Beyond the Veil

'Today is the day, Lily!' said Éowyn happily as she opened the curtains with a yank. A beautiful autumn sun illuminated Lily's room and stung her eyes as she opened them. 'The Feast of Helga is about to start. Come on! Up you go! We've got loads to do and things to see today!'

Éowyn's enthusiasm was infectious. With a jolt, Lily jumped out of bed and swiftly got dressed. Together, they rushed their way to the dining hall where people were already busying themselves with breakfast. The scent of sizzling eggs and bacon filled her nostrils and her stomach started to growl. 'I'm ready for whatever this day will keep bringing me,' she said as she started digging into a plate.

'First things first,' said Éowyn. 'Gísli asked me if you want to come and visit her. She's harvesting some plants and the first mushrooms of the season. Now the mushrooms,' she said with a mischievous look in her eye, 'we will need those for tonight.'

'Anything special about these mushrooms I should know about?' asked Lily, who caught on to Éowyn's particular excitement.

Éowyn giggled. 'That is for you to find out when the time comes,' she said while grabbing a goblet, and filled it with an orange coloured liquid. 'First pumpkin juice of the season. So cheers, as you say!'

'I didn't know how much I missed the flavour of pumpkin juice until you poured it for me,' said Lily after clinking their goblets and taking a sip. 'It's like a little taste of home.' The taste brought her back to the Hallowe'en banquets of Hogwarts, and how she and Severus would always clink their goblets to what was bound to become a very eventful night. Cheers to you, Sev, she whispered to him in her mind. Wherever you may be.

'Now, go on,' said Éowyn. 'Better not keep Gísli waiting!'

'I don't think I've ever seen you this exited before,' said Lily as she got up from the table. 'I don't know if it's this day or the mushrooms in particular, but I like it, so keep it up!'

'My spirit is lifted,' said Éowyn, 'and so should yours. I will meet you there later.'

With a smile on her face, Lily left the Meduseld and made her way down Edoras to Gísli's home. There, she found Gísli waving at her with a bundle of twigs in her hand, which Lily recognised instantly, and started to laugh. 'Witch-hazel,' she said. 'I wasn't aware that it grew around these parts.'

'Is that what you call it?' said Gísli as she handed the twigs to Lily. 'Then it was truly meant for you.'

'Thank you,' said Lily as she admired the yellow spider-like flowers. 'Where I'm from, it's used for some ointments, but it's really the twigs themselves that make it special. We use them as divining rods. Is that what you do with them here, as well?'

'I'm not quite sure what you mean by that, dear,' said Gísli. 'We mainly use it against inflammation of the skin.'

'It's a practice called Dowsing,' Lily explained. 'If you hold up a twig in each hand, it will guide you to where water can be found in the earth. It was mainly used to tap wells, but we have other ways now to do so – so the practice of it is fading. You should give it a try,' she said as she handed two twigs back to Gísli. 'It can never hurt to find another water source to help the people of Edoras.'

'I appreciate your story and your offer,' said Gísli as she handed the twigs back again, 'but these are meant for you, for tonight. It will help you on your journey to find what you are looking for. Keep these safely tucked into your pouch, and for now, we shall go to the fields and find the mushrooms that will accompany this.' The same glimmer of joy in Gísli's eyes appeared that Lily had seen in Éowyn's. 'Please, take one of the willow baskets with you. We shall be filling it to the brim.

'Alright,' said Lily as she took a basket. 'I do love a good mystery. Please, lead the way!'

Lily followed Gísli into the fields. All sorts of mushrooms had been sprouting left and right, ready to devour the decaying leftovers from the harvest. She recognised quite a few of them from her Herbology lessons, and knew most of them to be poisonous, or simply too bitter tasting to eat. 'Anything we're looking for in particular?' she asked.

'Broaden your mind,' said Gísli. 'The circle is not out there. You are already standing in it.'

It took a moment before Lily understood what Gísli was talking about. In the distance, she could see a cluster of mushrooms clumped together, and the further she looked, the more she noticed the same type of mushrooms curving along into a large bend. As she turned around, she realised that she was standing in the largest fairy ring she had ever seen. 'This is incredible,' she said. 'A fairy ring of this size!'

'It grows back every year without fail,' said Gísli with pride. 'Do you recognise what kind these are, Lily?'

