The sea of clouds stretched as far as the eye could see, like plains and white mountains of changing and enchanted shapes, illuminated with an orange glow by the sun sinking on the horizon. The sun gave the impression that the cottony expanse was a vast, silent inferno. Above, the infinite sky formed a sumptuous gradation from a deep blue to an incandescent red, through a soft pastel blue. The North Star, the first visible star of this summer evening, stood like a stoic guardian, immovable in the twilight.
At this altitude only the sound of the wind in the feathers and the soft blue flames enveloping them disturbed the silence and the impression of solitude and delicious peace brought by the immensity of the sky.
A few dozen minutes earlier, as Myo climbed higher and higher through the cloud layer, she had regretted not listening to Andromeda's warning. Her wing muscles had ached, and she had doubted her ability to make it to the Lovegoods carrying Luna in her arms. But now that was no longer a problem. Her flames heated the air beneath her wings, pushing her upwards and allowing her to glide smoothly and effortlessly, only needing to flutter her wings occasionally so as not to lose too much speed.
Liz, Andy's little owl, was flying a few meters ahead of her, taking advantage of the warmth of her flames to avoid getting too cold at this great altitude. Myo had immediately taken a liking to Liz. Despite her bad temper, the little owl was quite adorable with her constantly ruffled feathers. Moreover, between the bird and the Veela bird thing, a kind of solidarity and understanding had immediately set in. The only other two people Liz seemed to be close to were Luna, and Andy. Myo could smell Andy on Liz and if she got close enough, smell what she had learned was Andy's magic on Liz.
Myo had asked Luna about this, which had led to a long discussion about familiars. From what Luna and the many books in the wonderful library (much better than the book box) had taught her. A wizard, witch, or magical being, could create a magical bond with another creature. The bond could form naturally if the creature and the wizard were particularly close magically and intellectually. If this was not the case, a small ritual could initiate the bond and it would become stronger over time. By reading more about rituals, Myo had also concluded that her preening was a true ritual in the magical sense. A natural ritual in a way... Its effects, apart from making her fly better and feel particularly good until the next preening, were unknown to her. It must have been something a learned Veela Bird thing would know...
One of these days, preferably soon, Myo would like to find a familiar. According to the books, the bond between a familiar and its wizard was terribly deep. The pet became more intelligent, its longevity matched that of the wizard, some could even learn to cast spells. The wizard could also literally talk with his pet. Real talk. Myo was really looking forward to finding one. The best would be a natural bond, without the help of ritual. The idea of a bond with an all-natural familiar just seemed so romantic. The kind of thing that happened in the stories she read. And besides, in the book she'd worked through, a natural bond was just better because it allowed for a longer and deeper bond than ritual, and that was the kind of thing Myo wanted. A friend who would always be able to stay with her.
Luna had to go back to her family, to her momy and her dady. Luna would be sad if Myo kept her with her in her tower. Myo would like to be able to keep her with her all the time, but that would hurt Luna, and that was just not an option, even if the idea was terribly appealing. A familiar, on the other hand, could stay with her all the time! Since Myo had discovered what it was like to have friends, Luna, Nym, Ted, Andy, having more of them seemed like a really nice idea.
The book had talked about the risk of having an overly deep bond with a familiar, if something happened to it, but Myo had largely ignored it. She would take too much care of her future pet for anything to happen to it. Something about intense depression, suicidal urges, loss of magical strength and illness... But as she said, it didn't matter, her future pet, nothing would happen to it. She had read further on about the benefits of a 'too' deep bond with a familiar... she shook her head slightly, this was no time to start blushing foolishly or daydreaming. She had to stay focused on her flight and Luna. Besides, the view from here was far too splendid to allow herself to get lost in her head like this.
In her arms she felt Luna move. Luna had been perfectly still for a while. Myo suspected that she was dozing off. Luna tended to be particularly relaxed in her flames, and then the day had been tiring for the young blonde. She had gotten up early in the morning and she and Myo had spent the day with Nym playing in and around the house.
She felt Luna's head snapping up against her chest. The only sound she made was a small strangled noise. She looked down at Luna's face. Her mouth was half open and her beautiful blue-grey eyes were wide open. She remained silent for several minutes, then whispered under her breath, just loud enough for Myo to hear over the sound of the wind in her feathers. "Beautiful... Why didn't you wake me up earlier Myo?"
"I didn't realize you had fallen asleep."
"I... um. In the cloud! Down on the right! A Nydonmia Extumae!"
Myo turned her head quickly but only had time to see a long shadow disappear into a reddish cloud. "Nydonmia... what?"
"A cloud snake! I thought I'd never get to see one! From what I had read, it lives at an unreachable altitude by broom. Myo, can you take me with you again when you fly like that? It's just... so beautiful. And I'm sure we'll be able to see lots of other creatures of the altitudes."
"Sure thing, Luna." Myo said with a smile. Luna was just so adorable when her boundless enthusiasm showed through.
"Promise?" Luna asked, looking at Myo with her big puppy dog eyes.
She had no choice. The only possible answer for Myo in this situation was the following. "Yes, I promise."
