Happy Holidays, my lovely readers!
"We'll be back for a visit sometime, I promise. We really ought to be leaving to go back to Red Fountain though." Harry spoke to Amethyst and Jasper as he and his friends transferred their belongings from the ship that had brought them from the De L'Or household to their own Red Fountain issued airship at the port they'd first landed at upon reaching Isis.
"I'll miss you!" Jasper admitted.
"Me too. You saved us from those people and united us with each other and our families again. We have so much to thank you for..." Amethyst said.
"Hey, you two. We did it because it was the right thing to do." Aki said as he passed them by. "It's also part of what we train for at Red Fountain: to help people who really need it."
Jasper paused, looking to be in thought.
"Then if that is the case..." the boy started. "I want to go to Red Fountain just like you all! I want to be a strong, brave hero and help people like how you helped me and my sister!" Jasper vowed.
"Good ambition there, kid. I'm sure you'll get into Red Fountain and do well if it's really what you want..." Darian patted him gently on the shoulder as he passed.
"If he really wants it, I have no problem with it." Topaz smiled as she walked over and put a hand on her son's shoulder. "If it wasn't for your training you wouldn't have saved my son and daughter. How can I fault him for wanting to attend your school after what it's done for you and by extension for him?"
"Agreed." Garnet walked over and took hold of his wife's hand, squeezing it lightly. "If it's really what he wants, then when the time comes, I'll support him in it as well. If the school did so much for you; helped you to become the heroes you were for us, then certainly it will do well by him..."
"We'll all have graduated by then, but perhaps we could stop by for a little... alumni visit sometime." Aki smiled.
"That would be fantastic." Jasper laughed.
"It will be time for us to go in about ten minutes or so!" Lucas called out from the door of their airship.
Each of the young men received hugs from the younger De L'Ors and shook hands with the adult De L'Ors.
"Harry," Garnet took him aside and spoke quietly, so only he could hear. "Topaz and the other adult members of our family all agree that you need all the help you can get when you told us of the foul wizard who calls himself Lord Voldemort, the terror of your home world..."
"And?" Harry raised an eyebrow.
"And we also agree that since you saved some of our younger family members from death or a fate worse than it, that we should consider you a family member as well..."
"Thank you, sir..." Harry felt genuinely touched by the sentiment.
"Our family has a secret collection of spells, filled with all sorts of rare spells and charms, spells that were thought lost and even family crafted originals. It's all contained within the family grimoire. We're offering you access to it, even though you were not born into or married into our family. Knowledge is power, after all and since you're the only wizard of your group of friends here, this offer applies only to you."
Harry stood there, stunned at what he was hearing.
From what he knew, witches guarded their secrets even more than fairies did, especially when it came to magical knowledge, so for the De L'Ors to be offering him access to their family grimoire like this... It was really a significant thing.
They truly trusted and respected him...
"I guess I can never speak of this to anyone else, can I?" Harry asked, just to be sure he had the right answer in mind.
"Correct. This knowledge is for you and only you. Tell no one. Not your best friends, not your fellow students, not even your girlfriend..." Garnet's tone seemed to get an edge to it with these words.
"I understand. Though, why wait until now, when I am about to leave to tell me this?" Harry raised an eyebrow.
"It was only agreed on late last night. I had to call together all my relatives for a meeting and while there was a bit of a debate, they were actually unanimous in wanting to grant you access. Consider it part of your reward. The... part of it that no one else ever has to know about..."
"About that other reward..." Harry started, but Garnet held up a hand to stop him.
"I do not want to hear it. My family has more than enough wealth to know what to do with it. Even five generations after Amethyst and Jasper would likely have plenty of the family fortune to call theirs. I understand that it is extremely difficult to find anyone who will change any form of Earthling currency to any used in the Magix Dimension- though that may change in the future. It will help make your life easier in these parts so don't tell me anything about giving it back. I also don't want to hear any crazy talk about giving it all away. It is yours." the older man spoke firmly.
"I didn't do this for money though..." Harry said.
