Chapter 14
Land of thier birth? She can't mean...
I tried to tell myself otherwise. Tried to think of some other place that could fit. It was no use. There was only one place that could really fit. There was no taking it any other way. I sighed. They had better not embarass me. That would certainly be disastrous for everyone involved. I thunked my head on the headbord a little harder than was strictly nessassary.
"Would you stop that. Your gonna give yourself a concussion. Franky, I prefer the Ferret now than the one we had to deal with before." I grit my teeth.
Ever since the so-totally-unplanned sharing circle, Ron has gotten it into his head that I was one of his mates. The school freaked at the start of this year when Harry held my hand and walked me to class. The student body gasped as one when Hermione initiated a simple civil conversation. Hell, they still glare now and then but at least they don't hex; or attempt as the case was! They practically collapsed and popped out thier own eyeballs when Ron sat down at lunch and Ruffled. My. Hair.(I'd taken to sitting with my boyfriend; I will never get tired of that word for breakfast. It was basically a signal to all snakes. The safe house was open and we were free to be who we want. It's still taking time to get used to that.)He's lucky as a leprechaun that I didn't bite that hand off. Arse had the nerve to smirk, too.
That was two days ago. Now we were illegaly creating a portkey to Cornwall. The Greengrass children were born in a place that had few open doors. Which meant, unfortunately that we had to wait. In a way that was good for me. Gave me time to prepare my patience levels. Damn, but I was so not looking foward to this trip. The annual visits I had to endure on my sisters needling was enough as far as I was concerned. At the risk of it getting old, 'the things I do for my family!' I still haven't told Harry or the others a semi-intsy-little-bit-really important piece of information...We were basically going into pixie territory.
See it was kind of a thing our parents did. They thought it would guarantee them magical children, with no chance what-so-ever for squibs.A week before every birth, the mother would stay in a place of purity. A place of tradition. For the Greengrasses, it was Cornwall. That family was supposed to be forever friends with the pixies. Every child was birthed and blessed on thier lands. The child was to stay with the particular creature for one full year. In return the creature would give the child back with guaranteed good furtune, so long as the family remembers to visit every full moon. Sort of like one of those really wierd traditions that you really would rather just forget ever took place. Kinda impossible for us but, there you have it. It was actually really funny; yeah NOT! They knew that that kind of deal had side-effects. It basically ensured that we had at least an ounce of creature blood running through our veins. It was why the twins were so.. well trickstery. They thrive on pranks yet their sense of family is rivaled by no one. They were part, however small pixie. Maha thought that was why we got so many extra boosts during the adoption. Apparently, it wasn't supposed to enhance our magic that much. And it definitely wasn't supposed to give us an extra gift! She and Theo theorized that all that came from our creature parts. Thier magic and ability merged with the boost Maha gave us to make us unique. We were neither just the creature nor just the wizard. We were some twisted blend of both! Either way we couldn't change what happened years ago, so we came to terms with it. We visited our place of birth ( we had to sneak the information from each set of parents. Thank Merlin our parents were the only ones stupid enough to come up with this. They actually thought they could double-cross magical beings too. I honestly didn't think they were that dumb.) and we said our apologies and told our stories. They listened and eventually gave us another chance. Same conditions applied, we didn't have to 'decide' just yet if we were going to repeat this with our eventual children but, we still had to bring them and ourselves for the annual visits. That was when we made a few of our own traditions. The first was every day of the full moon, we'd tell our parents we were going out clubbing to sow our wild oats or whatever so we weren't to be expected till the day after. It was how I learned to make an elaborate long distance portkey. They never found out, they never questioned where we were. We even stayed for an extra night or two more than once. They didn't so much as blink on our return. Though, it was a little bit hilarious, every creature flat out told us in almost the same exact tones that if our parents so much as stepped foot on our, respective birth place... They would rip thier hearts out, trick them off a cliff, bury them in the sand, drown them... you know I always did wonder if some creatures were more violent than others. I always thought all of them, be it dragon or fairy, they at least had the ability to kick arse. You know, if they wanted. It would explain why we found it so easy to learn to fight...muggle style. Oh well! Made it easier to train; that's for sure.
So here we were, high on the rugged North Cornwall coast. It really was beautiful. We used to stay in the Tintagel Castle when we visited. Less chance to wake up with pie in our hair. Plus, It really was fun to scare the local tourists.
"Woww, are we really...?" Huh, I want to take a picture of this. It's so unexpected. Hermione Granger, witch extrornaire, was speechless. I smirked.
"Yeah, the Greengrass family has owned this castle for generations. They originally bought it so they had better access to Merlins Cave; it had the entrance to pixie meadows you know. They were just going to make the castle into a tourist attraction or some such. But, some time later some of the children found it relaxing to stay in the castle. It became like a second home to them. So the head of the family at the time make a compromise. The part of the castle that had the most historical history ingrained was used as a tourist attraction. It was a big part too. Thankfully the castle was bigger than most ever realize. Even the wizards missed some of the best rooms. Anyway, the rest of the castle was kept under a strict and heavy set of wards. Can't be too careful with muggles literally right next door. The Greengrasses stopped using it years ago. So we brought it back. Every full moon we would stay here, then during the night we'd hike down to Merlins cave. It was fun and sometimes we didn't want to go back. Unfortunately, we did have lives...and school." I grew quiet.
