#Large witch Alder

[faguscarolinensis]

Fothergilla major / Mountain Witch Alder at the Sarah P. Duke Gardens at Duke University in Durham, NC

[astra-ravana]

A Selection of Weather Magick

Whistling Up a Wind

Whistling up a wind is one of the most common forms of weather magick and has been practiced for hundreds of years. Depending on the pitch and tone of whistle, a witch can create a gentle breeze or a sharp gust of wind. You can physically whistle with your lips, use a wind whistle or even a glass bottle. The tone, pitch, and length of the whistle you make determines the type of wind you will get. For example, a low pitched whistle will form a light breeze and a short, sharp, piercing whistle will form a huge gust of wind

A Storm is Likely to Come When

• Deciduous trees flip their leaves due to wind direction

• Birds fly low in the sky and go quiet

• There's a Southerly wind

• There's red dawn in the East

• Layers of nimbus clouds move in opposite directions

• The morning grass is dry of dew

• An earthy scent rises from the soil and flowers

• Pine cones remain closed

• A halo rings the moon at night

• Nights are warm in Winter (cloud cover insulation)

• Smoke swirls and descends instead of rising steadily.

Storm Casting

Storm casting is the art of creating storms through magick. There are many different methods for casting storms ans bringing rain. One method is to fill a jug with water and while sitting outside (or facing an open window) pour the water into a basin or bowl. Dip the tip of your finger in the water (you can also use a pendulum/necklace) and make five slow, clockwise circles in the water. As you are making the circles call the wind to bring in a storm by blowing or whistling a continuous low note, like wind over the mouth of a glass bottle, over the basin.

Untie the Wind

Sailors used to buy knotted cords from witches. When the knots were untied the wind would pick up. The more knots untied the more wind there would be. This can still be applied today using one's breath or the wind itself. On a windy day take yourself to a high place where the wind blows strongly. Take a red cord with you, to be knotted in three places. Focus on the wind and when you feel connected to it, begin tying it into knots. Left side first, then right, and the last knot center. Accompany your actions with a charm such as,

"Each knot I make, and then untie,

Will stir the wind, to fill the sky".

Keep the cord in a high place and when you want to summon a wind, simply untie the knots in reverse order. Chant:

"This knot is untied, so the cord is free,

As the cord is freed, the winds shall be".

For a strong gale untie all three knots.

Stopping a Storm

Dispersing: This method involves spreading the storm out over a large area, there by minimizing its effects. You can disperse a storm by calling winds to blow it away (or in a certain direction).

Binding: This method is called 'storm catching' and involves catching a storm and binding it with an object (usually a bottle) so it can be released gradually at a later date.

Storm Water

One of the easiest forms of weather magick is to collect storm water (also called thunder water). Set a bowl or vessel outside during a thunderstorm. You're not just collecting water, you're also collecting the potent energy in the atmosphere. The thunder, lightning, and pressure all charge the water with extra energy. When the storm is over bottle and keep for spellwork, anointing, and more.

Ancient Latin Wind Invocation

Stand outside and say the following:

"Venire ventus venire, sinere solus sentire relaxari, venire nunc nunc venire venire venire venire"

Ancient Latin Rain Spell

Look up to the sky and say:

"Elementum recolligo huie commodo locus mini vestri vox Elementum ego unda dico vos Permissum pluit es est meus nos sic vadum is existo"

Meteorological Symbols

• Can be used as sigils

• Use for weather summoning

• Can substitute a certain weather condition required as a spell component

Herbs, Trees, and Plants used in Weather Magick

Alder: Raises winds, commonly turned into wind whistles

Broom: Thrown into fire to calm winds, thrown in the air to raise winds

Cotton: Thrown into fire to bring rain

Ferns: Thrown into fire to bring rain

Garlic: Warn to ward off bad weather

Heather: Thrown into fire to bring rain

Henbane: Thrown into water to bring rain

Oak/Acorn: Protects against lightning strikes and bad weather

Pansy: Brings rain and storms, if picked on a sunny day brings storms but if picked early in the morning while covered with dew brings rain

Rice/Grain/Wheat: Thrown into the air to bring rain

Saffron: Raises winds, assists with control of the weather

Thistle: Thrown into fire to redirect lighting

"There are some things you can only learn in a storm."

[stalkerofthegods]

Loki Deep dive

Signs he's reaching out- seeing the Snaptun Stone, Large numbers of spiders, Fire seeing his symbols and things that remind you of him in a dream, a close brush with danger, Dreams of Loki speaking to you, Repeated appearances of any of the animals related to Loki, sudden obsession on him or seeing things related to him that you wouldn’t regularly notice

Days & holidays! - Autumn Equinox, Samhain, Yule, Sep 5 UPG (tumbler meme devoted to him day) , Julaften, Saturday, April fools, Lokablót

Equivalent- logi  (the personification of fire), Prometheus, Tantalus, Jesus, Pan, Cernunnos, Dionysus, anasi, Bacchus, Lugh, Hermes, Mercury, Elegua, Eshu, Prometheus, Veles, Coyote and Crow

Dislikes- in my experience he wasn’t a fan of Hermes, he doesn’t like Heimdall (Heimdall kills Loki ) 

Married- he is married to Sigyn! (the goddess of Victory)   Also, Loki’s first wife (Angrboda who was a Jotun ) taught Loki magic, later he devoured her heart because she was an ‘evil’ witch.

Zodiac- Aries and Gemini 

Siblings - Blood Odin, Hellblindi and Balyestyr

Devotional- volunteering to help survivors of trauma, helping with orphanages, and those who are in need, laughing at yourself.

Animal - Coyote, Salmon, Snakes, Foxes, vulture, Quiscalus quiscula, wolves, serpents, cats, falcon, butterfly, raven, flies, dragons, spiders.

colors - yellow , green , red, pink, neons, purple, gold, silver, Black, violet 

offerings - Candy, Atomic Fireball (he loves alcohol ex- tequila, rum, brandy, and mead, but he does get tired of it beacuse it’s offered so much), Pez, Pixie Sticks, cookies/pastries, caramel apples. Speaking of apples, He loves red food (ex-Red Velvet) He likes things with a lot of pepper spice, or even just the peppers themselves (habaneros seem to be a favorite), good whiskey, bread, knives, whatever reminds him of u, also baked goods, or anything really, you can give him just sugar or just food, whatever says “LOKI!!”, he also loves caffeinated drinks!, he likes cinnamon, chocolate, Tobacco, weed, cheesecake, especially with berries,  old granddad brand of alcohol, and hard cinnamon flavored or spicy liquor, and spicy runs and mulled wine! Carmel golden apples!  He also loves Nutella, I would recommend giving whatever you think he would like, he likes new things I heard.

Number - 13  and Kaunaz, Naudiz, Thurisaz, number 3, The Berkana rune, 

Planet- Pluto, Dark Moon

To do in his honor  - Inner Child work, Llaughing at yourself, Accepting that no one and self is perfect, and mistakes are okay, Feeling all of our feelings, drawing, coloring, singing, dancing, being creative, working with children or the elderly, collecting and sharing jokes, going on a walk, get lost, go on an adventure with friends or fellow outcasts, go clean up a local park in his honor, do something ur scared of, joke in their honor 

What he favors in devotes - Passion and drive, inc stubbornness, a go-getter, hunger for life, child like playfull Ness

God of - Celeverness, change, Creation, Cunning, Divine, Discovery, Humor, knowledge, sex, Seduction, shapeshifting, trickster (mischief), wit, truth,  temptation, the hearth, nature. 

Patron -outcasts (black sheep), earthquakes, changing cycles of the moon, nature, fire itself.

his weapon- Lævateinn

Herbs - daisy, mistletoe, Lavender, Patchouli, Cinnamon, Clove, Hemp, Holly, Mistletoe, Cedar, Juniper, Elder, “yellow rattle” plant, lokasjóður, “Loki’s Purse” (a plant), Loki oats, wild oats, birch, alder, mullein, acorns, Aspen trees (UPG)

Preferred coffee- very very sweet. (I also heard he likes mocha) 

Remind me of him - smiling, laughter, dancing, knives, horns, flowers, trees, flies, foxes, rings, black nail polish, masks, spiders, red hair, cat eyeliner look, eyeliner, blue eyes, plastic toys, nature 

Blessings - sharper knives (be careful they may be blunt one second and then sharp)

Tarot- The magician, Wheel of Fortune, the sun, the devil, the tower, the magician, 

Signs - spiders, vultures, snakes, seals, foxes, flies, wolves, Dandelions, coyotes 

Alter decorations - boats, kids' toys, anything listed here really.

Scents - He likes cinnamon, mulled wine, cotton candy, and peaty whiskey and yew, but nothing strong or overwhelming or alluring and anything too feminine, he also dislikes super masculine colognes. He likes Pine, cinnamon, sugar & spice, honey, and wild berry incense and dragons blood incense 

Animals• Fox, spiders,Flies, salmon horses, vultures 

Crystal• Volcanic and Sulfurous stones (ex. Obsidian Gypsum, Hematite, etc.)((is associated with tectonic activity)), pyrite (fools gold), color-changing stones, Bloodstone, Xlead calcite, Sunsgone, Stones associated with the air element, red stones, Stones of any other color you associated with Loki (ex- red Jasper, Garnet, Carnelian, Ruby), Stones that scream “LOKI!!”, but mostly - Red Jasper, Amber, Garnet, Goldstone; Plastic, Acrylic, Glass, Gold, Bronze, Silver, Magnesium, Orange calcite, hematite, fire agate, onyx, etc.), serpentine, fire quartz, smoky quartz, pyrite, multi-colored/color-changing stones (labradorite, fluorite, alexandrite, bismuth, etc.), carnelian, and tiger's eye, kambaba jasper, prehnite, garnet, green aventurine, malachite, and petrified wood, Yellow calcite

Symbols•fox, Knox, web, Tangles, snakes, Flies, salmon, horses, Mistletoe, (I've also heard vulture, hawk, skull

Names•known as sky traveler, Ve, or, father of monsters, Flamehair, “that bastard” (UPG), Lie-Smith, Sly-God, Shape-Changer, Sly-One, Lopt, Sky Traveller, Sky Walker, Wizard Of Lies, and Loftur and I'm sure there's more. (I’ve accidentally called him Taco Bell before myself.) 

Mortal or immortal • immortal, but has apples to live longer, suspected the Apple effects last YEARS (like more than 100+ years. Because he is not “old” or dead yet, and in mythology, they take it to stay young and live forever.) and ragnorok

Vows/omans• Blood brother with Odin, Loki swears oaths that he will devise a scheme to cause the builder (of the wall of the asier home) to forfeit the payment, whatever it may cost himself.

Morals• He's morally grey 

Personality• understanding, and fast going, can be jealous and has a quick temper.

Fact• He had a wife before Sigyn and he is in a cave until Ragnorok. I also heard he like farts a lot. And sends spiders, so beware, he made spiders in Sweden mythology 

Roots• Norse mythology 

Appearance in astral or gen• red hair and fair skin but not too red or too fair. Also, blue eyes I think or green. Or anything at all really.

Children- Hel, Jormangandr, Fenir, Sleipnir, Vanir, Narfi, (from sigyn) Svadilfari,  and Einmyria and Eisa (with Glut.) He also ate a woman’s heart and bore the first witch, some say also a HUGE cat. 

Season• the month of Gemini and Aries 

Status• God and Yotan

Element- Fire, air, nature.

Personality- Loki is not always the most mature and can sometimes act like a toddler. Also chaotic Neutral. he is not an omniscient Deity, but true to his word.

Parentage • The tree Lufey and farbauti

Prayers•

Flame-hair, your soul burning into the night, Throwing caution to the wind And casting the die of fate, Teach me your fearlessness. Lie-smith, your sharp words like daggers, Cutting through illusions to the bone And revealing the reality we refuse to see, Teach me your clarity. Silver-tongue, whispering carefully veiled truths, Sowing shrouded mystery in your wake, And leading only the clever onward, Teach me your secrecy. And leading only the clever onward, Teach me your secrecy. Gift-Bringer, recognizing all the overlooked, Giving rightly earned reward where it’s due, And in turn, blame as well, Teach me your justice. Scar-lip, ending silence in the face of injustice, Grinning down at the outcasts And rallying your voice with theirs, Teach me your anger. Pain-holder, accepting your punishment, Embracing the consequences of your deeds, And taking the fall of those who are weaker, Teach me your resilience. World-breaker, harbinger of chaos, Spitting fire upon the stagnant And carving the spear of change, Teach me your courage. Cruel-striker, slanderer of the gods, Burning the inefficient and stale, Revealing potential in the ashes, Teach me your insight. Sly-walker, throwing your mischievous grin about And casting laughter into the darkness Where before there was only despair, Teach me your joy. Shape-changer, manipulator of all walks of life, Confidently adapting to every situation, Commanding the strength of any form, Teach me your cunning. Hearth-fire, warmth of my heart, Your arms a sanctuary where none is found Light and life of the home I can always return to, Teach me your nurturing. Sky-treader, ever true to your wild heart,Letting none even try to contain your spirit As free as the sky itself, Teach me your passion. Hail Loki, And thank you, my God, For everything you bring to my life.I love you so.

- by @klawl

Links/websites/sources •

Links I recommend - 

Loki is the Norse god of mischief, and the hard cold truth, even tho he may be cold, he is wise, and charming in many ways.

I use resources, I do not own the info, and most deep dives have UPG (that I use in my work.) And I only take some information from sources. I am 14, this is my hobby, I am learning but I spent many hours and days on this, and I am always open to criticism. I have been doing worship for 5 years. Please know you can use the info, I do not sue, but I will take action if this work is used without permission and not put as a resource if used in any work. without permisson and not put as a resource if used in any work, for the public.

