A/N: This chapter contains references from Newt Scamander's (J.K. Rowling) book, Fantastic Beasts, Where To Find Them, and the J.K. Rowling & Kennilworthy Whisp's book, Quidditch Through the Ages.
Chapter Six
Over the Minch and Back Again
"I'll be okay, Mummy," Remus said trying to reassure his mother.
Hope was anxiously double checking all the buckles of his flying harness that Lyall had made for him to ride with him close to his chest on the broomstick.
She fussed with his goggles, wool hat, knitted scarf and strips of fabric she wrapped around his hands to keep him warm but left his fingers exposed enough so he could maintain good finger dexterity to firmly grasp the broom.
The three of them were outside the cottage early morning and thankfully the weather was in their favor with a bit of chilly fog but relatively clear skies.
However, they were well aware that the Highlands weather could change at any moment so they were ready for a possibility of it switching to a rain storm. Despite it being the warmest time of the year in Scotland, the air would be surely be thinner and colder once they flew up in altitude on the broomstick.
It was July so Lyall was thankful it was the time of year with long hours of daylight and no complete darkness at their northern latitude location could be expected on the return flight.
Father and son were straddled on his Comet 180 broomstick ready for kick off to fly over a strait of ocean in the north Atlantic called the Minch that separated the north-west Highlands and the Outer Hebrides Islands.
They were headed over the Minch to meet with a man who was part of the MacFusty clan on an island known for their centuries old history tradition of tending to the Hebridean Black Dragons there. Lyall had packed a hefty, cloth bag full of shiny, gold galleons inside his rucksack to try another possible lycanthropy potion cure from a contact in which he had corresponded by Owl post.
"Oh yes! I nearly forgot. Here, Lyall, I know you don't want the extra weight but sneak these somewhere in your rucksack as a thank you from me to Mr. MacFusty and the second one is for you and Remus to keep for a 'pick me up' on the flight back home," Hope said worriedly pulling out of her pockets a couple of small bundles wrapped in waxed paper.
Inside the little bundles of wax paper, she had packed squares of the common Scottish dessert called tablets, an intensely sugary, dense, crumbly candy somewhat like fudge made with sugar, cream, butter, condensed milk and flavored with whiskey.
"Thank you, love, that was kind of you," Lyall said taking the tablets from her and then with his other free hand he brought her hand to his lips and kissed it.
"Can you send me a Patronus that you two are safe... maybe when you are ready to fly back over The Minch again?" she asked.
"Yes, of course," Lyall replied smiling at her.
Hope leaned in, held his cheeks and gave him a passionate kiss. Then she bent down and threw her arms around her boy giving him one last hug.
Remus joked, "Don't worry, Mummy. The Minch, will be a CINCH."
"Ha ha. Good one. I love you and can't wait to hear all about it," she told him and then playfully poked the tip of his nose once with her pointerg finger.
Remus gave her a big smile and said, "I love you, too, Mummy. Cheers."
"Cheers, safe flying, my brave little wizard," Hope said giving him one last kiss on his forehead.
"Cheers. Love you," Lyall said reaching out for her hand. She took it and he gave it a final squeeze. Then Hope stepped a few paces back with her arms folded and Lyall cast a concealment charm over them.
They kicked off and whizzed high up into the air. Remus squealed in delight as was his usual reaction upon departure and watched the ground get increasingly farther away. Hope was still waving even though she couldn't see them. He giggled at how her size looked like a tiny doll as they flew higher.
The coastal beach began to disappear and in no time, they were flying over nothing but ocean water. The water surface was relatively calm and a dark, deep blue color. There was bright, sparkling sunlight reflecting off the water in various angles from the pointed movement of the small waves.
Lyall was thankful their flying goggles also had sun protection because without them they would have nearly been blinded by the glare of the sunlight shimmering back at them.
"You alright, Remus!?" Lyall yelled checking on him after a while.
Remus gave him a quick thumbs up and nodded his head.
Later, Lyall noticed that Remus was holding up one hand and pointing at something down on the water. He could hear his boy trying to say something but the sound of the whipping air in his ear made it difficult to comprehend the what he was trying to say.
He folded his shoulders down, positioned his head next to Remus's ear, and said,
"SAY AGAIN??!"
Remus turned his mouth toward his father's head and shouted,
"WHAT ARE THOSE BLACK THINGS ON THE WATER?"
Lyall looked out from where Remus's little finger pointed. Then he saw what his son had spotted. He counted a group of 6-7 tall, sleek, triangular dark dorsal fins that bobbed up and down on the surface of the waves. He hollered,
"KILLER WHALES!"
Remus nodded quietly and put his hand back securely on the broom handle. Lyall pointed the broomstick lower and suddenly dived bombed toward the pod of orcas. He flew a leisurely loop around the pod so Remus could get a closer look at the majestic creatures.
They could hear the loud, popping sound of air blasting out of blowholes allowing the whales to breathe without lifting their blunt nosed heads out of the water. The details of their curved dorsal fins became more visible acting like a keel on a boat keeping their streamlined bodies from rolling side to side when swimming.
Lyall carefully pulled out his wand from inside his coat, pointed it at the water, and shouted,
"ACCIO SCHOOL OF FISH!"
