The next day at school, Harry and Ginny met up before homeroom was set to start.
"So, I got good news," Ginny told him as she looked left and right to make sure no one else was listening in on their conversation.
She saw that little smile on Harry's face that made her stomach do cartwheels.
"Thank you, Ginny. What did your parents say?"
"They are going to try and help you out. They contacted Lord Alderscrot!" She said proudly.
Harry blinked at her. "Alright… who is Lord Alderscroft?"
Ginny could have cursed herself out. Why would Harry know about Lord David Alderscroft when he was raised among Muggles.
"Sorry, I should not have assumed you would know of him," She bowed her head. "He's just so famous in magical circles. Lord David Alderscroft is the leader of the British magical community and a major player in the wider magical world. He revived the old Hunting Lodge, a group of mages who work together to protect the Muggles from dark mages and deal with the evil elementals."
A gust of wind was the only warning before Ginny found Breezy floating between them, using their bodies to block the sight of her from anyone else. "We Elementals, the good and neutral ones anyways, are glad the Lodge is back. Some places in the world also refer to such gatherings as a White Lodge. They are the protectors of nature as well as mankind."
Ginny saw Harry turn his attention to his Elemental teacher. "The existence of a 'white' lodge implies maybe there is the opposite?"
Breezy grinned and winked at Ginny. "We got ourselves a sharp one here, fire master-to-be. There have been such alliances. In fact, there was one created just 13 years ago that is still active to this day. The leader of that group has taken them underground, as they fear the White Lodge and it's members. Especially Alderscroft and Dumbledore."
Now it was Ginny's turn to blink in surprise. "Wait, Dumbledore? I thought he had passed away ages ago. He must be well over a hundred years old by this point."
Breezy laughed. "The mortal body fades with time, one's power of magic does not. Dumbledore is likely nearing the end of his time in the mortal coil, but until then, his mastery will keep him preserved."
"You speak as if you knew him well," Harry smiled at her. Breezy nodded.
"Oh, aye. That I do. But please do not ask more at this time. One day, I'll tell you the story of how I met a young Dumbledore."
Harry sighed. "I understand. I wish I could know everything, but one of the snares of an Air Master is haste. The wind must know when to be a gentle breeze and when to become a storm."
Ginny grinned. "Someone has been paying attention in their lessons. Defeating the temptations of your element is a must for a master. Having said that, I struggle with mine every day."
Breezy nodded. "As it should be. These 'negative' traits are a part of your element. To deny them is to deny a piece of yourself. You must accept these traits are part of who you are and overcome them. Only then can you be a true master."
"We better get to class before Professor Snape arrives." Ginny sighed. "You're in enough trouble already with him."
Harry nodded, and they walked off together towards the homeroom. "You said Lord Alderscroft is working on getting me out of the Dursley's care?"
She smiled at him. "He is pulling some strings. Mummy said it won't be as fast as she might like."
"Your parents sound nice." Harry smiled. "I'd love to meet them."
Ginny clapped her hands. "We can ask if you can visit this weekend. All my brothers are already at the Harton School, so it's just them and me now. Mummy would be delighted to have an excuse to cook up a big meal."
She wondered if Harry had ever had a big meal, given how painfully thin he was. If his uncle was as bad as he described, he likely would have forbidden Harry from every having much to eat, let alone seconds. Her Mummy would fix that.
They sat down in class and waited for the bell.
*Hinny-Elemental-Masters*
The fog was so thick around them. Peter wondered if they had been driven insane. He stopped and folded his arms over his chest. Sirius and Remus turned to look at him.
"What's wrong, Wormy?" Sirius asked.
"See that well?" Peter pointed at one just on the side of the road. "We've passed it several times now."
Remus looked at it. "The wells in this area all look the same…"
"No, Remus," Peter sighed and pointed to a mark on the well. It was a small rat that Peter had sketched there on their last break near it. "I had a feeling we were being looped so I made that mark last rest. This fog is magical, and we are trapped in it."
He knew his friends did not want to think about that, as none of them possessed the magic to break such an enchantment. If Lily had been with them, that would be a different story, of course.
"There is one thing we can try." Sirius suggested, "But it's going to tip our hands to our foes if they are watching."
Peter sighed. He didn't like the idea of Voldemort and his Death Eaters knowing they could shape-shift. He could tell the other two didn't either.
"We have no other choice. We need to escape this fog and return to Harry's side." Remus said, preparing himself for the Change.
Peter prepared himself as well. This was going to be a long night.
*Hinny-Elemental-Masters*
Sarah and Nan caught a bus towards Surrey, hat boxes containing their precious partners resting on their laps. While the bus system had long ago accepted Neville and Grey as passengers, the part of England they were visiting was new to both them and the birds. They were not far from the city in any case. A few men tried to leer at Sarah but a stern look from Nan set them about their own business quickly enough.
"At least they are backing down." Sarah sighed. "Would hate to see a repeat of those men who tried to pick us up in Devon."
Nan blushed, as she had used some of her abilities as a psychic to get the upper hand in that encounter. "Well, just because they see a pretty girl does not entitle them to your body."
Sarah smiled and snuggled in closer to Nan's side. "Is someone jealous?"
Nan blushed deeper, that teasing smile on Sarah's face far too angelic for her. "No, not all." She lied.
Had they been born the century before, perhaps nothing would have come of the love that both Sarah and Nan felt for each other. They would have lived together as friends and partners but nothing more. Nan thanked whatever power had allowed them to be born in an era where two girls could be together romantically, and no one thought to try and punish them.
"I have a bad feeling about the uncle," Sarah confessed to Nan after a period of silence. "A man like that could be a threat to a child."
Nan pursed her lips. Her mind went back to her own mother, who had tried to sell her for some coins to fill her drug habits. "We cannot rule out the possibility," she admitted.
"Protect him." Came a voice from Sarah's hat box. The lid lifted and Grey's head popped out. "Clever bird."
Nan saw her partner reach in and tickle the parrot. "We will, you cheeky little fruit thief."
All too soon, the girls arrived at the bus stop. It was time for the mission to begin.
*Hinny-Elemental-Masters*
Harry went to bed that night, feeling hope that he would soon get to see Ginny's house and meet her parents. He stroked little Hedwig who hooted softly in her sleep beside him.
"I'll take you with me." He declared as he petted the bird. "I'm sure you would love a trip out of this room."
He snuggled down and looked at the calendar on the wall. There were just three days of school until the weekend.
Later on, Harry would wish he had known what would happen in just three days.
A/N: And there is the December update for Summer Breeze. Hope you are still enjoying the story. I did change Nan and Sarah to be a couple in this version, there is a lot of hints that both do have feelings for each other, but given the time period they live in, it's not easy for them to act on those feelings. Maybe one day we will get them as a canon couple but not anytime soon I would think. For now, I can use this to write them as one. See you next month!