[arbitrarygreay]

I was playing around with the idea that maybe Alder isn't actually even that powerful as a witch, but reviewing the evidence in the show does point more towards her being at least above average. First of all, we have to consider if "power" is a meaningful concept. Raelle's case seems to indicate that, yes, it's not just about producing wavelength patterns (as the Camarilla are able to reproduce technologically), there is a magical depth of capability that affects the reach of Work. Two people with the same vocal control will produce different scales of effect depending on their power. Jem Bellweather can create storms of a certain magnitude by herself, which would require collaboration by less powerful witches. (Although, there is a bit of the show playing coy about power levels due to budget constraints. Bridey mentions Razor Hail being thrown at them by enemy witches in the Andes, but by S3 Petra says that no Bellweather has been able to pull Razor Hail off. Maybe Razor Hail is normally only a collaborative Work? Ditto for the dual tornados seen in the pilot. ) Going back to Alder, we have a couple of points of comparison. First, both Alder and Petra affect the weather with their moods, causing storms to brew and thunder rumbles when angry. Second, we have Alder herself calling Khalida powerful, and the two of them share being First Song Stewards (as well as with Jem/Abigail). In 1x10, though, what we see is Alder mostly using the collaboration way of being powerful, utilizing the coordination of the Biddies to pull off highly complex Work. This is why I played with the idea that maybe Alder wasn't even that powerful by herself, but just rode off of the novelty value of revealing Work to the public at all, and then just having increasing experience advantage over time, and then the Biddies giving her further edge. But if she unleashed her piece of the First Song on the scaffold, then it probably was a truly powerful storm that she unleashed. Still, there is something to be said for the fact that power wouldn't really be the thing that carried her for 300+ years. I once compared Alder to a sports team coach already, and that would remain apt. In a basketball AU, Alder would have to be good enough to make it into the NBA and a regular, but that doesn't mean she had to be one of the headlining stars during that time before becoming a coach of a legendary roster afterwards. It would be more about her ability to direct. To see what the strategy and tactics should be, to make the troops under her understand that vision, and to cultivate those troops' potential in order to execute that vision to the best of their ability. To overcome cultural conventions around secrecy in favor of standardization and optimization of the Work with the most utility, developing the best training and educational programs to outfit the troops and officers. And more on the admin side of things, it would be about her ability to handle the politics, both within her own organization and with the external parties. Not just in fending off challengers for her position, but in ways that don't compromise the military operations. The 1700s were already beyond the time of generals leading as warriors from the front (although witch powers complicate that transition, of course), where a leader's resource management ability was the better indication of success than how they would do in a combat bracket. That's why I'm a bit sad that the show ultimately shoots down my idea of an Alder who isn't actually that powerful, but nonetheless becomes the greatest witch of all time because she was able to inspire the real heavy hitters to follow her command, to organize and maintain a large institution. (And then developing the power hacks she needed over time to stop bluffing in the field.)

[alrikhart]

@alessiathepath location: The Lostlands notes: im ready to be hurt again.

Alrik would know if she was dead.

Vicoya was gone and no longer working on his leg, but because of her he could still walk, and while he was doing it with a limp, Alrik managed his way around the old stones of the ruin just fine. The earth was soft here, deceitful in that way, one wrong step and a person could go in. Stray too far and the mist might take you, or something venomous might perceive you as a threat.

Keep them safe. That's what Alder had told him. It felt like the sort of affirmation you'd give a child and at first, Alrik had resented it, but a talisman hung on his chest and when his ire toward the Iskarans began to build, he'd find himself touching it.

For the first time in a decade, Alrik found peace in his dreams, Fharzai's rune let him shake off the darkness and settle somewhere more quiet. Serene. When the druid wasn't there, Alessia was. He'd talk to the ghost of her memory so that he could continuously commit her to his mind's eye. They'd sit for so long that the fantasy allowed him to forget the truth, and then when he awoke the horror began again.

He found comfort in distraction, his mind couldn't wander far if he was distracted. Alrik recalled Prospero's promise, and he let the validity of what the druid had sworn to settle on him. If Alessia died, Alrik would die: Prospero had saved them once, he could do it again. There was no reason for Alrik to trust him beyond that singular sentiment, but he did.

Idle hands saw him tinkering with what he could, fixing the bearings on carts, sharpening or mending swords in case the troupe was attacked here. They'd be ready this time.

A sound like a door creaking open muddled with the crackle of energy as the telltale note of arcana pressed itself against the tarmac of his tongue. The ball of Alrik's meteor hammer hung at his side in a heartbeat, already taking a turn as he searched for an advantage point. Ephemeral blue and wide split the air open like a door, and people began to step through.

The Princess looked insane, but he recognized most of them. Alrik's heart began to beat rapidly in his chest, harder and harder:

I would know if she was dead. I would know if she was dead. I would know if she was dead. A final figure skulked from the door like a shadow, a cloak of raven feathers with the cowl drawn low. The last of them. Beneath he saw the tip of what looked like bone.... But that wasn't his sister.

She wasn't there. She wasn't-

Something hateful bloomed in the witch's chest as his eyes bore into the hooded figure, they seemed to look at him from under their cowl, and then it was pulled back, the mask removed, and Alrik recognized Alessia immediately.

And yet, she no longer looked anything like his dreams. Older somehow, changed: Alrik could not know what she'd been to, but his hammer fell without a thought as it hit the ground beside him.

"Alessia."

Alrik was running, limping, and running and pushing despite whatever pain reverberated from the injury.

"Alessia!"

Alrik felt the smile on his face and heard it in his voice. So many years the Harts had worn their masks, now when he ran toward Alessia he felt it abandoned behind him, if only for the moment.

He'd watched the darkspawn take his sister and spent the last two months conjuring every possible scenario. Falling into despair and madness, lashing out at anyone who tried to broach her to him - but here she was. Alive. He'd been right.

Alrik's arms fell around her, large and crushing as he squeezed without thought, lifting and turning her in the air. He couldn't be cognisant of the way his tears fell, how they streamed as if he was taking his first steps from that Iskaran mine once more. They'd been children then, but if there was anything young about them still, it had died along this road.

"I knew you would find your way to us- I knew you'd-" His eyes searched her face, his thoughts worked too quickly to conjure a story of comfort or gratitude. He made eye contact with Alder and Prospero, they had kept their promise, and he would address that later.

Alrik smiled and tugged her toward his camp.

"Tell me everything."

[vixenzorra]

Samhain Celebration and Beauxment Manor

Lucien and Celeste 3 

Halloween 1974 

The driveway to Beauxment Manor was so long that the manor itself looked like a dollhouse on a hill. The grand manor house however, was entirely irrelevant to this Samhain celebration. Even a palace as grand as Beauxment Manor would not have been able to contain a celebration of such enormity. Tables sagging with food and drink lined the drive, floating lanterns casting light across the hundreds of guests all bedecked in silks and cloaks and masks as they chattered and laughed. Instruments played themselves whilst children ran around or queued to have their faces painted by an ancient looking crone who was trying, with all the patience in the world, to explain its significance to the sticky-faced little beasties. It was not a ball. It was an entire festival. 

“The cost, Alder!” Lisbet whispered to her husband after she finally managed to pick her jaw up off of the floor. 

“I cannot think of a comparison.” Celeste watched as their father took it all in, studying everything and adding up the cost in his head. His frown deepening.

“Everyone in the community is here!” Lisbet’s eyes threatened to pop out of her skull. Celeste had already seen at least three people she knew to be on the Grand Council. 

“Not everyone,” Lily grumbled. 

“Lily don’t. You’ll get in trouble,” Celeste whispered as their father shot them a warning look. This was not the place to start debating werewolf inclusion politics. Lily looked as though she were struggling not to roll her eyes, and looped an arm through Celeste’s before looking away. 

“Oh look!” Lily pointed at a short fencer’s podium, where a floating sword was offering fair-goers an opponent-less fencing match . “If you hadn’t insisted on ‘proper dress’ I could have beaten that easily,” she snorted. 

“You fence Miss Greene?” The rich, sonorous voice of Lucien Beauxment appeared behind the girls, making them jump. They all spun around, Celeste dropping into a curtsey. Manners were second nature to her. Lucien was even more striking up close, the piercing grey of his eyes almost silver in the moonlight. 

“Oh,” Lily blinked. “Yes. Father-” 

“He should never have encouraged you three into such boyish pursuits.” Lisbet said. Celeste’s eyes widened at her mother’s rudeness. Had she been drinking already? “It is an honour to meet your Lord Beauxment. These are my youngest, Lily and Celeste.” Lucien nodded, pale eyes casting over the two of them. 

“It is a pleasure My Lord,” Celeste’s words were soft, eyes turning up to him only as she rose from her curtsey. He gave the smallest nod in acknowledgement before returning his attention to Lily. 

“I find myself in need of a partner since my return. Should you wish to arrange a session, you are welcome to send word.” His eyes cast over all of them, moving slowly. He seemed to take in everything about them in that tiny eternity before they flicked upwards to fix on something behind them. “I do hope you enjoy my little show of community.” His eyes met Celeste’s again with that same piercing slowness as before, then he left. 

“I dare say he liked you Lily,” Alder’s face contorted as he tried to suppress a grin. 

“Mmm,” was Lily’s only response. 

“That is a good thing Lily,” he reminded her, making Celeste chuckle at her sister’s sour face. 

“May we go and explore?” Celeste asked, sensing an argument brewing as her mother muttered something about ‘decorum’ and ‘swords’. They were waved off, and the girls scampered away. 

“Where are you dragging me off to?” Lily had finally allowed a smile onto her face now that they were away from their parents. “I wonder what they are doing here,” she murmured, dragging her sister to a witch and a vampire who were sat over a large cauldron. Celeste watched as the vampire woman twisted the stem of an apple before cutting the peel, and the witch murmured. The contents of the cauldron glowed lightly red and they watched the peel contort itself and a girl ran off, giggling. 

“What is this?” Lily asked. The vampire woman looked up, sweeping her dark hair from her face. 

“It’s a spell that can divine who your future love will be.” Celeste’s eyes widened. 

“Not just your future love, but the one that your soul is destined to be with,” the witch smiled. “There is no cost. For any of the attractions here. Do you wish to try?” She raised a shiny red apple to Lily. 

“She will,” Lily pushed Celeste forwards. 

“Is it magic, or superstition?” Celeste’s brow arched. 

“Is not our work made of both?” the vampire smiled. “Come child, try it.” Celeste hesitated. Then nodded. It couldn’t hurt. 

“What do I do?” 

“Hold this to your brow, and think of happiness, think of romance. This of what your heart desires most,” said the witch, holding a ruby red apple out to her. “Then kiss it, and we shall reveal its answers to you.” 

“What can it hurt Celly?” 

Celeste ignored her sister’s irritating childhood nickname for her and took the apple. She closed her eyes, ignoring out silly it felt holding an apple to her brow and focused. She thought of happiness, of warmth and filled her mind and heart with it, with all of the stories she read about and the love contained within. She kissed it, then handed it back. She found her heart fluttering impatient as the vampire peeled it and cast it into the cauldron as the witch started chanting. The apple skin curled, and floated before it settled. It settled, in the shape of an L.

[just-another-star-47]

Finally...

When shadows turn to darkness

Chapter 1 Chapter 2

Read on AO3 and Wattpad

German version

Meet Luscinia at Diagon Alley and accompany her into the magic world of Hogwarts and Scottland.

~ 10 200 words

The fog in the alleyways of London had not yet lifted and gripped Luscinia's ankles as she stepped out of the carriage.

Whilst the coachman struggled with her luggage - a large dark leather suitcase and, to his renewed astonishment, a decorated broom - she looked around the alley.

In different shades of the same grey, the individual houses lined up next to each other and seemed to support each other. Her eyes darted to the wooden sign that marked the building directly in front of her as a pub and her lips pressed together in a hard line.

"Are you sure you want to get off here, miss? A young miss alone in this neighbourhood," he looked around uncertainly, the sign and the pub below hidden from his eyes, "that attracts trouble, mark my words!"

Luscinia gave the coachman a polite smile and shook her head, "I'm expected, sir, don't worry about it."

"Expected by whom?" he grumbled sullenly as he placed the suitcase at her feet and accepted his pay. His eyes widened and if Luscinia hadn't been busy strapping her broom around her body, he would have taken her hand and shaken it vigorously.

"Such a fine missus, a real little angel."

Unpleasantly touched, the woman addressed grabbed the rest of her luggage in a hurry and braced herself against the door of the pub.

The "dripping cauldron" was empty at this hour. The landlord was cleaning glasses behind the bar for the evening, when the taproom would be filled with witches and wizards; an elderly man sat in front of him, his eyes engrossed in his newspaper.

"I'm looking for a Professor Eleazar Fig."

Luscinia stepped closer to the counter, ignoring the innkeeper's curious gaze, which flicked over her clothes and began to glow with interest when he heard her foreign accent. Before a reply could stumble across his lips, however, the older man had turned his attention from the newspaper to her.

"That must be me, then."

A warm spark flashed in his brown eyes as he took the young lady's hand and shook it. His gaze briefly wandered over the entrance to the pub and the furrows on his forehead deepened.

"Were you not given a companion for the journey?"

"My family was of the firm opinion that a young lady of seventeen should be able to manage the journey on her own."

"Well, we professors also encourage the students at our school to be independent; after all, we are the last academic authority to prepare them for their future lives."

He grabbed her suitcase and motioned for her to follow him.

"And yet it seems important to me to provide a certain amount of guidance and care. Even for the older students, who are already recognised as adults by the law."

They had stepped into the backyard of the pub, a narrow rectangle where the rubbish was dumped, the ground almost as grey as the stone of the wall that surrounded it.

"Count," with a friendly smile, the professor pointed to one of the ash bins on which a small rune had been carved, "three up and two to the side."

Hesitating briefly, Luscinia did as she was told and looked questioningly at the professor as the tip of her index finger paused on one particular brick.

"Now tap it three times with your wand."

Her gaze flitted from the professor to the brick and back again before she reached into the inside pocket of her jacket for the wand.

It was plain, carved from alder wood encasing a dragon heart fibre. Wrapping her hand tightly around the handle of the same wood, Luscinia tapped the stone where her finger had lingered only a moment ago.

Shaking and crunching, a small crack opened in the wall, which grew wider and wider. The individual bricks began to rearrange themselves, scraping along each other until an archway opened up in front of Luscinia and the professor.

"And now you know how to get to Diagon Alley from London."

Through a dingy side alley, they entered the shopping street, which was well frequented despite the early hour and the low-hanging clouds.

On both sides of the street, shop after shop lined up, signs with their names vying for attention. The air hung heavy with a variety of smells, from foggy herbal blends to the sweet, sticky smell of caramelised sugar. In the shop windows, all sorts of things were stacked on top of each other. Copper cauldrons for brewing potions, parchment, paper and notebooks with accompanying quills, herbs and plants that snapped at every visitor and owls in cages that blinked sullenly and turned their heads away from the faces pressed against the glass.

"We'll be staying the night at the 'Cozy Feathers'. It has a much better reputation than the 'Dripping Cauldron' and is close to the shops we need to visit for your school supplies," Professor Fig smiled good-naturedly at his companion.

"Of course, you are free to visit all the other shops at any time. Diagon Alley is the magical hub of England."

Holding her suitcase in front of his body, Eleazar Fig pushed his way through the groups of people. Luscinia tried to keep right behind him, her eyes darting restlessly back and forth. The bright robes of the wizards and witches stood in stark contrast to the dull grey of London that she had seen from the carriage. An excitedly chattering crowd of children bumped into her and pushed past her, only to be scolded by an adult a few metres further on. Lowering her gaze to the cobblestones, Luscinia finally concentrated on keeping up with the professor and largely ignoring the impressions streaming in on her.

Having grown up in her family's manor house in the far-flung wizarding community in the far north, she was simply not used to the hustle and bustle. A few weeks ago, she had visited Berlin with her mum to get dressed in the latest Muggle fashion, but even though the city was crammed with its absurdities and peculiarities, she still couldn't match the confusion of Diagon Alley. What's more, she could easily understand what was being said there, whereas here only individual snatches of speech flew to her and everything else remained an impenetrable mumble.

The volume and the confusion of people got even worse when they finally entered the 'Cozy Feathers'.

