She trotted down the corridor bathed in golden light until she reached Pandora, tugging on her sleeve to get her attention. "Mum?" Luna asked in a small, uncertain voice. "Are we going to see each other often?" Although the visit to Beauxbatons had proved to be most interesting, with its multitude of spaces and buildings of all kinds as well as the verdant nature surrounding the valley, it had been several hours now that a fear had been growing inside her. Here, she would be more isolated than she had ever been. Not that she would be alone, far from it, the number of students would make that completely impossible, but rather that she would be further away than ever from the people she cared about. Myo would be in the dovecote with the other veela, getting to know new members of her species, and depending on the results of the placement test, she might not be sharing the dormitory with any of her friends. Not to mention her parents, who would be hundreds of miles away in Great Britain.
A dull fear that she wouldn't be able to make friends or even be accepted into the dormitory without Myo's help and protection weighed heavily in her chest. She wasn't really worried about her ability to learn, Lulu would help her to catch up and Mum would make her understand what she was failing to grasp. But being alone, with so many strangers, without Myo, so far from her family, speaking in a language she still had difficulty understanding, terrified her. Pandora gave her a surprised look. "Every weekend, why?"
Luna nodded slowly, she wasn't sure that would be enough. "Can I go home at night if I'm not feeling well?" she asked.
Emilie, having heard their exchange, slowed down to walk alongside them. "Beauxbatons also runs a day school, and foreign students are encouraged to use the boarding school so as not to overload the floo-network. But in your case, Miss Lovegood, Mrs Lovegood has signed a discharge authorising you to return in the evening if necessary, on the condition that this does not become systematic, in which case your room at the boarding school will be reassigned." She said, giving her a warm smile.
Luna felt some of the tension in her throat release. Although the prospect of living at Beauxbatons was still very daunting, having this escape route in case she needed a break was a relief. "Thank you." She said with a small, shy smile.
Pandora's hand came to rest on her head, stroking her hair. "We have every reason to believe that Beauxbatons is safer than Hogwarts, and neither I nor Xeno are prepared to leave you alone for that long. You're still our little girl, and Xeno's nowhere near ready for you to grow up." She said, hugging her to her side. Luna let herself melt against her mother; she really was the best hugger. Her only rival was Myo, and that was largely because her feathers were all soft and fluffy.
"This is the first time I've been this far from home without you..." She said in a small voice, her throat tight.
"Think of all the creatures you'll be able to see here, the magical French fauna is very different from that on the islands. Think of all the great courses and clubs and other discoveries. I'm also sure you'll make some new friends. And anyway, we'll be together every weekend" laughed Pandora in her exceptionally sweet voice, which Luna had only ever heard her use with herself.
"Don't venture off into the woods on your own! And remember the main principles! No matter how cute a creature may be, it remains wild!" Said Xeno, who was listening to the conversation from a distance.
"Yes, I promise, Dad!" Luna said as she hugged her mum so tightly that she found it difficult to walk, but that was far from the most important thing for Luna at the moment.
"We'll soon be arriving at the examination room, which will last an hour. Don't put too much pressure on yourself, the aim is just to see which classes you place in, especially those not taught at Hogwarts. It's a written exam only." said Emily.
Suddenly curious, Luna pulled away from her mum and turned around, "Myo, do you think that..." her words died in her throat. Behind her, the corridor stretched on, without a single trace of Myo. Her mouth went dry and her heart began to race. "Myo... Myo's gone!" she cried in panic. She could see no trace of the little silver slyhtifids that often floated in the air around Myo, nor could she hear the slight clatter of her talons against the ground that she made when she walked.
"Shit! How the hell did she manage to get lost!" Murmured Mélusine as she approached in long strides.
Emilie's eyes widened and her jaw contracted. Luna could feel her aura cooling and concentrating. "Mélusine, I'm asking for your help in finding Myosotis, her care today is my responsibility." She turned to the other parents, who were talking to each other in a panicked hubbub. Nym had her face in her hands, murmuring words that Luna had no right to utter, Elvetia had regained her human form and was exchanging low voices with her mother, while Hermione looked very worried, her fingers nervously stroking Eldur's head. " A colleague is coming to take care of you, please don't move from here until he arrives, we're going to find her," she said. Emilie added while making her wand describe a series of concentric circles and waves. A square of paper and a feather of golden light appeared in front of her. "Code Orange, Myosotis Potter has disappeared. Please take over as group leader and go to the leaf corridor in the castle." The quill quickly wrote the message before it and the paper disappeared in a flash. "In a few minutes, Mr Villeneuve, the spell teacher, will join you. Mélusine, let's go!" She said as she dashed down the corridor, closely followed by Mélusine, Luccys detaching herself from her shoulders to fly ahead of them.
"Wait!" Luna exclaimed.
"What's the matter? We're in a hurry." said Mélusine.
"I'm coming with you and so is Eldur." She said with determination.