Lily went down on her knees to take a closer look, and couldn't help but laugh. 'Liberty Caps,' she said. 'I've seen these before. A very bitter tasting mushroom with mind-altering abilities.'

'We call them Helga's Hats,' said Gísli as she went down on her knees beside Lily. 'Legend has told that it was her who found them first, back when the circle was still very small. She brought them back to Edoras as a present for the King. It was the day that marked the beginning of Helga's lavish feasts. After she left to never return, the day had become a celebration of her memory. This very day, to be precise.'

'It is a beautiful day to celebrate,' said Lily as she started picking the mushrooms. 'But this day means something else to me, where I am from.'

'Tell me all about it,' said Gísli. 'We have time.'

'I met my friend, Severus, on this day,' Lily started to explain, 'at the age of nine. It is considered a holiday, where I am from. We call it Hallowe'en, but it's also known as Samhain, All Hallows' Eve or All Souls Night. It all stems from different places that came together and formed and combined their own traditions. It is believed that the veil that separates the world from the living and the dead is thinnest on this day. If we listen carefully, and with our heart, we can hear the voices of the loved ones that have passed once more.'

'And have you?' asked Gísli, 'heard the voices of your loved ones?'

Lily shook her head. 'It all gained a different meaning to me when I met Severus. We've felt as though there was ancient magic at play for us. Ever since we met, beautiful, exciting and adventurous things have happened for us. The year after we met, he came to my parents home, and my parents gave him a key to the house and told him that he is a part of our family from that day forward. Protected and loved whenever he needed it. I think I cried more tears that day than he did.'

'Has life not been kind to him?' asked Gísli.

'In ways it has,' said Lily, 'and in many ways it has not. Things are always more complicated than what we can see on the surface, and a lot has to do with the history of our fathers. My father believes that I don't know, but I do. But that's something that I won't talk about now, because Hallowe'en is a day for celebration, and I would prefer to have my mind set on festivities.'

'I respect that,' said Gísli. 'And do go on. I want to hear all about the adventures that you've had with him.'

'It was the year after that,' Lily continued as she kept picking the Helga's Hats, 'at the age of eleven, that we attended school, Hogwarts, for the first time. We clinked our goblets of pumpkin juice during the feast in good health, and he took me by the hand all the way up to the highest tower where we gazed at the stars. Stars were falling from the sky like rain around us, and as by tradition, we made silent wishes to ourselves.'

'And what did you wish for?' asked Gísli, who was clearly intrigued by the story.

'For him to be by my side, always,' said Lily as she laughed at the memory. 'We're not supposed to tell each other, so I never told him. Otherwise the wish may not come true. Now, for the second year, we did something a bit more naughty. We went into the Forbidden Forest after nightfall, and it is named so, of course, because it is forbidden to enter. Loads of dangerous creatures dwell in it, and if you get lost, you may never find your way back again. But we were foolish, and so went in with our wands held high to light the path, and we were met with a group of angry centaurs. Do you know what a centaur is?'

Gísli shook her head. 'Enlighten me.'

'They're half human, half horse,' said Lily. 'Very stern beings, who are not very fond of outsiders.'

Gísli laughed. 'They sound like every man in Rohan. Please, do go on.'

'With bows and arrows they rule the forests, 'Lily continued. 'They enjoy spending their time looking up at heavenly bodies and predict the future. Severus and I were still very small then, so they were more forgiving for entering their den. One centaur said that our lives were being ruled by a slow-moving Saturn. It meant something along the lines of us not pressing our feelings onto one another, and that we will have our differences to sort out when we get older. It was all rather vague to me, but the centaur took Severus aside and spoke to him in whispers. Severus took it very serious, I believe, and I attribute that to his grandmother, who had come from India to England. India is a land far away, and they take astrology very seriously there, and what is told by the heavens ought to be believed. I didn't press him to tell me what he was told when the centaur led us out of the woods – and straight into the hands of the school's caretaker who who was ready to punish us for what we did.'

'Have you ever wondered what he was told?' asked Gísli.