"Stay close to me," Eleazar Fig held his arm protectively behind her to shield her from the witches pushing past, dragging their children along by the sleeves of their cloaks.

"The Hogwarts Express leaves from King's Cross station tomorrow. Many families are already travelling today so as not to miss the departure or to do their last errands. Just like us."

He pushed his way closer to the reception desk, behind which a young witch had her hands full.

"Professor Eleazar Fig and Luscinia Plonbraw..." she muttered, fishing two golden keys out of the air before they could whizz away again.

Dodging a bag that was trying to find its way back to its owner in the commotion, the professor and Luscinia followed a few other people to the upper floors. The further they stepped into the corridors, the more rooms appeared before them, turning the inn into a veritable maze. As the key in the young woman's hand began to tremble and shake, a spiral staircase rolled down from the ceiling to her feet, leading them directly to their rooms.

Exhaling loudly, she dropped onto her bed and watched the hustle and bustle of Diagon Alley from her window. Her fingers found her earring and played with the clasp, opening and closing it again and again.

Open and close, open and close.

The colourful crowd outside rushed past her like a constant stream that her eyes could not focus on. With a shake of her head and a deep breath, she brought herself back to the here and now and stood up with a jerk. She had a good hour to freshen up after the long journey before she met with the professor again to buy the things she needed for the new school year.

Panting, she splashed the cold water of the washbasin on her face and watched the clear drops and rivulets running down her features as she raised her head to look in the mirror.

She knew that she owed the professor's company to her aunt and uncle, who had at least managed to get their way in this matter. And although she was grateful not to have to be alone for the first few days in this foreign country, this extra treatment made her deeply uncomfortable. While her facial expression and steady hand in no way revealed her racing heartbeat, she removed her hat pins and hat and rebraided her hair, trying to tame the strands that had come loose during her journey. Now that her company and surroundings were once again exclusively from the magical part of the population, she changed out of her muggle clothing for a robe she was more familiar with and smoothed out her dress and cloak with a deep breath. Checking the fit of her waist bag, she nodded encouragingly to herself in the mirror before descending the stairs and stepping outside the inn.

Light drops of a drizzle touched her cheeks and made her turn up the collar of her cloak.

"First you need a compartment at Gringotts so you can manage your money here too."

Professor Fig pointed to an imposing white stone building that stretched towards the grey sky at one end of the alley. The architecture of the building was impressive enough - tall pillars framing the entrance and multiplying over the next few floors - but the life-size dragon carved out of stone, perched on the roof and angrily fixing visitors with gem-studded eyes, added a fierce crown to the majestic façade.

"The last time I saw such masterful stonework was among the dwarves," Luscinia could not take her eyes off the dragon, which appeared to be breathing fire with its mouth open.

Professor Fig turned to her, his eyes flashing attentively: "I've heard a lot about the dwarves' works, including the fact that they are in constant competition with the goblins. I hear there are often differences of opinion as to whether magic is a legitimate tool for working metal and stone."

"Then goblins, unlike dwarves, possess magic like witches and wizards?" Luscinia stepped through the bronze door, which opened silently on its own.

"A different magic to ours. But you'll learn a lot more about these creatures and their history in class."

Gringotts was just as impressive on the inside as it was on the outside. The white marble on the floor was interspersed with ornate patterns that shimmered and shone in the light of the huge chandelier above their heads. The clacking of their shoes was drowned out by the sounds of the goblins lined up on raised workstations to their left and right. They served witches and wizards queuing in front of them, stamped papers or handed out money. Smaller sacks of their kind jingled back and forth between them, filling those counters that were running out of coins.

Past those bank employees, Professor Fig led his companion to a reception desk framed by two sand-coloured pillars and discussed his request with the goblin sitting at it. He had already made an appointment the day before and now handed over the necessary papers, which Luscinia pulled from the depths of her bag.

The goblin scrutinised the young witch meticulously after studying the data on her passport.

"Plonbraw... hm..." he flicked through his documents, "...there is still a compartment available next to the rest of your family."

"That won't be necessary," her insistent tone caught the attention of both the goblin and the professor, "to be perfectly honest with you, sir, I'd welcome a dungeon away from the rest of the Plonbraws."

"As you wish," the bank clerk shrugged and ran his finger over the labelled sheets, "we have one here. It's not as deep into the grot as the other dungeons of the great wizarding families..."

"It doesn't matter."

If he thought the interruption rude, the goblin didn't show it and simply gestured for them to follow a young man he had summoned with a button on his counter. He pressed a signed paper and a key into his hand and the man led them into a waiting room covered with a dark carpet that swallowed their footsteps.

With a teacup in both hands, Luscinia looked around the room after the bank employee had left her to take the next steps.

Passing the fireplace, in which a magically created flame was blazing, her eyes travelled to the ceiling-high bookshelf that occupied the opposite side. But before she could put down her teacup and rise from her chair, Eleazar Fig took the floor. Clearing his throat and taking a sip from his cup, he began hesitantly.

"It seems like nothing more than a guess, but am I right in assuming that you and your family members living here are not on the best of terms?"

To gain time, Luscinia also brought her cup to her lips. The fact that the professor was not in the know showed her that he did not usually socialise with the great wizarding families - a fact that made him trustworthy to her. Nevertheless, she didn't know him and loathed the thought of revealing too much about herself.

"Since the local branch of the family moved to England, contact has been broken off. So I didn't think it was appropriate to take over a dungeon next to theirs."

Eleazar Fig watched her with clear eyes before responding: "On the one hand, this statement gives me a better understanding of why your aunt and uncle asked the school to provide a professor to care for you, but on the other..."

"You have nothing to worry about, sir," Luscinia followed the gentle ripples of the tea in her cup as she shifted her weight and slid around on the chair, "I was raised to be highly independent and therefore do not require much attention."

"If I remember correctly, you only turned seventeen this spring? A young woman is more than entitled to the support and help of an adult."

"Turning seventeen, I'm now an adult myself, Professor. A rule that also applies here in England."

"That's quite right..," Eleazar Fig sipped his tea thoughtfully, allowing a tense silence to fall.

It was only interrupted when the door opened and another goblin entered. Luscinia jumped up hastily and strode after the bank employee, listening with one ear to the rustling of the professor's cloak, who immediately followed her.

They passed through several doors of iron-studded bronze, each more massive than the one before them, before stepping onto a metal platform that offered a clear view over the depths of a grotto. Two bright white lanterns illuminated the man-sized stalactites directly above their heads and rails that disappeared into bottomless darkness. The air was cold and clammy and drained through the fabric of their clothes as if it wasn't there.

"After you," the goblin bowed his head and straightened the knot of his tie. He had summoned a monstrous metal vehicle to the platform with a piercing whistle. Like a spider, its legs clung to the rails and the seats on which Luscinia and Professor Fig sat swayed slightly, indicating that they were not firmly anchored.

"Buckle up, please!" The goblin had also climbed onto the vehicle and set it in motion with a lever. A circular spotlight lit their way as they descended into the depths of the grotto. Luscinia felt the wind pulling at her hair and closed her eyes for a moment. She eagerly breathed in the cave air that pressed against her face and savoured the slight tingling sensation in her stomach when the vehicle turned a corner or they plunged down the rails on a particularly steep section.

"It seems to me that we have to go lower than I thought," Eleazar Fig pressed out as his fingers tightened their grip on the handholds near his seat. Once again, their seats rotated on their own axis as the vehicle took another bend.

"What fun it would be if this movement didn't exist," chortled Luscinia, "we'd be upside down for a moment."

"I think our views on fun differ greatly," gasped her companion, "do you play Quidditch, Miss Plonbraw?"

"Oh yes, very much and often, sir."

"That explains a lot."

The sound of falling water reached their ears, but the darkness around them prevented them from recognising its origin.

"You'd better hold your breath."

"Excuse me?"

Suddenly, Luscinia felt like she was submerged in a bucket of ice water and gasped audibly.

"Ah, these waterfalls wash possible enchantments from everything they touch," Professor Fig snorted.

"Methinks an efficient but rather crude safety precaution," her teeth began to chatter as the air whipping against her drove through her now dripping wet clothes.

Releasing his tense fingers one by one from one of the handles, Eleazar Fig fumbled for his wand.

"That's not necessary, sir, my body just needs to get used to the cold."

Despite her protests, the professor pointed his wand at her and dried first her clothes and then his own with a suitable spell.

"It looks like I've had my lesson in expanding my horizons when it comes to spells. Thank you sir."

"Well, as your professor, this is my job of course, though this time you should see it as an act of caring."

The vehicle's brake discs squealed as it came to a halt in front of a round door set into the stone. It stood open, and as Luscinia stepped from the narrow bridge onto the rock enclosure, she could see a group of goblins piling up gold coins inside the dungeon. They wore the same fine but plain clothing as those at the counters in the entrance hall, who had been constantly replenishing the supply of gold. Empty sacks lay scattered next to the entrance and, apart from the quiet clinking of coins, the group worked silently, stacking the gold in orderly columns and piles.

"It still needs to be organised, but this is all the money your family has been instructed to deposit for you," the goblin who had accompanied them handed Luscinia a key, "of course you are free to recount it at any time, or instruct a servant to do so."

He shrugged his shoulders and thought for a moment: "You are free to wait here until our employees have sorted all your gold. This leaves it up to you to lock the dungeon. Apart from you, no one else has a key unless you want to have another one made. However, the formalities for this must be..."

Ignoring his words, Luscinia had already stepped into the dungeon and put a handful of coins into her pocket, which were still lying unsorted on the floor. She avoided looking at the mountains of shimmering metal that were already piling up at the back.

"What amount did you take out, miss? Just so we can get the right total when we count it."

Embarrassed, she dug out the coins again, her cheeks coloured a fiery red, which only slowly faded with the coolness of the interwoven caves and shafts on the way back.

At the gates of Gringott, she and the Professor were greeted by a heavy downpour, which did nothing to dampen the bustle of Diagon Alley.

"Well, I think it's the right time to eat something," Eleazar Fig held out his wand and let the falling drops swirl over their heads on all sides, "what do you think of a hearty, late breakfast? The 'Last Golden Coin' should be perfect for that."

He continued to keep the raindrops away from them with his magic as he led her to an inn in one of the winding side alleys. Luckily for them, some of the tables in the taproom were unoccupied and to her delight, the professor headed for one that was slightly off to the side, half hidden behind a half-height wall.

After a while, the landlady brought them a pot of tea and plates filled with bacon, egg, beans, mushrooms and a slice of toast.

"Your first English breakfast, I presume?"

Luscinia nodded and sucked the smell of the meal deep into her lungs before hungrily munching on the individual ingredients. She kept raising her head and nodding to the professor, who gave her details about her new school. When only the cups of steaming tea were left in front of them, Professor Fig wrote down all the subjects his protégé had to take and which ones she could choose freely.

"There will be several classes for each subject. The students will be drawn at random. But don't worry, the year is small enough to be able to socialise with each of your classmates."

Sliding the parchment and his quill towards Luscinia, the professor indicated that she should mark the subjects she wanted to take in addition to her compulsory curriculum.

Astronomy, History of Magic, Defence Against the Dark Arts..., her eyes flew over the listed classes and she tried to imagine what they all entailed, ...Herbology, Transfiguration, Charms and Potions.

Just the written word of the last subject caused frustration to bubble up inside her and she turned her attention to the electives. The quill hovered over the paper for a moment before she ticked Study of Ancient Runes and Care of Magical Creatures. She didn't know how it would be interpreted that she only chose two out of the five available, but her uncertain look was met with a friendly smile from the professor.

"Don't take on too much, just changing schools and learning in a language you're not yet completely familiar with will be stressful enough. Besides, after our brief conversation in the Gringotts caves, I suspect that you would also like to invest your time and energy in joining one of the quidditch teams."

Luscinia's eyes lit up and for the first time there was curiosity and anticipation in her voice as she asked more questions.

Not much of those feelings were left when she stood on a stool in a clothes shop some time later, the English buzzing around her in her head. After much persuasion, the professor had agreed to stroll down Diagon Alley in pursuit of his interests while Luscinia's measurements were taken for her new school uniform. Tailor's assistants pushed their way between the customers, various fabrics over their arms or caskets of buttons and thread in their hands. They quickly improved loose seams and mended torn sleeves, took measurements or advised on options for those uniforms whose owners had outgrown them.

"We normally encourage our customers to come in at least a week before the start of the school year to have a completely new set made."

With frantic movements, the shop employee who looked after Luscinia slung the tape measure over her shoulder and scribbled down the measurements on a sheet of paper on her clipboard.

As you can see, we already have our hands full with alterations and repairs."

"I apologise profusely for the inconvenience I am causing"; Luscinia raised both arms in the air at the behest of the dressmaker's assistant, "I only ask for one finished set by tomorrow, the remaining garments can be sent on by owl."

When she received no reply, her body stiffened and she choked down the lump in her throat, which grew larger, pushing back the overwhelming feeling that she was completely out of place.

"Name!" the prompting voice snapped her back to the present and she stammered out her full name.

A brief jolt went through the clerk, her gaze flitting from the face of the woman standing before her, to her name now written in the header of the paper, to her clothes hanging neatly over the wall screen beside her.

"Just a moment..."

Surprised, Luscinia watched as the young woman hurried away and disappeared into one of the side rooms. Unsure of exactly what to do now, she shifted her weight from one foot to the other, her fingers intuitively reaching for her left earring. Just before she finally decided to get down from the stool, a lady dressed in the latest fashion rushed out of the room where the dressmaker's assistant had disappeared.

"Miss Plonbraw!"

Her voice and outstretched arms made Luscinia flinch and her eyes dart involuntarily to the door.

"Madam?"

"My dear, this is not the place for you."

With a backward glance that made the assistant hastily lower her head, the woman in colourful robes grabbed a robe that was actually meant for another customer and hung it around Luscinia's shoulders.

"Come on!"

Luscinia reluctantly followed her, still restless and tense at not knowing what was happening to her.

She was led through a narrow corridor past individual, smaller rooms that were beautifully decorated but mostly empty.

"As a member of the Plonbraw family, you are of course entitled to completely different treatment. I sincerely apologise for my employee, she's new here and..."

The shopkeeper turned round in astonishment as the young woman stopped abruptly.

"There's been a misunderstanding, madam. I have no connection with the Plonbraws that you seem to be aware of."

"Well, I am fully aware that you are not from here. But you are of the same bloodline, yes?"

"I don't know what my relatives told you, but we lost our status as purebloods some time ago."

Silence fell in the narrow corridor, interrupted only by the rustling of the dressmaker's assistant's clothes as she closed the doors to the rooms that were occupied as inconspicuously as possible. Luscinia hadn't realised that her voice had become louder.

"Well... you're not directly descended from Hirundo's line, are you? But from one of his brothers?"

"I think this conversation is over."

Without hesitation, Luscinia snatched her clothes from the clerk, stopping only briefly to throw them on before pushing through the rest of the customers and clerks.

