Chapter 31 - Sometimes life warns you of danger.
December 26, 2005

Daisy loved storms. Not being out in them, of course. She loved being cozy and safe inside while the excitement and chaos all happened outside. It was a picture for her of life itself. The enemies and warriors could be in all sorts of turmoil in their realm, but her own soul could still be at peace, quiet and cozy within. Even now, she was sitting in a rocking chair by the fire, knitting a tiny sweater for her baby while there was a great deal of busyness happening around her. Grams wasted no time after the families had left to make sure things were battened down well before the storm hit. There were a few jobs to be done, and she assigned tasks quickly, like a tiny drill sergeant. Joshua was sent to adjust the warming charm on the hen house, and seal up any cracks. Gareth, Isabel, and Lina went to each little house where visitors were staying, like Camila and Louis, to make sure they had everything they needed for a couple days, George, Hawthorne, and Sirius went round the empty houses making sure lights were off, there was heat enough that pipes wouldn't freeze, and there were no obvious cracks or wear around doors and windows. Gemma and Joel brought up some extra supplies from the cellars, and Deirdre began helping Jane make lunch. Nana sat with her beside the fire, her own knitting needles clicking away rhythmically on a pair of socks to match the little sweater.

Everyone had finished their chores, and they'd all gathered at the table when the storm arrived. The wind was roaring and wild, and it was impossible to tell whether the snow was falling down, up, or sideways. By the time their meal was finished it was clear that there was another werewolf slumber party in their future. Even with magic, it was risky to walk out into this kind of weather. The snow was blinding, and it would be so easy to miss the house you were aiming for and find yourself wandering out into forest. Daisy was secretly thrilled. It had been so long since she'd had this much uninterrupted time with Gareth or Isabel. She was looking forward to leisurely meals and long conversations.

Thankfully George and Isabel were working through things. Not too many people knew what had happened, or almost happened. Technically Isabel hadn't even told her. The warriors had. And she'd prayed for her for months. It could be a bit frustrating, all this Seer business. People assumed you already knew things you didn't know, so they didn't bother to share. Or got embarrassed at what you did know. Isabel had talked to Catherine right before they all met out here, but it would have been even nicer for her sister to feel she could confide in her too. Silly maybe, but she felt a little excluded sometimes. But at least Isabel had woken up from all the heady excitement of her life on the road and recognized what was really more important, who was more important. She smiled, watching George lean over to whisper something in Isabel's ear and her giggle in response, turning to quickly kiss his cheek.

And it was so sweet to watch Gareth and Deirdre together. She was glad they'd found their way back to each other. She'd had a vision of it years ago, but when Deirdre had called everything quits before Gareth left for Peru…well, she'd known that vision wouldn't happen for a while. They weren't quite as demonstrative as the couples that had been together for a long time, they sorted of skated around each other in public, but she'd noticed how each would reach for the other's hand, or watch for the other, a tenderness in their eyes. And last night they had curled up side by side at the slumber party, just barely gave a happy little sigh. Her family, whole and together again.

Lina cleared her throat and tapped her fork lightly against her glass to get everyone's attention. "Since we are a smaller number, I'd like to make the dinner tonight a more formal affair. Deirdre needs to learn some of our more…antiquated customs, and this will be a good chance to try them out."

Oh, that sounded fun! To dress up and enjoy a quiet dinner with just adults. She wondered what sort of clothes she'd brought that she could magically adjust to make a bit fancier. Then she heard Deirdre, who was sitting beside her, take in a slow, intentional breath as if she were nervous. Daisy leaned over and whispered, "This will be an easier way to begin learning all that stuff that Gareth knows. We don't really know any more than you do. We can all learn together."

Deirdre took a another slow breath, nodded, and gave her a grateful smile.

"You don't really need my help, love, do you?" Sirius asked Lina, widening his eyes entreatingly.

"Oh, but yes, darling," Lina replied, giving him a predatory smile. "After all, you grew up as a pureblood in the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black."

"And hated every minute of it," he sighed, rolling his eyes.