As Luna launched into a long, detailed explanation of the Nydonmia life cycle that had been going on for several minutes now, Myo noticed that Liz was beginning to descend towards the clouds. Taking advantage of a pause in her explanation to catch her breath, Myo said. "I think we've arrived. Hold on tight, we're diving."
Myo tightened her grip on Luna, folded her wings slightly, and let herself plunge, disappearing into the clouds. The wind grew stronger as it accelerated, whipping her face, her heart pounding in her chest. The feeling of exhilaration she felt with each of her great dives from the high altitudes would never grow old.
In her arms, she felt Luna stiffen, give a small cry of surprise, then fear before being replaced by an exalted laugh.
They broke through the cloud layer at a dizzying speed, and all too soon, for Myo's taste, the ground was in sight.
Myo spread her wings wide, stretching her feathers as far as possible as she approached the ground. In an incredibly gentle manner, she carefully set Luna down on the ground. She landed right behind her, and was immediately joined by Liz who landed on her shoulder, her little talons barely pressing against the flesh. She smiled and stroked the young owl's eternally unruly feathers.
She looked around a little better, now that she didn't have to concentrate hard to land gently after swooping down from four or five thousand metres. She was at the top of a hill covered with short, thick grass, and below her she could see the countryside spread out in a mixture of scattered meadows and small woods as well as some fields. A mile or two down the dirt and gravel road where she had landed, she could see several oddly shaped houses. From what she had read in the Tonks' 'Atlas of Magical England', this kind of landscape was typical of the surroundings of a village populated only by wizards. Otherwise, the countryside would have been overrun by all sorts of tightly packed fields and crops that non-magicals seemed to love. Below the hill she could make out a small mossy stone bridge over a fairly wide and deep river.
On the other side of the path was a large, strange house with a cylindrical shape slightly like a rook with a round top. On the sides of the strange building protruded various windows and chimneys, giving the building an even more eerie appearance. The building was surrounded by a large garden with a grey wooden fence and a rusty metal gate, all covered with brambles, ivy and vines.
Finally, she laid eyes on Luna. She was laughing out loud, holding her stomach, a huge smile on her face, a tear in the corner of her eye, her hair a mess from the wind she had received during their near freefall a few seconds ago.
"Are you okay, Luna?" Myo was a little worried. Doing a nosedive always gave her a feeling of euphoria, but never to the point where she had this kind of reaction.
Luna sat up, wiped her eyes and tried to catch her breath. She looked at Myo, her big blue-grey eyes sparkling with joy and amusement. "Myo, that was as great as it was scary. I've rarely been so frightened, but the feeling was just..."
Myo rubbed the back of his neck guiltily. "Sorry... it's just habit, I love doing that."
"That's okay, I just didn't think you were going to go down like that. I wasn't ready."
"Next time I'll warn you."
"There's a next time!?"
"Uh, yeah. If you want."
Luna jumped to Myo's neck and hugged her. Myo couldn't help her almost instinctive reaction of closing her wings on Luna.
"Thank you! Thank you, Myo! That was just... great!"
The hug lasted as long as Luna needed to come down from her euphoric high after this extreme experience. Finally she released her embrace and tried to pull back but was stopped.
"Um... Myo?"
"Yes?"
"I'm trapped. Not that I'm complaining, your feathers are soft and warm but ehhr..."
"Ah, sorry." Myo tucked her wings behind her back, her cheeks turning red. She hadn't realized...
"We should go, Momy and Dady are waiting for me. Auntie Lulu should be here too." At these words she took Luna by the hand, her fingers intertwining with his, and led her towards the heavy rusty iron gate closing the garden. Myo raised an eyebrow as she read what was written on a sign hanging on the gate. "The Quibler Director: X. Loveood" "Pick Your own Mistletoe" and "Stay away from dirigible plums."
" dirigible plums? " Myo asked, giving Luna a questioning look.
"We grow them in the garden. I'll show them to you tomorrow if you like."
Myo nodded. Whatever it was, it must be interesting.
Luna laid her hand flat on the gate, and it glowed with an almost imperceptible blue light. A few arcs of electricity ran through Luna's fingers for a moment, a dull click was heard, and the gate slowly opened inward with the typical creaking sound of rusty metal.
"Were those wards?" asked Myo.
"Yes, they protect the house from all sorts of problems. Gnomes for example."
"What's the point of the signs if everyone can't get into the garden?"
"Quite a few neighbours are registered in the wards and are allowed into the garden. It's mainly for them."
"Do they raid your mistletoe?"
"Unfortunately, one year all our mistletoes were pillaged. We never found out who the thief was... I suspect the Weasley twins."
"Poor mistletoe..." Myo didn't know who were the 'Weasley twins' but she didn't question Luna. It seemed natural for someone named Weasley to go stealing things.
The two girls walked down the small gravel path through the garden towards the entrance of the house. Myo was amazed. There was only one word to describe the Lovegoods' garden: 'magical'. It was overflowing with plants that were as strange as they were whimsical. Between the large purple cacti with moving spines and the geraniums with mirror-like petals, Myo didn't know what to look at.