"There's no time to lose, I'm sorry but you're going to slow us down young Miss Lovegood." said Emilie.
"Myo will be panicked, you'll need me and Eldur." She said with a strange certainty.
Mélusine hesitated for a split second, before crouching down with her back to her. "Take Eldur and get on!" she said.
"I'm sorry, Hermione." Luna said as she took Eldur and stuffed him into the collar of her shirt, him chirping with determination.
"Bring her back to us in one piece," said Hermione.
Luna nodded and climbed onto Melusine's back, who effortlessly lifted herself up and began to run with supernatural speed.
"Don't you have a way of tracking Myosotis' position?" asked Emilie as she ran alongside them.
"The idiot hasn't activated her necklace."
"In that case, head for the map room, it should be indicated on one of them."
Holding on to Melusine's back, Luna hugged Eldur. "Myo, you're all right, aren't you?" she whispered into the plumage of the little phoenix.
oOOOo
She froze, unable to move a limb, her eyes wide despite the sudden light entering the chest as the lid slowly opened.
"Hello there," the voice said. Leaning over the chest was a man? Or a woman? Myo couldn't tell, dressed in a rich purple and black suit with gold edging forming moving arabesques at the end of his wide sleeves. His pale, androgynous face studded with freckles was framed by a high, rigid collar fastened with a silver brooch and half-length hair with greying curls. He seemed ageless, his angular features and piercing ochre eyes revealing nothing but intense curiosity. "This is the first time I've found a veela when opening my trunk..." he said.
He turned and walked towards one of the seats in his office, his long, lean limbs giving him an ethereal appearance. With a wave of his hand, a teapot, some pretty light blue porcelain cups and a silver tray filled with tiny cakes materialised on a low table. Myo stood still, both terrified and fascinated, how on earth had he done that?
"Come on, get out of there and settle down, little one. You're not planning to stay in that trunk all day, are you? Besides, I'm afraid you've damaged some important documents." He said as he filled the two cups with orange tea and dropped a few drops of cream and a square of brown sugar into his.
"EEEP!" chirped Myo as she hurried out of the trunk, too bewildered by the strangeness of the situation to think straight. She sat down gingerly on the armchair opposite him, unsure of what to say or do.
"Come on, help yourself, I assure you this is the finest tea, imported straight from Kudra-Langkor itself. Lito recommended it personally," he said, taking a sip of the steaming liquid.
As Myo took hold of the cup in front of her and found herself intoxicated by the spicy, fruity aroma of the beverage, with another wave of his hand, the strange figure brought a small file in a light yellow cardboard sleeve from one of the shelves to his hand. He opened it and flipped through it for a few seconds before pulling out an index card with a white spine, if you don't count the presence of the Beauxbatons seal. "Miss Myosotis Potter, after two months at Hogwarts, has left the school to be schooled with private tutors for the rest of the year following an incident involving a troll. Decided to join Beauxbatons for its better veela arrangements with the support of Verte-Feuille Council, Flock Delacour, the Lovegood clan, and the Tonks family. Today's pre-emptive tour of the school includes a placement test which began ten minutes ago under the responsibility of Madame Émilie Genin." He put the sheet away, closed the file, placed it on his lap and took another sip of tea.
"My dear, although your presence at Beauxbatons is justified on this day, even though the course starts in a week's time, there is nothing in this document that explains your presence, hidden at the bottom of my chest." He said before taking another sip of tea.
"Hmm..." began Myo, about to explain, but she interrupted herself. "Wait, you know everything about me, but I know nothing about you! Who are you?"
The strange figure raised an eyebrow. "Oh, please forgive my lack of politeness, I should have introduced myself first. Perhaps I've lost a bit of my manners with my nose always buried in books and papers... My name is Lybra Malachite, I'm Madame Maxime's assistant and a researcher in esoteric magic and high rituals. I doubt you'll be seeing much of me while you're at school. You can call me Lybra."
"Pleased to meet you, Lybra." Myo said shyly before telling her how she had found herself hidden at the bottom of his trunk. Her cheeks flushed more with each passing moment.
"I see." Lybra said as she refilled their cups. "I'm sure you've had some unpleasant experiences with people trying to catch you or chase you, but I can assure you that here at Beauxbatons, you're safe. I'm not saying that some of the more... limited, or self-righteous students won't mess with you, but you can trust our staff. If Johanne... was chasing you, he undoubtedly wanted to help you find your way back."
"I'm sorry I broke into your office." Myo said, lowering her eyes.
"It's nothing, I understand the reason for your panic. I hope you'll soon acclimatise to this new environment. How are you finding Beauxbatons so far?"
"Really pretty! The fountains are superb, the gardens too, the surrounding forests, lakes and rivers seem perfect for hunting, exploring and flying. I haven't been able to see the dovecote yet though." Myo hesitated for a moment before saying what was bothering her about it. "The dovecote is closed to the non veela, and it saddens me not to be able to sleep with Luna, she's my best friend. I'm sure she'd feel lost and lonely on her own, and I wish we could be together. But I understand that the other veela might want the dovecote to remain their sanctuary, safe from all non-veela."