Lina glanced around the room at each of them. "It might feel odd, and sort of like playing pretend, but I will need each of you to take this…seriously. Don't you say a word," she added, holding up a finger as Sirius opened his mouth. "Gareth had to learn all of this years ago, so he and Sirius and I will help shepherd the rest of you through the dinner."

"We'll do it," Isabel said, elbowing George. "I always liked dressing up and playing pretend."

George grinned. "I shall endeavor not to besmirch my honor by behaving like a babbling bumbling baboon."

Nana gave a soft chuckle. "My, this reminds me of the banquet and ball we had our last year of school." She looked around the table, smiling at the girls. "You know, there's trunks of old clothes up in the attic of this building. I'll bet we could find some fancier things for tonight. Really do it all in style. You remember, girls? You used to play up there."

Of course! Goodness, she hadn't thought about all that stuff in years. "We'd dress up in the most ridiculous things and put on shows," Daisy laughed, reaching over to squeeze Joshua's hand, who was on her other side. "Remember?"

"Yes," he smiled. "You girls always wanted to be in charge and Gareth and I had to rebel and wind up staging a robbery or a battle to take over whatever story you three had cooked up."

Gareth, further down the table, laughed. "Yeah, I remember Peter Pan joining up with yours truly, Captain Hook, a few times and summarily clipping Tinkerbell's wings." He waved towards Isabel, who stuck her tongue out at him. "We then made her, Wendy, and Tigerlily walk the plank."

"Yes, and this Tigerlily almost drowned once, walking the plank over that river," Daisy said, poking Joshua, who sat beside her.

Her husband winced. "Yeah, but we fished you out as quick as we could," he said, putting an arm over her shoulder. "And then you promised not to tell on us if we played tea party every day for the rest of the month!"

"Let's go look at all those things now!" Isabel said, pushing her chair back.

"Daisy and I are on clean up duty first," Joshua said.

"Oh, you young people go on," Hawthorne said, settling back in his chair and smoothing his beard. "I'll finish my dessert and then clean up."

Their footsteps and voices echoed loudly in the tiny stairway up to the attic. Daisy, of course, went last, moving more slowly and carefully up the stairs, Joshua, her ever present guard, with her. The pregnancy had been completely uneventful so far, but she was starting to notice her hips and back growing tired faster than before. By the time they entered the large space, Isabel had already summoned trunks into the middle of the room and was digging through them.

"Oooo, look! Gareth, put this on!" she cried, tossing him a black silk top hat. He laughed and placed it on his head at a rakish angle, bowing.

George whistled, pulling out a long velvet cloak in a deep burgundy. "This is some high quality merchandise. Look at this tag, 'Cornell and Birch Bespoke Robes.' I've heard of them, still around and cost a bomb."

"Nana puts preservation charms on everything," Gareth said, pulling out a tuxedo jacket." He made a face. "The truth is, way back when, a lot of people basically came here to die. Before Grams showed up and found out we could be healed, I mean. So then their things were just left behind. Sad, really."

"Oh, don't talk about that," Isabel said, holding up a peacock blue dress to herself and walking over to a full length mirror in the corner. "We've had enough sadness in our own lives. I can't carry the sadness of people I don't even know."

"Well, this color doesn't suit me at all," George said in a falsetto voice. He thrust the burgundy cloak toward Gareth. "Here, dear, this will be just smashing on you!"

Gareth gamely grabbed the cloak and slung it around his shoulders, twirling an invisible mustache. "I shall play the villain in today's melodrama. You!" he cried, pointing at Gemma. "If you do not pay the arrears on your family's home I shall be forced to evict you all!"

Gemma grabbed a floppy hat covered in ribbons and artificial flowers, and plopped it on her head, falling to her knees dramatically. "Oh, you fiend! Whatever shall I do!" She pressed the back of her hand to her forehead and pretended to swoon.

Daisy noticed Deirdre standing a bit apart from the others, holding an old fashioned dark blue gown and staring out the small window into the whirling whiteness. "That's a lovely color," she said softly, walking up to her.

Deirdre held the dress up, running her hand over the fabric. "I think the material is too heavy," she said.

"Well, it is awfully cold. You might be glad it's heavier," Daisy said, not quite understanding the strange look on her face.