So the relatively short journey from the gate to the door of the Lovegoods' strange black stone house took a few minutes instead of the necessary few seconds. Luna took great pleasure in describing and introducing the various plant species in the garden to a fascinated Myo. So much so, that they didn't realise the moment they arrived in front of the large dark wooden door reinforced with iron and featuring a small skylight of tinted glass from which filtered a warm orange glow.
Without hesitation, Luna grabbed a large bronze knocker in the shape of an eagle with eyes encrusted with strange dark blue stones, its wings spread and its beak open in a silent shriek. She struck it three times against the wood.
A few seconds later, footsteps were heard behind the door, the click of a key in the lock and the door opened wide. Waiting for them on the threshold was a tall, beautiful woman dressed in a long, navy blue housedress with a floral border sewn with bronze thread. Her long golden hair reaching her waist and framing her soft face with alabaster skin incredibly similar to Luna's. Her cerulean blue eyes widened at the sight of them for a moment, and with a big smile she grabbed Luna by the waist and hugged her to her chest. Luna immediately clung to her like a koala bear and the woman Myo assumed to be Pandora placed a kiss on Luna's forehead.
"My little Moon, I missed you so much. I was so worried!" She laid Luna gently on the ground. "Aren't you going to introduce me to your friend Luna?
Luna's cheeks flushed for a moment for some unknown reason but she quickly pulled herself together. "Momy, this is Myo Potter, my friend. Myo, this is Pandora Lovegood, my mum.
Pandora held out her hand to Myo, and Myo shook it hesitantly. It wasn't normal for her to act like this with strangers. But something about this lady made her feel like she could trust her. Her smile was so sweet, her look so affectionate and pure. And above all, Luna's mother could not be a bad person, for the simple reason that she was Luna's mother.
"Myo, thank you so much for saving my little Moon and my husband from the storm. I'm very grateful to you. I don't know what I would have done if they..."
Myo didn't know what to say to that, so she just nodded shyly, keeping her hands busy stroking one of the large feathers on her wingtips. Across from her, Pandora crouched down so that her head was below hers and opened her arms. "May I?" She asked with a big, grateful smile. Myo simply nodded. Something about Pandora made her feel comfortable and confident. Pandora reached out and gently closed her arms around her under her wings, slowly enough that she had time to pull back if it made her uncomfortable. The hug was brief but warm, Pandora smelled of old parchment from the Tonks' library books and morning dew. Something about her made her feel as if she were bathed in the mixture of warmth and coolness of the first rays of dawn.
When Pandora pulled away from her and stood up, she couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy towards Luna. If this kind of thing was part of having a mother...
"It's not polite to leave a guest on the doorstep. Please come in, Myo. And thank you for bringing Luna, Andy told us the story by floo, it was quite amusing" she finished with a little melodious laugh.
She and Luna entered a large round room. In the centre of it was a spiral staircase of dark iron with a railing made of beautiful iron arabesques mimicking vines. On one side of the room was a large bench, a sink, what appeared to be an old-fashioned oven from which a delicious smell was radiating, and a multitude of drawers and cupboards. Against the wall hung a row of metal pans arranged from largest to smallest. On the bench, in addition to a large tiled area, were various baskets containing fresh fruit and vegetables. An old copper-plated metal scale was placed in a corner, along with all sorts of kitchen utensils. Myo was quite envious of such a kitchen. If she had one like that in the tower, she could make much more elaborate dishes than her usual stews or grills. Perhaps the mad scientist's mysterious potions room in the cave beneath the tower contained such equipment. Perhaps she could ask Andy to come and help her explore this room without poisoning or exploding or finding her end in some other more creative way.
What also caught her eye was the multitude of strange, often brightly coloured and unusually shaped ingredients and herbs scattered around the kitchen area. The walls, meanwhile, were studded with frames of various sizes containing drawings of plants, animals and landscapes, in which Myo could easily recognize Luna's handiwork.
On the other side of the room was a corner that was probably used as a living room with a large sofa and three green and dark blue armchairs with a flowery design, arranged around a blue carpet in front of a large stone fireplace in which a small fire was crackling. Above the lintel, on the shelf, were vases, some containing bouquets of flowers whose strangeness clearly indicated that they came from the Lovegoods' garden, as well as various photographs. One of these, which Myo could clearly see, showed Xenophilius, Pandora and a baby Luna sitting on what must have been the sofa in front of the fireplace.
More centrally in the room, near the staircase, was a large wooden table covered with a white tablecloth on which were placed plates, glasses and silverware.
In the kitchen corner, leaning against the bench, was Xenophilius, with a glass of amber liquid in his hand and a smile on his face, his eyes fixed on Pandora and Luna holding hands, with Myo slightly behind Luna.