Then a glowing-blue, watery bubble filled with fish floated up just above the surface of the waves. One of the whales immediately lunged hungrily at it.
As if the whale was thanking him for the sudden easy snack, it did a trick for them. The orca breached, propelling its massive body into the air and landed on its back showing off the contrast of it's shiny white underbelly. They both laughed as some of the water splashed upward towards them and droplets of mist covered both of their goggles.
As much as Lyall wished this was just a sight seeing broom stick ride, he told himself, Time is galleons, Lyall. Carry on. So they continued their flight over the deep blue waters of the Minch.
After a while, Remus noticed land was beginning to appear in the horizon in front of them. The water color was beginning to change from deep blue to lighter shades of aquamarine and magnificent bright turquoise. The land got closer and closer. A blinding white sand beach lay in front of stony reddish sweeping hilly moors.
Lyall observed some scattered Muggle farms so he flew further down the coastline until he found a more remote and isolated beach. He began to swoop lower for a landing. Remus felt his ears pop from the drop in elevation.
When they landed, Lyall skidded his feet across the soft sand, pushed up his goggles and proclaimed,
"We made it over the Minch, Remus! It's a good thing I know where I'm going otherwise I might of thought we took a wrong turn and ended up in somewhere in the Caribbean by the looks of all this white sand."
"Hooray! Brilliant flight, Daddy."
Lyall unbuckled all the straps on the leather safety harness to allow for him to get off. Remus had a pink face and hurriedly yanked off his hat and scarf. He peeled off the layers of cloth around his hand and wiped his sweaty brow.
His father took the extra clothing from him and tucked it into his rucksack. He smirked to himself thinking about how his wife had likely over bundled their boy again. Once he was released from all the buckles, Remus swung his leg over the broom and jumped around playfully in the gleaming sand.
Apart from the powdery white sand and sparkling turquoise waters, the stony landscape looked very similar to the Highlands. After stretching his legs a bit, Lyall rested on a tuft of grass. While Remus continued to play on the beach, he reviewed his last letter exchange with Hamish McFusty that gave him specific instructions on the clan location.
"Daddy, are we meeting your friend here?" Remus asked meandering up the sandy bank to where his father sat with wind ruffling his hair.
"No no. Not here. We have to fly further down the coast and then southwest up into the stony hills. The Hebridean Blacks are much easier to keep inconspicuous from Muggle eyes up there."
"Okay. Did mummy pack us anything other than the tablets to nibble on? I'm so hungry I could eat a hippogriff," Remus said starting to dig around in Lyall's rucksack plopped next to him on the sand.
"Yes indeed. She kindly packed us two meat pies in a cylindrical metal tin in there."
"Mmmm. I love her."
"Mm-hmmm. Me too."
Father and son sat on the tufts of windy sea grass taking in the beautiful scenery, the swirling azure blue sea, enjoying their meat pies together and talking about anything and everything.
Lyall said, "Oh oh Remus, I must tell you... I finally remembered something when we flew over. It just occurred to me again when I stuck my arse in the sand. Surely you remember the healer at St.Mungos, Mr. Smethwyck, do you not?"
Remus was busy chewing and had a meat pie in one hand and drew in the sand with his other hand. He swallowed and replied,
"Yes, of course I do, Daddy. He's impossible to forget."
"Agreed. Well, I knew I had heard the name Smethwyck before but could not put my wand on it where at the time. If it weren't for his grandfather or great grandfather, Mister Elliot Smethwyck, our back sides would be rather sore right now. Elliot Smethwyck invented the Cushioning Charm, in oh... 1810, no, perhaps it was 1820? Yes. It forever made broomstick travel more comfortable. No more splinters in the bum."
"Genius," Remus commented with a chuckle and then took a swig of water from his fathers small canteen.
"Absolutely genius. Oh Remus... did I ever tell you the story of that near catastrophe when a huge lot of Muggles saw dragon on a beach?"
"No! Tell me, please," he replied with his mouth gaping open in surprise.
"I was but a wee little lad when it occurred so your grandparents told me about it. It happened across the Bristol Channel on Ilfracombe beach in 1932. A huge lot of Muggles were sunbathing on the sand and suddenly a rogue Welsh Green dragon swooped down on them... right in plain sight!"
"Merlin's beard!" Remus gasped.
Lyall shuddered. Then shaking his head he continued,
"Quite right. It would of been a quite gruesome and disastrous sight to behold. However, thank Merlin for the merciful and brave actions of a holidaying wizarding family that immediately performed the biggest batch of Memory Charms done this century on the inhabitants of Ilfracombe and helped thwart the attack. It was... a most usual occurrence as the Common Welsh green prefers to actively avoid humans and are known to be the least troublesome of the dragon breeds. I saw them a number of times growing up in Wales, you see. They like blending into grass and occasionally eating sheep. But they mostly stay higher up in the mountains where's there's an established reservation to preserve them, somewhat like where we are going today."
Remus was fiddling with the buckles on the safety harness fixed to Lyall's broom while he listened. Then he said in response,
"Blimey, that was a close one. It sure was a good thing that wizarding family did what they did."
