"Father," the young Centaur foal asked, looking up to the sky. "Mars shines just as it usually does?"
His father turned his gaze from the heavens to look down at his son. Then a small smile tagged at the edge of his lips.
"Just never tell the Humans it does," he answered.
- - x - - x - - x - -
"Mother!" James complained loudly. "This is a story for babies!"
His mum smiled lovingly at him. "You will always be my little baby."
"I'm big now!" James complained again.
"Sleep now," his mum answered, "and dream good dreams. Tomorrow will be soon enough to be a big boy."
"Tomorrow I'm going to Hogwarts!" James stated proudly.
"Sweet dreams," his father told him kindly, his familiar tall and slim silhouette standing at the door-frame. "Tomorrow's a long day, son."
A light kiss from his mum and both parents were out the door.
"They grow so fast," he heard his mum saying. His dad answered, but they were already too far to understand his words.
Sleep didn't come to James, though. He was too excited. His mind's buzzing with thoughts, expectations, hopes… Fears? After a long while, he took out his new wand from under his pillow and lit it up to look at the clock on his bedside table. His mum showed him how years ago. Only a quarter of an hour has passed.
James got up and picked up the cloak his father gave him just yesterday.
"It's a special cloak," his dad said. "The oldest in every generation always receives it before heading to Hogwarts for his first year. Make us Potters proud."
This cloak felt special. There was this coolness in it, which touched his magic and not only his skin. He felt safe in it. Comfortable. Soon enough, James drifted to sleep.
A Dragon was now in his room - He must have been dreaming. This Dragon looked to be a kind one, though. He had very little wings and was green all over.
"oOwurk!" the Dragon told him, and James got out of bed and followed. That didn't sound intimidating at all. They walked through the tall grass and through the walls of his bedroom. A pale, full, late-summer moon shone in the sky and a howl sounded from afar, but James felt safe with the Dragon.
They walked through the plain and into the woods, where a Gryphon, a Wyvern, and a Hippogriff stood guard over gates of horn and Ivory. The gates were open though, and they were waved on through. Nevertheless, James bowed respectfully towards the Hippogriff - he did read his children's books and knew his magical beings. The Hippogriff nodded back. He looked somewhat amused in doing so.
James and the green Dragon walked on up a hill and round a small pond to a small house nestled in between the hillside and the pond. The house had a homely feel about it. It was also crooked and rickety, yet James was a Wizard and knew that looks can be and often are - deceiving. In front of the house sat three ladies, a Unicorn, and a crow, having afternoon tea.
Is it really a Dragon? James found himself thinking. He vaguely remembered one of his parents' picture books. A Gargoyle?
"UwurRrk," the probably Gargoyle said in what sounded like a confirmation.
"Who's your friend?" the Raven croaked-asked and James was surprised to understand his words. The green Gargoyle shrugged the best a Gargoyle could.
"Are you lost, child?" the youngest of the ladies asked kindly.
"Do you want something, my ducks?" asked another of the ladies.
The oldest of the ladies chuckled darkly. "Humans always Desire something. They then Despair when they fail to get it, or when it is lost afterwards. It's the easiest pit for the poor dears to fall into."
The Unicorn cleared his throat in disapproval. "This one is still innocent," he said in a surprising melodic voice.
It was not at all the tone of voice James imagined a Unicorn to have. Not that he ever imagined a Unicorn being able to speak.
I must be dreaming, he thought.
"He's dreaming," the Unicorn went on and the raven shrugged his wings and croaked in agreement.
"Is he a dream? A nightmare?" asked the young lady.
Well, James didn't look much of a nightmare, but dreams tended to be deceiving even more often than magic.
"He's a human foal," stated the Unicorn.
"Look at him - he's a guest," the raven answered, pointing his left wing at the boy. Whatever it was that made the raven come to this conclusion, the others noticed as well and agreed.
"Come child, sit with us," one of the ladies invited him. It was the youngest one again. She was blonde. Looked to be about his mother's age. Something about her reminded James of his Aunt Black, only she was missing the mad expression in her eyes. Not that he'll ever say such to the former Miss Rosier. Nor call her an Aunt, for that matter. He was miffed about their words, though.
"Would you like to hear a story, pumpkin?" asked the middle lady, though she was now sitting on the left. "A secret? A mystery?"
"I am James Potter," James answered proudly. "And I'm not a child any more, for tomorrow I'm heading to Hogwarts!" he stated.
"Come join us, Young James," offered the Unicorn, "since even at eleven you are still young and there are long-living beings in the world."
"Who wants what with their tea, then?" Asked the old lady. "We have scones, florentines, sponge-cake, and I think a rat was caught in a trap this morning."