Next to Xenophilius was someone Myo could only describe as impressive, if not terrifying. It was a very tall woman with short, silver-blond hair, closer to Xenophilius' than to Pandora's. Her features were severe. Her right eye was an almost metallic blue-grey, glowing with a mischievous, amused gleam, while her left eye was hidden behind a purple leather eye patch with countless shapes inscribed on it that Myo had recently learned were runes. A large white scar ran across her face from above her left eye to her slightly split upper lip. Her nose was pointed and her thin lip stretched into a smile that was meant to be warm but failed to convey the feeling properly. She wore black canvas trousers with a gold buckled leather belt, a thick jacket covered with countless small black scales reflecting the light, and a T-shirt with a rather scary image printed underneath the name 'Iron Maiden' whatever that means. Besides her looks, what intimidated Myo was her size, which was much taller than Xenophilius', and her thin but powerful musculature, which could easily be seen under her clothes, but most of all, unlike Xenophilius who had focused almost all his attention on his wife and daughter, this lady seemed to be entirely devoted to observing Myo, with a gaze that was piercing enough to make her feel like she was naked.
Smiling, not noticing the tension between the unknown woman and Myo, Luna ran to the unknown woman and hugged her. "Lulu! It's been too long! You should come by more often, you know?" Lulu's face softened and she ran her hand through Luna's hair. Luna released her embrace and before 'Lulu' (that name really didn't fit this person's appearance.) could respond Luna went to give her dad a quick hug, then began the introductions. "Dady! This is Myosotis Potter. Myo, this is, Xenophilius. My daddy."
"You can call me Xeno." Luna's daddy added, holding out his hand to Myo. She shook it, trying not to be intimidated and to be polite. "You can call me Myo, then." Time at the Tonks had really done wonders to her shyness. It was still very difficult, but she managed to act almost normal.
Luna pointed to the tall, intimidating lady. "Myo, this is my aunt and godmother, Mélusine Lovegood. Lulu, this is Myosotis Potter."
This time, not to be completely overwhelmed and intimidated, Myo held out her hand first. "You can call me Myo ma'am. Myosotis is a bit long."
To her surprise, Mélusine gently grasped her hand and placed a kiss on the back of her hand, just below her wrist. She looked up at her with amused eyes. "As you may have heard, Luna calls me Aunt Lulu, or just Lulu. Feel free to do the same, young lady."
Myo thought it was a little odd to call someone even more intimidating than Andy by something as innocuous as Lulu, it was just... weird. When Mélusine released her hand, Myo asked shyly. "Can I call you Ms. Mélusine? Or Mélusine? Lulu, just seems too..."
Mélusine let out an amused laugh. "Of course, my little one. Do what makes you comfortable."
Myo nodded.
Xeno clapped his hands together, a big smile on his face. "Well, now that the formalities are over, we can get down to business. Tonight we celebrate! Myo, Luna, you can put your things on a chair and bring them up later. Settle down at the table, the roast is ready!"
With these words, he took a generous piece of meat with various vegetables and mushrooms from the oven and placed it on the table. Myo and Luna, after quickly placing their belongings on one of the chairs, joined the rest of the group. Myo was pleased to find that one of the chairs at the table had been replaced by a stool with a cushion on it.
Once everyone was settled, Xeno raised his glass high and said. "To the return of Pandora. In gratitude to Myos, and her ninth birthday, let us toast!" Everyone raised their glasses and clinked them. Myo didn't really understand why, but decided to imitate them. Had Xeno really just said that they were also celebrating her birthday? Myo was as happy as she was embarrassed. No one had ever really celebrated their birthday. Apart from possibly receiving a book from Petunia, it was just another day.
On her right sat Mélusine and on her left Luna. At first Myo was a little uncomfortable, Luna was deep in discussion with Pandora and Xeno about Pandora's adventures at the big Canadian convention she had attended. Myo had no choice but to turn to Mélusine. Fortunately, the conversation started quickly and easily, erasing her worries. What Mélusine was saying was fascinating. She was a kind of adventurer who travelled the world. She often lived with locals and earned a living from various odd jobs ranging from enchanting to medicine to mercenary work for the various security organizations in the countries she traveled to and her participation in the dueling championship were sought of. Apparently dueling magic was a very popular sport, most nations in the world had a team and free entry tournaments were often organised. She was also a regular participant in her little brother Xeno's amateur magizoology expeditions. She had finally promised Myo to show her the travel journals, photographs and souvenirs she had in her room in the Lovegood house.
After spending a while talking about her upcoming expedition to China, the discussion turned to Myo, her life in the tower, and Myo's various hunting methods and types of wild edible plants and how to prepare them. Melusine proved to be a veritable treasure trove of knowledge on the subject and promised Myo to write her a little notebook of her wild cooking tips.
When the discussion turned to what it was like to be a Veela bird thing, Luna and Pandora joined the conversation. Xeno had unfortunately already drunk too much of the strange amber liquid and was now laughing to himself with a blank stare. Mélusine had mumbled something about what a ridiculous lightweight her little brother was, unable to hold his liquor. Luna had launched into an impassioned speech recounting her rescue in the sea and the journey over the clouds from the Tonks' home. Mélusine and Pandora had been as insistent as they were interested in seeing the flames of Myo, who had become embarrassed at the way Luna had told her 'exploits'.