"Yes, the Toke wizarding family... got themselves awarded Orders of Merlin, First Class. Well deserved, I say."
Lyall packed up his rucksack. Remus saw that it was time to get flying again so he held his hand over his fathers broom and firmly commanded, "Up!" The broom stick quickly swooped up horizontally into the curled grasp of his small hand.
His father nodded approvingly and then said holding out an unfolded piece of parchment, "Listen, I must show you something, Remus."
Remus looked down at the parchment where Lyall pointed to a drawing on it. He explained further,
"When we begin to fly higher up into the stony hills, I'll need your second set of eyes to help me be on the lookout for this circle of standing stones, alright?"
"Yes, Daddy. I'll look for it," Remus said studying the drawn picture.
"Do you need to go 'water the grass' before I buckle you in?"
"Uuuumm... yes, I'll go do that now," Remus said passing off the broomstick handle to his father and running further up the hillside onto the moor.
A little while later, Remus returned and announced,
"Daddy a big ferret popped out of a hole in the ground while I was pissing and said something odd to me. I didn't know they could talk."
"Oh really? What did it say?"
"I didn't understand it. It said the same strange phrase several times in a row at me... something like:
Gòrach pìos de cac."
Lyall put his hand over his mouth and snickered to himself. Remus frowned in confusion and asked intently,
"What? What did it say?"
"That was no ferret, Remus, though they look very similar. It must of been a magical creature insulting you called a Jarvey. They are often very rude. The phrase was in Gaelic."
"Insulting me? What? Tell me," he impatiently asked again.
Lyall explained,
"'Gòrach pìos de cac' means stupid piece of shit."
Remus made a shocked, sharp intake of breath. Then he put his hands on his hips and turned to look fiercely back at the ground in the direction of the vulgar beast.
Remus squinted his eyes and scrunched up his mouth on one side of his face. He wrinkled his brow in displeasure, shook a fist in the air and then called out, "Why you cheeky, furry, bugger..."
Lyall tussled the hair on the top of his head and said,
"Now now. Leave it be, my dear boy, Jarvies are foul mouthed with everyone...and I don't believe they fully know what they're saying anyway. You know, it's rumored that the famous Magizoologist, Newt Scamander, had a Jarvey illegally as a pet while attending Hogwarts.
Oh bother. I do wish I would of had time to have taken you on a broom stick ride near Hogwarts after we visited Hogsmeade. The castle was so close by, we almost saw it if it were not for the overcast weather and then people got so... unwelcoming."
Remus looked down from his father and thoughtfully started tracing scars on one of his arms with his finger. He let out a heavy sigh and asked worriedly,
"Daddy, is my secret getting out at Hogsmeade going to get you and mummy in trouble?"
Lyall was adjusting the the straps on his flying goggles around his head that were momentarily pushed above his eyes on his forehead.
When he heard his son's question, it startled him a bit and he stopped fiddling with the goggles. He was feeling in a rush to get going but something told him this was important to take time to pause for in providing his son reassurance.
He squatted down closer to Remus and looked directly into his little eyes that were beginning to get misty with anxious tears.
"Oh Remus, no. No-no, not to worry. We'll be alright. Did I not tell you how I bumped into one of my old Hogwarts professors on my way out of the Three Broomsticks with our take away food?" Lyall said and gently brushed a few tears away from his cheeks that had started dripping down from his son's glassy eyes.
Remus shook his head, sniffed and whispered, "No."
Lyall turned and eased his hovering broomstick gently back down the the sand. He sat down and motioned for his boy to come sit in his lap.
Remus plopped down right away, snuggled into his chest and fiddled with one of the straps of Lyall's rucksack over his shoulder.
His father gave him a quick hug and then patiently explained,
"I remember I told Hope about it afterwards when we were driving away on our last stretch to the cottage. Ah, you must of been asleep and didn't hear any of it, Remus. You were zonked out during our chitter chatter about the events of the day. That makes sense now.
Yes. It was Professor Galatea Merrythought. She's a very old witch and was a superb teacher of Defense Against the Dark Arts, my favorite subject at Hogwarts. She taught many long years and finally retired from teaching in 1945, when I was in my sixth year at Hogwarts.
Anyway, there she was at the Three Broomsticks as I began to walk out... gillywater in one hand and rather intentionally bumping into me. She remembered me, thanked me for my work on non-being magical spirits and told me she thought all the whispering going on that day was a bunch of malarkey.
She then assured me not to worry, she would cast memory charms on the whole lot of them in the entire Hogsmeade village. She promised me she'd obliviate the memory of our secret right down to that miserable woman, Mrs.Flume, in Honeydukes. Brilliant witch, Professor MerryThought. Much obliged.
So, there there, Remus. Not to worry, my boy. We'll be just fine.
Are you ready to get buckled up? "
Remus nodded and his face looked incredibly relieved. He hopped up excitedly from his fathers lap.
Soon they were off flying once again down the stunningly beautiful eastern coastline of the Outer Hebrides.
As they flew further south, the scenery changed to bigger, more dramatic sweeping, rocky hills and Lyall gradually began to fly more inland. The mountains became stony and rugged and there were occasional serene looking deep blue lochs dotted here and there. Both of them carefully scanned the landscape to watch for distinct circular patterns of stones.