"I'm Matthew, mate," the raven introduced himself. "And this is Gregory," he introduced the Gargoyle, who grunted in agreement. "I don't drink tea, but can I have this rat's eyes?"
James shuddered lightly, but did find 'Gregory' to be an appropriate name for a Gargoyle - green or otherwise. He politely asked for a ham and cheddar sandwich. James had his dinner with his parents before going to bed, but hey - he was a growing child, err - man…
"Hogwarts you say," the Unicorn remarked in his cultured voice. He sipped his tea and nibbled delicately from his cake. Not that James could understand just how he did so, yet nothing more could surprise him this strange evening.
Or so he thought…
"Unicorns don't have names," the oldest lady told him. James shuddered once more, watching her nibble on the grey eye-less rat on her plate. She was making various sounds of pure delight and enjoyment.
"You can call us Tisiphone, Alecto, and Megaera," the younger lady told him.
"We can be Diana, Mary-Florence, and Candy too, baby-love," the second lady chuckled.
'Surreal' was a word James only recently learned. What was happening around him perfectly fitted it.
"We are the three, who are one," stated the youngest.
"The We who are They," added the oldest.
"The Hecateae."
"The Three of Fate."
"The Furries!" each stated.
"But, for tonight, you can call them 'The Kindly Ones'," the Unicorn concluded. "Hogwarts was once a fine school!" he added, after a thought.
This hurt James' sense of propriety. "Hogwarts is the finest school of witchcraft and wizardry in the world," he stated, "and it's under the greatest headmaster Hogwarts ever had - Albus Dumbledor!"
"Young Albus?" the oldest lady rasped, almost surprised. "He's too afraid to even risk dreaming these days," she remarked, clearly amused.
"Has family blood on his hands," the youngest remarked darkly.
"Just how all the yarn threads meet, my popsy," the second one smiled.
"Let me then tell you a story about Hogwarts, then," the Unicorn offered, and took another sip of his tea.
Of Ancients, Founders, and The Greater Good
"In the beginning, the world was already old," the Unicorn started his tale.
"Can't say I've ever been too fond of beginnings, myself. Messy little things. Give me a good ending anytime," the oldest lady interrupted his story.
"Yet the beginning is the best place for this story to start at," the youngest argued.
"A young race grew and matured far far away from here. They were scientists and scholars, striving to understand the universe around them. They were artists, striving to mirror the universe around them in more than formulas and numbers. They were philosophers, imagining what the universe could be and could have been, then trying to make it so. They learned how to shape the universe around them with their technology and their minds," the Unicorn went on with his tale, as if he was not interrupted by the old lady at all.
"They, however, were not a warrior people. Nor were they tenacious in their core. They travelled the length and breadth of this universe, as well as a few of the other universes nearby. Finally, after millions of years of voyaging, they set their home here on Earth. They called Earth 'Avalon' and built their largest and most exquisite city here.
"You might have heard about it," he remarked. "It is called Atlantis."
James found himself nodding at this. Intrigued. Many stories in his family's library told of the wonders of the legendary Atlantis. Told about it being lost. Told about the efforts made to rediscover it too.
"For millions of years the Ancients, as they were now known, flourished here. They had a vision of a prospering universe, teeming with life and knowledge. They created the humans in their image, and seeded them throughout the stars. They drilled tunnels through the heavens to help the humans travel about. They reached out in friendship to the few other mature races around to help together nourish the new humans to maturity as well - Till the plague came."
"Hubris is a sin," Matthew the crow concurred. "Even for Ancients and immortals."
"And so, the Ancients took their city of wonders and ran away, leaving Death and Destruction in their wake," The Unicorn went on with his story. "'It's for the greater good,' they told themselves."
And the young lady snorted, quite unlady-like.
"It was not even for their own good," rasped the oldest.
And yet, the Unicorn went on with his story: "It was several millions years before the Ancients came back to Earth. They were not, however, exactly the same Ancients who left, all this time back. They left their lovely city behind, at parts unknown, for a start. They were also much reduced. The Ancient seemed greying. Washed out, if you like. No longer were they fascinated by the wonders of the universe. No longer excited about shaping it to their vision and dreams.
"They were also surprised to find that life finds its way and that the dying and barren world they left behind was now teeming with life once more. The Ancients were even more surprised to discover that a few of the humans they have created not only survived the plague, but could now influence the chaotic energies with their minds too, to shape the world around them.
"Yet, these humans were not the Ancients. They were no scientists. They had neither the knowledge the Ancients gathered through the aeons, nor the drive to explore and learn. Still the Ancients tried to educate them.