'All the time,' said Lily, who was reminiscing in the memories that came flooding back to her. 'But not unlike the falling stars that we saw the year before, I figured some things were not meant to be spoken out loud. It belongs to his private thoughts – and if perhaps one day he wishes to share it, then I will be ready to listen. But for now, our third year. A little less eventful, but still a really good one. Severus had overheard a couple of students talk about how to gain access to the school's kitchens. Turns out the kitchens are hidden behind a portrait, and instead of going to the feast in the great hall, we went down there instead. These kitchens are the same size as the great hall itself, and in it, we were met with a group of beings that work there, ready to serve to us everything we desired to eat and drink. We got what we call butterbeers and we even managed to get our hands on a record player, which is a device that we use to play music without the need for instruments. We ate and drank so much that evening that we nearly burst out of our robes!'

'Sounds delicious, this butterbeer you speak of!'

The voice had come from behind. 'How long have you been here, Éowyn?' Lily laughed.

'Since you started talking about falling stars,' Éowyn answered as she tossed a Helga's Hat into her basket. 'But don't mind me, and please keep talking about these adventures you've had with this young man you clearly love so much. You know I love a good love story.'

'Did anything else happen in this kitchens?' asked Gísli, clearly fishing for more.

Lily felt her cheeks starting to glow. 'We danced,' she admitted. 'There are some musicians that we enjoy listening to, so that is what we did. It was our closeness that day that made it special. During our fourth year, something a lot more adventurous did happen though. It took a lot of convincing from my side, but he eventually caved in and together we skipped school to go camping in the mountains. We had our backpacks filled to the brim and sneaked our way out of the castle. Once we had found a good spot at the very top, we set up an old tent that we had found in a storage closet and lit a fire. The castle seemed so small as we gazed down into the valley. I remember I had nearly fallen asleep with my head resting against his chest, when we were brutally awakened by a deep rumbling sound. It's the kind of sound that one can barely hear, and yet it strikes fear into your heart. It was a dragon; A Hebridean Black to be more precise. Very large and very dangerous, and it was flying over our heads; drawn to our campfire like a moth to a flame.'

Éowyn gasped. 'A dragon? You have actually seen a dragon!?'

'It is a rare sight,' said Lily. 'Even where I am from. I had escaped from its island a day prior and found its way to the main land. It landed right in front of our tent. It was curious, more than anything else, but one wrong move and it could have set our tent with us ablaze, and we would have been reduced to ash. The first thing Severus did was jump right in front of me. Shielding me from any impending danger, and he looked the dragon straight in the eye. It was within mere seconds that the McFusty family, the clan responsible for protecting and hiding the dragons on the islands, arrived and chained the dragon to the ground. I saw how Severus helped the clan and made me call for help at the castle. Teachers arrived swiftly after, and it was all put to rest without the knowledge of the students on what happened. We were punished for skipping school, of course, and we received some very angry letters from our parents too. But mostly I remember learning just how much of a fierce protector Severus can be. He would rather face death than see harm befall me. I also knew that things were starting to change between us. We were no longer little children from that day on, and yet we were still far from grown up.

'Did you ever kiss him?' asked Gísli.

'Did he ever kiss you?' asked Éowyn.

'I will get to that, you impatient lot,' said Lily, smiling from ear to ear in spite of herself. 'Fifth year, on hallowe'en, that was a tough year. Nearly two weeks prior during the full moon Severus had gone through a terrible incident. He got bullied a lot by the same people, and this time they had taken it too far. They made use of his curious nature and lured him into a trap. They all had to come to the Headmaster, and all I know is that they had to shake hands on it and never speak of it again. One of the boys that did this to him carries a terrible secret with him. A secret that I know about, because that boy confided in me about it. Had I told Severus, none of it would have happened. I was torn between keeping my promise and watching Severus go down that path. I still haven't told him that I knew, and it fills my heart with regret – but the promise I made to that boy weighed heavier than that. I'm still not sure if I did the right thing till this very day.'

'I believe you did well by keeping your promise,' said Gísli. 'It shows character, and strength.'

'Thank you,' said Lily, finding comfort in her words. 'That year we spent in an empty classroom. He was always rather good at creating spells, and it got into his head that I needed to learn more ways to defend myself. For hours we practised on each other, and he looked as though he was on a mission rather than doing it for fun. As if he was trying to prepare me for something, somehow.' Expelliarmus! Lily! Ex-pel-li-ar-mus! You've heard of this spell before. You have to get it right! You must! 'I can still hear how he made me say the incantations over and over again. It were means to take away someone else's power from them, and it felt cruel to me. Dark things were, and still are, happening in our world, and I understood why he was doing it. I hated it though, and something had started to tear at the fabric of us. At the end of that day I went to bed exhausted and upset, and by the end of the school's year we had an exchanging of words that caused us to no longer be friends.'