"THERE!" Remus suddenly shouted and pointed.
Lyall leaned down and replied, "YES. I SEE IT, TOO." He swooped downward.
They landed near the stone circle and Lyall quickly unbuckled Remus. Then he pulled out the parchment again to compare the drawing to what they were seeing now in real life. The drawing matched and Lyall declared, "Yes. This is it."
Once unbuckled, Remus had hopped off and immediately began touching and exploring the massive, erect, chunks of stone. Lyall walked around and checked all the stones. He then stopped at one that had two distinct tooth like points on the top.
"Alright, it's this one, Remus. This stone should be the portal. Come here."
Remus obediently ran to his father. Lyall continued, "You must hold tightly around my leg, I will hold my broomstick in one hand, touch the stone with my other hand, and then speak the password phrases in Gaelic. Then the portal will disapparate us to our destination. Alright, ready?"
"Okay, Daddy. Yes. I'm ready," Remus said and hugged his father's leg with both arms tight.
Lyall placed a palm firmly on the surface of the double pointed standing stone. He spoke clearly and carefully into the double pointed rock:
"Faic dè tha air thoiseach,
corcair shùilean,
Na h-Eileanan dubh,
tha fortan fàbharach don treun,
thugad!"
(Gaelic to English translation:
"See what lies ahead,
purple eyes,
Hebrides black,
fortune favors the brave,
watch out!")
As soon as Lyall spoke the last word, they both immediately disapperated from the circle of stones and suddenly were transported to the secretive location of the McFusty clan settlement.
They arrived to a hub of bustling activity sprawled out before their eyes in another mountainous area. Remus was still clinging to his fathers pant leg. They both stood awkwardly taking in all the new sights and catching their breaths.
In one area they saw large group of older children buzzing around in the air on broom sticks; and each of them had cauldrons strapped to their heads.
Half of them were wearing greenish teal tweed jumpers and the other half was deep orange jumpers.
Younger children were sitting on opposite hillsides cheering for them.
"Oh for Merlin's sake...they are still playing that nutters game here too after all this time," Lyall muttered quietly and shook his head.
"Playing what game?" Remus asked in a whisper.
Lyall tried to discreetly explain,
"Creaothceann. It's Gaelic for Wounded head. Perhaps one of the most dangerous ancient broom games ever invented. I had heard a clansman named Magnus 'Dent Head' Macdonald was recently campaigning for its reintroduction, but the Ministry refused to lift the ban from centuries ago in 1762. Just listen for the horn or drums and you'll quickly see why."
Remus watched curiously and suddenly a rhythmic thumping on drums grew loud and subsequent cheers from the kids watching on the hillside. Countless stones and boulders magically raised up into the air hovering perilously about a hundred feet above the ground over the players.
It suddenly dawned on Remus what the cauldrons were for that each player had strapped to their heads. His facial expression grimaced in pain and the audiences quieted their cheers in concentration. Then all at once the rocks fell and the players zoomed around trying to catch them in what looked like 'cauldron hats'.
Remus turned away and looked up at Lyall, "That's dreadful, Daddy. I don't think I can bear to watch."
"Ooof. I don't blame you a bit. Disturbing, it is. Let's move along then, this way," Lyall reassured him and took his small hand guiding him away.
There had so many times that Remus felt the burning heartache of not being allowed to play with other children in the numerous places his family had lived. He understood why but the sting of loneliness had plagued him for years. But oddly for the first time, he had no desire to engage with these children.
Lyall rested his broomstick up over one shoulder holding it there lightly and the other hand held Remus's hand as they walked along together. The MacFusty clan was like its own tiny wizarding village as they headed to a cluster of primitive stone walled cottages with people buzzing around; some on broomsticks and some just walking about.
Remus observed a different building that was a small, stony round tower with multiple windows that appeared to be an owl structure as an occasionally bird flapped in & out. He also noticed a trend that each cottage had a rack of Scottish red deer antlers hanging above their front door. Some had small herds of sheep behind their cottage and some had farmed red deer.
Unfamiliar sounds filled Remus's ears from the chatter of voices speaking in Gaelic. He felt thankful his father knew the language from his family upbringing in Wales. Lyall struck up a conversation with a random wizard walking by asking questions to help him find Hamish McFusty. He got some helpful clues and they headed for a specific stone cottage up a hillside.
Lyall approached the cottage and introduced himself to a woman working outside spinning wool on a loom.
"shin thu!" (Hello there) Lyall said.
The woman looked up and smiled warmly at them.
"Shin thu," she replied. Her hazel eyes twinkled and she held up a pointer finger at them indicating the need for them to wait a moment.
She pulled out a dark wood wand that was tucked into a leather strap hanging from her belt and flicked it at the loom so it continued in motion spinning without her direct physical assistance.
She was wearing a lovely pastel purple, fuzzy, Chanel, nobby tweed, jacket, matching skirt and plaid knee high socks. On her feet were soft orange and cream colored laced saddle shoes. Her skin was fair with freckles and her thick bright red hair was braided up into a large up-do on top of her head.
