Chapter 38, Protections

As it appeared that they'd discovered all they would for the moment, leaving enough for them to chew on to develop future ideas of exploration, Loughness thanked the two men and everyone went their separate ways. Gellert and Filius were able to Apparate out of the Elf Woods on their own steam, so though the place was in general difficult to locate, it did not have wards similar to Hogwarts that only elves could get around.

That intrigued Loughness, as he'd rather expected the opposite, considering the amount of purely elf magic permeating the place. Next he headed to Hogsmeade to hunt down Hydra and her band so that he could talk to Mag. Due to her ground breaking work with gemstone magic, he was eager for her personal take on the Elf Woods and was ready to show it to her that very day if she was willing.

Hydra and the rest of her band were still at the Hog's Head, but they were no longer having lunch. This only stood to reason, considering several hours had passed since Loughness parted ways with them earlier. He could hear the band's music before he even pushed the door open. The harmonious sound of drums, guitar, fiddle and piano blended amazingly well together, considering the band was so knew. The song was bouncy and lilting to a point that Loughness just bet all the evening patrons of the Hog's Head were on their feet dancing.

As he pushed open the door, Hydra's voice swept the room, flowing out into the darkening street. "Give me all your true hate, and I'll translate it in our bed, into never seen passion That's why I am so mad about you!" As he stepped into the room, pushing the door shut behind him, Hydra drew out the words 'mad about you' several more times until the sentiment turned into a demented singing scream that Mag's fiddle perfectly matched. Loughness felt his eyes going wide, because this was a new one for his often reserved sister.

She leaned over her little piano, banging out jazz like cords that clattered sharply against the tappings of Glimmer's drums. It was only then that he noticed to whom she was singing. Leaf, Greok and Ballan sat at a corner table, and Hydra was pointedly singing directly at the mildly disfigured elf. Today he wasn't covered in blood, so he must not have fed yet, Loughness observed. Ballan watched Hydra with a mildly bemused expression while Greok and Leaf swayed together to the music, arms around one another.

Studying the German elf, Loughness still couldn't understand what Hydra saw in him, but if she thought to make any sort of move using music, it would appear that she would have to try harder. Not to mention the song itself was weird. Then again Ballan was himself an odd one, so perhaps it fit. At least Kereston was normal. And smart. And interesting. Thoughts of the pretty blond had him smiling to himself and nearly forgetting why he'd come to the Hog's Head in the first place. The song ended, and the band stood.

It appeared they were finished playing for the day, for Greybo and Glimmer headed up to the bar. The black Fedora hat Glimmer carried was over half full of coins. Hydra walked over to talk to Ballan, Greok, and Leaf. Her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes bright. One could have supposed this was due to the exertion of her performance, but the obvious way her gaze was riveted on Ballan stated otherwise. With a bemused shake of his head, Loughness turned to look for Mag. The willowy red-head stood beside the bar stool on which she'd sat to play, gleaming fiddle held loosely in her right hand, its case at her feet. She watched Greybo and Glimmer ordering drinks with their tip money, a slight smile of amusement curving her lips. "Mag," Loughness called, waving as he headed over to her. "I have something remarkable to show you if you've time to come and see it before you return to Hogwarts."

"The petrified elf forest," she asked, turning to him eagerly. He grinned.

"That's it. I wanted to see what you thought of making something out of some bits of the wood, providing any of the trees are willing to give any up. I was hoping you could help figure that bit out as well, as you're used to talking to stones and knowing what they want."

Mag's large green eyes flashed in excitement. "Really? I would love to. I wasn't expecting you all to allow any of those trees to be cut, so the thought didn't even occur to me, but it does sound quite the fascinating project!"

"Mag! Hydra! What you drinkin'," Greybo called out from where he stood at the bar.

"None for me today, thanks," Mag called back.

"Me neither," Hydra replied without turning from her conversation.

"I have been eager to see the forest from the moment Hydra told us about it at lunch," Mag said, returning her focus to Loughness. She glanced over at the girl in question who was currently speaking animatedly to Ballan, Greok and Leaf. From the riveted way they were all focused on what she was saying, Loughness bet she was telling them about the forest. "I was going to see if she'd take me to see it once we were through here, but she appears to be busy," Mag concluded with a chuckle.

"Well it's good I've time, then," Loughness said with a grin. It was nice how well things fell into place when they were supposed to, he thought as he and Mag headed for the door of the Hog's Head. "Off we go," he said once they were outside. Placing a hand on Mag's arm, he Side-Apparated her into the forest.

"Oh," she said softly, turning in a slow circle to drink the place in. It wasn't so much that Loughness loved showing this place to people. Rather it was showing it to the people who would most appreciate it that he loved. Bringing anyone here who could or would not see how special it was would just never do. "I've never seen anything even close to this." Mag's hushed tones were nearly swallowed up by the heavy silence that always seemed to drape the forest like a protective blanket.

"Oh and there are some sort of creatures that live here as well, but they weren't here earlier today." Loughness recalled how much Mag enjoyed magical creatures, so thought to share that interesting bit of information as well. He explained how he had sensed how they looked without actually seeing them when he stood in the center of the place.