"For a while, things shaped up. Human education and quality of life improved: Agriculture expanded; City-states established; Civilisation was born; However, the Ancients were weary. No longer were they interested in the living. Most were looking forward to leaving the burdens of this world behind and moving on to the next great adventure. Many others just wanted to pass on.
"From generation to generation, the number of second-evolution-humans on Earth increased, just as the numbers of Ancients around, to guide and educate them - fell. Then, about a thousand years ago, the four greatest, most educated, and most influential second-evolution-humans - 'Mages' they started to call themselves by then, joined together to create a place to educate and protect young mages of the Kingdoms and parts of Gaul, albeit, The Kingdoms were far from being united, back then."
"And what a lovely place it was, dearyduck," the second lady agreed.
The Unicorn took a sip from his cooling tea and another bite from his sponge-cake, as if to subtly demonstrate his ever-so-slight displeasure with her interrupting his story once more. He then went on:
"For a while, it all went to plan: Hogwarts was the most amazing structure on Earth ever since Atlantis itself, although there's some debate going regarding the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Helga Hufflepuff was a gifted engineer. She didn't have access to the usual materials the Ancients were using in their constructs, but did wonders with what was available to her. Salazar Slytherin was a chemistry and materials expert. He managed to make stone, steel, and silver behave above and beyond what are their known properties to this day. There was no 'magic' involved - just science and efficient application of energy.
"The castle was the tallest building on Earth for centuries to come. It was well lit. Heated during the winter and well conditioned during summer days. Moving staircases led people to their destinations, a whole millennium before the invention of the escalator. An efficient waste disposal system kept the castle hygienic in times when people throughout the world were still plodding along through filth and faeces, even inside the grandest of palaces. In the grand hall, a holographic display system was used as a teaching and demonstration tool. At the heart of it all, Hogwarts castle used one of the last power crystals, made by the Ancients themselves, to power it all. That included the castle's intent-based shields - making the castle probably the safest place on the face of the planet."
James found himself nodding at the description of the fable school he was just about to enrol in.
"The school was an academic success as well," the Unicorn continued with his story. "Helga and Salazar taught their students science and about the universe around them. Brilliant Ravenclaw was doing her best to describe the said universe in numbers and formulas. The fine arts were not neglected too. The very talented Gryffindor was teaching their students language, literature, poetry, and many other arts.
"It was an age of research and discovery too. Under the tutelage of the founding mages, students learned to exert their minds' control over the world around them in ways that even the Ancients themselves couldn't imagine.
"Bear in mind that back then, all but a few mages were limited to some small displays of levitation and healing, as well as some expression of fire creation and control - Fire has always been important for the survival of the people. Now, fields of research such as Charms and Transfiguration were defined and explored. Sadly, humans are ever on the search for new ways to hurt each other, so Curses were developed too.
"But, all good things must come to an end," the Unicorn sighed. "The founders grew old and weary. Hogwarts' success drew in students in numbers the founders could no longer handle. Gryffindor suggested that they divide the students between them to spread the load and for a while it worked. Helga taught the ones willing to invest the hard meticulous work needed for the creation of innovative and efficient structures and machines. Salazar taught those who were willing to look for the distant, almost impossible goal, then strive to achieve it. Rowena preferred those few students who were inclined to set their minds free to understand the intrinsic make of the universe. Finally, Godric gathered around him the creative sorts.
"After a while, though, they discovered that this separation built walls between these groups of students. For many years, Helga's and Salazar's students worked well together, but ultimately, some competitions developed between them. Rowena's students lost their hold on the real-world application of the lore they were studying, and worse - Godric's students tended to forget that the courage and valour so prominent in his works were meant as guidelines and entertainment. Not truly as actual rules of life. Also, that his shiny sword was more of a stage accessory than a real weapon."
Young James frowned at this description. The Potter family were well known to be Gryffindors at heart. Even though his own mother was a Black and therefore a sna… sorry - Slytherin. The Gryfindor house was where James aspired to be.
"Then Merlin came to visit!"
The Unicorn took another sip of his tea, then asked the oldest lady for another cup, to make this a dramatic pause.
James perked up. Merlin was well known to be the greatest wizard of all times after all.
"'Isn't it time you pass the torch on?' Merlin asked the four founders of the school. "You four are the most evolved second-evolution-human individuals. You are all long lived too - you well deserve to ascend to the next great adventure," Merlin offered.
"With this offer, the harmony of Hogwarts was broken. Rowena was the one among the founders least attached to the land of the living. Ascension and avoiding the realm of Death seemed most enticing to her. A worthy goal for a uniquely capable mind like her own too. Being the first second-evolution-human to manage Ascension only made the effort even more enticing.
