duly impressed with the potions lab that his wife used while teaching.
/As he should be./ Megan thought. /I only had to beg and prostrate myself for four years to get those upgrades that we required so desperately./ Still, the committee had only agreed to allow her to upgrade all the labs and classrooms because she had let it "slip" that the Professors Snape would be coming to Foltenburg in the fall. She had been in contact with Dumbledore since the beginning of the year, almost nine months before he had ever mentioned to Severus and Hermione his plan. That had given her plenty of time to manipulate the board around to thinking perhaps it was time to spend the funds to impress their new illustrious teachers.
Megan also knew that their marriage was a ruse, designed to throw off the Death Eater cells scattered in the Americas. To everyone outside it would appear that Hermione had graduated and returned to teach, befriending and falling love with her ex-teacher. They had been married quickly and quietly, and decided together to make a change of pace.
She sighed as she slumped back into her chair. At thirty-five, comparatively young to most, she was at the top of her profession. The Headmistress of THE premier wizarding school in North America. Transfiguration wunderkind of her half of the world (only McGonagall was rated higher, and that was due to simple experience and age).
She was on top, the best...and yet...still, she had no one to go home to at night. Just her familiar, and Elisa came with her everywhere anyway. Speaking of whom, Elly should be coming back from hunting any time now. She reached inside her mind and found the magical link that was her connection to Elly and followed it. Melding her mind with that of Elisa's she was surprised..at first. Elisa was on her way back, but not under her own power. Someone was carrying her familiar. /Who?/ she sent. /Wand, forest, man/ was the reply. Megan leaned back in her chair, confused. Elisa could understand names perfectly, but she enjoyed puzzles as much as her mindmate, and the nicknames, to her, were a particularly good puzzle.
/A man, a wizard, who lives in the forest? No, no it must be someone who...who./ Megan laughed suddenly. /It's Shaun! You went out to the rock garden again didn't you?/
/Perhaps, I might have. Do you blame me? His garden is lovely to look at, as is he./ Now Megan turned slightly pale, her freckles standing out in prominence on her small nose.
/How do you, when did you?/ she sent in a panic. A feeling of puzzlement came through the link. /What do you mean? He is unmated, you are unmated. You are both powerful, you have no deformities to pass to your clutch. You should mate, and have a clutch. That way, you may happiness; and so will I./
Megan regained her color and blew out a breath. Elisa made no compunctions about the fact that she felt that Megan should get married. But for a moment she had thought her familiar knew her secret. That she did, in fact, have interest in a male. Shaun O'Malley was black Irish, with blue eyes, thick blue-black hair cut long and floppy, and a thick Irish brogue. Well over six feet tall, he towered over Megan's five feet two inches. That such a man, kind and gentle while still being very masculine could ever want her was a dream. A wonderful dream, one she had several nights in a week...but still a dream.
/We are almost home./ mentioned Elisa in her mind. /Is the nest clean and tidy? A male looks for a female who can keep a tidy nest amongst my people./
Startled, Megan looked around. Elisa's sand pit was clean and neat, the sand freshly raked, her water and shelter perfect. She was fastidious about that. Her mindmate on the other hand...Megan grimaced at the rest of her rooms. It looked like a tornado had ripped through them. Her official office was clean and neat but this was where she did all her research. Two minutes and several swish-flicks later, the rooms were immaculate when the knock came. Hurrying to her desk, she flicked a finger at the door, releasing her wards.
"Come in" she called. Opening the door, Shaun walked in and sat in her favorite chair in front of her desk.
"Found a little something I think belongs to ye, wee Meg" he stated casually.
"Oh?" she grinned, a shiver of excitement running through her at his voice. "I thought you warned her to stay away from the gardens?"
"Och, nay lass, e' en if I did, she'd find a way to get in." From inside his coat he pulled out the culprit in question. Elisa looked at them both, then curled up and launched herself at Megan. /Seven feet of emerald tree boa landing in one's lap is not pleasant./ Megan thought to herself as she caught Elly. Leaning forward, Shaun addressed them both.
"I know ye like the garden. It was my hope students and familiars could spend time there together. However we do live in the forest. There are predators. Your' re lucky it was Thad saw ye first and not another." Megan blanched. "Thad warned you about her?" She sent an angry burst through their link. Elly had promised, swore she would stay out of sight.
"Aye, she was sunning herself on a rock in the middle of the garden right were anyone could snatch her up." he continued seriously.
/Do not fear mindmate./ Elly sent, trying to calm Megan down. /He only saw me because I wished him to. You've not made any progress in finding yourself a mate, so I decided to do take the initiative./ she sent smugly.
/We'll discuss this later./ Megan replied. Standing, she walked to Elly's corner and placed her in the branches of her favorite tree. Turning back to Shaun, she saw him standing up, apparently to leave. "Oh, Shaun, you don't..you don't have to go. Tea, perhaps? I mean to say, will you join me for tea?"
He glanced to her and smiled. "I wasnae getting up to leave. Just to open the window, Thad's itching to come in." She smiled in reply. "Of course." Shaun crossed to the wide bay window and opened it, swinging the two halves open. A piercing scream rang out as Thad saw the window and dove inside, landing by Shaun's feet. A little over a foot and a half tall, the red-tailed hawk craned his head up and waddled forward, cheeping so like a fledgling, Megan almost burst out laughing. Stooping down, Shaun picked up the raptor and placed him on his shoulder.
Picking up her wand Megan called for tea and refreshments along with a bowl of scraps for Thad. Sending an inquiry to Elisa, she received a brusque reply in the negative. The serpent was not pleased with her mindmate.
After the tea arrived, and they had moved to Megan's sitting area, the talk turned to that of the school. There were several ideas Shaun wanted and needed to run past Megan and they passed a pleasant half-hour discussing the problems that had arisen.
Several months before Shaun had approached Megan and the board as an outside contractor about an idea for a garden. A cross between a Japanese rock garden and a park, it was to be set in the Commons, eventually encompassing the entire area. Featuring a sand garden with large smooth boulders and pristine white sand to rake, it would be surrounded by water features, cherry trees, koi ponds, and smooth paths through the manicured lawn.
From the beginning of the project, Shaun had assured the board, and Megan herself that it would remain usable and safe for all to use. He allowed himself to be hired at a fraction of his normal fees and the board had been ecstatic about the idea. Shaun O'Malley was one of the top herbalists and garden wizards in the world, and was normally contracted by the rich and prosperous of both the Muggle and wizarding world to design elaborate gardens. Megan had immediately contracted a huge crush on the man. But she was shy, and she was sure he had no interest in her whatsoever.
Several months later and it was almost complete. Only a few problems had come up. One of the 12th year students, for example. She had gone to Seattle with her parents for summer vacation, and returned to school in the fall with her first familiar. Syll was an osprey, a fish eater; and he loved to eat the koi in Shaun's carefully calibrated pools and lakes scattered throughout the gardens.
Various other problems had arisen, the winter was too harsh for some of the trees until Shaun carefully modified them with magic, the many cats about the grounds considered the sand garden their own personal litter box. Last, but certainly not least, Elisa loved the boulders and sand and would continually sneak away to find spots to sun and bury herself in. Never mind that she would make a wonderful snack for a passing eagle, or that she terrified new students occasionally when they didn't see her.
Having something to do captured Megan's attention and they quickly dealt with all the issues, passing the evening in comfortable chatter with their familiars chiming in occasionally, Elisa eventually giving up on her anger, and coming over to curl up around Megan's neck and shoulders.