"They're guardians I think, but whatever type of creatures they are, I've never seen them before. One is small and furry, though certainly dangerous in spite of its likely cuteness. The other is far larger, segmented and scaled with a barbed tail. Perhaps the tail has poison in it, but of that I am not certain. It is merely a speculation, or perhaps an instinct." He shrugged. "All of this is so new to me. I don't even know how I sensed them save for the fact that elves are probably so attune to this place for an important reason that I hope to soon discover."

"Are you certain these animals are still alive and solid? Or do you think they could be actual guardian spirits?"

That was something Loughness hadn't considered. They'd left such a strong impression that he was certain they were solid and close, but this did not have to be the case and guardian spirits made just as much sense. "I don't know. I assumed they were still alive because the forest preserved them, but if they are spirits, this could be why I only sensed them rather than actually seeing them. And as I have no idea what they are, if they were prehistoric, or at least super ancient, this could explain their rare appearance."

"The magic laid on this place is fascinating," Mag said. "The fact that it is invisible until entered, even to wizards, is amazing."

Loughness nodded. "Daddy Kreacher may not have even found it without his vampiric attunement to things." Vampires could hear and see sounds and colors that no one else could because their senses were so heightened. Over time, Daddy Kreacher had learned to more deeply feel forms of hidden magic that otherwise went unnoticed as well, at least when he was really looking for it. With he and Daddy Regulus still trying to learn the origins of elf enslavement and their original bond or connection to humans, they were both always looking.

"Which trees were you thinking of taking stone from," Mag asked. As she spoke, she placed her hand reverently on the nearest trunk and closed her eyes, presumably to more fully take in its energy.

"I was hoping you could help me decide," Loughness said. "If you are to be working with it, your opinion matters."

"Sure," Mag nodded. "This one may be willing." The tree was rotund but not nearly as tall as many that towered above them. A bit off it wouldn't go too amiss.

"That feels right," Loughness agreed.

"What are you thinking to do with the stone once we have some harvested," Mag asked.

"I don't know," he admitted. "I hadn't gotten that far yet. Maybe wands?"

Mag touched the tree again, slowly shaking her head. "I think perhaps protective talismans to be worn may serve better. I feel such would be especially protective for elves, but perhaps for their allies as well."

"Okay," Loughness agreed readily. "How many do we need?"

"As many as the trees will give up. If we take a few pieces from the trees who are willing, rather than a lot from just one, their donations can be spread out and each tree won't have to give up that much." Loughness nodded, liking the sound of that.

"How are we cutting the pieces off," he asked. As he spoke, he studied the tree that Mag felt would be willing to give of itself. It was mostly a tall trunk with no spreading branches, so thin slabs would have to be cut from various places on the trunk.

"Can you use magic to cut it," Mag wondered."I've seen elves slice food with charms. Would such slicing charms work on the tree?"

Loughness frowned. "Perhaps but as the magic of these trees is so different, I'm not sure that I want to risk it."

"I get my stones cut by goblins," Mag said. "We could ask Graven to meet us here and help. She is out of town today, but I think she is supposed to return next week. I could write and ask her if you like."

"That would be great. Thank you," Loughness said.

"And thank you for including me in this," Mag replied with a warm smile. "It is a true honor, Loughness."

Loughness shrugged, feeling oddly embarrassed. "I suppose it should be, but you are the stone witch as I see it, so I wouldn't think this a fitting job for anyone else. Of course you should keep a piece for yourself. For you and everyone in your family. If anyone needs protection, it's surely everyone close to us as much as it's the elves themselves."

A grim look of foreboding crossed Mag's face as she gave a small shiver. "Yes. I am certain that you are right," she said quietly. "I do not have clear answers even from my rune castings, but they have indicated an ancient power that has no love for elves, and I doubt it is dead."

"And you think the Daddies set it off many lives ago?" Mag believed in reincarnation, and though Loughness had no particular memories of his own, he had no reason not to believe.

"If they did not start it, they at least made it worse," Mag said with a sigh. "They have had such dreadful misfortune that they appear cursed. But I can't know, truly. We do know that the elf enslavement certainly was never natural or kind, though and that is bad enough on its own." The WestCraven house elf, Mira, had always been free and a part of the family, so speaking of the topic to Mag never felt uncomfortable.

"It is all weird," Loughness agreed. It bothered Hydra far more, but for him slavery was not a state he could relate to personally. Though his sister could not either, her imagination was just better. Or perhaps her bardic gift simply opened something inside of her that allowed her to relate. With that in mind, Loughness was glad not to be a bard. There were some things one just did not want opened. There were some things one did not wish to relate too or to understand too closely. "Should we get back to Hogwarts," he asked, and Mag nodded.

"We do have a few more weeks to serve of our time there," she said with a small smile. She, Severus and Albus had made it no secret that once Sortia and the twins graduated, they were finished as well. They'd only returned for them, after all, to keep them safe during the dark times of Delphini.

Albus was well ready to retire and Mag and Severus, though too young for that, had other avenues of interest that they wished to pursue. Severus had some potions he wanted to perfect before putting them on the market, and Mag's work with stones always took up a great deal of her time. For his part, Loughness was ready to be free of school. Guillermo had graduated last year and was nearly ready to open his own book shop in Diagon Alley. Loughness was itching to do his own thing as well, even if that thing had not taken full direction yet.