Myo had not been able to refuse, and so she, Mélusine, Luna and Pandora went out into the garden so as not to disturb a dozing Xeno, his head in his arms, snoring against the table.
The three of them went out discreetly through the back door. Night had fallen and the sky had cleared, leaving the stars and the moon to shine over the sleeping garden. "Show us that, please, Myo," asked Pandora. Mélusine nodded, looking just as interested as her sister-in-law. The most excited of all, however, was Luna, who for some inexplicable reason was so proud and excited that she almost jumped up and down for Myo to show her flames. Luna could really be weird sometimes...
Myo took a few steps forward, just to get about ten meters away from the three Lovegoods before turning around. Then she let her flames escape. She didn't even have to call out. Her flames were just under her skin, dying to be released. Just a thought was enough, and she was engulfed in a great blaze of blue flames rising high above her. Her flames danced happily in the night, their gentle warmth enveloping her, reassuring her, an unfailing, loving, loyal presence that would be by her side forever. The fire grew again until it stabilized. Myo was almost sure that she was barely visible from outside the flames.
Pandora was wide-eyed, slack-jawed, obviously not believing her eyes. Luna was jumping up and down, her eyes full of stars, happy at the sight of the great blue bonfire that Myo had become. Mélusine raised an eyebrow, the cogs turning in her head almost visible. Deeming the demonstration sufficient, Myo called back her flames until only her feathers seemed to be ablaze and not her entire being immersed in a blazing inferno.
Mélusine approached. "Can I touch? The flames?" she asked curiously. Myo merely nodded, opened the palm of her right hand upwards and let a great spray of blue flame shoot out. Mélusine moved her fingers slowly, almost hesitantly, towards it before dipping her hand in and watching it being bathed in the flames without being burnt with fascination.
She looked Myo straight in the eye, a big smile on her face, and said. "I've met quite a few Veela in my travels. It's hard to really learn about them without marrying one or being one... They're a terribly secretive species and rightly so. Of the ones I've met, some look like normal women but are very beautiful, some have large wings on their backs, some have feathers on their arms and legs, like you. But of all the ones I met, only one had talons and flames similar to yours. Do you want me to tell you the story?"
Myo's eyes widened, this was the first time she would have the opportunity to learn about other Veela's really like her. More than the few basic knowledge that the wizards seemed to share. Great beauty, birdlike features, and a magical aura of uncertain effects... what a deep knowledge of the species... In the Tonks' library, the few mentions of the Veela never said more, and mostly less. Mélusine had met someone like her and offered to tell her about it, so this was finally the perfect opportunity to learn more. "Yes, please, Mélusine!"
"Very, very well. Let's get inside then. We'll be more comfortable on a sofa for this kind of story."
Pandora, who seemed to have come to her senses, said. "Thank you Myo for showing us that. It was beautiful. Well, I'm going to get the dishes washed and my drunken husband to bed. I think my little Luna will want to stay and hear the story though."
Luna did indeed look quite excited and clung to Myo. "I want the story too. And when we're done, I'll give you a tour of the house and then we'll go to my room to sleep. Okay?"
Before Myo could answer, Pandora frowned and said. "Luna, don't bother Myo like that. We have a guest room. I'm sure she'll be more comfortable there."
"But Momy, I like sleeping with Myo! And she's never complained about it."
Mélusine raised her eyebrow at this, looking particularly amused. And Myo, not understanding the purpose of the discussion, felt obliged to make a decision. "I don't mind sleeping with Luna, you know?"
Pandora sighed in obvious defeat. "Fine, you can sleep together if you want. Good, night." She placed a kiss on Luna's forehead and hugged Myo briefly before adding. "Don't stay up too late. I'm counting on you to keep them in check, Lulu." At her words she waved her wooden stick in the direction of the dishes which began to wash themselves at the sink, then with another gesture of her, Xeno began to levitate behind her and then she climbed the stairs.
In the kitchen-living room, Mélusine sat down in an armchair and beckoned Myo and Luna to sit down on the sofa opposite. As Myo should have expected, Luna clutched her side and she couldn't help but wrap her in one of her wings. Luna had been getting more and more clingy lately. At first at the Tonks, Myo thought the shock of the storm had frightened her so much that she had sought comfort where she could find it, in Myo's feathers, but now... the shock must have worn off, right? Still, Luna's case was getting worse. It didn't really matter... it didn't bother Myo in the least.
Across from her, Mélusine smirked as she watched Luna, then crossed her legs, looked up at the ceiling for a moment as if to gather her wits, then began her story.
"A little more than ten years ago, i was a mercenary in the defense force of the Scandinavian Clan Assembly. Me and my team were assigned to a dirty job. A forest troll clan had overextended itself and started attacking the nearby villages. The status guys had managed to make the first massacres look like natural disasters, but it couldn't last. At some point, the trolls would do too much damage and their existence could not remain a secret for long. The purpose of the mission was to 'regulate' their population." She said, making quotation marks with her fingers at the word regulate.