'Did you ever find your way back to each other?' asked Éowyn with a hint of concern.

'During our sixth year we were acting as strangers,' said Lily. 'Except on Hallowe'en. I don't know if it were by chance, or whether this day has a way of bringing us together. Either way, it brought us together in the same place in the castle. I felt strange that day. I had seen him on the school grounds with friends that weren't really friends to him, and I had seen him in the library hunched over a book. I saw him in loads of places that day because I think I was following him without realising that I was, and all this time we never made eye contact. From across the hall I saw him leave early from the banquet and make his way upstairs. I didn't follow, because my friends were happy that I was finally spending some time with them during the feast for a change. By the time my group of friends returned to the common room, I decided to take the long way around to clear my mind a bit. I paced around a hallway, trying to suppress the urge the mourn the loss of this special day for me, when it appeared in front of me. A door that led to a room that wasn't there before. I went in, and I found a room decorated in all things related to hallowe'en. The hollowed out pumpkins and turnips filled with candles floated above my head. There were goblets filled with pumpkin juice on a table on the side, and in the centre of the room stood Severus. He was standing in front of a large mirror, reading the inscription above it. '"Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi," it read.'

'What a strange language,' said Gísli.

Lily laughed and shook her head. 'It's not. It took me a while to understand what it said, but I figured it out in the end. The words were mirrored, and its true line is "I show not your face but your heart's desire." Supposedly the mirror shows what you truly want, rather than simply the reflection of your face. For the first time since our falling out I caught him smiling back at me, but he also had tears in his eyes. He told me that the place I had entered was called the Room of Requirement. A place that his mother had told him about when she was attending the school, and it had been his place of refuge since the very first year. A place to be alone. He then asked me to come and stand in front of the mirror and to tell what I saw in it, but all I saw was us standing there in front of it. When I asked him what he saw, he simply said "the same." He then proceeded to ask me how I had managed to find this Room, and I told him that I had been thinking about us and how I missed sharing this particular day with him when the door appeared. We raised our goblets to that, and we drank to our good health as our reflections in the mirror looked back at us.'

Lily's basket was filled to the brim with Helga's Hats. The fairy circle was nearly gone, and the sun had reached its highest point in the sky. 'He cupped my face into his hands and he placed a kiss on my forehead. It wasn't anything romantic – it just felt as though he was saying goodbye.' She wiped away a stray tear from her cheek at the recall of the memory. 'Today is supposed to be our day, and he's not here to celebrate it with me.' She felt the arms of the two women pulling her into a warm embrace. 'We may not be him,' said Éowyn, 'but I do hope we can still give you a night to remember.'

Gísli took it upon herself to dry the mushrooms up for tonight, and together with Éowyn, Lily made her way back to the Meduseld. Along the way, music and laughter could be heard coming in from every corner of the streets. Neighbouring villages were coming in to visit, and people danced and shared their food with anyone that passed along. Lily understood that Helga's feast was more than just that. It was a celebration of life. A celebration where to love and to share all there was to give was the most important theme of all. She could feel her spirit being lifted again at the sight of it, and her sense of loss of not having Severus by her side was replaced with excitement for the night to come. 'Has Gríma been sighted yet?' she asked Éowyn.

'Not yet,' Éowyn answered. 'But I wouldn't let it worry you, even if he were to come back. Háma is here to watch over us, as is Eorlund, who appears to have grown very fond of you. Do not underestimate the lengths the men of Rohan will go through to protect that which they hold dear.'

'I wouldn't dare,' said Lily, and gladly took hold of a goblet of mead that was offered to her. 'Cheers, as I say, to the men of Rohan!'

...o0o…

Lily recognised many dishes from the Hogwart's feasts. Helga's recipes, no doubt, had withstood the test of space and time and were served royally not only at the Meduseld, but throughout the entire city as well. The scent of Bara Brith cakes, that she knew as cauldron cakes, could be smelled at every corner. Blended tea of many spices were poured, and roasted chicken legs were served with potatoes seasoned with rosemary and thyme. There were pumpkin pastries and treacle tarts, and onion soup that had a lovely bite to it. Unapologetically she indulged in all, and allowed the savoury flavours of home to come to her.