Rushing headlong out of the shop, she bumped into a man her age, who looked at her puzzled and bowed his head in a gesture of apology, even though he had done nothing wrong.

"Excuse me," Luscinia imitated the gesture as she hastily adjusted the last strings of her dress and slipped into her cloak. Little things that embarrassed the young man even more as he watched her in confusion.

"Is everything all right?" a woman, also not much older than herself, pushed her way closer to Luscinia, "you seem upset." She bumped the young gentleman to the side.

"Just a little disagreement with the shopkeeper," she vigorously turned up her collar again to arm herself against the persistent drizzle. A gesture that prompted the young woman to hold her umbrella over Luscinia as well.

"What happened?" the man took a step closer, only to receive a reproving look.

"If it's any help, we're on our way to a dressmaker that is characterised by excellent quality and more than friendly service. Perhaps you would like to accompany us?"

"I see you're not above attracting new customers, Amalia?"

His provocative statement drew Luscinia's attention to a man with the same red hair as the one she had bumped into a few moments ago. But apart from this outward appearance, the two were in no way alike, quite unlike the woman addressed as Amalia and the now sulky-looking gentleman.

"My offer has less to do with recruitment and more to do with a sincere helping hand. After all, this lady seems to be travelling alone."

Unsure how to react, Luscinia let her gaze glide over the three people again, who also scrutinised her with different expressions.

"I'm not travelling alone, I was just letting my companion know that he can enjoy himself while I'm in this shop. So I don't think it would be right to go somewhere else without telling him."

"Indeed," Amalia nodded, "but don't worry, Garreth will track down your escort and instruct him. We'll take you under our wing until he keeps you company again."

"Why should I, of all people, have her reputation...?" Garreth's protest was silenced by a wave of Amalia's hand.

"Because it's more appropriate for us to move on with my brother than with a man who isn't a close relative."

While Garreth's face turned to frustration, Luscinia's turned to astonishment, but she still answered the question about the name of her companion.

Wide-eyed, the three looked at her silently, Amalia's brother the first to break the silence, stuttering: "I didn't know the professor had relatives our age."

"Ah, we're not related at all," Luscinia's pulse quickened as she realised that she was probably talking to future classmates.

She briefly summarised the circumstances that had prompted the professor to become her companion, arousing even more curiosity. It turned out that the two young men would be attending the same year with her, while the young woman was already in her final year. The three of them eagerly introduced themselves and the excitement grew even more when the strangers turned out to be families who were at least known to each other by name.

Luscinia had learnt about the Weasleys, to whom Garreth belonged, and the Prewetts were also a family that her aunt and uncle had advised her to contact if she felt lonely or longed for support. After exchanging names and a few more pleasantries, Amalia linked arms with the younger woman and, accompanied by Leander, set off for 'Weasley's Wonderful Wardrobe' while Garreth searched for Professor Fig.

The tailor's shop was smaller, but cosier than the one they had visited before. A single room, divided by two screens, served as a dressing and sewing room and had been decorated by the shopkeeper - a cousin of Garreth's - with illustrations from fashion magazines.

Leander immediately retreated to the kitchen of the neighbouring flat and began reading the newspaper while Garreth's cousin prepared the fabrics. The whole atmosphere was relaxed, tea and biscuits were passed around while Luscinia's measurements were taken. Again and again the cousin assured her that the request for the new school uniforms would not take too much time and that they would find a solution to get the whole set ready for her in good time.

In a corner of the room, a pair of golden scissors cut the matching pieces for Luscinia's waistcoat and skirt from grey fabric, while Garreth's cousin mended the Prewitt siblings' capes and school uniforms, chatting happily.

The afternoon passed and soon the voices of Garreth and the Professor could be heard from the kitchen, chatting with Leander about the happenings of the wizarding world and their experiences during the summer.

"Your family should have written to us," Amalia remarked as she helped dress Luscinia in her new school uniform, "it would have been fun to have you with us. And we could have prepared you gently for Hogwarts."

"Though the poor child would have learnt your dialect," Garreth's cousin teased with a broad smile, "when she speaks such posh English at the moment."

Luscinia's cheeks reddened, but Amalia waved her off: "All we had to do was keep her away from Leander, anything else wouldn't have done any harm."

Soon afterwards, the cloak and school uniform were sewn, the emblem of the new school embroidered prominently across the chest. A lion, a snake, a badger and a raven united behind an H.

It turned out that Professor Fig and Garreth had already bought the rest of the things on Luscinia's list, so there was nothing left to do but have dinner together at the 'Cozy Feathers' and then go to bed.

It was only in the silence of her room, shrouded in a murky darkness, that Luscinia realised that she had truly arrived in a foreign country and had to stay there. Huddled under her blanket, she pressed a scarf against her nose that smelled of home as she cried herself to sleep.

The next morning, when she boarded the carriage that would take her and the professor to Hogwarts, her eyes were still puffy, even though she had frantically tried to make them go away with cold water. Smiling more than usual, she covered up the clearly visible traces of her grief and let her gaze wander over the Thestrals pulling the carriage. It had not been long since she had been able to see them. Magical creatures recognisable only to those who had seen a human die before their eyes. Black, horse-like beeings with leathery wings that seemed to consist of nothing but skin and bones. Following an impulse, Luscinia strode towards the animals, pausing motionless before them as she scrutinised them more closely. Despite their appearance, they radiated something strangely peaceful, their eyes observing the young woman with the same curiosity as she did them. One of the animals reared its head and Luscinia was astonished as the Thestral's warm breath fanned across her face. She had never imagined that such warmth could emanate from creatures so closely associated with death.

Hidden from Muggle eyes by a spell, the carriage soon flew over London, leaving the grey rows of houses behind. As the sun climbed higher, the sweeping, lush green meadows below them were slowly interrupted by dark rocks and stone formations. Halfway up, they stopped for a rest, surrounded by confused-looking sheep, which scampered away in a swaying gait as the smell of blood and raw meat reached their noses. Unimpressed, the Thestrals tore up the food that was offered to them, destroying any impression of peace that had previously emanated from them.

Luscinia took advantage of the feeding time to climb up a hill and stretch her stiff limbs. On the shady side of the small rise, the ankle-high grass was still covered in dew and soaked the hem of her skirt, but she didn't mind. Squinting against the sun, she let her eyes wander over the land, taking in the clear air with a deep breath. They were close to the coast, she could taste the salt on her tongue as a strong gust of wind caught her. Smiling, she ran back down the hill some time later, her arms spread wide like wings, ignoring the professor's admonition to be careful.

Her cheeks flushed, she then sat in the carriage again, her upper body leaning to one side so that she could see out of it better. Once again, a pleasant silence settled, rarely interrupted by the rustling of the professor's book pages or the scratching of his quill on parchment.

A waterfall plunged into the depths below them, feeding a river that ran through the meadows like a ribbon of shimmering silk, interspersed with sparkling crystals that reflected the light of the sun.

All at once, a violent gust of wind caught the carriage, sending it tumbling through the air and toppling to one side, taking the Thestrals with it.

A deep rumble vibrated through the air and Luscinia drew her wand, scanning the clouds around her for the beast capable of making that sound.

"Above us!" the coachman roared, his face pale as a chalk, urging the Thestrals to go beyond their limits and escape the monster.

The shadow that fell over them darkened the sky, huge wings whipped up the air around them, the carriage swayed back and forth and its occupants landed on the floor of it.

"We have no chance of defending ourselves like this!" the professor scrambled to his feet, his hands gripping the seats, while Luscinia, half lying on the floor, pointed her wand at the ceiling of the carriage.

"Bombar..."

A bright yellow eye shifted in front of the opening above the door, a slit-shaped pupil stared inside, fixing the young woman.

Frozen, Luscinia returned the gaze, her heart hammering loudly in her chest. Once again, the grumble rumbled through the air, seizing her body and making the hairs of her entire body stand on end.

Claws wrapped around the carriage and the wood around her cracked and trembled. Then the dragon flung it away before diving off, disappearing into the clouds once more as the Thestrals strained to get the skidding carriage back on course.

"Are you all right?" the professor pulled Luscinia back onto the seat, "I've never experienced anything like this before."

"Maybe we flew too close to the nest. It felt more like a warning than a serious attack."

"I don't like to think about it too hard," Eleazar Fig slumped against the back of the seat, his eyes still widened in shock, "well, I guess now what's coming will all seem like child's play."

Luscinia doubted it, but she remained silent, only smiling encouragingly at the professor before turning her eyes back to the landscape below, darting to the clouds now and then whenever she thought she spotted a shadow or movement. But the hours that followed remained quiet, birds the only company that accompanied her for a moment on her way.

A stone viaduct ran the length of a valley and the carriage followed its course, floating along the rails until the towers of Hogwarts rose before them out of the afternoon haze of the summer day.

"To our right is the station where most of the students will be arriving tonight," Professor Fig put aside the book he had started reading as a distraction and pointed out of the window.

"The train travels directly from London to here, stopping at only a few wizarding villages along the way. Students from the surrounding areas are collected in carriages."

They flew over a lake that stretched out on all sides of their field of vision, its surface almost as clear as glass, like a dark, shining mirror.

"The Black Lake surrounds Hogwarts on almost all sides and is home to magical species seeking refuge from the Muggles. We therefore advise students to be careful, only last year a Kelpie almost managed to convince a couple of first years to sit on its back. Fortunately, a fisherman just managed to save them from being drowned in the lake."

Luscinia listened spellbound to the professor's explanations and watched as the castle, enthroned in all its splendour on the cliffs above the water, grew ever larger. She leaned out of the carriage in amazement as the Thestrals lifted the vehicle higher into the air and sailed past the towers and battlements. She realised that Hogwarts and Durmstrang had nothing in common on the outside. Her old school, built in the inhospitable lands of the far north, was a collection of wooden buildings, some half-sunk into the ground, overgrown with moss and grass, but the towers of Hogwarts reached for the clouds.

"How many students attend the school?" The young woman could not take her eyes off the castle, widened with wonder.

The professor had to think for a moment: "If I'm not mistaken, there must be around 400."

"More than twice as many as back home," Luscinia breathed, her gaze now travelling from the castle to the buildings surrounding it.

"A quidditch pitch with stands!"

Now she really couldn't stay in her seat any longer and leant far out.

The carriage landed on the forecourt of the castle, directly in front of the Thestral stables, which were partially embedded in the outer castle wall.

Happy that the Professor had offered her to arrive at Hogwarts earlier than the other students, she strolled around the carriage, taking in the tall towers of the Quidditch pitch, before looking at the forecourt and then the castle again. Discharging his duty, Professor Fig disappeared behind the double doors into the interior after making sure Luscinia's luggage was taken care of and promising to meet her at the fountain in the centre of the courtyard as soon as possible to show her around the castle.

During the first hour, the new student helped the coachman look after the Thestrals, taking in the way he did so and explaining to her that the animals were allowed to roam the Hogwarts grounds freely for most of the year, as most students didn't notice them anyway. Afterwards, she strolled across the forecourt, watching the play of water in the fountain, the four animals that also adorned the emblem on her chest spouting more water from their mouths into the lily-decorated basin. For a while she remained sitting by the fountain, which murmured a soothing melody at her back as she gazed up at the castle. The golden afternoon sun made the towers glow, the light blue sky wreathed the battlements with a cloth embroidered with white wool. Luscinia's gaze fell on the double doors through which the professor had disappeared and had not yet reappeared. Lined with two winged boars, they cast their attractive spell, which Luscinia soon succumbed to.

Wide-eyed, she was confronted by a wall full of stone knights as she entered. Each of them taller than a full-grown man, they stood lined up in individual niches above and next to each other, staring down at her, each holding a heavy weapon. An empty painting hung in the centre between them, the sitter apparently off somewhere else.

Still looking upwards, Luscinia walked on, only to flinch at a tinny clang. To her right and left stood two suits of armour, their palms turned towards her in a challenge to stop. When she did just that, the two knights lowered their hands and stubbornly looked straight ahead again.

"Oh, I see you're guarding the castle," Luscinia curtseyed in amusement, whereupon both suits of armour began to patter about on their pedestals.

"Then I'll take a different route, of course."

Before she could turn away completely, a metal hand carefully gripped her arm, the other reaching out towards the door that had just been forbidden. Astonished that the armour could descend from its pedestals and apparently had a life of its own, Luscinia stared at her faceless counterpart, who was now pointing more vehemently at the door.

"I'm allowed to go through after all?"

The visor of his helmet rattled as the armour nodded. Curtsying once more to both guards, Luscinia finally stepped through the door and was caught in a dim semi-darkness. The sunlight that had shone through the large windows in the entrance hall no longer seemed to have any access to this part of the castle. The air smelled musty and slightly stale and the display cabinets next to the staircase leading down seemed long forgotten. For a moment, her gaze flew over the taxidermied troll behind the glass pane, wondering if they were all so small in Scotland, before she turned to the long corridor in front of her. Narrow, with a high vaulted ceiling, it ran through the lower floors of the castle, wall hangings telling of the building's construction. She took in every detail attentively and finally allowed her curiosity to guide her through ever new corridors, halls, over bridges and through inner courtyards.

Finally, she stood open-mouthed in an imposing hall in front of a fountain that could only have been created by dwarven hands.

Stone nymphs swam in graceful movements around grim-looking trolls carrying a broad pedestal on their hands. If you bent your head back, you could see the battle between unicorn and werewolf immortalised in stone on the very same pedestal. Both animals raised up on their hind legs, the delicate unicorn presenting its horn against the attacker, which muscles seemingly ready to pounce, its mouth open in slaver. A battle of innocence against corruption, light against darkness.

"Miss Plonbraw, lucky I found you!"

The professor's voice made her flinch and she stammered, following the wave of his hand to step closer to him.

"It is I who must apologise," Eleazar Fig interrupted her with a reassuring smile, "the headmaster and my duties have taken up far too much of my time. Add to that the disturbing detail of our encounter with the dragon..."

He hesitated for a moment, "Well, I'm glad you mustered up the courage to explore the castle on your own and I'm glad I didn't completely lose you in the endless corridors and hallways."

He gently touched her shoulder to encourage her to follow him: "My promise to show you around the castle is still open to you, of course, even if we have to postpone it to another day. The first-year students' selection ceremony is coming up and so yours will be soon too."

For the moment, the details of the castle continued to distract her from what was about to happen. The Gothic architecture, the people waving down from their paintings, the suits of armour that made her laugh as they did a little dance of joy after each sweeping curtsy.

Professor Fig carefully opened a full-height double door and peered into the room beyond, but Luscinia's attention was caught by the metre-high hourglasses lined up on one of the walls. The heraldic animals, lion, badger, raven and snake were enthroned on their golden tops and instead of sand, the glasses were filled with brightly coloured stones in ruby red, honey yellow, dark azure blue and forest green.

Distracted by her observations, Luscinia only realised after the professor's gesture that the time had come for her to stand in front of the other students and teachers.