"Godric was in complete agreement with her, though he found all this to be 'romantic'. He was also a tad full of himself and found himself to be 'enlightened' and 'deserving'.
"Helga was ambivalent about it, but willing to support her best friend in this effort.
"Salazar, however, was firmly against it. No one, he argued, was ready to replace them as heads of the school, especially in preserving and developing the scientific knowledge in the curriculum.
"'I'll stay here and support Hogwarts in its time of transition,' Merlin promised. 'It's for the greater good,' he added and sealed the three founder's resolve. Merlin, after all, was one of the few last Ancients around and a leader among his people. For the first time, and throughout the many long years they worked together, a rift formed between the four friends and a row raged all night long. By morning, Salazar left the school for the last time and the other three founders were gone. During that summer break Hogwarts transformed itself. Under the control of Merlin, all maths and science were removed from the curriculum and the related books and scrolls were removed from the school library. Hogwarts changed its name to 'Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry'. A new Headmaster was hired. One who was neither interested nor knowledgeable in the sciences. By the end of that summer, Merlin too was gone from the school. He was never seen again by a mortal on Earth.
"It took some time, but the school steadily deteriorated. Along with maths, science, and arts, all structured ways of research were lost too. 'Magic' was born and turned into an art and showmanship, from the structured and scientific control of chaotic energy it once was, under the former tutelage of the founders. Without proper maintenance, the castle slowly deteriorated as well. It was still heated and cooled, but a new waste disposal system needed to be installed - as soon as sewer systems were invented in the normal world. Classes, corridors, and staircases kept moving and changing, but were now doing so randomly - no longer adapting themselves to the school and it's inhabitant's needs. The Holographic display in the great hall was left unused, since no one knew how to interface with it any more. Nor did they have the tools to do so. All it does these days is to show the sky above the castle, serving as a sad reminder to former and lost grandeur. Worse yet, although it still kept Salazar out, for more than a century to come, with so many people trying to fiddle with the wards with no understanding of their works - Hogwarts is no longer safe."
The unicorn ended his story and sat there quietly and contemplative. A single tear fell down his silvery furred cheek . It unnerved James deeply. Unicorns are creatures of light. They were not supposed to be sad.
"Is this all true?" James demanded to know, and earned some sad smiles from around.
"Things need not have happened to be true," Matthew the raven crooked in response. "Tales and adventures are the shadow truths that will endure when mere facts are dust and ashes and forgotten."
"We have time for another story!" stated the youngest lady with much enthusiasm. It earned her an incredulous look from both the crow and the Unicorn. It was not as if time had any meaning in the place they were at.
"We can tell him about his family," agreed the old one. She pointed at the cloak which James was still wearing, although it was clearly not hiding him from anyone's sight. This, however, was a very strange dream indeed, so…
A Tale of Three Brothers
"I stand in my Gallery and I hold your Sigil. Will you talk to me?" said the figure in front of the frame. He was tall and slim. She was well dressed. It was understandable that you wouldn't be certain whether this person was male or female since Desire him, or her-self would never settle for one or the other. He wasn't androgynous-looking as well - she was both, spectacularly so, and wanted it all.
"I'm always willing to speak with you, brother," answered the naked, neglected, sad woman who showed in the frame.
"I have news!" Desire offered with some excitement. Excitement was something Desire craved in abundance.
"You're trying to ensnare our brother in your games once more," Despair complained. "It doesn't work. It didn't work before," she reminded Desire.
"Do you know what day it is?" her twin sister/brother asked? Desire didn't wait for her answer. "It's the night our older sister is walking the earth! I know where she meets Dream for tea too," Desire stated.
- - x - - x - - x - -
"You must understand, young James," the oldest lady interrupted the story to explain, "that Death walks the Earth and any other world, and any other universe, every day and every night."
"One day in every century, though," the youngest added, "Death takes on mortal flesh, better to comprehend what the lives she takes must feel like."
"Can I please go on with my story, honey?" the second lady complained lightly.
- - x - - x - - x - -
The Three Broomsticks was a relatively new pub in the heart of the quaint highland village of Hogsmeed.
If you stood at the edge of the village, where the woods met the road, you could see a castle on the hill, on the other side of the cold lake. Legends told that this castle was once grand, full of light and splendour, but these days all that was left were depilated walls and heaps of rubble. Yet people still travelled the road. Where did they go? Where did they come from? - the people of Hogsmead did not know. Every time someone thought about exploring the ruins and the woods, he soon forgot about it. More often than not, people felt compelled to leave the village altogether for other parts.