"Oh, I see, there's no need to worry, if you ask permission from one of your friend's dorm managers, they'll allow you to visit her as often as you like as long as you don't cause any trouble."
"Are you sure about that?"
"Quite sure."
"It'll be a nice surprise for Luna." Myo said, smiling goofily.
"You mentioned your interest in the school itself and its landscape, but not in the knowledge it can bring you. I hope you'll pay as much attention to our courses and libraries as you do to the fish you catch." They said with a smirk.
"I promise I didn't come just to play." She defended herself with a contrite look.
"Don't make that face, I know very well that keeping a bird like you in a cage is a very bad idea." They said with a little laugh. But this turned into a dry coughing fit that shook him back and forth. Myosotis stood up quickly to pat him on the back, worried. He held up his hand to interrupt her, slowly catching his breath, the cough clearly gone.
"I thought you were choking". Myosotis said, relieved to see that it was only temporary.
He slowly raised his head, Myo noticing at the same time how pale he looked, his skin ashen, his eyes highlighted in black. "Are you all right?" she asked.
"It's nothing, it happens from time to time, don't worry. I'm better already." He said, giving her a faint smile. "By the way, I think your family has found you, young Nightbird. I wish you the best of years," he said, his eyes shining with a strange golden gleam, and there was something deeply inhuman about his face that Myo couldn't define.
She didn't have time to reply before the door opened wide with a bang. Luna was there! Perched on Melusine's shoulders, closely followed by a breathless Emilie. "Myo!" cried Luna, leaping from her perch and running over to her to give her a hug. Myo also hugged her with all her might, her last fears and worries swept away by the presence of her friend Mélusine and Emilie. After several seconds, she remembered that she was not alone and turned round to say. "May I introduce..." But she paused, dazed. Behind her, the room was nothing like it had been a few seconds earlier. In place of the warm office was a dusty little cubbyhole filled with wooden crates and cardboard boxes. "Where did he go?" she asked aloud.
It was at this point that Mélusine decided to intervene. "Myo! For goodness sake! How could you just vanish into thin air like that! We were so worried! You can thank Emilie, without whom we'd probably never have found you! What possessed you to hide in that broom cupboard?"
"Miss Potter, certain accommodations can be made for you here, but that doesn't mean you can run anywhere without permission! We're in a magic school, some places are off-limits for excellent reasons, and you're here in a restricted part of the castle. We can let the matter drop for now, but don't expect the next breach in the rules not to be met with repercussions." Said Emilie, crossing her arms.
"I'm really sorry, I had slowed down because of my sore talons, and I got distracted, scared and lost. But I wasn't alone! Lybra Malachite was there with me waiting for you to find me". She said, gesturing towards the rest of the pathetic little dusty room.
"There's no one here." Melusine said hesitantly, one eyebrow raised, her wand out, several detection spells already cast.
"I don't know anyone called Lybra malachite among the school staff." Emily said worriedly, putting her hand on her shoulder protectively and pulling her out of the small room.
"But... He... Luna?" Myo asked, at a loss for words, she hadn't been dreaming! There really was someone here.
"I'm sorry, Myo, I believe you, but if there was something here, it's gone now and hasn't left a trace for me to see." Said Luna with her eyebrows furrowed.
"Nothing here..." Melusine said as she put her wand away. "If something did happen here, it didn't leave a trace. The main thing is that you're safe and sound".
Emilie performed her strange time spell again and sighed, "There's still enough time to do the positioning test. Do you think you'll be able to do it after all, Miss Potter?"
"Yes... I think so." She said in a small voice.
"In that case, follow me."
Myo was about to start walking when she felt herself being lifted off the ground and pressed against Melusine's chest, one of her hands supporting her back and wings, the other placed in the hollow of her knees. "Eeeeep." she squealed in surprise and gave Melusine a quizzical look.
"This whole thing is partly our fault for underestimating the amount of walking your talons could take, even with your slippers and the cream." Melusine said with a slight smile. Myo simply nodded, a strange warmth in her cheeks.
As she made her way down the corridor, she took one last look at the small, innocent-looking door, now closed. What on earth had just happened?
oOOOo
This morning, in an isolated tower on the north-west coast of Scotland, a hellish racket could be heard. As if some devil had decided to turn the place upside down. In the middle of the room at the top of the tower, in absolute disorder, Myo was facing the monstrosity that had become her bag.
Her notebooks and books were crammed into the bag along with the astronomy equipment, the bronze cauldron, the glass stirring rod, the ingredient rack, the herbalist's shears and gloves, the various gouges and plates of different materials... Oh, and she certainly shouldn't forget her cooking equipment, her coloured pencils, her watercolour paper, her grey pencils and charcoals. She looked around at her various shelves... what kind of objects should she also take with her? Her collection of snitches, of course.