"In my team there were three guys, mindless morons, and this woman. Edel Himmelheim. She was a Veela, she was like you, much lighter blue plumage with a hint of green, and different facial features, but the rest... the same. Around her the guys were either apathetic drooling mess while dumbly staring at her or jerks trying to act tough to impress her. I'm not kidding, it was almost as if they'd forgotten they were wizards. Regularly she had to do something with her aura, her allure, thrall or whatever to make them walk straight. The atmosphere around her would freeze and she would give the guys a frigid look. They were terrified of her presence for a couple of hours before they turned back into complete morons. All this to say that since I was the only person in the group to remain in my right mind in her presence, a kind of friendship quickly developed."
"We didn't talk much about her species or race of Veela. Mostly about the mission and our mercenary experiences. It just seemed rude to ask about her nature knowing full well that the Veela keep their secrets very close to them. She was impressive, she'd been in the mercenary business and the like for about thirty years, before that she'd been a cursebreaker for the Hanse of Svorak, before that an enchantress. She must have been about 110 or 120 years old or something like that. Anyway, she had a lot under her belt. From what she told me, over the years the call of adventure became stronger and stronger and consequently she embarked on more and more dangerous and arduous activities and expeditions. From our many conversations, the few things I have learned from the Veela are that her race is called 'Taivaalta' and comes from Norway and Sweden.
"I think you are one of them, a Taivaalta. I wasn't completely sure at first when you arrived, but your flames confirmed my suspicions. She had the same. The first two or three weeks of the missions, everything went pretty well. Edel was doing reconnaissance from the air and we were taking on isolated trolls. But at the beginning of the fourth week things started to go wrong. Tell me, Myo, what do you know about trolls?"
Myo, who was immersed in the story, was surprised and took a little while to answer. She had read in a book in the Tonks' library about trolls. The ugliness of the creature had disgusted her and she had quickly moved on. She gathered the memories of what little she knew about them and said. "They're big, they're very strong, they're very resistant to magic and they're anthropophagous, they're also really stupid."
Mélusine nodded. "True, at least for the most part. There are different races of trolls. The ones we were fighting were forest trolls. What you may have read about the stupidity of trolls is not entirely true. Mountain and hill trolls are stupid and are among the largest troll species. The forest and cave trolls are smaller, stockier, less strong, just as resistant to magic as their counterparts, but above all, much more intelligent. At the beginning of the fourth week, we were ambushed. The trolls had understood our modus operandi, and used one of their own as bait. One troll was waiting in the middle of a clearing, and about thirty others were lurking in the forest. They all fell on us at the same time. Bjorg and another one whose name I don't recall didn't made it, I managed to kill five or six of them, and Marco managed quite well but it was Edel who saved our skins. She burned the remaining trolls in an inferno of blue flames. All reduced to ashes. Without her we would have been dead. One of the things that stood out for me, besides the obvious, was that we were also in the flames, but they were just warm, comforting, while two steps away a supposedly magic resistant troll was reduced to ashes. Myo, your flames are the same."
Myo's eyes were wide, could she really do that? Or rather... would she be able to when she grew up? She let her flames envelop her hand. Watching the blue reflections of them on her skin. She used them to cook her food, purify her water, finish off animals and fish on her hunts, push herself up into the air, or simply keep warm. She had never tried to burn anything completely to ash other than the wood or cloth she used for the ash pile in her tower. She had noticed that really burning something down to ash or nothingness required more energy, more strength in her flames. She doubted she had enough energy in her to do a tenth of what Mélusine had described Edel doing. Were her flames like her wings? A muscle she had to exercise to make it stronger? The theory was worth testing. She stared at Mélusine for a moment. "Thank you, I... you've taught me more than any book or person I've met so far."
"You're welcome. It didn't cost me anything. And I'm grateful to you for saving the life of my lovely little niece and goddaughter. I have a proposition for you, Myo. It's been ten years since I had any contact with Edel. After our mission we continued to exchange letters regularly, but over time we lost touch. If you want I can try to find her for you and report your situation to her. I think she might be able to help you."
Myo nodded enthusiastically. "Andy said she would try to get in touch with the Veela community of the Grand Alliance via Beaubaton. She said she wasn't sure what the outcome would be. If you can do that... Thank you Mélusine."
"Good," said Mélusine, rising from her chair. "It's getting really late. Luna, you've just got time to give Myo a quick tour of the house so she doesn't get lost on the way to the toilet or something, then off to bed! Otherwise your mother will give me a hard time."
Luna, who had been falling asleep for a while in the comfort and warmth of Myo's feathers, gasped. All the excitement of the evening must have exhausted her. She yawned into her hand, stood up and smiled at Myo. "Are you coming? I'll show you the house. I'm sure you'll love it."
At these words, Luna led her up the metal staircase. The corridors on the upper floors were labyrinthine. Small alcoves with windows overlooking the garden were regularly visible in the corridors, perfect places to read or hide. Luna pointed out Mélusine's room, Xeno and Pandora's room, her grandparents' room for when they came to the house, and a large bathroom with a large open floor bathtub big enough for a dozen people, a large shower and a bidet. A wood burning stove was present and according to Luna allowed the room to be used as a sauna. The last room on this floor was a large library with a large bay window on the wall that opened onto the garden. To Myo's lack of surprise, a large part of the books were dedicated to the magical creatures of the world as well as to foreign cultures, geography and astronomy. The rest were fiction and an extremely well-stocked shelf of books on magical theory, spell creation and a collection of many numbers of a French magical journal dedicated to cutting-edge research and new discoveries and spell creation. The corner of Pandor, thinked Myo.