"Maybe it would be good for you to meet them on their terms instead of yours," said the woman to the man beside her, as he pushed the door open and let her in.
There was this likeness about these two. They were both well dressed - clearly high-borns. They were also both very pale, yet there was this darkness about them and it wasn't the colour of their hair only. Otherwise, both were as different as chalk and cheese. The man was tall and wiry. His conduct was severe and reserved. He also seemed quite uncomfortable to be at this place. His eyes, especially, were unsettling. They were dark as the night sky, with a glint in them, to remind you that the skies were starry.
The woman, on the other hand, was cheerful and easy-going. People who happened upon her, got a sense of familiarity from her. Like she is an old friend, you only forgot for a moment just where and when you know her from. This is until you took a good look at her eyes and realise you might be looking at the most dangerous being you've ever seen.
"A penny ale for my brother and I, an' it please you?" she asked the proprietor with a kind smile.
"Certainly," he agreed.
"Why are we here, of all places?" asked the man, after their ale was delivered.
"Well, I have some work planned around here later tonight," the woman answered, stealing a glance at a table behind her back. "It's also very close to your own realm," she added with an impish glint in her eye, pointing in the direction of the castle and the woods.
The man just nodded in calm agreement.
"You might like to try this up, guv," the proprietor appeared at their table with two small glasses of steaming beverage. "It's something I've recently invented," he added hesitantly.
"Mmmm, good!" the women stated in delight.
"Smells like beer," the man remarked.
"Taste a little buttery," the woman added.
"'Butterbeer', hmm…" the proprietor pondered to himself, walking away from their table, after thanking them.
For a while, the couple rested, nursing their ales and listening to the crowd around them.
"Congratulations brother," a voice carried to them from the table behind their backs. "Finished school! Are you planning to ask for an apprenticeship? Come back home?"
"Antioch Peverell - He's mine," stated Desire from right behind the man's back. "He has noble goals - to be known as the greatest wizard since Merlin. To be recognised as the Wizard who stopped 'dark magic' in the land."
"We don't play with the lives of mortals," the man answered with a healthy dose of scorn.
"You don't play with the lives of mortals, Dream," Despair answered.
"Unless It's a poor woman who falls in love with you, or worse - a brave one who doesn't want anything to do with you," Desire laughed and earned a scowl from her older brother.
"What do you know, almost a family reunion!" The women teased. This was followed by a forlorn silence. Their family didn't meet frequently, and the last one didn't end on such a cheerful note.
This was cut short by the conversation from the table behind them all.
"Yes, congratulations. Distinction and all! You've done the Peverells proud," a second man answered in quite a subdued tone of voice.
"Cadmus," Despair updated them. "He visits me every day," she added in a downcast voice. "Lost his young wife giving birth to their first male child."
"Tis better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all," the woman quoted.
"Never heard this one?" Desire was surprised. "I could use that!
He added.
"I couldn't have," her sister mumbled, dejected.
"Read it in Dream's library," the woman answered impishly.
- - x - - x - - x - -
"For you should know, young James, that the library of Dream holds every story ever written or dreamt of," the oldest lady explained.
"Past, present, and future," the youngest lady agreed, and James tried to imagine just how bloody large this library might be.
- - x - - x - - x - -
"I don't believe he would agree with these words," Despair went on in a downcast tone. "He visits every day, struggling to hold onto the remaining slivers of her in his memory. He thinks he still remembers her voice, might remember her eyes, but no longer remembers her smell." Despair was standing in the relatively crowded pub, in all her neglected nakedness, tearing bleeding wounds to the skin of her face, yet no one took notice. Mortals, be they wizards or not, could always be trusted to not notice anything of real importance.
"What exactly brought you here dear brothers?" Dream asked levelly, but before they could answer, the conversation at that table went on.
"I'm not sure yet," the youngest brother answered both his older brothers. "I want to travel for as long as I'm young and healthy. I have heard many stories in that castle across the lake, but stories are not real until one can hear the sounds and smell the smells by himself. The world is quickly changing around us, and you never know how long you have," he added softly, looking at Cadmus.
"This one is certainly yours!" Desire laughed, and Dream nodded.
"Young Ignotus has been visiting regularly for a while now."
"Death is rubbish," Antioch, the oldest, scoffed. At the next table, the woman shook her head in clear amusement. "Are we not wizards, and great ones at that? I say we hold our fate in our own hands."
"That Greek-man Herpo was as foul as it gets, and not as successful as he hoped to be," Cadmus remarked dryly.