Théodred had offered her a dance and she gladly took him by the hand. The mead she had lavishly poured for herself was swirling on her mind, and the music that was played around them was delightful and merry of sound. 'Are there any songs of your home that you could sing for us?' asked Théodred as he spun her around.

'Oh, I don't sing,' said Lily as she waved it off. 'Of course there are songs, but –'

'— then I insist!' said Théodred. 'For so long have we heard the same stories of old being retold to us. I would love nothing more than to hear one that was new, and came from far away!'

Lily noticed the many eyes that were starting to turn on them. 'Yes, Lily!' yelled a very tipsy Éowyn from across the room. 'Sing us one of your songs!'

'Only because the mead has decided to hold my tongue captive,' said Lily as she started laughing. 'Since you insisted, oh dear Théodred, then I shall sing this song for you. Everybody raise your goblets, to the man that I believe in my heart will one day make a great King of Rohan!' Goblets were poured with drink and raised, and the attention shifted to Théodred, who was growing red in the face by the sudden attention he was given.

'It is a song of old that knows many different versions,' Lily explained, 'but for you I shall sing my favourite one. As it goes, this is The Parting Glass;'

Of all the money that e'er I spent
I spent it in good company
And all the harm that e'er I've done
Alas! It was to none but me
And all I've done for want of wit
To memory now I can't recall
So fill to me the parting glass
Good night and joy be with you all

Oh, if I had money enough to spend
And leisure time to sit a while
There is a fair man in this town
That sorely has my heart beguiled
His rosy cheeks and lovely lips
Alone he has my heart in thrall
So fill to me the parting glass
Good night and joy be with you all

Of all the comrades that e'er I had
They're sorry for my going away
And of all the sweethearts that e'er I had
They'd wish me one more day to stay
But since it falls unto my lot
That I should rise and you should not
I gently rise and softly call
Good night and joy be with you all

Lily didn't know if she had sounded any good or not, but from the applause she received she took it as a sign that the song was well received. 'Thank you for this gift,' said Théodred as he placed a kiss upon her hand, 'but we shall not say good night just yet. To all of you, please follow me outside. The fires are waiting for us.'

Éowyn gave Lily a thick woollen blanket and took her by the arm. 'Our fires are over there on the grass, right next to each other,' she said as she pointed at two small campfires. 'Toss whatever Gísli has given you into the fire. It is meant to help you.'

Lily sat down into a comfortable position by the fire and felt the flames warming her skin. A piece of cloth baring the dried Helga's Hats were dropped into her hands by someone passing them around, and she felt ready for whatever visions they were bound to give her.

'Eat them quick,' said Éowyn, 'or you'll may want to spit them out again.'

'Bottom's up,' said Lily. 'I will see you on the other side.' She put a handful in her mouth at once, and chewed them as quickly as she could. The bitter taste was worse than wormwood, and she could feel the content of her stomach starting to rise if she didn't swallow it soon. With a big gulp and a few deep breaths she was able to keep the mushrooms down. From her pouch she took a hold of the witch hazel twigs Gísli had given her and tossed it into the fire. For a moment, the smoke she inhaled turned to waves of green and blue. Feeling herself relax, she laid down on the grass and gazed up at the stars. 'I can smell the lavender from here,' she said to Éowyn. 'That must be so relaxing.'

'Gísli thought I could use a release of tension,' said Éowyn as she laid down on the grass as well. 'Are you feeling anything?'

'Not yet, I think,' Lily answered as she turned her head to look at Éowyn. 'Thank you, for everything.'

'It has been my greatest pleasure to be your friend,' said Éowyn, and squeezed Lily's hand in reassurance. 'For as long as you are here, you will always have a home.'

'I think I need to find the water,' Lily mumbled to herself. There was a strange sensation rising in the depths of her soul. As she closed her eyes, she could see the rain beating against the surface of the Great Lake as she lay under it. She kept sinking down to the depths until the light from above vanished and the surface turned to ice. A current came and swept her away, and as she tumbled and turned she only sensed the absence of fear as it happened. Through a crack in the ice she went up, and as she rose to the surface, she drew what felt to be the first breath of life.