She also absolutely had to take the narwhal tooth she had hunted down recently. (Myo had spent the whole evening strutting around with the tooth, brandishing it like a knight's lance as she and Luna imagined what kind of magic staff she could make with it. Mélusine had said she would ask an acquaintance for advice on how to proceed. ) However, a week later, despite having sent some of the meat to all the members of the Lovegood clan, to the Tonks family, to the Delacour flock (a few pieces left at Professor Snape's house) and after having sold the skin and fat, the fish continued to be on the menu every evening so that it could be eaten as fresh as possible, Luna began to sulk, as she didn't appreciate having to eat the same thing every meal, even if the recipes varied. Myo had had to promise not to hunt prey as big as this again before Luna offered her a forgiveness hug.
Now she was faced with the problem of stuffing this enormous narwhal tooth into her little flight bag on top of everything else she had already packed. Especially as she was still planning to take along some of her skulls to decorate... not forgetting the pretty stones! And, and the pieces of metal! The bits of tinted glass! In short, after several minutes of screaming and flapping her wings to get everything into the bag, she managed to close it. The full bag was no longer a bag at all, apart from its function, so much so that its contents distorted it in every way, turning it into a leather monstrosity with two little straps. She could feel the creaking of the internal expansion spells from here, and sighed, as the bag would probably not survive the journey. But she hadn't even managed to stuff her "Around the World in Eighty Days" book into it yet! Nor her big Nessie cuddly toy that Mélusine had gifted her on her last birthday.
She sighed, and said that desperate times call for desperate measures. Perhaps Isabelle wouldn't agree with her approach, but she didn't need to know what she was about to do. She took out her pocket watch and opened the clapper with a click. 9.30. Perfect. If she left now, she would arrive at Beauxbatons by mid-afternoon. Maybe before, she'd never really travelled long distance the way she was about to try. The new school year would start tomorrow, and she was counting on having enough time to settle in and meet up with her friends there, meet the other veela and explore a little of the land around the school before classes began.
Eldur let out a small, vexed cry from above... well... the side of the cupboard that had toppled to the floor. Images of what used to be the nest, tidy and cosy before Myo went into a frenzy collecting everything she wanted to bring, flashed through her mind, Eldur's request clear. "Yes I'm sorry Eldur. Hang on a second." She held up her wand and closed her eyes for a moment, needing to concentrate. The spell was finally properly anchored in her magic, but it was still a recent enough development that she couldn't afford to cast it lightly. Over time, she had practised over and over again the very first spell that Pandora had shown them, to the point where it was deeply ingrained in her magic, the shape of the spell at her metaphorical fingertips. Drawing a circle with her wand, she said. "Adsurgere per aera, in vento et astris, salta", then finished the movement in a horizontal line. All the furniture, cushions, ashes, blankets and other objects spread across the room began to levitate a few centimetres above the floor. Like an orchestra leader, she directed the objects one after the other in an order sufficient to appease the wrath of Eldur, who, forced to fly out of the overturned cupboard, came to rest on her shoulder. He had grown a lot in the last few weeks, enough to be able to fly by himself again. This had reassured Myo that, despite the little phoenix's assertion that he was fine, she couldn't help but be concerned at seeing him grow so slowly. He was now the size of a pigeon. Still a long way from his adult form, which was closer in size to an adult owl, but he had grown well and was feeding well. At least he had really enjoyed narwhal meat.
Once the room was back in order, she asked Eldur to go and rest on the big Nessie cuddly toy, then she let her flames rise to the surface. Much more fluidly than the first time, she felt her bluish fire enveloping her, her physical form slowly diluting in the great blaze. Where the young girl had stood, there was now an enormous bird of pure flame, its eyes formed by shafts of incandescent white light. Eldur flew off, chirping with joy, becoming a flame himself and dissolving in her fire, until he was nothing more than a crest of orange and gold flames on the bird's wings and back. The talons of pure flame grabbed hold of both the huge bag and the large Nessie plush, and with a flap of sparkling wings, she flew out of one of the tower's wide windows.
She climbed higher and higher into the sky, the azure of her flames disappearing into the blue of the sky. The clouds were small and far below her, the sky vast and open. At this height, no one would be able to see her, her radiance lost in that of the sun.
oOOOo
Myo was proud of herself. In less than a couple of hours, she had crossed the UK, the English Channel and half of France. But at the same time, she understood Isabelle's reluctance to let her take her released form as much as she wanted. Perhaps without it, she wouldn't have been able to carry all her belongings, despite the featherweight spell cast on her bag, but her transformation was incredibly energy-intensive. So much so that in just a few hours, she felt like she'd been flying for weeks. Her flames had lost their lustre, her reserves of magic weakening over time. So much so that, once Beauxbâtons was in sight, she no longer resembled the great flaming bird that had left the tower a few hours earlier, but an ethereal figure of almost transparent flames, their blue blending into that of the sky. She felt the weight of the bag and her Nessie plush getting heavier and heavier, her flames gradually losing their substance.