"No, I…I wouldn't want to be too hot…at the dinner I mean." Deidre said, frowning. "It would feel…suffocating." The last phrase came out in a whisper.

Daisy pressed her lips together. She didn't like to pry, but she didn't want Deirdre to feel so lost and alone either. Despite what Isabel had said, she did carry other people's sadness sometimes. "Listen, if you ever need to talk to someone…" Daisy began.

Deirdre looked at her like she was just waking up from a dream. "I…yeah, I think I'd like that," she said quietly, and tried to smile.

"Why don't we try to find a different dress for you," Daisy said, taking the heavy blue one from her. "Maybe in a green. Do you like green? It suits your coloring so well."

It took a great deal of time and even more laughter and cutting up before everyone found something suitable. They even chose things for Nana, Grams, Hawthorne and Jane, and Sirius and Lina. There was a bit of a debate over whether it was necessary to choose Lina anything. Isabel was convinced the woman traveled with shrunken versions of absolutely everything she could possibly need to stop (or start) World War Three. But Daisy and Gemma argued even if she had something already, it wouldn't be polite to offer outfits to everyone except her and, George had added, risk snubbing the most dangerous woman on the planet.

The rest of the afternoon was very different and quiet compared to Daisy's normal days. Usually Artemis would bring her children over to do school time with Colleen and Catherine's boys in the morning after breakfast. That was always a loud and busy time. Then there were chores in the afternoon, and dinner to prepare. Of course they divided and shared all the chores, but it seemed like there was something happening all the time. Here, safe and insulated from the storm outside with no children around, was very different. She'd gone back to work on her knitting, just sort of watching everyone else. Joshua was sitting beside her perusing a seed catalogue. Jane and Joel were plotting and prepping dinner from their available supplies. Isabel, George, Sirius and Gemma were playing Exploding Snap. Lina had papers spread over the table, making lists and tapping periodically on her phone. Hawthorne was reading some huge book. Gareth and Deirdre were sitting together in a squashy sort of armchair he'd conjured that was big enough for two people. His arms were wrapped around her, and she'd fallen asleep, her bright hair curtaining her face that was pressed against his chest. It would have been a very sweet scene if Gareth hadn't looked so angry. He was absolutely scowling at nothing, his hand restlessly playing with the ends of Deirdre's hair.

Daisy thought about that moment in the attic. Deirdre had been more withdrawn than usual and now Gareth looked furious. But they couldn't have had a fight, or they wouldn't be all curled up together. What happened? her spirit asked, reaching out to the spiritual beings surrounding her.

She has been warned.

Daisy felt a sinking sensation. Warned about what?

One who opposes all virtue, filled with every kind of wickedness. Her days are numbered and brought to an end. She was weighed on the scales and found wanting. The kingdom is given once and for all to another.

Wait. Are you talking about Deirdre?!

No, the Usurper. There was almost a puzzled sort of pause, as if the wolf was surprised Daisy didn't immediately understand.

Usurper. That was weird. Not for the first time Daisy felt a moment of frustration with herself. She wasn't dumb, but she also didn't make those leaps and connections in logic as quickly as others did. It took time for her to sort things out in her own mind. She could talk to Joshua about it. He saw connections much faster, but would patiently talk it through and not jump around, confusing her all the more.

"Josh?" Daisy whispered.

"Hmmm?" he replied, flipping a page in the catalogue.

"I heard something and I need to talk through it."

He closed the catalogue and set it on the floor, giving her his full attention. "Shoot," he said, giving her a soft smile.

"Well, I asked if something happened with Gareth and Deirdre," she said, keeping her voice low. "Have you noticed them today? He looks like thunder and she's been all distracted."

Joshua's eyes shifted to his brother then back to Daisy. "I hadn't noticed," he murmured back. "But he does look upset."

"And it the wolf said she'd been warned."

"You mean Deirdre?"

"I thought so. But then the wolf started talking about wickedness and someone's days being brought to an end and a kingdom and the Usurper."

Joshua's brows drew together. Then he stood up and went over to Lina, whispering something. She didn't even look up at him, but handed him a sheet of paper and pen. He came back and sat down, grabbing the seed catalogue to give his paper more stability, and looked at Daisy, pen poised. "Okay, let's take it one point at a time. Tell me the first thing the wolf said, word for word if you can remember."