Staring up at the Tintagel was a little harder than I expected. I could practically feel the air as I flew around throwing confetti and placing 'kick me' sign on unsuspecting people. Daph and Tori would be laughing themselves silly, thinking up pranks that made even the pixies seethe in envy. I could practically hear Pansys warning 'don't let them see you. Draco, get down from there.' If I close my eyes, I could see Blaise mimicing her from behind. Greg and Vince would just stand there and grin while Milli and Trace would see who could make the best ghost noises. I could smell the roast duck Theo had a habit of spoiling us with. I would always scan the sea of people for fudge-sinners. I took great joy in pranking them best...worst. best for me, worst for them. It made the pang in my stomach all the more pronounced. Merlin but I missed my family. Harrys hand slipped in mine and I opened my eyes to see his worried gaze fixed on me.
"You alright mate?" It was Ron who asked but I could tell Mione and Nev were just as worried. I refused to allow the Weaslette to come along. She didn't like it but, frankly I didn't care. It was my family. Harry squeezed my hand and I shook off the maudlin thoughts. There was no time to feel sad. I had a family to save. Starting with the weirdest sisters I ever had the grace to aquire.
"I'm fine. Just a quick side trip down memory lane." I smiled. "Alright, enough with the negative emotion. I don't want to know what prank my sisters can come up with if we make them wait any longer." I led the way inside.
:P;];];];]:P
After getting a light snack from the castle elves, Hermione's lucky she kept her SPEW speeches nonexistent. These house elves won't hesitate to throw her out if they think she was being disrespecting. Then again , if I hear another 'wow' come out of her mouth; I will personally kick her to a motel. She could come back with all the other tourists whose intelligence only allowed them to know one syllable words...I may or may not need another piece of fudge. I ate my last one when we finished the portkey.
Almost as soon as I finished that thought, Clipsy popped in with a tray full of fudge. While the other three took several steps back; Harry simply shook his head and sat on the nearest bed. I wasted no time. With a hurried thank you, I climbed into his lap and proceeded to savor all these delicacies. Of course, being my favorite man it was only natural I share with him. Harry could have the peanut butter ones. Dipsy, the head kitchen elf made it with just a dash of cocoa powder. It tasted great. Personally, though I prefered the white chocolate ones. She sticks dark chocolate chips inside each piece. The contrast makes it the best tasting one, hands down. It always put a smile on my face and I need all the cheer I could get.
Eventually, I had to finish. With a sigh and mental reminder not to kill the pranking miscreants; they did have good hearts I took them through Merlins Cave to pixie meadow. I forgot about the Leimoniad that guards and cares for it. Before I could blink I was viewing the heads of Mione, Nev, and Ron. Tree roots had thier arms and legs suspended in midair. I was pretty sure Harry was only spared due to his hand grasping mine.
Hmm, you know in a way that actually seems kinda fun. Well except for Mione. She really should've known better than to wear skirt on a journey where there was a high possibility of strenuous activity.
"What is your purpose in this meadow, travelers? ...oh hi, Draco!...State your reasons or stay indefinitely. " I shook my head. Syrinx was seriously messed up. Harmless but insane. Well, harmless to those who belong and/or are permitted in her meadows. The rest...good luck to them.
"Hey, Sye. Mind letting my friends go. We are here for a reason." She blinked and cocked her head to the side.
"You brought them..all of them?" I sighed. It was one of those days. Sometimes, if she gets bored or stressed enough, she returns to a child mindset. It wasn't usually a problem. Protecting her meadow was usually enough to keep her too occupied for anything else. It was kind of fun when we were younger but, now it was just tiresome. We still loved her. She was still our honorary BFF. Now, though more often than not we have to babysit her. I couldn't wait till she gave birth... still have no idea how a nymph, whose essentially just a spirit can get pregnant. Then again...?
No, nope. Daphne, Astoria. Headaches are not good for rescue missions.
"Yeah, Sye I brought them. Have you seen anything suspicious here lately?" She seemed to think about it as she directed the tree roots to go back where they belong. Hermione immediately transfigured her skirt into jeans upon landing. Her face was so red!
"Hmm, I'm not sure. Maybe? There was something a few days ago. It was weird, like a cloud of vapers that looked as if it was masquerading as a human-shaped cocoon. It seemed to be headed for Chibi Cove." Even with a child mindset, she seemed worried. I didn't blame her. The very thought of evil in the Chibi Cove had my insides covered in ice. Thankfully, Syes nymph mojo had my powers at least semi-under control. There was only a slight breeze that told just how worried I was.