Lily found herself floating in a pool of blue water, surrounded by saplings of what were to become great trees. A thin veil surrounded her, and shone as though it was weaved from light and the glint of the stars. She pulled herself out of the pool and gently pushed away the veil that separated her from the other side. She stepped into a great court, and it was filled with flowers and webs of silver and gold. In the distance, there was a mansion so large the end could not be seen by a mortal's eye. 'Hello?' she called out carefully. 'Is anyone here?'

The ground shook as the gates of the mansion were opened. A great man, large enough to be a giant, came forth. His hair was wild and his beard ablaze. In one hand he carried a great hammer, and in the other he held kindness. 'I have awaited your arrival,' said the man as he came close. 'Lily of House Gryffindor.'

He towered over her as she looked up at him, and Lily could feel that there was nothing to fear. 'You are Aulë,' she said, almost instinctively. 'Eorlund has told me a great deal about you.'

'Indeed I am Aulë,' said Aulë, 'the Smith of the Valar. Creator of the smallest works of skin, to the highest mountains and the basins of the sea. In the very Song of the Ainur, I have thought most of the fabric of the Earth.'

'It is a beautiful world you have created,' said Lily, 'but could you tell me why I'm here? I don't quite understand.'

'Follow me,' said Aulë kindly, 'and I will take you there.'

Lily followed him at the heels as they made their way over to the mansion. He ushered her inside, and she was met with a home as homely as could be. There were works of craftsmanship to be found on each wall, and curtains woven of great gems and jewels adorned the windows, and they shimmered with the beauty of all colours inside.

Aulë beaconed at a sofa, and as Lily sat down she felt as though she was sitting upon a cloud of comfort. He sat down beside her on an armchair, and offered her an abnormally large cup of tea, which she gladly took from him. For a moment, she was reminded of Hagrid in his hut, and the comfort she would feel whenever she paid him a visit. 'You are awakening,' Aulë said to her. 'You are a witch. One who knows her way around the fires in the forges of this world. A powerful force of magic, and one not to be reckoned with. Soon, you will have your power back, but first, you must find what you have been looking for.'

The tea tasted like autumn on her tongue, and Lily delighted in the visions of the falling leaves. 'I don't know where he is,' she said. 'Could you help me find him?'

'We will journey to the beautiful pastures of my wife Yavanna,' said Aulë. 'It is there that you will find what you are looking for.'

'Is he there?' asked Lily, and a feeling of hope rose up in her heart.

'He is, and he is not,' said Aulë. 'We shall speak of this no further, until we have met with my wife.'

Lily finished her tea and followed Aulë out through the backdoor. They passed through forests and rivers and mountains. The road to the pastures felt endless, and all the same it felt as though no time was passing at all. They passed through the Halls of Oromë, and beyond she saw trees walking on the distance. 'Those are the Entwives,' said Aulë. 'They perished with their gardens during the War of the Last Allegiance, and so they returned to their creator. They now tend to the pastures of my dear Yavanna, awaiting the arrival of the Ents once their time has come. But this, Lily, is a story that shall have to stay between you and me.'

The pastures were a place of great beauty. Lush and green, and filled with all the flowers that reside within the world. Upon a hill stood a magnificent Elm tree rooted to the ground. Its green crown dancing in the gentle wind. 'This is her,' said Aulë. 'She loves the creation of her trees so much so will often turn into a tree herself to stand among her proudest creation. Go on, and you will see.'

Lily stepped forward, and looked upon the tree with great admiration. It was by her very feet that she saw him. Severus lay there, curled up underneath her roots in a deep slumber he could not awake from. She kneeled down beside him, and ran her fingers through his hair as she has done so many times before. She leaned forward, and placed a kiss upon his brow. 'I found you,' she whispered to him, 'just as I promised you I would.'

The ground started to rumble and creak. With the power of an earthquake Yavanna's roots took a hold of Lily's arms and dragged her down into the soil. Lily wanted to scream, but no sound came out of her mouth as the darkness of the Earth engulfed her. She went down and down until the ground stopped and she fell through the air. A cave of complete darkness surrounded her, and within a mere moment, she fell into the icy cold water of the lake at the bottom of the cave.

She gasped for air. She could feel she was riding on Lightfoot, but her hands and feet were bound by ropes. As she looked up she could see the stars she had seen before she had fallen into her vision, and the realisation came to her that she had returned to Rohan. She saw a strange gleam in Lightfoot's eyes, and before her another rider with dark hair galloping his way to a Dark Tower.