"That makes you and your friends all the more deserving of it," Garnet smiled. "Now about access to my family's grimoire..."
Harry straightened up even more.
"Unfortunately, there is no time for that right now and you aren't allowed to leave Magix during the school year unless it's on official breaks or specially sanctioned, correct?"
"Indeed it isn't, Garnet..." Harry nodded.
"I would like for you to return to Isis as soon as possible- that is, when this semester is over. You'd be free to move as you please then and I don't want you drawing extra attention to yourself by requesting leave to return, especially so soon after you just left. With the attention my family is getting now because of a... certain group, they'll be watching us and anyone around us..."
Harry motioned for the man to continue.
"I won't stop you from visiting wherever else it is you have planned for your break, but please. Come here as soon as you can so the De L'Ors can share the family grimoire with you. I would want to do it sooner, but as I said earlier, we only agreed to do this last night. Plus the grimoire is not allowed to leave our home. The risk is too great for it being stolen if it did." he said.
"There are some pretty nasty spells on it that the fairies would faint at if they knew about them that protect the grimoire from intruders though. I'd just like to see them try something against it, especially with what just happened to my children..." Garnet sneered, an expression that seemed a bit out of place on the older man but when Harry considered the man's family and their general attitude to magic in general and fairies in particular, he wasn't truly surprised.
"Understood." Harry nodded.
"Well, alright then." Garnet adjusted his glasses and patted Harry lightly on the back. "I suppose it's time for you to be joining your friends and heading back to school. Just remember our little chat and do keep in contact with us. Amethyst and Jasper would be sorely disappointed if you did not..."
"I did promise them that I would, Garnet. I don't break my promises." Harry nodded.
"Good. Now go, lest your friends there blame you for returning later than planned..." Garnet waved him off.
Harry gave the man a small salute and waved at the other three De L'Ors as he walked back to the ship and boarded it.
Harry collapsed into his bed in his Red Fountain dorm as soon as he arrived there , not even bothering to take off his shoes.
"Finally..." he groaned. "It feels good to be back. Some of our fellow students thought that we were going on vacation, but if they really feel so, then they're truly barmy..."
Aki could only groan as he collapsed into his bed, in a similar state to Harry.
"Remember that we may or may not have to go back for any court related stuff." the other teen muttered.
"Oh bloody hell, no..." Harry groaned.
He mustered up enough strength to reach for his cell phone to send texts to let Ron, Hermione and Roxy know that he was safe and sound back at Red Fountain and not to call or text him for at least the next few hours.
Then, feeling too lazy to even reach for his bedside table, he slid the cell phone under his pillow and fell asleep.
"Harry's back in Magix and fine." Roxy smiled as she read the text he'd sent upon his arrival.
"And he's told you not to bother him for a few hours..." Rainer raised an eyebrow as she read the text over Roxy's shoulder.
Roxy closed the message and turned to glare at the other fairy.
"Hasn't anyone ever taught you anything about privacy?!" she snapped.
"Of course they have. Do you think it ever stopped me?" Rainer snickered. "Just ask Nephele. The perils of growing up with a nosy little sister..."
"It's times like these that make me grateful that I'm an only child..." Roxy sighed before fetching Artu, putting him on his leash and heading out of the dorm.
It was nearing the end of the weekend and there were several students out in the courtyard enjoying the late afternoon, chatting with friends or simply relaxing.
"Feel like going for a walk around Lake Roccaluce, Artu?" She reached down to pat him and he barked in agreement.
"Okay then. We've got time for a nice, long walk before it starts to get dark..." Roxy straightened up.
"Going to see your boyfriend before someone snatches him up?" a feminine voice asked from behind her, a hint of malice lacing it.
"Oh. Hello there, Idelle..." Roxy rolled her eyes and folded her arms as she turned to look at the maroon-haired fairy, her tone conveying her obvious annoyance.
"No need to be annoyed with me. It's your little boyfriend you should be annoyed with..." Idelle smiled sweetly though Roxy would compare that smile to the expression she imagined on a lioness as it was about to pounce on a zebra.