A knot instantly tied her stomach and she hastily grabbed her earring as she stepped into the Great Hall. Immediately her gaze was captivated by the ceiling of the room; a ceiling that apparently did not exist. The stars of the night sky shone brightly towards her and the Milky Way traced its luminous ribbon through the entire hall.

"This way," the professor whispered and led her forwards along the long side.

Through the stone pillars they walked past, Luscinia could make out four long tables where the older students sat. Each table was set in the colours of the hourglasses, honey yellow closest to her, forest green furthest away, with ruby red and azure blue in between. Some of the students had noticed Professor Fig's entrance and were now scrutinising the new student curiously, causing her to turn her gaze away from the tables and towards the first-year students.

They stood in a cluster in front of the lectern and the podium where the teachers had taken their places, nervousness and excitement clearly written on their faces. One by one, they were called up and took a seat on a wooden stool, clearly visible to everyone in the hall. She watched attentively as the students put on a shabby-looking leather hat, in the folds of which the features of a face could be glimpsed.

There was a moment of expectant silence until finally a booming voice called out the name of one of the four houses and the older students of that house welcomed their new comrade with cheers.On her journey to Hogwarts, the professor had explained them to her. Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, named after the four founders of the school, the colours and animals that adorned the whole of Hogwarts, an important part of them. Each of the houses united students with similar attributes and character traits, but in her mounting anxiety, Luscinia couldn't remember which ones they were.

The rows of first years had thinned out, most of the 13 year olds had found their house.

Luscinia tried to calm herself by fixing her gaze and focus frantically on the floating candles and the night sky above her, but the effort was futile, her pulse quickened and she began to sweat, knowing that her name would be one of the next to be called.

It rang out far too loudly and she started to move stiffly. As if in a tunnel that only allowed her to look ahead, she noticed the friendly smile of the deputy headmistress without really realising it. Staring at the little lion on one of the pillars, she took a seat on the stool, adjusting her cloak and skirt. She flinched violently as a dark voice echoed through her head and it took her far too long to realise that the hat was talking to her.

Dear, you have to let me into your thoughts.

A queasy feeling spread through her and she hesitated, causing the hat to giggle softly.

Is it caution, or a certain stubbornness? Perhaps a tendency to resist?

Luscinia became more and more aware of how the entire crowd of students stared at her, waiting, while the hat stalked her thoughts and memories.

Interesting... and this one... also interesting...

Is there any way to speed up this process, Mr Hat?

Oh? The leather hat chuckled again.

To be honest, I've already made my decision, I just enjoy examining older heads. I don't get the chance to do that very often.

Luscinia couldn't suppress the burgeoning anger and the accompanying curses, which made the hat laugh.

So I'm probably right.

Her ears began to prickle as the hat's voice left her head and instead boomed throughout the hall.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Like the first years before her, Luscinia's cheers rang out as the students stood up under the red and gold banner, clapping their hands with excitement. Her heart was pounding as she stepped down from the podium, feverishly wondering what to do next. Should she sit in the first available seat? Between the first-years? Or let the stares wash over her as she continued down the table?

Luckily for her, she suddenly noticed two familiar faces in the crowd and rushed towards them, exhaling, a relieved smile on her lips.

"So we're house mates?"

Garreth and Leander nodded and motioned for her to join them and the other fifth years. Names and pleasantries were exchanged and slowly all the students of Gryffindor House calmed down again.

"Is Amalia here as well?" Luscinia's eyes searched curiously for the young woman, but Leander shook his head and nodded towards the table decorated in blue and bronze.

"Ravenclaw. She's always been the smarter of the two of us."

He hid a bitter laugh and at the same time distracted from his emotion with a sweeping arm gesture.

"But what is the house of the clever and creative compared to the house of courage and bravery. Only the best wizards and witches come from here. Don't they?" he nudged Garreth with his shoulder.

"As far as I can remember, the other houses also have great things to show for themselves. Merlin, for example, belonged to Slytherin."

"Oh, Merlin!" Leander waved it off, "an overrated wizard, like the house he's from."

No one seemed to notice how Leander continued to fuss and Luscinia's attention was focussed on the food that had suddenly appeared on the table in front of her.

"You should avoid Slytherin at all costs," Leander continued, "your dear cousin probably doesn't like the fact that you're here at all."

He took a large dollop of mashed potato and slapped it on his plate, not noticing Garreth giving him a meaningful look.

At the mention of a cousin, Luscinia's eyes flew across the table at the other end of the hall, even though she didn't even know what her relative looked like. She felt sick and only half heard the rest of the conversation, unable to touch the feast before her.

The excited murmur of the students was interrupted by a loud clearing of the throat and with narrowed eyes and tensed jaw muscles, Luscinia watched as the headmaster, Phineas Nigellus Black, tried to make himself heard, holding his wand to his throat to amplify his voice. However, it not only seemed difficult for him to do that, but also to maintain the silence he had gained. Again and again, murmurs and restrained laughter rang out as he lectured on rules and school regulations. The fifth-years sitting around Luscinia also continued to fill their plates with food, unimpressed, and were not deterred from their meal, even when the headmaster's voice trembled with suppressed anger. Throwing a tantrum as a small child, Black finally broke off his monologue and shooed the entire group of students out of the Great Hall.

The astonished silence turned into a confusion of voices and bodies as it became clear that he meant business and Luscinia was glad that the fifth-years took care of her and guided her through the crowd. Shouts were yelled between the individual tables and the prefects of each house loudly gathered up the first years and tried to lead them safely to the exit, like a shepherd leading a group of lambs.

Somewhere in the confusion, a plate was broken, but the commotion around it died down as the door slammed shut behind them.

Drawing clear air through her lungs, Luscinia closed her eyes for a moment, glad to offer her buzzing head a brief respite.

"Moving to a new school is very stressful, especially if you're not used to the language," the student who had introduced herself at the table by the name of Natty had stepped up next to her and observes her with concern.

"Would you like to go for a walk outside before we go to the common room?"

Surprised by her solicitude, Luscinia nodded and the two young women strolled on across the castle grounds, past a pavilion, along the castle walls and down into a small courtyard that Luscinia did not yet had found. Despite the darkness that now shrouded Hogwarts, they could see enough in the light of the stars and the glow of the moon.

"It also took me some time to get used to everything. The strange food and people's habits. Plus the grey weather most of the time. Scotland really is very different to Uagadou and Matabeleland."

"But have you settled in well by now, or do you still feel a great longing for your home and your friends?" Luscinia looked at Natty attentively as they walked past the dark green bushes and flowering shrubs, the chirping of the crickets ringing in their ears.

"I think Hogwarts is my home now, too. I was happy when my mum made the decision to come here and I've made new friends here now. Of course I miss Matabeleland and my old friends, but now I'm at home here."

She smiled brightly at Luscinia: "You'll see, most of the professors and students are very nice."

They stepped back inside the castle and, after turning into a corridor, were greeted by musicians in their paintings, who began to rumble a tune as they caught sight of them.

"Hah, you should have come together with the others," the conductor waved his hand scowling at the witch with the double bass, "now we're all completely out of time."

Luscinia stood in amazement and listened to the sounds until the musicians had found their rhythm again and completed the piece.

"How kind of you to treat the incoming pupils to a piece of music."

As she clapped her hands with laughter, the conductor's chest swelled with pride: "The young lady is a lover of the arts. How delightful."

Unlike the musicians, the woman who awaited them in the painting at the end of a corridor was not in a very joyful mood. She scrutinised the two students standing in front of her with narrowed eyes, her ringlets adorning a round face, her dress as pink as her cheeks.

"You're the last ones. Not even the dawdling first-years were slower."

At her words, the portrait swung to the side, revealing a circular tunnel, which Natty entered without hesitation.

"Maybe you've just miscounted again."

"Insolence!" the two young women could still hear the clamouring voice as they walked through the tunnel, "What have I done to deserve this? Why can't I guard the Ravenclaw common room? There wouldn't be something to do all the time. Or Hufflepuff. Such kind, well-behaved..."

Her words were cut off as the opening in the wall behind them closed with a thud.

Giggling, Natty turned to Luscinia as she stepped out of the tunnel, "Normally you need a password to get in here. It's only on the first day that she counts whether everyone has arrived."

Once again, she gave her new classmate a beaming smile: "Welcome to our common room."

Luscinia's eyes followed Natty's sweeping hand gesture, taking in the warm tones of the room before her, the red and yellow of the wall hangings and banners reflected in the armchairs and other seating, as well as the bird cherry and mahogany cupboards and tables. The wooden framework of the ceiling reminded her of the longhouses of Durmstrang, where she had spent her school days and some of her holidays since she was thirteen. A stabbing pain ran through her chest, but she tried not to let it show as she turned to Natty: "I'd like to stay here a little longer and take in the room in its entirety. Please don't feel compelled to keep me company. After all, it's getting late."

She understood, but made Luscinia promise not to stay up too late and showed her the way to the dormitory.

The sound of her footsteps was muffled by the various carpets spread across the floor like patches in a row. When Natty had disappeared into the next room, Luscinia strolled through the seating arrangements of jumbled pieces of furniture, running a hand over the materials while her eyes take in the details on the walls and in the paintings. There were individual armchairs in the niches of the floor-to-ceiling windows and bookshelves on the walls next to them, mostly filled with fantastic stories and adventure novels. She tried to discover volumes she was familiar with, but the English titles made her endeavours more difficult and she finally gave up.

With a loud sigh, she dropped into an armchair in front of the fireplace, took off her shoes and allowed herself to pull her legs under her body and slump into the armchair. Closing her eyes, she listened to the crackling of the fire - a sound that gave her some comfort and closeness.

When she heard hurried footsteps approaching, she straightened up, only to be reassured by Nellie waving her off.

"Don't let me disturb you, I just like to listen to some music before I go to bed."

Luscinia attentively followed the fifth-year, with whom she had already exchanged a few words in the Great Hall. She strode unerringly towards an apparatus with a funnel on top, placed a circular disc on it and turned a crank, whereupon the first sounds of a quietly played symphony rang out.

Luscinia's eyes widened and, without bothering to put her shoes back on, she stumbled over to the apparatus and bent down to look at it up close.

"How fascinating."

"A gramophone," Nellie clarified, "a Muggle invention."

"Really?" Luscinia's eyes widened even further, "how exactly does it work?"

She listened eagerly to Nellie's explanations, even though she soon realised that her listener only understood half of what she was explaining.

"It's getting late, but we can take it apart another day. You often understand better how something works then."

Until the music faded, the two young women made themselves comfortable in front of the fireplace and watched the play of light that the flames cast on the stone lions guarding the fire.

When they finally crept quietly into the dormitory, the curtains in front of their roommates' beds were already drawn and Luscinia made an effort not to make any more noise as she moved into the last of the five beds.

"Are these really all the girls we're sharing our room with?" she whispered questioningly to Nellie, who nodded, already slipping out of her shirt and trousers.

"All the fifth years, yes. The other years each have their own room. Was it different at your old school?"

Luscinia undressed in the dim light of the stove in the centre of the room: "The first three years slept together in one house and the other years in another. So we were between thirty and forty girls and women living together."

"Thirty to forty?", Nellie said, which earned her a reprimanding hiss from one of the neighbouring beds.

The two women looked at each other and rolled their eyes, but remained silent.

Laying her new school uniform over the chair next to her bed, Luscinia slipped into her nightdress and then into bed, which felt far softer and more comfortable than the one in Diagon Alley.

"Good night," Nellie whispered and drew the curtains of her bed with a grin.

For a moment, Luscinia sat motionless in the darkness, confused at how unreal this moment felt. Finally, she shook her head, closed her curtains and dropped onto her bed.

[sourdoughservitor]

Full Moons

Full moons are the most notorious of the lunar phases, as the moon is at its full strength and exerts its influence with abandon. The entire face of the moon is visible at this time and the moon shines at its brightest. During this peak, the moon lends witches its strength, its sense of action, and its proclivity for development. It is also a time slated for clear-sighted divination.

In Celtic and Old English tradition, full moons have names and meanings depending on the time of year during which they are present. Put simply, there is a full moon for each month, plus the occasional extra one per year.

⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆ ⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆ ⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆

Wolf Moon

The Wolf Moon occurs in January, and is also known as the “Moon after Yule.” It is named for wolves’ heightened activity during this period. In the Celtic calendar, this is the Birch Moon, which represents rebirth and regeneration after Birch’s rapid re-colonization of burned forests. Creativity, fertility, healing, and protection are extra potent during this time.

Snow Moon

The Snow Moon occurs in February. Also known as the “Hunger Moon” or the “Storm Moon,” it coincides with the coldest month of the year, in which food is the most scarce. Occasionally the Snow Moon is supplanted by a rare Black Moon, which is said to be when there is no full moon in February. The Rowan Moon, in the Celtic calendar, represents Brighid--the goddess of the hearth. She is known for protection and fire as well as initiations or dedication. Rowan is used for power.

Worm Moon

Occurring in March and also known as the “Crow Moon,” the “Chaste Moon,” or the “Paschal Moon” (if after March 21), this moon is named after earthworms which return to warmer soil after the winter. Similarly, the Celtic Ash Moon is sacred to druids for prophecy, psychic power, and the inner journey.

Pink Moon

The Pink Moon, also known as the “Breaking Ice Moon,” the “Budding Moon,” the “Awakening Moon,” or the “Paschal Moon,” celebrates the thawing and blooming of spring flowers. It occurs in April. This moon corresponds with the Celtic Alder Moon, which is known for its powers in communing with the dead. Alder is a powerful tool to call upon and communicate with spirits.

Flower Moon

May sees the Flower Moon, whose other names are the “Planting Moon” and the “Milk Moon.” It is an optimal time for fertility and growth in both plants and animals, and is the perfect time to plant many varieties of plants. The Celtic calendar calls this moon the Willow Moon, for willows thrive in the rain that is plentiful around this time. Willows are thought to protect one from danger, particularly storms and other natural threats. They also have a connection with death and are often found near cemeteries.

Strawberry Moon

The Strawberry Moon, also called the “Rose Moon” and the “Hot Moon,” occurs in June and is named after the ripening of wild strawberries. It occasionally coincides with the summer solstice. Hawthorn, this moon’s Celtic correspondent, is associated with fire and fertility.

Buck Moon

Also called the “Thunder Moon” and the “Hay Moon,” the Buck Moon is named after great summer storms and new antlers that begin to emerge from deer. It is seen in July. This is also the Oak Moon, which represents protection, defence, success, and strength. It is sacred to the druids who believed if you carried an acorn in your pocket, you would have good fortune; and if you caught an oak leaf before it hit the ground, you would remain healthy for the next year.

Sturgeon Moon

August welcomes the Sturgeon Moon, named such for the huge spawning fish. It is also known to signal the harvest of many plants, giving it the names “Grain Moon” and “Corn Moon.” The continuation of summer storms also grants it the name “Lightning Moon,” and the heightened activity of the large cats mirrors the Wolf Moon with the “Lynx Moon” name. The Holly Moon is the Celtic antagonist to the Oak Moon, and it represents nature’s immortality, success, and the luck it can bless one with.