Before she became completely intangible, she finally reached the dovecote. A tall tower of limestone ranging from grey to creamy white, several times taller and wider than her own tower so far away in Scotland. That said, it was very different from a classic mediaeval tower. It was not supported by walls, but by a series of interlacing arches and pillars, offering a myriad of openings through which to slip inside the building. From here, she could see dozens of alcoves of varying sizes, some closed by thick curtains coloured shimmering reds, oranges, blues, greens and yellows, often embroidered with motifs whose nature she could not yet make out from this distance, all giving the tower a multicoloured appearance that she was already loving. Others were open to the outside, revealing a motley assortment of furnishings, varying greatly from one alcove to the next. Everywhere, at different heights in the tower, platforms protruded, supported by arcades of fine, elaborate stonework. Each faced a larger entrance than the alcoves. Probably common entrances... whatever that means in a space populated by veelas.
From here, she could feel the magic covering the building, blocking out the wind and cold while allowing its occupants to come and go. A large part of the tower was adorned with colourful fabrics, attached here and there without any apparent logic to the various colonnades, some fluttering in the wind.
Myo could see dozens of veela of different kinds flying around the tower, coming and going, entering and leaving, in various colours of plumage, some heading towards the campus, others returning, some heading towards the city. A small group of them seemed to be playing at throwing a small ochre leather ball to which was attached a long fuzzy tail of red, yellow and violet fabric, constantly doing antics to throw the ball back into the most incongruous positions.
Perhaps it was because her magic had been weakened by the long journey in her ethereal form, but none of them seemed to notice her approach, which was strange given the reactions of the other veela she had met before. Perhaps she should have paid more attention and listened to Isabelle. Or better still, not to have let her pride get the better of her, and to have accepted Pandora and Xeno's offer to take her things to Beaux-bâtons for her.
She landed on one of the highest platforms in the tower, her large bag and her stuffed animal touching first the ground, then her talons, once she had rid herself of her load. Finally, in a cloud of almost transparent white smoke, she regained her physical form, Eldur detaching himself from her to land on the Nessie and observe her with concern.
"I'm fine, don't worry buddy." She said, her breath short and her wings aching. The skin on her hands was white, almost bloodless. Black butterflies fluttered at the edge of her field of vision, and her legs were weak, trembling like reeds in the wind. She lowered herself gently, suspecting that trying to walk would expose her to falling, which might damage the beautiful black feathers on her tail. She leaned back, her eyes fixed on the deep blue sky. Her heart was pounding in her chest, as if it were about to explode, so she concentrated and took several deep breaths, all the while trying to relax her muscles. It was as if her condition in her ethereal form was directly reflected in her physical form, but in flame form, apart from her appearance, she felt nothing other than its heat and strength, nothing else allowed her to judge her state. A drop of freezing sweat trickled down her forehead. Had Bauxbatons been further away, if she hadn't realised anything, her transformation could have been catastrophic.
After a few minutes, when none of the other veelas seemed to have noticed her, most preferring to use the lower platforms or enter their alcoves directly, she reached into her bag and pulled out a box of biscuits. Spiced shortbread, delicious and sweet. She needed them. Just as she was on her third biscuit, with Eldur also busy smashing one of them to bits and swallowing them with his little beak, the sound of wings beating the air startled her.
"Oh dear, what's happened to you?" A clear voice asked. Myo didn't have time to turn round as two hands grabbed her by the sides and she was lifted off the ground and turned in the direction of her interlocutor, a biscuit still in her mouth, her eyes wide with surprise. "You're so small, are they feeding you enough? You're so pale."
She was literally in the hands of a young veela, and although it's difficult to tell the age of an adult veela by sight alone, the young ones were much easier to guess. This one couldn't have been more than 16. She was tall for her age, with fine, angular features and large golden eyes topped by a tuft of short, tousled dark violet hair, the longest strands never reaching her cheeks. She wore a long, pale yellow woollen tunic with green thread-embroidered trims that fell to below her knees, cinched at her waist by a wide belt of light blue fabric embroidered with golden thread, more of a scarf than a belt really. Her large grey wings, tinged with violet, were tucked neatly behind her back, her gaze focused on her, concern and affection evident in her aura, energetic and fresh as a spring breeze mingling with her own, weakened by the excess energy expended on the journey.
"What have you done to yourself to put yourself in such a state? Were you attacked?" she asked again, her concern growing in her aura, watching her from every angle for any wounds.
Myo bit into her biscuit, swallowed the part in her mouth and held the other in her hand before giving the young veela a faint smile. "Can you put me down please?"
"You're not just going to fall over if I do that?" She asked, as if lifting her off the ground in the first place had been the obvious thing to do.