'She's awake, Wormtongue!' cried a shrill voice.

'Let her!' said Gríma. 'We've nearly reached Orthanc! The Wizard would rather see her awake than asleep!'

The scent of sweat and burning wood filled her nostrils. Gríma and the Orcs had come and taken her, and she was about to meet with the Wizard she had heard so much about. What have you done!? she wanted to scream at Gríma, but her mouth was gagged, and her screams of terror were silenced. Her voice taken from her.

A/N The name witch in witch-hazel has its origins in Middle English wiche, from the Old English wice, meaning "pliant" or "bendable", and is not related to the word witch meaning a practitioner of magic. Jacob Stutt's 1822 book, Sylva Britannica attests that "Wych Hazel" was used in England as a synonym for wych elm, Ulmus glabra.The use of the twigs as divining rods, just as hazel wigs were used in England, may also have, by folk etymology, influenced the "witch" part of the name.
Dowsing is a type of divination employed in attempts to locate ground water, but also gems, ores, gravesides and "earthly vibrations". It's very much labeled as pseudoscience nowadays, but I'd like to believe that the wizarding world still knows of its practices and usage.

A/N Fairy rings are caused by an individual fungus growing underground. The fungus sprouts lots of small threads, called mycelium, in a circular shape. A year later, the mushrooms pop up out of the ground at the edge of the circle, creating the fairy ring. Most are rather small, but some rings can grow as long as 600 meters in diameter (and even bigger!).
Liberty Caps are one of the few mushrooms native to the UK that contain the hallucinogenic psilocybin and psilocin chemical. They are illegal to pick since 2005, but since it's 1977 for Severus and Lily, they were much easier to come by and definitely used for recreational purposes all around the UK.

A/N I'm not into astrology, at all. But, I do like reading up about it and see what people can attribute to personality aspects. Lily is an Aquarius (a nice one for the fire water balance) and Severus a Capricorn. If I can believe the internet, it means that the two signs are fairly compatible because they are ruled by a slow-moving Saturn, clash occasionally due to different interests but are soul mates deep down. Fun stuff to work with if you're a centaur, I suppose.

A/N " (...) Only after Professor Dumbledore makes key modifications to the mirror (which has been languishing in the Room of Requirement for a century or so before he brings it out and puts it to work) does it become a superb hiding place, and the final test for the impure of heart." - Wizardingworld

A/N I thought long and hard on whether or not I wanted to add musical lyrics to the chapters or not. If not applied properly in context, it often reads very out of place and unnecessary, which is why I was reluctant to do it. However, Rowling wrote songs for the sorting hat and made it work, and Tolkien wrote so many songs and verse into the story that it's very much a part of the world he created. It's because of this that I decided to go for it.
The Parting Glass is a traditional Celtic song that knows many different versions, and is often sang at funerals. I went with my favourite's singer, Loreena McKennitt's version. The Parting Glass is on her Wind that Shakes the Barley album.

A/N What actually happened to the Entwives was something Tolkien wanted to keep a mystery, even to himself, but in one of his letters he said, "I think that in fact the Entwives have disappeared for good, being destroyed with their gardens in the War of the Last Allegiance."
Personally I'd like to believe that the Entwives ended up living in the pastures of Yavanna after their death, as though it were their own personal form of heaven.

A/N In Celtic mythology, too, elm trees were associated with the Underworld. They had a special affinity with elves who guarded the burial mounds, their dead and the associated passage into the Underworld. Elm trees in Britain can grow to become some of the tallest and largest native trees. (...) It is interesting to note that both the yew's and the elm's mythology is bound up with death and the transition into the Underworld, and that both woods were used to such deadly effect in medieval warfare. Elm's connection with death does not end there, as its wood is traditionally used to make coffins. (...) - Treesforlife

A/N "At Hogwarts, Hufflepuff was known for her talents in Charms, and used her remarkable skills for preparing food – a speciality of hers – to create splendid feasts that were enjoyed by all. Her talent would bring the whole school together in harmony.

Helga Hufflepuff' fantastic recipes are still used in the Hogwarts kitchens to this day and her portrait can be found in the Hufflepuff common room, toasting her students with her golden cup. No wonder the Hogwarts feasts are always so triumphant and bountiful." - Wizardingworld