Harvest Moon

The Harvest Moon occurs in September as it rises for several days, giving days extra light. It features the height of the harvest season. In the Celtic Calendar it is known as the Hazel Moon, which represents wisdom, knowledge, and protection. It is a good month to practice shadow work and divination.

Full Corn Moon

The Full Corn Moon, also known as the “Barley Moon,” occurs in October. It signals the end of the harvest season. It is known as the Celtic Vine Moon, representing the height of the harvest; both happiness and wrath are brought forth in the sweetness and bitterness of the end of the harvest. Equilibrium is reached through the extremes of both positive and negative emotions. Light and darkness are also equal at this time.

Hunter’s Moon

Hunting, slaughter, and the preparation for winter are common during the Hunter’s Moon in November. Other names include the “Travel Moon” and the “Sanguine Moon.” This period sees the fading of light as the season shifts rapidly to winter. The Celtic calendar calls this moon the Ivy Moon, and honours the processes of death, decay, and rebirth. Banishment of negative energies are especially potent during this time. Ivy is also known for binding and cooperation as ivy connects even the most crumbling of environments.

Cold Moon

The Cold Moon, also known as the “Frost Moon,” the “Mourning Moon,” and the “Beaver Moon,” this period is known for its cold weather. It may also be referred to as the “Moon Before Yule” and the “Long Nights Moon.” It occurs in December. This moon is also known as the Reed Moon under the Celtic calendar, for the plants used to make wind instruments of haunting sound, mimicking those of the spirits on their way to the underworld. It is occasionally called the Elm Moon. This is a time to speak to spirits recently passed, to meditate, and to reflect on the past and the cycles of life and death.

Blue Moon

Blue moons occur as the third of four full moons in a season, or as the second full moon in a calendar month. The seasonal full moons coincide with the Lenten and Paschal Moons according to the Christian ecclesiastical calendar, to determine the dates of Lent and Easter.

Elder Moon

The final month in the Celtic Calendar is known as the Elder Moon. It represents finality and endings. Elder is fragile, but quick to heal and replenish itself. This is a time for healing and renewal.

⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆ ⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆ ⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆

To clarify, the Blue and Elder moons aren't like the monthly named moons. They overlap with the other moons of the year. For example, a Blue Moon, depending on how it's determined, can be during any calendar month. The Cold Moon is usually also the Elder Moon, depending on when the day falls.

Thanks so much for reading, all!

Bb

[aarcanegrimm]

12. The Dragon Valkyrie

Masterlist

Four years later and Ella is offically a Black Bull with Yami wrapped around her pinky (he will not admit to this) and this time she gets to see the Magic Knight Exam from behind her Captain... but how much did she change when she ran away instead of staying with the Silva's.

Warnings: Swearing, mentions of bood, death and injury

Notes: Alder is bigger now... like Toothless bigger now and the squad is coming together even with a few changes.

Nozel sat staring at the board before him. Strings, images, papers, notes… everything pinned to that board.

He’d thrown himself into his work since Noelle’s funeral, had explained everything to the other Captains, to the Elves sat in that now claustrophobic meeting room- everything he knew about devils and curses even when he felt numb doing it. He had no regrets punching Patri and breaking his nose and had no plans to apologise to the man that dominoed his sisters death.

How he wished Cordelia was here, how his mother and Noelle could be beside him as he barrelled through cold case after cold case solving the impossible. He didn’t want a break he wanted his family to be whole again and it was his fault, his recklessness tore them to pieces all because he thought neglecting Noelle was the best course of action.

He let out a shaky breath, ignoring those thoughts, ignoring the swelling panic attack in his chest as he stared at the nine-year-old cold case he’d placed on the board of his office. The sliced-up body of a young woman found outside of the Witches Forest. The Jane Doe was missing part of her right ear, her left hand and she had been found with slash marks all across her body- she had been bled dry- and if the mark carved into her thigh meant anything it was that a cult had done it.

She had probably been very pretty when she was alive, a bob of black hair, bronze eyes, she probably had a healthy glow to her skin…

Then he noticed it. The sharp point of her remaining ear…………………………….

~~*~~*~~*~~

Nozel sat up with a start, his chest heaving, his hands clawing at his seemingly closing throat. That was the twelfth time this month he’d had this dream… this nightmare of him standing and staring at cold cases, at broken bodies and old reports. Sometimes Noelle was in them, an older Noelle who looked so much like their mother with a wound in her stomach that never stopped bleeding- his heart ached but never… never had he had a revelation in one of his dreams, he’d found something important… but what… what did he realise?

~~*~~*~~*~~

New Timeline - Four Years Later

~~*~~*~~*~~

Ella found herself at the mercy of Vanessa and Charmy’s… who knows what this is.

Pots were bubbling, Lyra’s cauldron was practically spitting back at the two mages and Ella could only watch on in confusion as she waited for someone to tell her why she was dragged into the kitchen yet again. But she could be patient, she didn’t have to pretend to be a kid who was curious about anything and everything anymore- she had her grimoire and everything now.

With a sigh she lifted the small doll Gordon had given her precisely five seconds before she’d been forced into the kitchen (though at current she realised it looked a lot like a lab). Ella smiled, the doll was of her with Alder wrapped around her shoulders- it was so cute that she couldn’t help but smile because the Leviathan was no longer able to do that and was now large enough for her to ride though nowhere near the size of Oak.

“Okay!” Vanessa clapped startling both the halfling and the princess (she inwardly sighed, she hadn’t referred to herself as that in a long while). “Ever since you and Lyra told me you dye your hair Charmy and I have been working on a lolly that will produce a sort of glamour so that you don’t ruin your hair with all those icky potions!”

“A hair glamour lolly?” Ella spared a glance out the window to her Leviathan, Alder just tilted his head in confusion. “Because you don’t want me to damage my hair.”

“Yes laaa.” Charmy grinned. “It can always be improved but try one please!”

“Today is the magic knight exams and you want me to try an experiment.” The two mages nodded excitedly passing the now fifteen-year-old the coin sized lolly. “My hair is already brown from the recent dye? I don’t think we’ll be able to see the difference…”

“Ah we thought about that.” Vanessa chided. “Plus it isn’t like you are attending the exams as an examinee you are already a Black Bull.”

One glance Ella’s way and it was obvious, the black cape draped over her shoulders, hiding most of her blue tunic- matched with tawny coloured pants and boots, her sword and knives tucked to her sides.

“I still don’t really want to accidently have my real hair on display.” The teen tutted.

“No worries, you’ll need to keep a batch on you for now because we aren’t sure how long they last BUT!” Vanessa punctuated. “Just think of a hair colour, imbue it with a little bit of mana, eat it and BOOM new look.”

Ella, and Alder to be truthful, looked sceptical at the treat but rolled her eye and did as told.

Think copper, think copper.

A close colour to her current hair that it wouldn’t bother her too much. She raised a brow at the two masterminds who’s faces only split in two with the widest grins she had ever seen. Vanessa shoved forward a handheld mirror… her hair now had a slightly orange hue to it.

Holy shit it worked.

~~*~~*~~*~~

Ella had planned on doing the exam. Had planned on showing up and showing off whilst hunting down Asta and Yuno, maybe convince them both to join the Black Bulls… not that she had doubts about Asta still joining the squad but Yuno… something told her his decision would be different this time around- and gods did she hope he didn’t pick her broth- the Silver Eagles squad.

Yami stopped suddenly in the middle of the arena, someone… someone’s plural, had bumped into him.

Asta.

Yuno.

Her heart lurched upwards, they were here, that hadn’t changed. The only difference was… Yuno seemed meeker than she remembered and yet that was a four-leaf clover grimoire at his side and Asta’s own gritty and damaged looking one at his. She offered a sweet smile as they looked towards her Finral and Gordon in a panic- Yami’s glowering stopped bothering her a long time ago (granted it may be because she accidentally called him dad once which she was only saved from embarrassment by Luck and Magna following suit).

Yami muttered something, probably swearing up a storm as he continued on, the trio following behind but she leaned towards them, smiling as she said.

“Aim for the Black Bulls, we’re a lot more fun than the rest.”

Now standing behind Yami, between Finral and Leopold Vermillion she watched with keen eyes, ignoring the way her heart hammered in her chest, ignored the way Fuegoleon had looked twice as their eyes locked before offering her an awkward smile that didn’t reach his eyes. This was the first time she had seen him since her last life, having avoided all Captains since that one market trip on her birthday some years ago where she met Vangeance and saw Nozel… she had to double take when she saw him and Nebra this morning.

He looked dead tired, the bruising under his eyes so dark she though he’d actually been hit and Nebra didn’t look that much better yet at the same time she looked healthier.

Ella didn’t want to wonder why, didn’t want to know what happened after she ran away they weren’t her family anymore.

“Glad I made you a knight now Ella?” Yami snorted, interrupting her thoughts. “Too many fucking people down there.”

“It is very crowded yes.” And she has to admit although she had wanted to try and see if anyone would raise their hand for her, prove to herself that Nozel was wrong she isn’t entirely mad with Yami’s decision… that is a lot of people.

Ella didn’t care for Vangeance’s speech,( she still felt that chill up her spine when she saw him and granted she still felt it around Julius, Nacht and Lyra on occasion) she was too focused on Asta and Yuno. In part she was nervous for them, she could hear the jeering sent Asta’s way from here and with how Yuno trailed his brother her heart just ached for them both. She swears to whichever God thought her worthy of a second life that if they don’t get into a squad at all… she just grit her teeth, watching proudly as brooms appeared before all the candidates.

As expected Yuno had flown high above them all, gold eyes darting towards the Captains before he flew back down to Asta… who just the same as last time had not made it off the ground.

The next few tasks went no differently with the adoptive brothers hanging by one another even as Asta clearly urged Yuno to show off- the pained look on his face would make anyone with a soul crumble but he was supportive just as he always had been.

Asta had been a better brother to her than her own… how pathetic is that- that Ella considered this boy who no longer knew her to be all that much better than her own immediate family. All the Black Bulls were… and now don’t get the teen wrong she misses her cousins, misses braiding her hair with Mimosa and gossiping on moonlit nights as they slept over with one another but she couldn’t bear it, didn’t want to feel that pain in this life again and again and again.

No matter how many times those damned Gods plan to make her start over she won’t ever regret this new path.

“Your Ki is spiking brat.” Yami muttered, low enough that she heard and no one else (except Finral but he doesn’t usually poke her about shit until way later.”

Pezzottaite eyes dart to the back of her now Captain’s head and she shifts slightly. In her peripheral she sees Leopold turn her way before placing his attention forward again. Her heartrate flew skywards and suddenly she was in that ballroom again, that small party for Captains, Royalty and high Nobility alike when Solid poured water atop her… that day when Fuegoleon’s words branded themselves on her brain.

Being weak is nothing to be ashamed of… staying weak is.

Ella leant forward to Yami’s ear, him barely offering a hint that he knew she had- but Ella knew he was listening as she quietly made her request.

“Those two boys from earlier- please raise your hand for them both.” Yami didn’t react as she continued on. “I know I have never attempted to act on my gut reactions before… I know I have only told you of that one time on my eleventh birthday- when you had a meeting and brought me to the capital. I know you can tell when I don’t act on it…”

She dared a glance his way, the Captain now clearly watching the brothers.

“But I am now.” She said finally and she can swear she saw a ghost of a smile on his face.

She cringed away from Salim Hapshass even from way up here very well protected by her Captain who against his better judgement would in fact part mountains for her (and the rest of the squad but mostly Ella). The noble made her nose scrunch in ire as he tried and failed at egging Yuno on- eyes wide, almost innocent but most definitely fucking annoyed by the stuck-up prick. With gusts of wind and a small tornado he had won as expected- of course Yuno was perfect even during the exams tch. Ella absolutely delighted in the way the match ended immediately just as she remembers Asta telling her whenever he raved on about his tight knit family.

She had envied that family bond for so long.

Finally it was Asta’s turn and she watched with bated breath as Sekke Bronzazza coaxed Asta forward, that annoying laugh bouncing throughout the arena in horrendous waves.

And then came the sword- Demon Slayer- and she swears her eyes sparkled. Her newer love for blades sparked some strangely deep discussion with people over the years- Hel even Nyx wasn’t spared in their letters to one another as she detailed every new fact she learnt. Demon Slayer was so interesting, the edges cut mana and the sides can deflect spells so who wouldn’t want an anti-magic mage to be in their squad- idiots obviously.

She frowned as Sekke surged forwards, his magic was certainly intriguing but his personality could use some work. Asta found his footing, sword cutting through that bronze shield like butter, oh was it glorious.

“Yes.” She found herself muttering in relief, even if she had known he’d win she wasn’t sure how much her running away had changed things besides the obvious ones.

But this was good. Hopefully- oh please help her hopefully- Yami will raise his hand for both.

Ella’s attention was snagged away after Asta and Yuno’s fights, back to the constant nagging of her mind that had only been getting worse since the nightmare stated again on her fifteenth birthday. She had less than a year before shit went sideways and.. oh they were calling numbers already shit.

Asta stepped forwards, a determined look on his face as his number was finally called, Yuno right behind him (weird he was definitely before Asta from what she had been told) offering an encouraging smile.

Her heart hammered in her chest again. Why wasn’t Yami raising his hand? Asta glared up at them, determined for someone to choose him… and then her Captain raised his arm.

She nearly sagged in relief at the bewildered look on the boys face, the emotions running across his face at speeds she thought impossible as he bowed low and deep towards the Black Bulls group and turned to his brother, scooping him into a tight hug before stepping away.

Yuno’s turn.

He’ll probably pick the Golden Dawn again, maybe Crimson Lions instead if her gut was right and he wasn’t going to pick Vangeance’s squad but of course Yami raised his hand again and Ella was content with that, with knowing no matter what they would be inseparable rival-brothers or not.

But his next words surprised her, made her double take physically as she snapped her head towards him.

“The Black Bulls.”

What. The. Fuck?

[fatecanberewritten-writer]

A Stranger with a Familiar Face | Chapter Two: Strangers and Strange Places

Stars Series | A Stranger with a Familiar Face

Alderic Beaufort had always been a quiet child. He was the type of baby that lured new parents into a sense of ease and security, that led them to believe that they could handle another child when in reality they were far from ready. Though his birth parents had been older - only a few years shy of forty at the time of his birth - this trap had already been in effect. Karine Beaufort had been three months pregnant when she and her husband were killed by Grindelwald’s Acolytes.

Rarely did Alderic cry, and at fifteen months, he did not understand the loss of his parents. All he knew was that the loving, familiar faces were replaced with sneering, calculative ones, and the warm, homey apartment with views of a bustling Paris street was replaced with a cold, dark room with a window that looked out on the desolate Austrian Alps. His light blue eyes were wide and searching - always. Searching for what, he did not know.

Though Alderic rarely saw what was outside the four stone walls that confined him, he knew that it was particularly quiet that day. Normally he could hear footsteps clicking against the marble surface, or voices echoing around the chamber, hardly any of which spoke the language he was beginning to pick up from his nearly forgotten parents. But today, it was silent. He was alone.