As she approached them, Remus shyly hid behind his fathers pant leg and ran his fingers repetitively over a limpet shell he had pocketed at the beach. Lyall bent slightly in a little respectful bow and said to her,
"Feasgar math,
is mise Lyall, mac do John Lupin... agus mo mhac, Remus.
Is air tòir sìthe Hamish MacFusty."
(Good afternoon,
I am Lyall, son of John Lupin... and my son, Remus.
I'm looking for Hamish MacFusty.)
The woman smiled again and nodded her head in recognition like she remembered being informed about their visit prior to their arrival. She said,
"Feasgar math, Lyall, mac do John Lupin.
Feasgar math, Remus, mac do Lyall Lupin.
Is mise Louisa MacFusty, an aon-ghin nighein do Ailpein, pòsta aig Hamish.
Fàilte! Nì mi cupa tì!"
(Good afternoon, Lyall, son of John Lupin.
Good afternoon, Remus, son of Lyall Lupin.
I am Louisa MacFusty, the only begotten daughter of Ailpein, married to Hamish.
Welcome! I'll make a cup of tea!)
Louisa left them in the yard and soon popped back out of the doorway of the cottage carrying a tray of tea cups, tea pot, and biscuit tin. Then she set the tray down on a small table in her front yard. She and Lyall sat and engaged in polite Gaelic chatter.
Remus befriended a friendly grey cat that wandered up to him in the grass. He gently pet the cat and nibbled on a piece of buttery triangular shortbread Louisa kindly offered him from the biscuit tin.
After a short while, Lyall code switched from Gaelic back to English for Remus and called out to him, "Remus! Louisa is going to walk us up the mountain to meet her husband, Hamish, where he's working near the dragons."
At the word dragons Remus's head popped up from where he was stroking the fluffy, smokey grey feline and he excitedly replied, "Okay, I'm ready, Daddy!"
Louisa offered to Lyall a safe space where he could leave his broomstick inside her doorway and his instincts told him she was trustworthy to do so.
Although he would have preferred to have flown up the large hillside rather than walk, he respected the village safety rule she explained that broomstick traffic was not allowed up near the dragon reserve area at the top.
She guided them up a grassy, stony hillside above the cluster of McFusty clan cottages. A blustery breeze gradually became stronger as they hiked upward. There was a well-worn path in a zigzag pattern back and forth up the slope. In some areas of the path, flat topped stones had been shoved into the hillside like steps. Occasionally, others would pass them on the trail and they would exchange a casual, pleasant Gaelic greetings of either "halò" or "shin thu!"
Lyall noticed the air was getting thinner as they got higher up and he started to feel a bit winded. However, Lousia was light footed like a goat and quickly yomped up the hill with ease with it being her home turf.
A brief thought crossed Lyall's mind remembering his son's limp he acquired after he was bitten. He felt a wave of guilt wondering if the hike pained Remus.
However, a warmth of pride swelled inside his chest when he looked back to check on his son trailing behind him. Though the limp was still present in his gait, Remus was marching steadily along with confident strides and no complaints.
When they got to the summit, a breath-taking sight came into full view of the colony of Hebridean Black Dragons on the other side.
"Merlin!" Lyall cried out in amazement. Remus was simply speechless at the breath taking view of the magnificent, magical creatures.
Louisa gave them a few minutes to gawk at the incredible Hebridean Black dragons then she began giving explanations to Lyall. She rapidly pointed her finger at various objects.
Remus's eyes were wide in wonderment. He was a bit overwhelmed taking it all in and held onto the side of his father's trousers to steady himself.
The topography of the landscape swept downward with bright swaths of green peat-filled hollows of the moor dotted with scattered rock-knolls. A large, dark blue loch at the bottom shimmered back at them.
The massive, huge Hebridean Blacks were sleeping in numerous groups and some were swooping with impressive giant bat-like wings flapping smoothly and gliding through the skies of the valley.
Lyall patiently translated Louisa's explanations to Remus. There was a gigantic, Protego totalum protective enchantment to shield the dragon area casted on a regular basis for the safety of the village inhabitants. It also made it impossible for the dragons to see them on the other side much like a one way mirror.
"Daddy, look, they have glowing purple eyes!" Remus noted and one swooped closer to the enchanted invisible barrier. Lyall responded, "Yes, Remus. Good observation. It's quite an extraordinary feature."
Clan members also kept herds of farmed red deer outside the giant shield for gradual release into the dragon's area that discouraged them from attacking people for their next meal. She also explained that a single standing archway constructed with huge boulders was a charmed entrance and exit to the dragon area.
There were numerous, rectangular stone buildings in a line outside the shield that were related to the business of dragon keeping. Lousia pointed out one particular structure with multiple chimneys billowing colorful smoke. She informed them this was where her husband Hamish worked brewing various potions so they headed that direction.
As they approached the potion brew house, Remus's nose tickled and he sneezed a couple of times at the potent smells wafting towards them. Hamish saw them coming and immediately greeted them warmly in the doorway. It was easy to deduce that this was the Lyall he had been in correspondence with by him obviously being a father with his young son approaching him guided by his wife.
Hamish was a stout man with balding reddish brown hair and fierce dark blue eyes. He was wearing a large black apron tied around him and matching gloves that went up nearly to his elbows. He wore a necklace that was threaded with dragon teeth all the way around his neck.