"I'm not suggesting this way, but there must be other ways to explore. Merlin's still out there, after hundreds of years. The Founders were two hundred and more years old when they left, and we never heard of them dying?"
"And now I need to be heading to the coast," Ignotus remarked with a smile, dismissing this discussion. "My ship is setting sails on the morrow.
"The woods are dangerous at night," Cadmus warned, but his oldest brother dismissed his worries.
"Neither the Unicorns, nor the Centaurs have reason to attack us," he argued.
"And now I need to go and do this work I came here for," the woman sighed and looked about for the proprietor, to pay him for their ale and food.
"It also brings us to the reason for our visit," Despair commented.
"A challenge of sorts," Desire added with a leery smile on his face, as they followed the woman out of the pub.
Dream frowned. Their sister, meanwhile, changed her attire into a black T-shirt, Jeans, and trainers. He wasn't chuffed at all about his younger twin brothers' antics, but those little games of theirs were nothing new. "Isn't this a tad anachronistic?" He asked his sister, motioning at the clothes she was now wearing.
She rolled her eyes on him and soon enough she was dressed in a heavy elaborated black dress. "Better?" she asked.
"Sister," Desire interrupted, clearly amusing himself. "Tonight asks for the full monty!"
"Honestly?" she complained loudly. "Scythe and all?!"
She concentrated once more and soon enough she was covered head to toe with a heavy black cloak and holding a long Scythe in her bony hand.
"Happy now?" she complained some more, and even Dream smiled thinly.
The three Peverell brothers were walking through the dark forest for a couple of hours already and their destination was not far off now. In a way, Antioch was right - Neither the Unicorns,
- - x - - x - - x - -
The Unicorn scuffed loudly at this remake.
- - x - - x - - x - -
Nor the Centaurs, nor any other of the inhabitants of the dark forest had attacked them.
- - x - - x - - x - -
"Not even the ROUS!" the oldest lady laughed, but the second disregarded her and went on with the tale. Not that James knew what ROUS were, mind you.
- - x - - x - - x - -
Then they reached the cut. It wasn't supposed to be there, but then, it was a challenge so Desire made an effort. The threshold was tall and steep, with not a path, or even a good hold in sight. Down in the creek water ran fast through rapids, between treacherous rocks, and over waterfalls.
"This wasn't here, last time I explored the forest?" Ignotus was surprised.
"There are forces working against us tonight," Cadmus cautioned his brothers, but once more, his older brother was not willing to be deterred.
"We are three of the most powerful, best educated wizards in all the land. We will overcome this," he stated and started to weave his magic.
And it worked:
Antioch indeed was one of the most powerful wizards of the land. He was also a true Gryffindor of this age. He would not let an obstacle stand in his or his family's way.
Cadmus was as Hufflepuff as they come. That house, even being a mere shadow of its past glory, still prepared well balanced wizards, not strangers to orderly and planned thought processes. He made sure that the potent magic his older brother was weaving was well structured and robust. He also didn't shun from lending a wand.
Ignotus was a proud Slytherin. He knew how to choose wood and stone from their surroundings and shape these into the best foundation and structure parts for his brothers' magic to be well grounded and long lasting.
Before too long, the three brothers were standing on the other side of the cut, catching their breath and getting ready to move on.
"I'm impressed," a woman's voice jarred the three from their rest.
On top of a large boulder stood Death, black cloak, long Scythe, and all. Her eyes sparkled from within the darkness under her cowl and the light of the moon was reflected by her Scythe in a rather menacing way. Death, certainly in full uniform, wasn't the most welcomed of sights at any given time, but in the middle of a dark and dangerous wood, under the pale light of the half-moon, she looked truly intimidating.
"You were supposed to come with me tonight," Death told them in a surprisingly youthful and melodic voice.
"A woman?" Ignotus couldn't stop himself from voicing his surprise.
A light-hearted giggle was not the response he was expecting, or frankly - afraid of.
"Just don't tell anyone about this - I do have a reputation to keep," the woman? Being? Creature? In front of them answered. "You are truly some of the best wizards I have ever met," Death went on. "I'm looking forward to the influence this night may have on the fate of the land."
Death took some time to contemplate. The brothers, meanwhile, stood silent in front of her, still very much afraid.
"Your time has come and passed tonight. You might still be killed, but I will not come to you of my own volition, for sickness or old age - unless called upon. I will even grant each of you a boon of your choice," she offered - This was her brother's challenge of course.
Mortals are a predictable sort:
Antioch was Desire's man through and through. He asked for the most powerful of wands, to be his tool in his quest to be the most powerful of wizards. Death snapped a twig off an elder tree and gave it to him. "This wand will never lose a battle against another wand," she promised.
