Chapter 36, A Place To Belong
It wasn't that Loughness Black felt that he didn't belong before entering the elf woods, but now that he had, everything was different. He'd come to a place that was truly his. His because it felt familiar and powerful and great, all qualities with which he strongly resonated. His parents and grandparents had raised him to know that he was great, and thus should do great things. He had never felt this to be a burden. Instead, he didn't object to the responsibility, eager and willing to rise to the challenge. In the ancient petrified forest, he truly felt in his element. For this reason, he frequently left Hogwarts after classes were done for the day during those final few weeks to visit the place.
It was often in his thoughts, as if calling to him. It was a call he was more than willing to answer. It never felt in any way forced or wrong, just necessary and right. When he visited, he would wander from tree to tree, placing his hands on their trunks and reveling in the majestic energy of each. If he had to put the experience into words, it was as if the elf woods was a giant powerful wand, just begging for him to wield it. Mag's wands emanated power unlike any wooden wand could, and these petrified trees felt much the same, though magnified to the extreme.
Walking among them felt so good that he did not even mind not knowing how to use the place or what to use it for. That would all come in time, when it was time. Until then, he would enjoy the forest for just being what it was. He would enjoy the feelings of expansiveness and power that it gave him. It took him a few days to think of showing the place to Kereston as Hydra planned to do with Ballan. The reason it took him a few days was simple. Hydra's desire to bring Ballan to the elf woods was logical. He was an elf and every elf, at least those they were certain could be trusted, should see the place. Wanting Kereston to see it came from a different place. As Minister she should be aware of whatever potential he ended up discovering in these woods. More than that, though, it was his, and he wanted to share it with her.
He felt amazing when he was among the petrified trees that seemed to radiate elf magic, and he felt most alive when he was near her, so combining the two was also most definitely an intriguing prospect. When he'd helped with Delphini, she had leaned on him for support, truly treating him as an equal. She'd never talked down to him, but she had been there as he grew up, as much as she was home. She worked a great deal. Her job was her life, so she was not at home often. She had long days and early mornings so it wasn't as if she'd raised him or anything simply because she'd lived in his manor. More than once Hydra had voiced doubts that Kereston would ever be able to see him as the man he wished her to see due to having watched him grow up.
He wasn't worried, though, and that was all that mattered. He was confident that his power would speak for itself when he was ready to make his move. That and his accomplishments. Helping to end Delphini had only been the first of many things he intended to achieve. He was Pure-blood squared, after all. He had the power to do great things, and he intended to. He'd grown up knowing that he was special. Not doing great things would be an insult to both of his most pure of bloodlines. Due to her familiar link with Daddy Kreacher, Kereston had not aged since she was eighteen. As a result, no one could claim she was robbing the cradle when Loughness finally won her. Her bond with Kreacher was supposed to allow her to live as long as he did, for vampires often needed assistance with those things that required handling during the daylight hours. When Kreacher had asked this of Kereston, Stormy and the others were not yet living at #12 Grimmauld Place, and Hydra and Loughness did not yet exist. They had not even been thought of yet, considering that Regulus and Kreacher never expected to have children for obvious reasons.
Loughness invited Kereston to the elf woods the first weekend after the daddies had shown he and Hydra the place. He Apparated home from Hogsmeade, leaving Hydra there to meet up and have lunch with her band while Guillermo, Sortia and James went shopping. As he expected, he found Kereston reading in the library with Reynaldo curled up with his own book beside her chair. "Hi," Loughness said, grinning fondly at the spider before redirecting his gaze to Kereston, who had risen to her feet with a look of surprised concern on her face.
"Is everything alright?" She wore loose comfortable looking gray slacks with a matching pullover top. The outfit was casual, and the fabric looked as if it would be soft to the touch. Kereston was stunning enough to look good in anything, and the casual outfit only served to enhance that in Loughness's eyes.
"Sorry, no, everything is fine," he said in a rush. Of course it was logical for her to be concerned. As term wasn't quite over, he would not be expected home. He should've considered that, but he was far too focused on his elf woods as well as his need to show it to Kereston. At his reassurance, she gave a sigh of relief, sinking back into her chair.
"He looked too calm for anything to be wrong," the spider commented, turning the page of the book he held with one sinuous front leg. "Pay attention, Kereston."
Kereston chuckled. "Got it."
"I wanted to show you something," Loughness told her. "Something very important."
"Alright," she said, placing her book on a low table close to her chair before turning to him.
"I shall have to Apparate us," he said." Nodding, she stood. He hurried over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder before Apparating them both directly into the center of the petrified forest. As always when in this place, he was awash in feelings of magical expansion and a deep peace. For an instant he even forgot to look at Kereston, his gaze instead hungrily devouring his stately stone trees. His. It wasn't that he'd taken the forest over. It just felt like part of him. He would not object to other elves calling it theirs as well if they felt the same deep connection here.
Kereston's small sound of awe drew his focus back to her, and he smiled. He'd known she would be impressed by the sheer magical grandeur, and she was. Her small delicate features were alight with wonder as she turned to study the area from all sides. "I wasn't sure if the Daddies had a chance to tell you about the place yet what with your varying schedules, but I felt you should see it."