The Chibi Cove was basically a mini-meadow inside the elder tree. It was where the Greengrass children go to get birthed and blessed. Not to mention, it was where pixies were BORN! It was beyond sin to expose children to evil in my opinion.
There was an explosion. With a wildly beating heart and three gryphindors tailing me, I raced to the Cove entrance. The pixies were already there. Some were hurtling magic in an attempt to get in while others were hovering near all parts of the trees, taking on human forms to better help keep the clouds at bay. Clouds were really all I could use to describe it. They were like black clouds that have substance and anger just bursting from within. Tendrils broke off here and there and turned the plants brown even with Syrinx fighting to keep it at bay. And here I was wondering why she reverted so early.
I thanked the gods for Griffindor bravery. Nev and Harry immediately rushed into battle. Even Mione ran to help with those injured, despite not knowing how to treat pixies. I could only stand there. I'm not weak; and no matter what the other houses think I'm not a coward either. These pixies were my friends and every part of me wanted to rush right in the thick of things to beat some vapor butt. I wanted to howl and cry, tear the sky open and unleash the mother of all storms on these... things. These pockets of fluff that dared to destroy something so beautiful. So innocent, considering thier base was a baby home.
I wished and wanted all I could, it made no difference. Something held me back. Had my eyes glued to that entrance; that door not two feet from my view. It was like a song, a voice that I knew. A voice I recognized if only I could think. A thump started in my head and my feet were pulled through. I wasn't even aware I was moving. I was only dimly focused on the sudden quiet. A part of me noticed the thunk thunk of the tendrils trying to follow me in. But the rest was entirely occupied with the beauty and the sheer peace that was present in this admittingly, small place. In the center were my sisters, intertwined like always. They were still and floating above the entirety of Chibi Cove. It was then that I realized. The voice. It belonged to them. My sisters. It was the bits and pieces of thier Soul song. Thier shared soul songs. They had individual ones too, but they rarely use it. And even in the Aurora coma they still made it a priority to protect the pixies Chibi Cove. With a sudden clarity I conjured a piano and started to play. Knowing full well that it would wake them. If only so they could sing their most favorite song. Be unstoppable by Chloe and Hallie. Made for a duet and descibes them together too a tee. They fell in love with it the moment it sang from thier linked threads. Together that was thier song, a song of thier faith and care for the other. It inspired those who heard it to come out of thier shells. To never give up and live like your not gonna see tomorrow. Like your unstoppable. It wasn't a particularly long song and by the time it was done, I had my sisters back. As well as a couple spots in my vision.
"Well, well Dragon. What.." Aleta.
"Took you so long. It wouldn't. .." Arella.
"Have anything to do with..." Aleta again.
"A certain green-eyed Gryffindor. Now..." Arella again.
"Would it?!" They both finished. I wanted to smack the both of them over the head. I wanted to shout at them for no good reason. I wanted to question them nonstop to see if they knew where the others were being held. I wanted to bundle them up and ship them far away from any war. All I could do was cry. Silently and elegantly of course.
"Hey, we were fine. There's..."
"No reason to cry." I didn't care if we were good friends now or not. My duo sisters are never meeting the Weasley twins.
A hard thump and sand raining down reminded me this was no time for hapy reunions. Using the littlest words possible, I explained the situation to my sisters. I didn't question where they got the swords. This was a BABY Cove. Pixie babies but still, baby nonetheless. I didn't want to know. I simply took one and finally did what I wanted to do since I saw these creeps. I slashed and tore them to bits. My sword glowed with the colors of the sessons. Ice alternately encased multiple tendrils, making it easier to beat. Storms picked up and seemed to form a kind of wall that left no room for pixies took every advantage that gave them. Thunder rumbled overhead and lightening flashed. Aleta and Arella followed. Aleta used the rain water drenching the clouds to trap them in an impenetrable block. Arella started a slow fire, building and building it till the clouds were pressed at the very top wailing in pure agony till it stopped and all that was left was smoke. They were more violent than I was. Not that I was going to mention anything. The pixies were like extended family to the Greengrasses. Even if some tried to deny it. Leta and Rela had a right to be violent. In retrospect it was over quicker than I expected. It was easier than I expected. Some small, really small part of me was kind of dissapointed at that. I shivered, getting the feeling neither Voldedork or the new baddie was very pleased at this outcome.
I let Leta lead the way to the baths, deciding to hang back with Harry. Completely and utterly ignoring the knowing smirks from the soon-to-be-deceased-even-after-all-the-work-I-put-into-saving-them twin sisters of mine. I was too tired to do anything now though. I was all set too just bath, meet with our friends, and dance the night away, might as well have a bit of fun before we had to return to school and Professor Umbridge. The pixies were filled with too much energy to not have a party and there was no way I was missing one of those. I'll let Harry carry me to the castle if I fall asleep. I was just glad I got the twins back. Already I could feel some of the locks in the mind-box start to chip...I did remember to warn Harry not to let the twins wake me, right... Lord help everyone if I find pie in my hair in the morning.