He took off one of his long gloves when they shook hands during their initial greetings with each other. Remus suddenly realized when he was in closer proximity to Hamish shaking hands with him that the apron and gloves were made of dragon hide by the more visible fine details of a scaled pattern in the leather.
Inside the building it was a large, open workshop with four different cauldrons actively brewing potions, a large work counter against one wall and pile of fire wood and empty cauldrons.
Remus was mesmerized looking around at the endless shelves of glass containers and corked bottles with numerous potion ingredients. Louisa made a quick, friendly exchange with Hamish and gave him a peck of a kiss on his cheek before she left.
Lyall told her (thank you very much), "Gun robh math agaibh, Louisa."
Remus shyly waved at her as she made her way back out the door and she waved back at him with a sweet smile. Hamish and Lyall had a jovial conversation over a couple poured glasses of fire whiskey. But both men only had one glass since Hamish knew he would need mental clarity to make the special potion and Lyall would need the mental clarity for their flight back over the Minch. Remus noticed his father pass off the hefty bag of gold galleons to him from his rucksack.
Hamish noticed Remus gazing curiously at his dragon tooth necklace and got a twinkle in his eye. He fetched a special big jar with pointy dragon teeth, spread them out on his work counter, and allowed Remus to sit on a stool to examine them closer. It provided some entertainment for him to pass the time as the potion master started the special brew for Remus in a new cauldron.
"You pick one... to keep," Hamish said in his limited English to Remus.
"Really?" Remus replied with raised eyebrows.
The man nodded and Remus chose a dragon tooth. Hamish got a tiny drill bit and carefully pierced a hole in the top of the tooth. He then threaded a piece of black leather cord through it.
Hamish pulled out a wand and pointed it at the tooth. A tiny wisp of smoke and one spark flashed on the surface of the tooth. He showed Lyall and Remus the tooth and they saw there was now a small burned shape of a dragon imprinted on it.
He tied the necklace loosely around Remus's neck, smiled at him and said, "Good luck necklace for you."
Remus gave him a huge grin and said, "Thank you very much, Mr. McFusty."
"Call me Hamish. No 'Mr. McFusty'. I am Hamish, son of Aodh."
"Thank you, Hamish," Remus said again correcting himself and then Hamish nodded contently.
Remus delightedly looked at his new treasure around his neck and thought excitedly about how he couldn't wait to show his mother when they got back. Hamish continued scurrying about his shop working methodically on the potion.
Then the time came for Remus to take the potion. Unbeknownst to Hamish, prior to their trip Lyall had extensively researched and studied potion making that invoked dragon ingredients.
He had taken extra care to memorize the poisonous ones so that he could secretly watch and make sure Hamish was not going to give one that was harmful to his precious son.
None of what Hamish did in his potion making raised any troubling concerns for Lyall. However, Lyall still felt his heart rate accelerate and he willed himself to not show any nervousness in his facial expression to Remus. Perhaps it was just sheer nervous excitement over the possibility that his son's affliction could finally be cured and the idea of his perpetual burden of guilt being lifted.
The potion was carefully ladled from the cauldron into a large metal goblet. The liquid was dark swirling grey and purplish streamy smoke arose from it. Hamish got extra glasses of plain drinking water ready to help wash it down that was piped into the shop from a ginormous rain collection barrel outside.
Lyall translated some instructions to Remus,
"Remus, it's going to taste bad... very bad. It'll taste worse than anything you've ever tasted. You must be brave and swallow it as quickly as you can. Use the water in these glasses to wash it down as much as you need. I have chocolate in my pocket for when you are all done. Hamish said the chocolate won't negatively affect the potion in your tummy. Be brave, son."
Remus listened carefully to every word his father was saying to him. He found that his mouth twitched sideways into a smirk when his father told him to be brave son.
It had been several years since Remus has been bitten and turned into a werewolf. His parents had visited potion masters and healers far and wide to try and cure him. He didn't feel like it took much courage or being brave to try new foul tasting potion concoctions. To him, it felt like hardly anything compared to facing the full moon each month which took the greatest amount of courage or being brave. Every transformation was utterly and completely terrifying to him.
"Okay, Daddy. Okay Hamish," Remus told them cooperatively.
They stood watching him intently by the smoking goblet. Remus gulped it down. He got about halfway down and coughed.
Purple smoke drifted out of his nostrils. A poof of violet colored smoke forcefully blew out of his mouth when he coughed. Remus felt the potion hit his stomach heavily like he had swallowed a sack of stones. He held his belly with one hand for a moment and let out an involuntary moan.
Lyall had a pained expression watching his son drink the torturously vile tasting liquid and gently rubbed Remus on the back.
"Halfway there, Remus. Then it's over, son," Lyall said. Lyall silently thought to himself, then hopefully the lycanthropy is over.
Remus then emptied the rest of the contents of goblet, his body twitched and he coughed sharply again. His face grimaced and he grew pale with some shades of green.
Then Remus panted some heavy breaths and said,
"Uuuhgh... worst taste ever!? You weren't kidding, Daddy."
"You done good, lad!" Hamish cheered.