"No, I'm a little better. The biscuits helped."
"So, you're a first year? You don't wear a flock symbol, and your plumage has no distinctive colours of either... Taïvaalta most often choose not to go to school to stay watch over flock lands... maybe that's why. Wait a minute, wait a minute! A phoenix? Midnight blue plumage! Wouldn't you be Myosotis Potter?" She rambled on for a moment.
"Yes, that's me, and his name is Eldur!" she said, pointing at her familiar. How do you know about me? What's your name?"
"Oh, hello Eldur, and my name is Aline. Aline Deulaine. I'm delighted to make your acquaintance. Your arrival on campus was announced by the Verte Feuille council to the various flocks so that we could be prepared to welcome you, the accommodations necessary for a Taïvaalta and most of our other sisters being a little different. I'm so happy to meet you, there are so many rumours about you in the flocks." At these words, before Myo could react, she was caught in a warm hug by Aline, who held her close, her wings closing around her in the same way she often covered Luna with her feathers. She returned the hug, feeling herself relax in her new sister's arms. Their auras mingled, Aline's joy at meeting her, her concern about her condition, her underlying sadness at what she knew of her history meeting Myo's relief at finally having arrived, her contentment at having made a first meeting go so well, her affection already growing for her new big sister...
Myo's cheeks flushed as Aline placed a kiss on each of his cheeks before breaking off the hug. "Welcome to the dovecote, Myosotis. It's a pleasure to have you with us. The others will be delighted to make your acquaintance."
"Not everyone at the same time because..." Myo made a vague gesture with her hand, unable to describe exactly what she meant. But Aline must have understood because her eyebrows furrowed, an expression of sadness and resentment directed at something distant and undefined distorting her face. "Madame Delacour warned us, yes, the first time might be a little much, but after that, I think you can expect for them to show some form of restraint." Her face softens. "I hope that spending time with us will allow your aura to adapt to the large number of our sisters being nearby."
Myo nodded. "Astrid thinks so too." She said as she reached out her hand to Eldur, who flew up to rest on her shoulder. He was still too small to do any real flying, but flying a few metres was well within his capabilities. She tried to lift her bag, but even with the lightness spells, it was impossible to pick it up. That's when Aline grabbed it by one of its straps and hung it over her chest, before also taking Nessie's cuddly toy and pinning it against her side.
"Thank you," Myo said with a shy smile.
"You're welcome. I'm going to drop you off at the infirmary, and Nurse Juliette Belleforte will tell us if there's anything to worry about, and if there is, she'll know what to do. By the way, how did you get in such a state?" Aline asked, taking her by the hand and guiding her towards the wide door to the interior of the tower, topped by a pointed arch.
"I couldn't carry the bag and my cuddly toy in my current form, so to make the journey I became one with the flame." She said, lowering her eyes, feeling more and more foolish about her decision.
Aline stood still, her mouth ajar, her eyes wide. "Have you passed the rite? But you're only twelve!"
"A rite, oh yes, it was mentioned in one of the books, I'm not sure, I think I broke something in there." She said, pointing to her chest with her thumb. "Luna was in danger, she and her father were caught in the storm, I had to get them out of there, it was only afterwards that I realised. Since then, I've managed to transform without too much difficulty." She said with a certain pride.
Aline remained silent for a moment, before saying with conviction. "You're not broken."
Myo stood still, her mouth ajar, no words coming to her. Her throat tight, tears beading at the corners of her eyes, she nodded.
oOOOo
The interior of the tower was impressive: it was hollow, opening onto a large spiral staircase running alongside dozens of alcoves which themselves opened outwards, and in the centre was a chasm stretching from the ground to the sky, wide enough for several veela to fly into. Most of them must have been outside, as Myo and Aline only came across a few of their sisters. Aline had to go wide-eyed and puff out her feathers to be left alone. The tower was not just a juxtaposition of alcoves, each serving as a bedroom for one or more veela, but also numerous other, larger rooms, all of which had one thing in common: they opened directly onto the outside world and could only be closed by thick, coloured curtains.
Aline showed her the dining hall and the kitchens, explaining that all the veela in the tower share the kitchen chores, a document posted on a cork board giving the names of each veela designated for this task each day. Myo saw her own name written in the cage three days after the start of classes. Maybe she could go and catch some big fish in the lake that day, she was sure her sisters would be delighted. Aline showed her another note next to this one, a table in which each veela with allergies or dietary specificities had to write down what they could or couldn't eat. For more specific diets, Aline told her that she would have to check with Emilie, the teacher in charge of the dormitory. The conversation turned to the fact that Myo had already met her and the whole adventure of that day's visit. Aline was most amused, ruffling her hair with one hand and calling her a trouble magnet. When Myo told her about his meeting with Lybra Malachite, she seemed most circumspect, having never heard of anyone of that name in the academy.
Myo didn't like this at all, she was beginning to think that she had completely imagined this meeting, the worst thing was that it might have been the case.