"Yes," Kereston responded vaguely, her focus still clearly on her surroundings. "Kreacher was very excited about it. He was going to show me some time this weekend, but I'm glad you did it first." Loughness felt his heart leap. She preferred to come here with him above all others! His feelings dropped as quickly as they'd risen when she continued, however. "Kreacher has so much to do, and now it's one less thing for him to bother with." So it was to time manage for everyone that she was glad he'd come to bring her here, not because she would prefer to be here with him. "Loughness? What's wrong?" The concern in her voice was something at least. He forced a smile, shrugging.
"Sorry, I just get so easily distracted by this place." True enough even if not true in that particular instance. "It feels... unlike anything else I have ever experienced. I thought you should know. In case whatever this place does or is for can be useful if any sort of trouble comes."
"Trouble of the sort Bellatrix is concerned about," Kereston asked. "I mean I don't disagree with her logic even if I hope we can prevent it."
Loughness nodded. "I'm all up for preventing it but if not, I am prepared to act."
"And you can use this forest?" Kereston asked.
"I am sure of it," Loughness said. "Though I am still working on precisely how to do so."
"I suppose knowing what problem we will be up against would help with that," Kereston said with a slight smile and Loughness chuckled.
"Indeed, but I should be able to find several uses for this place. To be honest, I've been more just adjusting to it right now, drinking it in and learning its vibrations. Perhaps once I have done so for long enough, I will instinctual know what it is for."
Kereston's gray-blue eyes narrowed in thought.
"You think it was created for something?"
"Perhaps so," Loughness replied. As he spoke, he idly rested one hand on a waist high tree stump, drawing an odd sort of magical sustenance from the lined stone that he had never realized he actually needed. "That or something happened here, some great magic that turned these trees to stone, petrifying them without the need of actual time. If I can learn what that was, it still may guide me to how to use the place now. I feel that why the place is petrified matters as much as what we elves used it for in the long ago."
Kereston nodded. "Makes sense."
"I wonder if a basilisk came through. It would be one explanation of the petrification."
"Can a basilisk petrify inanimate objects, though," Kereston wondered. "Then again wood is alive, isn't it?"
Loughness nodded. "Precisely. I was thinking of asking Grindelwald if he knows of any spells I can work to learn if the petrification of these trees happened over time naturally or by magic. It shall provide a starting point."
"Good idea," Kereston agreed. "Gellert certainly thinks outside the box, so he would be the one to ask." Like Loughness had, she reached out to place a small hand against a near by tree. She had chosen a taller one with arching branches that spread overhead. One looked nearly like a half moon as it arched above them, and that moon branch was where she placed her hand. "I love the way it is stone, yet still has the tree lines and rings on it that gives it the quality of wood. It's an alchemy of both, retaining wood and stone properties in tandem. I wonder what sort of wands and or jewelry Mag could craft out of such wood. Of course I would never suggest she cut into any of these," she added hastily.
"I might, though," Loughness said, liking the idea very much. "With her unique affinity for stones, Mag would be a great one to help study something as unusual as this forest.""
"She is not a fan of wood wands, considering that her crystal ones are twice as strong," Kereston said. "But these trees are so unusual that they should interest her regardless."
"Yes. They are wood that is now stone, so she should appreciate them for the marvel they are. And if she wishes to ad crystal to enhance them, that would probably make for an even stronger magical outcome." The more Loughness thought of the potential, the more he liked it. "She is with Hydra today doing band things. I may track them down and speak to her about it today."
Kereston smiled. "That sounds brilliant. I'm excited to know the outcome, so do keep me updated!"
"Of course," Loughness said, more than willing for any excuse to write Kereston.
"Thanks for showing me this place," Kereston said, allowing her hand to fall from the curved branch above her head. "Let's never cut that one. It's so pretty."
"Agreed," Loughness said. "It would be a shame to make any of the branches into wands from that particular tree even if they would make great wands. The tree looks too grand with them spreading overhead to take them away. I think Mag shall be able to tell which trees are willing to give any parts of themselves up, and which are not. If she is unable for some reason, I have enough of a connection with this place to assist." With that, he took Kereston's hand and Apparated them back home. Once more they stood in the library, aka the most wonderful place on earth. "I will write Gellert about meeting me in the forest as soon as term is over," Loughness said.
"You're graduating," Kereston said with a little chuckle. "On one hand, that seems odd, but on the other, it seems just as odd that you are still a student after all you have accomplished."
"Especially considering that Daddy Regulus dropped out in his sixth year. I considered doing so, but thought, why not just finish and take some extra alchemy and advanced Herbology while at Hogwarts."
Kereston nodded, resuming her seat and picking up her book. "I did the same. I figured the more interesting classes I could cram into my head the better for whatever may come up in life even if my job did not require them."
"How was the forest," Reynaldo asked without lowering his book.
Kereston gave him a surprised look. "How did you know where we went?"
The spider sighed and gave her the side eye out of all eight eyes. "Because! What else would Loughness care about enough to come and show you at this precise time?"
"He has excellent skills of deduction," Loughness complimented. "I'd better get back to Hogsmeade if I wish to track down Mag."