"It's over, son. Good job, Remus," Lyall stated with relief washing over his face.
Hamish pushed a glass of water towards him. Remus gladly took the glass to rinse the revolting taste out of his mouth. Lyall quickly unwrapped the foil on a piece of chocolate from his pocket and handed it to him.
"Can I please go outside to watch the dragons some more before we leave?" Remus asked.
"Yes, of course, son."
Remus staggered unsteadily towards the front doorway. Lyall quickly walked to him and swooped him up him his arms. Remus looked up at his father and gave him a sickly smile despite his intense nausea.
"I'm proud of you, Remus. You are the bravest boy that ever lived, you know that?" Lyall said.
Remus grinned and groggily replied, "Yeah, well this brave boy still wants to go outside and -"
Lyall finished his sentence, "See the dragons! Yes, yes, I know. I'm just helping you to get there. That's where I'm headed."
His father carried him outside and there was a sitting bench to the left of the doorway of the potion brewing building. He slowly set his son down on it and they both sat quietly for a few minutes staring out at the magnificent Hebridean blacks swooping in front of them in the distance.
Remus fingered the new dragon tooth necklace hanging on him. He pointed and remarked,
"Look Daddy, their tails are arrow shaped! Look at that one... I think it has a red deer in its mouth."
Lyall nodded and said,
"Yes, I see it, Remus. I'm glad the clan has a good spot for them to live safely and thrive here."
Remus continued to nibble lightly on the piece of chocolate his father had given him. Lyall told him,
"You okay by yourself out here for a bit, Remus? I'd like to pop back into the building and wrap it up with Hamish. Then we can be on our way back home."
"Yes, Daddy. I'm fine, thanks. You go."
Lyall looked at him reluctantly observing his pale face. Remus smiled, waved him along and said,
"I'm fine. Go Daddy."
Soon Remus heard the men conversing in Gaelic again through the doorway and he distracted himself from the painful churning in his stomach by gazing out at the amazing dragons swooping through the huge valley.
Lyall thanked Hamish for the potion inside and they shook hands. Hamish generously gave Lyall free of charge some dragon potion ingredients for him to take and use at his disposal. Lyall was delighted and very grateful to obtain such authentic potion in fresh from the source.
He also insisted on sending him off with two free corked bottles free of a Vitamix potion for energy and Wide-Eye potion to prevent falling asleep on their flight back over the Minch.
Though there was a community rule of no broomstick riding in the air around the dragons, when Hamish saw Remus' sickly face he made a small exception for them. Lyall had already switched his rucksack to the front of his body and was preparing to carry Remus piggyback down the mountain.
He got a broomstick from inside his building and walked them to the start of the trail down the hill. He told them Remus could be allowed to ride on the broomstick down the mountain side and Lyall would have to walk parallel to it floating it along all the way back to their cottage.
Lyall graciously accepted the kind gesture. Hamish bid them farewell and good luck,
"Fàg soiridh slàn, Lyall, mac do John Lupin, agus Remus, mac do Lyall Lupin!"
Lyall returned the farewell and said, "Fàg soiridh slàn, Hamish, mac do Adoh McFusty. Thanks again."
Lyall assured Hamish he would switch out the broomstick with his own broomstick Louisa was holding for him at their cottage. Hamish joked she may not want to do the trade.
They got back to Louisa and Hamish's cottage and found Louisa with a neutral face expression wrapping strips of cloth around the head of a older boy who had streaks of crimson blood dripping down the side of his head. Lyall worked hard to not show any negative judgement on his expression though inwardly he greatly disapproved of the gruesome broomstick game of Creaothceann.
"Shin thu, Louisa, an aon-ghin nighein do Ailpein," Lyall greeted her politely.
"Shin thu, Lyall, mac do John Lupin.
Shin thu, Remus, mac do Lyall Lupin," she returned greeting them.
Then she pointed to the boy sitting with the bandages on his head and a grumpy expression. She introduced her son waving a hand at him and saying,
"Mo mhac, Cathair, mac do Hamish."
Lyall replied respectfully, "Shin thu, Carhair, mac do Hamish."
Carhair simply waved at them apparently not in the mood for introductions. Lyall told her about Hamish's provision of the broomstick with Remus feeling queasy after the potion.
She understood and then offered them tea again but Lyall politely declined explaining that they must be on their way back home.
Remus had hopped off the borrowed broomstick from Hamish and he suddenly tugged at the side of his fathers trousers.
He whispered, "Don't forget to give her the tablets from mummy."
Lyall's eyes widened and he blurted out, "Blimey! I would have forgotten, Remus. Thank you kindly for the reminder."
Lyall dug them out of his rucksack and gave them to her when they made the broomstick exchange. Louisa was delighted and told them excitedly she had not had them in years. She shared one immediately with Carhair and she said,
"Blais!" (Taste!)
After he ate a few bites it seemed to brighten his mood and predicament with his head injury.
"Mmmm. Ana-bhlasta,"(Delicious) Carhair remarked.
Lyall smiled and nodded at him pleased to help him feel slightly better. Remus noticed a cauldron sitting on the ground of the front yard with a few dents and he shuddered. Louisa insisted on them taking a few pumpkin pasties with them for their journey home.