When day turned into night and the torches hung on the stone walls ignited themselves, a soft crack in the corner of the room reminded him that he was not alone. The first time Alderic had seen these strange, greyish creatures, the poor boy had been terrified, and had screamed until the man with soft brown eyes had taken him into his arms the way his father used to. He tried to order them away, but the man with two eyes of different colors refused. He took Alderic from the other man, and brought him closer to the strange creature, kicking and screaming - but, with a few uttered words and a twirl of his wand, a sense of calm overtook the child, and as the strange creature offered up a smile, Alderic grinned back.

“Master Grindelwald and his associates will be returning soon,” the creature spoke, but as it was in German, it was really only noise to Alderic. But nonetheless, the tone used was comforting, and seeing the creature approaching him with a small jar and a full spoon outstretched, Alderic gladly opened his mouth. He was always kept just short of starving, but this creature always came when it was getting close to unbearable. 

As the House Elf messily fed the ravished child, a sorrowful grimace overtook her wrinkled face. “Minka wishes she could feed the baby more often, but my master forbids it. Master Grindelwald says he is making the baby strong, but the baby is skinny and weak.” 

Minka was an elderly Elf now, a gift to Grindelwald from a faithful Pureblood family in Germany upon his return from imprisonment. She had raised upward of thirty children in her life thus far, five of her own and a seemingly never ending line of witches and wizards, but never had she had such strict instructions when it came to the care of a child. She was not to hold him, address him by his name, comfort him when he cried, nor feed him outside of a predetermined schedule. The whole thing made Minka extremely uneasy.

As she stared into the child’s glossy, heartbreaking blue eyes, she felt a weight in her chest that caused her shoulders to droop. “Minka must obey Master Grindelwald’s orders, but Minka is sorry.”

Alderic did little more than stare into the creature’s large, yellow-green eyes as he slurped the mushy food from the spoon in her clammy hand. Minka took it as a plea for help, or maybe the impressioned thanks of a desperate, starving child, but in reality, Alderic was focusing. He was studying her.

Minka dropped the spoon in absolute terror as the child’s eyes suddenly doubled in size and faded to a yellow-green - an eye color she had passed along to each of her children. The sound of the metal spoon against the stone floors shocked the child, and as he fell back into his crib and cried, his likeness returned to his own. 

The clattering of the spoon was quickly replaced with the sound of bounding footsteps, and with the sudden fear of punishment and the dulled sense of consequence from old age, Minka gasped and vanished from sight. This only made Alderic cry more, eyes fixed on the spot where she had been. These cries were more powerful, fueled not by shock, as they had been before, but by fear. With Minka, though she was strange and skittish, he at least knew he was safe. It could be anyone coming to the door.

But as the medieval wooden door was pushed open, a sense of recognition eased his fearful state and his screams faded to whimpers. Of all the new faces, that of the brown-eyed man gave him the strongest sense of trust. 

“Hey Aldy,” Ulric Abernathy cooed, his American accent contrasting greatly with Minka’s cadence. “There’s no need to cry, buddy.”

Alderic quieted down as Abernathy approached, his tear-filled eyes watching him dedicatedly. The child reached his tiny arms into the air, and Abernathy grinned automatically. With a gentle sigh, the wizard gave in, lifting the child into his arms. 

“A new world begins today, Aldy,” said Abernathy, bouncing Alderic on his hip and bringing him over to the window. The stars shone bright on them that night, and he didn’t want Alderic to miss a moment of it. “After today, the real change begins. Gridelwald’s vision is getting closer and closer to fruition, and you, my boy, will get to live in a world unlike any other - one where you won’t need to hide.”

The child babbled unintelligibly in response. English was the most difficult to understand, but between Ulric and the man with the mismatched eyes, it was the language he was exposed to the most here. Still, he struggled to form even the simplest words, least of all ‘hungry’. So, he leaned his head against the hopeful stargazer and began to whine.

Ulric hushed and bounced little Alderic, attempting to soothe him before his whimpers escalated. Thankfully, before it got to that point, the child was distracted by the sudden presence of a shimmering blue figure, floating in the night before them. There stood a large, majestic, skeletal horse-like creature that neither Alderic or Ulric had ever seen in the flesh, yet both of them knew what it represented. 

“Bring Alderic to my study,” came the distinct voice of Gellert Grindelwald. “It is time to begin his training.”

[mikaelsonwife4life]

Lily and Petunia Attend Hogwarts Together

OC x Scorpius Malfoy

This is something I wrote a while ago. It's also posted on my Wattpad account, Mikaelsonwife4life.

June 29, 2008

"She's beautiful, love," a large man whispered to his petite wife, who held a brunette baby in her arms. The woman looked up with a tender, although tired, smile though a sweat slickened face.

"She is, our little Petunia Dursley," the woman whispered, causing the man's face to light up.

"Really? You named her after mum?" The delight in his eyes was met with weary flickering eyes.

"Yes, but for now, I'm tired, Dudley. Take Tunia an' let me sleep," the large man's eyes widened as he fumbled while taking his daughter.

"Well, little one, it's nice to meet you," Dudley smiled at his youngest family member, "My little Petunia."

October 05, 2013

"Give it back!" Petunia screamed, chasing after her brother, who held a doll in his arms as he raced away from his sister.

"Come and get it!" he laughed and simultaneously, three things happened. The duo's parents walked into the back yard, Petunia stopped, and the boy was frozen in ice.

"Oh my god!" the woman, Petunia's mother, screamed. Petunia's eyes snapped to her parents, shock in her eyes and horror in theirs.

"You- you-" her mother stuttered, stepping back in fear, causing Petunia to flinch at her mother's reaction.

"You're a witch," Dudley whispered in shock, "My baby girl's a witch!" Petunia tilted her head, confused at her father's happy reaction to her powers.

"A witch?" Petunia frowned, "Like green skin and a broom?"

"No, like magic and a broom," he laughed and walked down the steps, picking her up.

"What'cha mean?" she asked as her father plucked the doll out of his eldest child's hands and gave Petunia a look. She closed her eyes and let out a breath, focusing on her brother melting and as she did so, the ice melted.

"We've got a lot to talk about," Dudley smiled down at Petunia who stared up at her father.

August 1, 2019

A knock sounded through the house causing Dudley to look up from his newspaper and frown. The large man who was now going a little gray, stood up and walked to the door, bypassing his son and youngest daughter who were playing videogames on the couch. Looking out, he didn't at first see anyone until a throat clearing had him looking down into the dark eyes of a tiny man.

"May I help you?" Dudley asked the tiny man who stuck his hand out.

"Filius Flitwick, Mister Dursley. I'm the Deputy Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," Dudley took the man's hand with a large grin and ushered him inside.

"I'm assuming you're here for Petunia?" he asked and Flitwick nodded with wide eyes, "Poppy, go get Tunia." His daughter set the controller down and darted out of the room, leaving her brother staring at the tiny man.

"Hi!" he grinned, "I'm Cedar!" Flitwick's face scrunched up in confusion at the children's names.

"I decided to continue Grandma Evans's tradition of naming her kids after plants," he shrugged, "I have ten kids, four boys and six girls." A stampede of footsteps had both adults looking up to see Poppy and Petunia standing in front of their seven remaining siblings.

"That's Rose, Lily, Poppy, Petunia, Violet, Acacia, Alder, Birch, and Larch," Dudley sighed as the seven kids came down the stairs, plopping down in different places around the living room.

"Petunia, this is Filius Flitwick, he's the deputy headmaster at Hogwarts," Dudley introduced, causing a wide grin to flash over Petunia's face.

"Hiya," the girl hopped up and Filius sucked in a breath at the girl's appearance. She was a brunette and had blue eyes but otherwise looked almost identical to his prized student sixty years prior.

"Hello, Petunia. I'm Professor Flitwick, I'll be your Charms teacher."

September 1, 2019

"Hi!" Petunia looked up into green eyes, the green eyes of a red head.

"Um, hi," she mumbled, nervous, "I'm Petunia. Petunia Dursley."

"Cool, I'm Lily Potter. Mind if I sit?" she nodded to the seat and Petunia nodded eagerly, "It's nice to meet you!"

"Yeah, me too," Petunia smiled, letting out a breath.

"We're gonna be friends. I just know it," Lily laughed, plopping onto the seat across from her and Petunia tentatively gave her a grin.

"Sounds like a plan," she giggled as the compartment door opened, revealing a black-haired boy with green eyes, the same shade as Lily's, and a blonde boy with gray-blue eyes.

"This is my brother, Albus, and his best friend, Scorpius," Lily sighed, "They're in their third year and my eldest brother, James, is in his fifth year. You'll probably meet him later."

"Lily thinks she's so grown up," Albus snickered, causing Lily to go red while both Scorpius and Petunia remained silent, just staring at each other. The only time he even moved was when a cough sounded behind him and a red-brown haired boy entered the compartment and sat down next to Lily, though she didn't pay much attention.

"I'm Hugo," he smiled at Petunia, "Hey, Malfoy." In return, the boy received a smirk and a sharp nod. Suddenly, Hugo let out a sharp whistle, causing the two quarreling siblings to face Hugo.

"Knock it off," Scorpius finally snapped and the entire compartment stared at him as he winked at Petunia and dragged his friend out.

"He totally likes you!" Lily gasped once they left, "Malfoy never shows interest in anyone! He never even talks to anyone besides Albus unless it's to sneer or make a snide comment."

"He doesn't," Petunia snapped. After all, pretty boys don't like plain girls.

September 1, 2019

"Anderson, Serenity."

"Gryffindor!" A nervous group of eleven-year-olds crowded the space in front of a stool where a hat sat. A girl with black hair had just been sorted, the first child, in fact.

"Bell, Natalie."

"Ravenclaw!"

"Brandon, Ulysses."

"Hufflepuff!"

"Carstairs, Lucas."

"Ravenclaw!"

"Chang, Kenzee."

"Gryffindor!"

"Daniels, Diane."

"Hufflepuff!"

"Dursley, Petunia." Petunia's hand was tapping her thigh in anxiety with fear dancing in her eyes. Once she was on the stool, Flitwick placed it on her head and she jumped when a voice whispered in her head.

"A Dursley, ehh? Your grandmother was almost accepted, you know. Just didn't reach the bar by a bit... I have no doubt, however, that you'll be exactly like your great-aunt... Yes, I can see it. Cunning, sharp... Eager to prove yourself... You'll be an asset to...Slytherin!" With a smirk, Petunia leapt off the stool once Flitwick took the hat off. Once she settled at the table, Scorpius leaned over a student and whispered to her.

"Glad you made it, darling."

"Me too," she grinned softly before turning back to the sorting.

"Ellis, Fiona."

"Hufflepuff!"

"Entwhistle, Oliver."

"Gryffindor!"

"Fransisco, Erik."

"Ravenclaw!"

"Gray, Henry."

"Gryffindor!"

"Hart, Elizabeth."

"Ravenclaw!"

"Ibott, Amanda."

"Gryffindor!"

"James, Rachelle."

"Slytherin!"

"Kelly, Holly."

"Slytherin!"

"Lewis, Andrew."

"Gryffindor!"

"Mathews, Greg."

"Hufflepuff!"

"McLaggen, Scott."

"Ravenclaw!"

"Norris, Monica."

"Ravenclaw!"

"Nott, Victoria."

"Slytherin!"

"Olson, Bailey."

"Hufflepuff!"

"Parker, Wyatt."

"Hufflepuff!"

"Patil, Kevin."

"Ravenclaw!"

"Potter, Lily."

"Gryffindor!"

"Quinn, Gia."

"Hufflepuff!"

"Richardson, Peter."

"Gryffindor!"

"Scotts, Frank."

"Slytherin!"

"Smith, Quil."

Slytherin!"

"Taylor, John."

"Hufflepuff!"

"Underwood, Derek."

"Gryffindor!"

"Vane, Rory."

"Slytherin!"

"Weasley, Fred."

"Slytherin!"

"Weasley, Lucy."

"Ravenclaw!"

"Weasley, Hugo."

"Hufflepuff!"

"Williams, Catherine."

"Hufflepuff!"

"Wood, Ian."

"Slytherin!"

"Xenos, Rebecca."

"Slytherin!"

"Yale, Quinley."

"Gryffindor!"

"Zabini, Jacob."

"Ravenclaw!"

"Zimmerman, Jessica."

Ravenclaw!"

"Well, now that that's over, let the feast begin!" the headmistress smiled and food appeared on the table, causing Petunia's eyes to widen in shock.

"Bit much to see for the first time?" Petunia jumped as Scorpius sat down next to her.

"Um, yeah. I have very little magic in my blood besides my cousin," Petunia shrugged, "I'd never seen it until I went to Diagon Alley."

"Muggle-born, I take it," Petunia glanced at him sharply and he shrugged, "Hey, I don't judge. Can't help who you're born to." She immediately relaxed at his words and quickly apologized.

"Sorry, it's just... Flitwick warned me that some students would be less than welcoming because of my blood status," Petunia glanced at the table, "Especially after the last Wizarding War." To her obvious relief, Scorpius nodded in acknowledgement of her statement.

"It's ridiculous," he sighed, "That some of us are still siding with the losing side. The war ended twenty years ago."

"Thank you," Petunia murmured, staring at her lap.

"For what?" he asked, cocking his head.

"For not ridiculing me," Petunia whispered.

"Not a problem," Scorpius grinned before standing and joining his friend, leaving Petunia to chant her personal mantra. Guys like Scorpius don't date girls like Petunia Dursley.

December 13, 2020

"He's looking at you," Lily whispered to Petunia, who was red by now with her best friend's teasing. She shot the redhead a glare.

"Shut up, Lils," she hissed, causing Lily to laugh, receiving a glare from her godfather and teacher, Professor Longbottom.

"Is there something wrong, Miss Potter? Miss Dursley?" he asked, appearing behind Lily, causing her to jump.

"No, sir," Petunia smiled sweetly, fiddling with her Slytherin scarf.

"No, Professor, Nev," Lily grinned cheekily.

"Lily Luna," he said sharply and Lily dissolved into a burst of giggles, "Good day, girls." Petunia briefly watched as Professor Longbottom walked away before turning her attention back to the third year who were having a snowball fight near Professor Hagrid's cabin.

"Why don't you ask him out?" Lily asked, finally catching her breath.

"He's a fourth year, we're second years, Lils," she sighed, "Besides boys like Scorpius don't date girls like me."

November 18, 2021

"We're gonna be late!" Lily called over her shoulder to her currently broken friend, who simply looked up and nodded before returning to her pastime of dragging her feet.

"Ladies," Both Lily and Petunia froze before turning to face the voice. It was a boy, maybe a year or so older than themselves, with black hair and shocking blue eyes.

"Um, hi?" Lily smiled, a blush staining her cheeks.

"Why aren't you in class?" he asked and Lily's eyes dropped to the prefect badge that glittered on his chest, causing Lily's smile to drop.