They then walked past the tower library, which was far less complete than the other libraries on campus, but much more accessible, especially on bad weather days when going out meant getting your feathers wet. Myo could well understand that, even with her flames, flying in the rain was no fun. What's more, the library housed books on veela customs, magic and biology that the Vertefeuille council and, more generally, all the flocks connected with Hymgaabal would prefer not to see in the hands of non-Veela.
There was also a games, rest and social room, right next to the library, but fortunately separated by a sound barrier, because according to Aline, she and her sisters could be very noisy when they were having a good time.
Finally, after having descended half of the large central staircase, towards the middle of the tower, Aline rang a small bell next to a door closed by a thick light green curtain embroidered with white. "I'm coming" said a clear voice. A few seconds later, the curtain opened to reveal a tall veela with hard features and a piercing gaze, her aquiline nose and thin, tight lips giving her the air of a bird of prey, her greying black hair in places tied back in a tight bun. She was wearing a long blue-grey blouse that fell below her knees. Her ash-grey wings, the tips of each of her black feathers, were tucked behind her back. Unlike most of the other veela Myo had met so far, she wore almost no jewellery, apart from her two silver earrings set with a translucent black stone. Myo could feel her aura, as hot as an ember and as hard as steel, conveying a sense of curiosity and circumspection. "I wasn't expecting a visit so early in the year, let alone from you, Aline. What..." She paused, her gaze settling on Myo, her eyes widening.
Aline cleared her throat. "This is Myosotis Potter. Myosotis, this is Juliette Belleforte, our healer."
Myo could feel Juliette's aura stretching in her direction, enveloping her, the feelings of the intimidating healer becoming all the stronger. Curiosity, concern, the same spontaneous affection she was used to feeling every time she met one of her sisters. "Miss Potter, please come in. Aline, go and put her things in her room, I trust you'll show her when I've released her." She said without taking her eyes off Myo, who was feeling increasingly intimidated. All the more so when Aline said "All right, madam" before taking her bag and her Nessie cuddly toy and climbing the stairs two by two.
Myo watched Aline go and swallowed. Only the presence of Eldur on her shoulder, rubbing his head against her cheek and sending reassuring images, kept her from getting really scared. Juliette was, after all, one of the most intimidating sisters she had ever met.
"What are you waiting for? Come in, little one!" Juliette said, indicating the inside of the infirmary with a wave of her hand.
Afraid of being scolded, Myo hurried inside, Juliette closing the curtain behind her. The infirmary was a large, round room, with a stone vaulted ceiling carved to resemble branches meeting at a central point. Several beds were lined up along the wall, all with a view of the large opening to the outside of the tower in the outer wall. Two blue-grey curtains were tied around the edges of the opening with a white cord, allowing a view of the treetops, sky and bluish mountains in the distance. Several counters and shelves were also present, covered with vials and various boxes, as well as various instruments. The few labels she could read were, without getting too close, in a language that resembled Latin, though this did not allow her to give any meaning to what she was reading.
"Sit down on one of the stools" said Juliette, pointing to a high wooden stool in the centre of the room.
Without question, Myo complied, Eldur flying off her shoulder to sit on another of the stools. No doubt they were there to accommodate visitors from the sick or, as in this case, to carry out an examination.
Juliette stopped in front of her, hands on hips, eyebrows furrowed. "You're lucky, a copy of your medical file has already been sent to me by your regular carer. While I'm looking for it, why don't you tell me what got you into such a state?"
As her cheeks flushed with shame at her stupidity and overconfidence, she recounted how, on that beautiful morning, she had thought herself clever by ignoring Isabelle's recommendations and heading off to Beauxbatons transformed. Once she had finished, Juliette came back to her, her eyes resting on a thick open file in one hand, three vials containing various liquids in the other.
"I see. I'm obliged to forbid you to transform yourself under any exceptional circumstances until further notice, Miss Potter." She said, extending her aura over her, as Isabelle regularly did, before proceeding with the same examination that Isabelle usually performed on her. She listened to her breathing by sticking the metal tip of a strange object between her shoulder blades, the sensation of cold tickling her. Then Juliette manipulated her wings, arms and legs before asking her to stand up and touch her toes with her fingers without bending her legs, before casting several diagnostic spells. Myo felt a little uncomfortable, only Isabelle usually did this sort of thing to her, but it felt strange that a new person she had just met was taking care of her.
Finally, Juliette nodded in satisfaction and Myo couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Eldur glowered at Juliette for putting his veela in an uncomfortable situation. "Well, you're just in a state of anemagica, Drink this, these potions will stabilise your state by forcing concentrated magic into your system. Tonight, big meal, big sleep, and no more magic than you need for the rest of the week. Capiche?"
"Yes ma'am!" Myo yelped, grabbing Eldur in her arms to escape as quickly as possible.