The spiral staircase continued to the upper floor. In this one were two guest rooms that Luna didn't bother to show, a door opening onto the air, a good eight metres above the garden. When Myo had asked why there was a door here she had shrugged and said something about going in and out on broomsticks. A little further down the corridor was Luna's room, then, further, was a very small room opening to the outside, with large windows on all the walls with small diamond-shaped panes. The place looked awfully cosy and comfortable and bright during the day.
Myo expected Luna to take her to her room for the night, but she smiled mischievously, put a finger to her lips as a sign of silence and secrecy, and pulled on a small black cord that hung on one side of the wall.
Suddenly and silently, a ladder slid down from a newly opened trapdoor in the ceiling and stopped just short of the floor. Luna motioned for Myo to climb up. After finally getting her wings through the narrow hatch, Myo could appreciate the wide room she had just entered. It was right under the rounded roof at the top of the house. Myo couldn't believe her eyes, in the middle of the room stood a huge copper and iron telescope, it was much bigger than her and Luna combined. Its tip pointed to some kind of mechanism in the roof. The rest of the room was filled with various equipment and devices and two large wooden tables were covered with scrolls on which were various notes, plans and diagrams. On the walls hung large maps of the sky.
Myo was so fascinated that she did not hear Luna approaching, and jumped when she spoke. "I present to you the pride of the Lovegood house! The telescopium! It was made by Celene Lovegood. My great, great, great grandmother. She made it so perfect that it is now the most powerful telescope in England. Dady says even the Ministry of Magic's telescope is inferior. Would you like to try it?"
" Can we? "
"We just won't tell Momy, she'll want us to go to bed. Don't worry, it won't take long."
"In that case... yes please!" Sometimes at the tower, on cloudless nights, Myo would go up to the roof of the tower to look at the night sky and all the beautiful stars. In one of her books, she had seen what a telescope observation could do and was dying to see the real thing. Even more so in a magical telescope.
Luna pulled a lever, and the mechanism in front of the end of the telescope began to move. A large slit in the roof opened, revealing the stars.
Luna turned to Myo and asked. "Is there anything in particular you want to observe?"
"Not really, I don't know what interesting things you can see... I've never done astronomy before. Except for the quick reading of a book or two and magazines."
"In that case." Luna placed her hand on a large transparent crystal sphere engraved with countless runes and said. "Telescopium, point me to the Lyre Nebula."
Slowly, without a sound, without a hitch, the whole room began to spin, the end of the telescope seemed to split, and then a dozen lenses of different sizes and thicknesses passed in front of the tube before settling on one particularly large one. Everything stabilised again, and Luna leaned over the lens. "Well, one or two manual adjustments..." she turned and cranked several small knobs around the lens, then let out a small cry of joy. "It's beautiful tonight! Look!"
Luna stepped away from the lens and gave way to Myo. A little hesitant and intimidated, Myo hesitated for a moment, but she finally gave in to her curiosity, leaned over and observed. It was beautiful. There was no other word for it. The nebula of the lira was a luminous oval with a bluish core and flaming orange edges. An egg of a cosmic creature drifting between the stars. Myo could have watched for hours, but she was brought back to reality by Luna's hand landing at the junction between her back and the beginning of her right wing.
Luna was watching her with a knowing look. "Well?"
"Beautiful... just beautiful."
"I knew you'd like it," Luna said with a proud, satisfied look on her face, as if she had just won a big victory in a game whose rules Myo didn't know.
"Can I come back to watch?" Myo asked shyly.
"Of course! But not tonight, otherwise Momy will be angry, we should already be in bed."
Myo nodded. As sweet and kind as Pandora seemed to be, she didn't want to tempt the devil by provoking her wrath.
A few minutes later, the ladder disappeared up the hatch without a trace and Luna ushered Myo into her room, trying to be discreet. Luna's room was of medium size, in one corner was a large four-poster bed with blue sheets sewn with a bronze flower pattern. Above the bed hung various dream catchers. The rest of the room was a lovely chaos. In the middle of the room on a carpet was a huge stuffed animal of what Luna had described as a crumpled horned snorckak. Her desk was covered with a jumble of all sorts of objects, drawing sheets, books, pens and pencils, a large copper, glass and silver hand-cranked pencil sharpener. Against one wall there were several shelves overflowing with books in disarray, various small objects and photographs. The walls were covered with pinned drawings and photographs. In one corner of the room was a pile of stuffed creatures representing various fantastical animals. Luna apparently had a stuffed toy of a three-headed dog and a black octopus. Three bunches of dried lavender hung from the ceiling along with some obviously enchanted objects and pretty feathers. A view of the garden and surroundings was provided by three large circular windows along the curve of the wall. They were wide enough for Myo to stand in. In one corner of the room were Myo and Luna's things that they had brought from the Tonks. Pandora must have taken them upstairs at a time when Myo wasn't paying attention.