"I have nothing to worry about when it comes to Harry, so take your mind tricks and shove them elsewhere..." Roxy began to walk away.
"Boyfriend's been hanging out a lot with witches lately, even risked his skin to actually save one and her brother... he's getting rather chummy with their kind, don't you think? You should be careful. A witch could snag him up..." Idelle chuckled.
"As if. He's nothing like that." Roxy spoke confidently.
"I don't know what it's like in that backwater planet you call Earth, but since you've been locked away from the rest of us for hundreds of years, let me inform you that things don't work like that around here. I hear he's been spending a lot of time with you Tir Nan Og fairies, yet you allow him to be hanging out with witches. Aren't you afraid they'll hex him or steal him from you?" Idelle taunted.
"I could hex you. Would you like me to?" Roxy turned back to face her fellow Sophomore fairy, her expression now schooled into one of nonchalance- though Artu, still next to her, growled warningly at the other fairy.
"Even some... proper fairies have their eyes on him and his potential, based on all the stories we've heard. Is your friend Rainer counted in that number? No, of course not. She's not a proper fairy. Her mother is a witch, even though her father comes from a line of fairies!" Idelle chuckled. "She's just a wannabe! Should have stuck it out as a witch, shouldn't she? Wouldn't be surprised if she made the switch any day now. No one with witch blood should be here..."
"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY ABOUT ME, YOU BITCH?!" A familiar voice thundered across the courtyard, startling many.
"There goes my hopes of a peaceful afternoon..." Roxy sighed.
"Imagine it, Roxy. I look out the balcony to see if I could catch up with her because I felt like a walk and I saw you here, being bothered by that..." Rainer pointed at Idelle, folded her arms across her chest and narrowed her eyes at the other fairy, who looked supremely unbothered by the latest development.
Many other students had their attention drawn to the budding argument as well, and were whispering excitedly to one another.
Krystal, Athena and Anahita, Roxy could see, who were watching from their balcony, suddenly turned inside.
"Coming down here to see what the fuss is, most likely..." the animal fairy thought.
"Just telling your friend here, what makes a real fairy. You wouldn't really know, would you?" Idelle sneered.
Rainer took a deep breath and with what visibly looked like a huge effort, turned to Roxy.
"I want to come with you. A walk seems like a pretty nice idea right about now..."
"Sure." Roxy put a hand on Rainer's shoulder and turned her away from Idelle, but not before shooting the other fairy the most venomous glare she could muster.
"If she can't take the heat, maybe she should just stay out of Alfea!" Idelle cackled.
Rainer's magic flared out around her, crackling with little lightning bolts as she tried to force herself to remain calm.
"Let's just go, Rainer. She's not worth it..." Roxy spoke as soothingly as she could.
"It would be worth it, Roxy." Rainer seethed. "Just without so many witnesses. She doesn't like the witchy side of me? Well, she'll see just how witchy a fairy can get if she keeps that up!" she snapped, accidentally letting loose a giant bolt of lightning that almost struck Idelle and several other students in the courtyard, sending them scattering and screaming and leaving behind a large scorch mark.
"Well, obviously you're pissed..." Anahita noted wryly as their other roommates finally caught up with them.
"It was Idelle. Need I say more?" Roxy rolled her eyes.
"Say no more." Krystal put an arm around Rainer's shoulder's while muttering the short incantation for a calming spell.
Athena put an arm around Rainer's other shoulder. "We're so much more well behaved, better looking and fabulous than she is. Let's not think of her anymore for now." she said. "We can figure out another way to get back at her later- without so many witnesses present." she whispered.
Rainer chuckled mischievously. "You and I had the same idea, Athena. I like the way you think..."
"Let's go on the walk now before the teachers get out here and wonder how the giant scorch mark appeared in the courtyard..." Roxy piped up.
They passed through the winged gates of Alfea as their mood picked up, imagining creative spells and hexes to be applied to Idelle and other similarly unpleasant people.
I imagine Idelle to be Alfea's answer to Draco Malfoy. That should say enough of her personality. She'll be a minor reoccurring character here on out.