"I asked what was wrong and the wolf said, 'She has been warned.' I thought it meant Deirdre."

Joshua wrote that down. "Then what happened?"

"I asked what she was warned about. The wolf said… one opposed to virtue." Daisy closed her eyes, trying to imagine herself back in that moment. "Filled with wickedness, her days are numbered, the kingdom is given to another. Then I asked if it was Deirdre and the wolf said no, the Usurper."

"Okay," Joshua said, scribbling the last words. "It sounds to me like you were right. Deirdre was warned about this other person the wolf called the Usurper. Now we just need to think through who that might be."

"A Usurper is someone who takes over, right?" Daisy asked. "Like Miraz in Narnia? He took the throne from Caspian?"

Joshua nodded. "So someone wicked wants to take over something, and Deidre was warned about it." He looked over at his brother again. "And based on Gareth's expression, she must have told him about this warning."

"Maybe it's a business deal that he's working on. Do you think I should just let them handle it?"

Joshua huffed an unamused laugh. "I think Gareth's done a terrible job handling things the past few years," he said flatly. "And if someone is threatening Deirdre he's even more liable to do something reckless." He sat back, studying the paper. "The truth is we just don't know enough about his life or the business to guess what it might be. He's been shut off from us for years."

"Lina's been keeping tabs on things," Daisy whispered, glancing over at her. "Let's tell her and see if she knows of any threats."

Joshua helped her from the chair and they joined Lina at the table. She looked up from her papers, held Daisy's gaze for a moment, and then nodded to herself. "I was right then," she said quietly. "There's something happening. I had a feeling…"

Daisy shrugged making an apologetic face. "I don't know for sure. We thought you might know more." She related the conversation with the warrior and then Joshua added in what they suspected.

Their words seemed to make Lina very uncomfortable. Her face grew as still and unreadable as Professor Snape's, and she kept clicking her pen. When they were finished she sat there, still and silent, breathing slowly through her nose. "There have been incidents in the company, and we weren't as quick to pick up on this last situation with Gareth and the potions as we should have been," she said in a low voice. "I feel like I've been trying to track a ghost." All at once she grew very pale. "Impossible," she breathed.

"What's impossible?" Joshua asked.

Lina was instantly closed off and stiff. "I need to think some things through and gather more information before I can speculate," she said quickly. "Don't say anything about this to anyone, especially Gareth or Deirdre.

"But Deirdre already knows," Daisy said, puzzled. "And from the look on Gareth's face, we think she probably told him."

Lina jabbed at Joshua's paper with her pen. "This is not at all clear, and you don't know for certain that the warriors told her as much as they told you. Gareth may not know as much as you think, and it's imperative that we keep him from doing anything rash. I'll keep an eye on him. You two keep your mouths shut. Now go back to what you were doing so people don't get suspicious that we're talking too much."

Daisy nodded, but would not have been able to say that she understood. Joshua whispered that he'd get her a cup of tea and a snack and be there in a minute, and she headed back to her comfy rocking chair. She picked up her knitting again, but was only half heartedly going through some stitches, turning everything over in her mind.

"You okay after all that?" Joshua murmured, handing her a cup of tea.

Daisy held the warm cup. "Lina must suspect someone, or she wouldn't have gotten all intense like that, right?" she asked softly. "Do you know who she was thinking of?"

Joshua looked at her and then looked away. "I…"

Daisy grabbed his hand. "Don't try to lie to me. You know it never works."

"She said a ghost. And the wolf said it was someone trying to take over." He stopped, his face a mirror of Gareth's, fury etched across it. "Valentina," he muttered in a voice thick with disgust.

Valentina. Daisy was shocked. Shocked and then surprised by her own feelings of rage and grief. She thought she'd worked through her thoughts and emotions about that woman and the death of her son, but apparently there were some layers she hadn't hit yet. "But Lina saw her die…" Daisy said slowly.

"Yeah. They all thought Voldemort was dead and gone too, until he wasn't."

Oh, help us. Daisy slowly rocked in her chair, willing that inner peace to come back to a soul that was now as turbulent as the storm outside.