To say that Myo liked Luna's room would have been a serious understatement. Myo loved Luna's room. All the shiny objects, the clutter, the books... A few skulls instead of the too many stuffed animals and it would have been perfect, but unfortunately Luna didn't hunt... Maybe Myo could show her, but without claws or wings or fire, Luna would be at a loss.
While Myo explored the room in the most unsubtle way possible, Luna changed her clothes, brushed her teeth, and went to bed. Myo snapped out of her thoughts and followed her without delay.
It didn't take long for them both to fall asleep. It had been an exhausting day. As had become customary, Luna clung to Myo for the night, and Myo held her in her wings as sleep took them.
oOOOo
The day at the Lovegoods had been one of the best Myo had ever experienced. In the morning, the Tonks had come by the fireplace and she'd had cake, a strawberry shortcake to be exact, and presents, all for her birthday. Luna had given her a pretty silver butterfly brooch to put in her hair. Myo liked shiny things, but if she could wear them too... Luna had won a hug for it. Andy had given her a jar of fir honey, Nym a book on shapeshifters, Ted a book on the different species of dragons, Mélusine a small pendant in the shape of an enchanted moon so that she could warn someone if anything happened to her. The pendant would let Mélusine know where she was and Mélusine could come. Myo had tried to refuse, not wanting to disturb Mélusine, but Pandora had insisted, saying that carrying the pendant with her at all times was her condition for letting her return to the tower. Mélusine had seconded Pandora, adding that young Veela were particularly popular targets for abduction. Pandora had given her a nice notebook in which she had told her that she could write down her thoughts and that it could help her to know herself better or something like that. As for him, Xeno had given her a free lifetime subscription to The Quibbler. Myo had never received so many gifts. Mélusine's pretty golden pendant had joined the right side of the hare's skull from her first hunt on the necklace she never took off. Myo's brooch had found its way into her hair in a strategic place, holding her hair in front of the thin white lightning bolt that was almost invisible today but had, a long time ago, been red and swollen. Myo could never thank her flames enough for whatever they done to the scar.
The second part of the morning had been spent playing at the river down the hill. Catching freshwater plimpies proved to be more fun than Myo expected. Her only disappointment was to discover that no, plimpies are not eatable. They're not poisonous or anything like that, no, they just taste awful, Luna had said. Myo hadn't dared to question Luna's words. Not for lack of courage, but for wisdom... at least that was what Myo told herself.
Luna telling Nym about the previous day's flight in great detail prompted the young shapeshifter to ask her for a ride in the air. However, she had to reduce her height and weight to that of Luna's because otherwise Myo could not lift her off the ground. Nym had been rather upset at first thinking that Myo was implying that she was fat, which was literally impossible for a shapeshifter to be, unless the shapeshifter wanted to be, but the sulkiness had promptly stopped when Myo managed to get her much higher in the air than Nym could with a broom.
The morning had ended with a group photo with everyone, and then one of Luna and Myo together, copies of which had gone to her belongings. Luna had rushed to put hers on her bedside table. The Tonks had stayed for lunch, before leaving again in the early afternoon. Myo had been forced to promise Nym that she would visit them soon, she couldn't find the strength to resist her wide, pleading eyes.
The highlight of the afternoon was the arrival of Mélusine's familiar. A snake with green and turquoise scales and wings. It had been sent by Mélusine to scout the location of her next journey. Myo had been fascinated by the relationship between the occamy named Luccys and Mélusine. The two had apparently developed a very strong familiar bond, to the point where they could telepathize and exchange memories, according to Mélusine. Myo had even been able to pet Luccys and wear her around her neck. Her wings had proved to be almost as soft as her own. Pandora discovering Myo's interest in familiars went to fetch her kneazle, a certain Morgoth. A huge black cat with blue eyes. He was larger than Myo and obviously weighed more than her. Pandora had confessed herself guilty of feeding him a little too much and giving in too easily to his whims.
oOOOo
The goodbyes had been difficult. Mélusine had made Myo promise to come back regularly, and when she was there to teach her self-defence, a skill she considered absolutely necessary for Myo to be able to live on her own, especially as a Veela. Luna wouldn't let go of Myo, tears threatening to fall. Pandora had to take her so that Myo could finally fly away.
The Lovegoods had been lovely to her, even if Mélusine had been intimidating, and not sleeping with Luna anymore would feel strange. However, joy overcame that feeling. She was finally going to get her real home back. Her books, her ash heap, the thermal baths in the cave, her habits, her skull collection. A place that was hers, really hers. Her first, only and true home. In a few minutes, when she passed the curtains of the wide windows that were always open, she would make good use of her pile of ashes. It had been just too long since the last time, and her feathers needed it.
When she felt the magic of the tower, warm and protective, enveloping her as she approached, an immense joy filled her. Before, when she was in the Dursley lair, she never thought she would have a home. And yet...