Cadmus already moved from Desire's realm to Despair's. "I would like a tool to turn back death," he asked. Expecting this, Death picked up a small river stone and offered it to him. "It will be able to call to you any soul which has passed on," she explained.
Ignotus, though, was of Dream's realm. Death was truly curious to hear his choice of a boon. Still he managed to surprise her - "I would like a tool to watch history in the making without interrupting it," he asked, for being able to watch and not influence is against the very nature of the universe. With a sigh of contentment Death took off her own cloak and gave it to Ignotus, revealing her youthful-looking self to the three Peverell brothers. She was also back to wearing her Jeans and T-shirt. "The cloak will hide you from being noticed by any mortal," she said. "I loathe this thing," she added. "So hot!"
Ignotus opened his mouth to say something, but Death hushed him up with a finger to her lips. "Would you like to have the scythe as well?" she then asked him with a smile. "Won't do you any good, unless you're planning to go and harvest some grains, but I hate the bloody thing!" She then faded from sight, leaving three rather shocked brothers behind.
"The rest of this story was told many times," the lady told young James and he nodded slightly. He did read some version of it in one of his children's books, although it was distinctively different.
Antioch was a good man, yet his wand was a true tool of Destruction, even within Desire's domain. As their missing brother once told them all, Destruction had, does, and will happen, even without a guiding hand.
Antioch went on to clear the south of England from roaming bandits and other malcontents. He then fought off the first dark lord of this land, since Morgana Le Fay left for parts unknown.
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"Some say dear Morgain's only fault was not being Merlin's biggest fan," the oldest lady remarked dryly.
"Others say that the said Dark Lord wasn't 'dark' at all - just French," the youngest commented much amused.
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Stirred by his famous win and too prideful for his own good, Antioch went on and boasted in front of a crowd about his powers and the unbeatable wand in his hand. He was poisoned that night by the son of the proprietor of the inn he was staying in. He was a wee bit annoyed to find Death in his room when he woke up.
The inn-keeper's son was killed himself, early the next morning, by an angry and vengeful mob. Was the wand he stole destroyed in the melee? Was it taken by someone? No one knows.
Cadmus, at the time, was already lost to Despair's realm. Night after night he found misery, calling his former lover back to life with the Resurrection Stone and watching her suffer in the land of the living, for while Death was clearly able to grant him the boon he asked for - his lover's soul already belonged to the realm of another immortal. Ultimately, Cadmus committed suicide in order to truly join her. The stone was left with his family as a cherished heirloom, though Cadmus told no one of its true nature.
Ignotus's fate is much less known. He travelled the world, and several adjacent ones, for a long while. Learned and witnessed events. He changed his name several times to avoid being associated with his famous brothers, as well as not having people notice his prolonged life and extended youth. He had a handful of families on different worlds, finally leaving his cloak with his eldest son, back on his world of origin, when it was time for that son to go to Hogwarts. It was almost three hundred years later when he met Death once more, this final time.
Death was already seated at the corner booth, when Ignotus entered The Three Broomsticks that day. He smiled and waved toward her as he made his way to the bar. Ignotus had one important meeting to hold before meeting with her for this last time. He did send another ale to her table, although by then, a pint was no longer a penny, but a whole Sickle.
"Mr Beedle, I presume?" he asked the man waiting for him at the bar. "I'm Ignotus Potter, how do you do," he introduced himself politely. "Thank you for taking the time to meet with me. I have a story to tell you, before I need to go," he added, and smiled towards Death once more with a raised pint in his hand.
"And now, young James, you need to be heading back," the raven told him kindly. "You will be waking up soon, and have a big day ahead of you."
"This was a very strange dream," James mumbled to himself, playing with his cloak between his fingers.
"Aye lad," the Unicorn answered. "I'm looking forward to seeing you in the woods, once you ignore it being forbidden," he added, and James wasn't certain just how he knew that the Unicorn was smiling.
"Remember!" rasped the oldest lady and jarred James a little.
"We are the Three-of-Fate, peaches," said the middle lady.
"We are the Furries as well," the youngest added coldly.
"One day, when in need, you may come to us for answers," the oldest told him. "For vengeance too, as revenge on those with family blood on their hands is our duty," she concluded.
"Squerronk!" the green Gargoyle clearly agreed.
In his garden of forking paths Destiny turned a page in his book. It was not his time to act yet, but that page was not far off now. In a few short years there would be a message he must send.
"Rise and shine, dear," James was pulled from the fog of slumber by his mother's kind voice. "Or would you rather stay in bed and go to Hogwarts next year only?" she asked dryly.