"Good. Every morning, your potion prescriptions will be brought with breakfast." Myo held back a grunt, she who had hoped to escape her potion regime at Beauxbatons... she should have known better. Juliette's features softened, and for the first time since they'd met she flashed him a smile, her aura conveying affection and amusement. "And if you have the slightest problem or question, don't hesitate to come and see me. Now, Shoo!" she said, pointing to the door.
"Goodbye madam." Myo said before running to the door, hastily closing the thick curtain behind her.
Leaning against the bannister of the staircase, Aline was waiting for her, a smile on her lips, looking particularly amused. "Don't worry, underneath her rough exterior, Juliette is a gentle woman." More than a hundred steps and several expert excuses by Aline to save a tired Myo from more introductions with new veela, each more excited than the last to make her acquaintance, later, they finally arrived in front of an alcove entrance just like the others, an oval opening in the wall closed by a thick purple curtain.
Aline opened the curtain and beckoned Myo in. "This is your room. You can use it as you like, as long as you keep it clean. Oh yes, when you close your curtains, it means that you don't want to be disturbed, so if you see closed curtains at the entrance to another room, don't touch them. Unless it's an emergency, the tower burnt down, Beauxbatons attacked, something like that. Most of us prefer to leave everything open, but some prefer to be more private... Oh yes, the toilets and baths and showers are shared, there's one three doors down from yours. If you have any questions, don't hesitate, I'm sure everyone would be happy to help."
Myo gave Aline a smile. "Thank you so much."
"It's a pleasure, darling. I'm not sure the others will be able to hold back for long before coming to say hello, now that word of your arrival has undoubtedly spread. Ah yes, the wards isolate your room from our auras, Madame Delacour explained the problem very clearly. See you later," she said before slipping away.
Myo waved to her as the curtain closed behind Aline. Indeed, once the curtain was closed, a velvety silence fell around her, disturbed only by the sound of her breathing and that of Eldur smoothing his feathers with his beak. The room was plunged into half-light, the curtains closing the large rounded opening to the outside letting in a faint blue-tinted light through the fabric.
The room was about the same size as her tower in Scotland, but was arranged differently. Against a wall to the right of the entrance was a large nest of cushions, sheets and blankets, similar to the one she had made herself when she arrived in her tower, and in the centre sat her Nessie cuddly toy, which Aline must surely have found amusing to put there.
Opposite her nest was an oval hollow in the stone, about two metres in circumference, filled with ash. Myo could feel the excitement growing at the idea of taking an ash bath there, it was better than her sorry pile in her tower, like a dedicated bathtub! All the other walls had been carved out to form shelves, one of them opening onto a recess where a candlestick filled with new candles had been placed, surely serving as a desk. A copper lantern hung from the ceiling, unlit and empty inside. It was probably made to hold luminescent moss or stone, or a cold flame spell, or one of her own flames...
Near the wide opening to the outside were two large green fabric ottomans, a perfect place to read and relax, and between them was her bag, the poor thing looking more and more like it was about to explode. She hastily opened it and took out the overflow of objects, placing the narwhal's tooth proudly, prominently displayed, vertically next to the desk. She placed all her other precious objects on the shelves, which soon began to sparkle all over, so covered were they with pretty stones, crystals, small plants in particularly colourful pots, small jewels, shiny pieces of metal... Next came the books, the few that would be used for the course, but above all all the others, as well as the most important, all the drawings that Luna had given her over the years, which she hastily displayed on the walls. The hat she had decorated with Luna at Hogwarts soon took pride of place on the desk, along with some of her most beautiful skulls.
She paused in the middle of unpacking; there were still so many things to get out of her dying bag, but she was too tired. Rather than continue, she sat down in the middle of her new nest, Eldur snuggled up to her, one hand clutching one of Nessie's flippers. This was going to be a trying evening, and she would need all her energy to cope. She had a few hours before it came to that, and she intended to take advantage of them to get some rest.
oOOOo
A few hours later, Myo emerged from her alcove, blinking several times to get used to the light. Evening had arrived, the first stars shining against the darkening blue of the sky, the sun a thin orange line on the horizon. However, the interior of the tower was at its brightest, orbs of yellow and orange light floating in the air, drifting slowly, as if driven by invisible currents. Outside the wards of her room, Myo could feel the intensity of the auras of dozens of other veela and hear the sound of laughter, singing and chatter, some coming from the other rooms, most coming from the refectory a little further down. She couldn't put off the inevitable any longer, and step by step she descended towards her destiny. At least the smell of food was most enticing, something with onions, cream and mushrooms if her nose wasn't deceiving her.
Once at the door of the refectory, she stood still, the silence falling like a sheet around her. The fifty or so veela seated at the table all turned towards her at the same time, their aura far too mixed and numerous for her to be able to interpret anything. Myo took a deep breath and walked through the door. "Good evening, I'm Myosotis", she said shyly, waving her hand in greeting. After a second of silence, all hell broke loose.