They parted ways and returned to the standing stone portal from where they entered. Both of them were relieved that momentarily the Creaothceann game was no longer being played.
The portal took them back to the same ring of standing stones but this time the sun was setting in the sky. Lyall was worried about Remus feeling nauseous on the flight home.
Almost as if he was reading his anxious thoughts, Remus took his hand and said softly to his father,
"I'm good, Daddy. I'm okay. I'm ready to fly back over the water to Mummy."
Lyall sighed and told him, "Alright, Remus. Alright. Let's get you buckled in then, shall we?"
He hopped up willingly and Lyall was glad to see some better color returning to the boy's face.
Lyall took out his wand whispered a message to it. "Expecto Patronum," he said and a smokey fox shape emerged from his wand tip. It slid out and gracefully leapt out into the air dashing away into the distance.
Hope was stirring a pot of potato leek soup in the kitchen of the beach cottage when the Patronus charm floated in to her. It was an old favorite recipe that had been passed onto her from Lyall's family in Wales. Come to think of it, Lyall was happy with anything she made with leeks.
She had had a pleasant day napping in the quiet with them gone, getting lost in a book, cooking soup and baking a Scottish cookie called melting moments. Melting moments turned out to be buttery rolled cookie dough coated in oatmeal, garnished with glacé cherries and then baked until slightly golden brown. She had a feeling Remus would love them.
The fox shaped corporeal Patronus came running magically through the dinning nook window right towards Hope. At first she was startled at the sudden glowing canine and put her hand over her heart.
But then a huge surge of relief filled her chest as she remembered asking Lyall to send it to her before the headed back home over the Minch.
Lyall's voice spoke to her and the Fox shape trotted in circles around her in the air,
"Hello sweetheart, Remus and I are fine. We made it over and he got the potion. We are flying back over now. See you soon, love."
Hope heaved a big sigh and watched in amazement as the fox faded away into the air after the message was done. She walked to the windows of the dining nook and she silently picked up Remus's teddy bear he had left on the table early that morning. Then her eyes fixed expectedly on the horizon of the ocean water.
Lyall and Remus flew back up the coastline of the Outer Hebrides enjoying once again seeing the brilliant turquoise waters and beautuful white sandy beaches. They made a quick stop returning to what they jokingly nicknamed 'Jarvey Beach' where they had first arrived earlier in the day.
"This time I'm aiming for it," Remus told Lyall mischievously as he ran up the bank to the moor to urinate before they flew back over the deep blue waters of the Minch.
Lyall laughed and scarfed down half of a pumpkin pasty that Louisa had sent with them. When he offered some to Remus, he took one bite but then told him his tummy was still hurting and he couldn't manage anymore. He was more interested in taking some long gulps of water from Lyall's canteen. Lyall ate one of the tablets that Hope had passed off to them in the morning for an extra sugary boost.
He and Remus drank the Vitamix and Wide-Eye potions so they could both stay energetic and alert on the last stretch of the journey back home. Thankfully, the potion upon potion combinations didn't cause any additional ill effects on Remus's stomach.
Lyall pulled out articles of clothing that Remus had shed earlier and bundled him up again for the flight home. He saw some cloud cover in the distance over the water that gave him the impression that the air would be cooler at higher flying altitude.
Sure enough as they were flying back over the Minch, they encountered a small rain storm and he was thankful his son had the added layers of warmth. When Lyall leaned over his broom stick and shouted,
"YOU OKAY REMUS?!"
Remus made an exaggerated nod and held up one hand to show his father a thumbs up indicating the rain wasn't bothering him at all. Good little flying trooper.
Lyall felt like he flew faster this time over the Minch but yet it simultaneously felt as if it was taking longer. He kept expecting to see the land pop up in the horizon and it didn't come as quick as he hoped. Finally, the highlands appeared and Remus cheered with a loud,
"HIP HIP HOOooooooraaaaay!"
Lyall circled the beach cottage and made a nice landing not far from the front. Remus was all full of wiggly excitement and started unbuckling himself though he knew his father preferred to be the one to do it. Lyall was too exhausted to put up any fuss about it. Remus got off, scampered to the cottage and yelled,
"Mummy! Mummy! We're back!"
Hope burst out of the cottage, opened the front gate and closed it being careful to not let the sheep out. Then she jogged towards Remus laughing in joy to see him. The sun had long set and the sky was dusky and overcast.
She bent down and embraced Remus in a huge hug. Then she picked him up and swing him around in circles.
"You made it. You made it, my sweet boy!"
"Yes, Mummy! We did. Over the Minch and back again. I have so much to tell you."
"I don't doubt that you do, sweetie, and I'm excited to hear all about it!"
Lyall walked up to them wearily floating his broomstick on one side of him, flying goggles pushed up onto his forehead and breathing some sighs of relief to see his lovely wife again.
"Hello, love."
"Welcome back, Lyall. Thank you for remembering to send me the Patronus."
He nodded and leaned in for a kiss. She kissed him back and led them both back to the cottage. They were met with the warmth of a cozy fire inside and soon Hope was ladling out bowls full of delicious hot potato leek soup at the table while Remus bounced around sharing nonstop about their grand adventure.