He was soon seated straight in his bed, blinking off the light, now coming in through his room's open windows. Also the fragments of his fading dream. Only the slight jarred feeling, and a distant croak of a raven were left in his mind.
"Did you sleep in your cloak?" she asked, apparently not surprised at all. "Your father always said he had the strangest of dreams when fallen to sleep wearing it.
James nodded in full agreement.
"They say that dreams are real, but they are made of viewpoints, of images, of memories, puns, and hopes," his mother told him softly. "Just remember that the cloak is a family secret," she then repeated his dad's warning once more. "It's an important family heirloom - make sure not to draw attention to it. Now, get dressed and come downstairs - dad's waiting for breakfast."
Epilogue:
Lily Potter stood alone in their little cottage's basement, wearing only her husband's family cloak. Just why were they staying in this small and exposed cottage, putting their safety solely in the hands of James' least capable and resolved friend - she didn't know. For a few wrong moments, both she and James thought it was a good idea, and now it was too late.
Lily was afraid. What she was attempting here was dangerous. Lily thoroughly scanned both Hogwarts and the Potter family's libraries and could find only snippets of information about this ritual. In the Hogwarts library, rituals didn't exist at all.
All she had going for it was James' vague recollection of the Fates promising him some answers. Also the thought that it was somehow related to his family's cloak.
Lily was desperate for answers. Reliable answers…
"A thread of a used hanging noose; A stone from a deserted crossroad…" Lily mumbled to herself, following a list she memorised again and again.
Merlin I need these answers!
"Poison of a snake, and a sting of a bee - preserved in honey," she kept reciting. A hair of a black she-lamb was rather hard to put her hands on. She then burnt it all with no magic being used.
This is the critical part…
She tolled twelve times with the bell she had James nab from the local church. After seven years of Hogwarts education, Lily was as far from being Christian as she could possibly be, yet she couldn't bring herself to steal from the church.
Please come?!
Nothing happened at all. For a long moment Lily stood attentive. She then sagged with both relief and disappointment.
I'll have to look into this research once…
"You rang?" asked a dry raspy voice from behind her back.
Lily jumped in fright. The voice she made was as un-Gryffindor-like as can only be. Behind her, in the small empty cellar, now stood three ladies.
"She wants something," the young one smirked. It wasn't a huge leap of logic - all people who called upon them wanted something. Most didn't survive asking for it.
"You look so thin, darling. You haven't been eating properly, have you now?" asked the second.
"You must be cold, child," the old one told her. She then noticed the cloak Lily was wearing. It brought a smile to her wrinkled and mole-covered face. "How is young James? Too afraid to meet with us once more?"
"He didn't know what to ask," Lily mumbled James' excuse. "Diana, Mary-Florence, and Candy?" she then asked incredulously.
The second lady chuckled softly.
"It's been ages since I've last been Diana," the youngest enthused.
"Aye, sugarplums. We did promise James some answers. You may ask your questions. One from each," the middle lady answered, though she was standing on the right, and for the first time, Lily felt a trickle of hope.
"There was this prophecy," she started, and the ladies nodded in unison. They were the Fates, after all. They knew about prophecy.
"Is there a way to save my son's life, or will he always live in hiding?" Lily asked the youngest lady.
"There is a ritual, to transfer the burden and pay the dues," the young one answered.
"What is this ritual?"
"One question, one answer, are the rules, young witch," the lady answered kindly.
Rituals were dangerous - the one she was now holding case in point. Lily needed more information.
"What is the price for this ritual?" she asked the older one.
"There is always a balance in the universe, dove. A soul for a soul."
This was alarming - "whose souls should be offered? What will happen to it?"
"One question, one answer, dear."
Lily thought furiously. She only had one question left and needed it to count. She didn't have long either. "Is there someone I can reach out to for help?" she finally asked.
The oldest lady smiled proudly. This was a good question. "You should go to the woods and speak with the Unicorn," she answered.
"Unicorn? Which Unicorn? How can you speak with a Unicorn?!" the questions flowed.
"One question, one answer," the oldest smiled, and the three faded from sight.
Lily sagged. She then stood back upright and rushed up the stairs. She had research to handle. A bleeding Unicorn to locate and speak with…
"James!"
AN:
This story was seeded by a lovely tattoo someone (a young lady I think) had. It was so 'Sandman' like, it made me think, and stories are the sad results of me being forced to think about things - sorry.
Feel free to drop me a line and tell me what you think.
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As usual, huge shout to flyboy38, my beta, who takes the time to make sure the story is a much better read.