"We were running late," came Petunia's monotonous reply, "We forgot our Divinations book." A smirk slid over the boy's face as he noticed the books that both girls were carrying and raised an eyebrow.

"Looking to get an easy O?" he questioned and Lily smiled with a nod.

"Yeah, my dad said not to but it seems easy," she shrugged, "Petunia did it because I am."

"You're Petunia Dursley, right?" the boy asked, "I've heard a lot about you."

"Yeah?" Lily winced at Petunia's snark, "I've heard nothing about you."

"I don't imagine so," he shrugged, "I'm the much shyer friend of Scorpius's." Lily's eyes widened as she finally noticed the Slytherin tie that was perfectly knotted on his neck.

"I'm Lily Potter," Lily blushed as she held her hand out. The boy raised her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles, both frowning when a shock ran through their bodies at the action, though they both shook it off.

"I know, it's hard to forget the daughter of the famous Harry Potter," he smirked, "I'm Jackson Selewyn." Recognition flickered in both girl's eyes at the mention of his last name.

"You're a Selewyn?" Petunia blurted, "Weren't they labeled died out?"

"We were," he agreed, "All it took was a long lost sister and we were no longer extinct."

"We gotta go but it was nice meeting you," Lily squealed, grabbing her friend's wrist.

Once out of hearing range, Lily turned to Petunia and told her "He's my soulmate!" Sadness immediately flashed through Petunia as she rubbed her arm where her own soulmark resided.

"That's great."

May 03, 2022

"Dad says you can come with me if your dad says it's okay!" Lily announced, plopping down on Petunia's bed, who raised her brow at her friend in surprise.

"How did you even get in?" she asked and Lily waved her off.

"Fred," she replied as if that answered everything, making Petunia laugh.

"Fred, of course. He's gonna be in so much trouble if Professor Slughorn catches you here," Petunia warned, "You will be too. Professor Finnegan doesn't like his students in other houses."

"Don't worry, he won't catch me," Lily grinned and Petunia rolled her eyes.

"Almost fourteen and still breaking the simple rules?" she teased.

"At least I'm not hopelessly in love with a sixteen-year-old popular kid," she smirked and Petunia rubbed her arm, a blush covering her cheeks.

"Nothing will come of it, Lily," Petunia mumbled, "After all-"

"I know, I know. Boys like Malfoy don't date girls like you?" Lily rolled her eyes and Petunia nodded in acknowledgement, not noticing Lily's pity-filled eyes.

May 30, 2022

"Stop leading her on or ask her out! She's pinned after you since you first met!" Lily snarled at Scorpius, who stared at his best friend's little sister.

"Woah, woah, woah!" Albus spoke up, "What do you mean Petunia's been pining after Scorp since her first year?"

"Exactly that, Al! I'm tired of watching my best friend crying when she realizes your best friend is with another girl!" Lily snapped, "Do you know how it feels to have a girl who expresses no emotions on a normal day, burrowing into you, racking with sobs?" Scorpius was staring at the ground with gritted teeth, untelling emotion flickering in his eyes.

"I'll stop," he hissed, causing surprise to brighten Albus's eyes. Scorpius shot his friend a look and Albus's mouth snapped shut.

"Good. I'm going to go find mum and dad," Lily grinned, "Later, Al!" Lily skipped out of the compartment, pulling her chest behind her as she sought out her friend. Finding her, she looped her arm through Petunia's who offered her a grin.

"Mum! Dad!" Lily cried, spotting the familiar redheaded woman and black-haired man. She let go of Petunia's arm and raced to her parents, giving them quick hugs.

"I missed you!" she cried and Petunia pulled to a stop behind her.

"Petunia?" the man gasped, pulling back with wide eyes, "What are you doing here?"

"Have we met?" Petunia asked with wide eyes, "I- I go to Hogwarts, with your daughter, sir." Confusion littered her eyes as she fiddled with her sleeve. She'd only ever been likened to her grandmother but this man couldn't possibly know her, could he?

"I'm sorry, you look so like my aunt," he muttered to himself, "You wouldn't happen to be related to Dudley Dursley, would you?"

"He's my father," Petunia answered, confused, "Why does that matter?"

"I'm Harry Potter, his and your cousin," at his words, Petunia's eyes widened in shock as her father's stories of his cousin Harry flashed through her head.

"You're cousin Harry?: she gaped in shock.

"Hello, Mister Potter," Petunia jumped as Scorpius and Albus appeared behind her.

"Mister Malfoy, how are you?" the man, Lily's father, asked as Petunia turned to him.

"Very well," Scorpius offered a tight smile to Mr. Potter, "Just trying to defuse the last uprising from Slytherin house." Petunia winced as she remembered the fight that had broken out between two fifth year boys at the end of the school year. A muggleborn and a purist pure-blood.

"Good day, Missus, Miss, and Mister Potter," he smirked and almost floated away. Lily winced at the hurt look on Petunia's face and the angered one on Albus's.

"Petunia?" Lily whispered and her friend shrugged her hand off.

"I'm fine," Petunia snapped, "Boys like Scorpius don't talk to girls like me."

April 15, 2023

"Why'd you do it?" Albus snarled at his sister, watching the two Slytherin students in hospital beds, "You could have told her to ask him out. He would have said yes, he loves her."

"Sure doesn't seem like it," Lily muttered from her spot next to her brother.

"What happened?" a redheaded girl cried as a trio consisting of another redhead and Hugo burst inside the hospital wing, "I just got the message that Petunia's in the hospital!"

"Purist attack," Lily muttered, "Lucky that Malfoy was there and she was saved from the worst of the damage. He protected her."

"I bet he did," a black-haired boy snickered as he entered the wing and sat in the chair on the other side of Petunia, "Hey, little cuz. I hope you're getting better."

"They can't hear us," Albus muttered, "If they did, Scorp would have killed me several times over by now." Albus and Lily watched as their brother, who now worked as Professor Finnegan's assistant, and their three cousins fell into a disturbed sleep around their fourth cousin.

"How-" Albus took a deep breath before turning back to Lily, "How is she doing, emotionally?" Lily stared at her clenched hands with tear-filled eyes.

"I shouldn't have done it," Lily whispered, "She became a wreck the first week back, whispering it to herself."

"It?" Albus asked, "What do you mean 'it'?"

"Boys like Malfoy don't date girls like her."

March 19, 2024

"It's his last year, Tunia," Petunia gaze snapped to her friends and Lily winced internally, still not completely used to the new layer of hardness in her friend's eyes.

"Your point? You do have one, don't you?" she asked scathingly.

"No, not really," Lily muttered, shuffling her feet as she snuggled deep into her coat despite it being the middle of March. However, Petunia was dressed the exact opposite of her best friend in self-heating robes with her Hogwarts uniform.

"Then why bring it up?" Petunia tossed over her shoulder and Lily scrambled to keep up with her. Petunia finally stopped at the lake's dock where she sat down, letting her friend catch up to her.

"What if he doesn't hate you?" her reply had Petunia freezing completely and Lily bit her lip, hoping that she hadn't hurt her friend.

"Doesn't matter," Petunia whispered brokenly, "Boys like Malfoy don't date girls like me."

January 25, 2025

"Are you alright?" Lily asked her friend, who despite the war going on had almost returned to herself. The girl in question was sprawled across her bed with a cigarette between her lips.

"Yep, perfect, darling," she laughed, removing the cigarette from her mouth. Lily sighed, sitting down next to her friend with a heavy sigh.

"You can't keep this up," Lily sighed, grabbing the girl's wrist and tracing the SM soulmark there. Lily glanced at her own black mark, the sign that she'd completed it, compared to Petunia's dark red one. A sign that she'd met him but didn't complete it.

"Sure I can," Petunia muttered, "I've been through everybody with SM initials and none of them ignite me like Jack did with you."

"Not none," Lily reminded, "Scorpius likes you."

"No he doesn't," Petunia denied, "He talked to me and flirted with me when we were kids. Nothing special." The bitter tone in her voice did not go unnoticed by Lily, who was biting her lip as she argued with herself. Meanwhile, she didn't notice her friend passing out and falling asleep.

"I made him not talk to you!" she finally blurted out, "Well, not technically but Al said that he didn't think himself good for you so when I gave him a choice, he stopped pursuing you." Lily's eyes were tightly closed and her dainty frame tensed, waiting for her dark-haired companions' explosion that never came. She slowly opened her eyes and stared at her friend, who was lightly dozing on her bed.

"Well, I did confess," Lily muttered to herself, "It's not my fault that she believes that boys like Malfoy don't date girls like her.

February 19, 2026

The noise was echoing in the Great Hall as spells and curses flew around the room in various colors and at various speeds. Screams echo through the room at the same level as taunting, sobs, and furious yells. The ground was littered with dead bodies, fallen statues, and rubble. Students, teachers, parents, and former students alike battled with the black robed individuals that seemed intent on getting the most kills.

"Dursley!" Petunia was intent on battling the man in front of her, his wild eyes not allowing her hope if she was beaten.

"Expecto Patronum!" with the one spell, a white wispy wolf exploded from her wand and attacked the man. Despite the spell being a pure one, the reaction was vicious. The instant was instant, skin cracking and blood pouring out.

"He was already dead," she whispered before a hand touched her shoulder. She whipped around, wand held out, ready to curse whoever dared touch her. However, her eyes met Scorpius's and the fire died as she recognized the blue-gray orbs.

"In case I don't make it," he whispered and then his lips crashed onto hers. Petunia had frozen before throwing herself completely into the kiss, oblivious to the fight around them.

"Be careful, you fool," Petunia whispered, finally pulling back to breath.

"No promises," he grinned cheekily, "I'll simply do my best to give you a life after this."

"You do that," Petunia whispered before throwing herself back into the fight with vigor.

October 28, 2030

Petunia stood in the ministry, just outside the holding cells as she waited for the one face that she wanted to see. People were being reunited all around her and she winced, weeks ago that was her.

"It's good to see you out," Petunia turned, smiling when she saw Jackson and Lily.

"Azkaban wasn't kind to you," she chuckled, seeing her old friend. Lily and her cousin, Victoire, were the only ones in their family to escape Azkaban and that was because they were pregnant and couldn't fight in the Final Battle. Petunia's eyes dropped to Lily's tiny daughter and she bent down to the girl's eyes level.

"Hello, Tulip," the brunette smiled widely, showcasing her white teeth.

"'Ello, Auntie Tunia," she giggled and Petunia smiled, her gaunt eyes glittered with warmth as she stood and faced the doors. She held her breath as the door opened revealing a head of white-blonde hair. As if she couldn't wait, she took off running to her soulmate, who immediately caught her, greeting the woman he hadn't seen in four years with a kiss.

"I missed you," they whispered in unison.

July 15, 2041

Petunia and Scorpius, now thirty-three and thirty-five, stood on a porch, watching four children play in the backyard.

"Who would've thought that Draco and Harry could be brothers?" Scorpius whispered to Petunia and she laughed as she glanced at her twin sons. Petunia's first, Draco, was the copy of his father while her second son, Harry, was an identical copy of her cousin though neither parent was entirely sure how. Their daughters, Lily and Narcissa, were mixtures of them both. Lily has Petunia's mother's red hair while she has Scorpius's blue-gray eyes. Narcissa had Scorpius's blonde hair with Petunia's blue eyes.

"They love them," and it was true. Despite their displeasure with the children's names, Harry and Draco loved the boys.

"Do you think my dad would be proud?" Scorpius eyed his wife before nodding.

"I only met him once, love, but yes, I think he'd be proud of you," he smiled, hugging her.

July 10, 2079

Four adults stood in front of two graves, tears stinging their eyes. The two girls were clinging to their brothers as they sobbed.

"Mum, Dad... It's been fourteen years since the attack. Lucy and Bella are doing well now. No longer sick," the blonde boy whispered, "I- I miss you, though. I lost you and my wife in one fell swoop. It still hurts... And now Grandpa Harry is gone."

"Do you know how weird it is to see your namesake in a box, being lowered into the ground? Really weird..." the man's dark-haired brother sobbed, "I want you back."

"Mummy, Daddy... I need you," the redhead began, "But that doesn't cover it, I want you back..."

"I want you back too, Mummy," the last girl sobbed, "I miss everything. The cookies you guys always had waiting, the music that always flowed from the house... The way you guys would suddenly start dancing... It's been fourteen years and I still want you back." The quartet were frozen in front of the gravestone, tears flowing down her face. A blonde man walked up behind him and stared down at his son and daughter-in-law's gravestone.

The Dursley that became a sister to a Potter.

The Malfoy that loved a Muggleborn.

Forbidden Soulmates.

Petunia Lily Dursley-Malfoy

2008-2065

Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy

2006-2065

Petunia finally went to Hogwarts with Lily.

[arbitrarygreay]

Alder being able to imitate Wade's facial expressions and talking tics (even if it's the Puppeting Work providing some assistance to that effect) shows that Alder would be gangbusters in worlds where she wasn't a general, but either a spy or a grifter (or, leading an organized crime syndicate). AU where Alder wasn't born until post-WW2, when open warfare was no longer the thing, so the deal she signed was for witches to work covertly for espionage purposes. Intrigue For The Goddess! All Secrets Keep to infinity. Bonus points if this turns into kind of a La Femme Nikita AU, where Alder founds Division. (Division is a secret black ops group whose modus operandi is to fake deaths, both of their targets and recruits, creating deniable assets, and eventually goes rogue. The applications of this to witches are obvious.) Getting to a grifter or cartel AU is much harder, because it's implied that the Alder family's proficiency and duty was Weatherwork, and so Alder wouldn't have learned other lines of Work like Puppeting (much less Spree/Dodger specialties like face-changing) until she changed the paradigm and made sharing Work mainstream. The only way I see it happening is if the Alder family was able to hook up with a a different escape network than simply fleeing to America to settle. A network that convinced Alder to abandon large displays of weather in favor of everything cruelly discrete for the sake of protecting things outside the system. At which point Alder would seize those teachings and run with them to their logical ends. Not quite a Spree!Alder AU, because Alder would recognize that being a terrorist faction only invites further alienation and reprisal. Instead, cultivating corruption provides incentive for individuals and institutions to preserve the existence of the witch faction through their own greed.

[knowstruth]

OK so to explain this.

basically the original signer of the salem accords (the document that gave witches citizenship in exchange for mandatory military service), general alder, is still presently in command of the military over 300 years later. this is because a large portion of the US was ceded back to tribal governments in the 1830s in return for knowledge of a kind of working (spell) that keeps alder alive through the use of "biddies," a group of women whose purpose is basically to follow alder around and let her use their life force to stay alive and healthy. this is in almost all cases a permanent thing, the witch serves as alder's biddy until death. at one point, tally and her unit were out in a battle alongside alder, and one of her biddies died. knowing that this would put alder and potentially the mission in immediate danger, tally offered herself up to become a biddy there and then, thus immediately aging herself. given the special circumstances one of the teachers on campus was able to sever the link with some difficulty later so that another biddy could step in and tally could return to her youth.

so basically tally was 80 for like a month or two so that their 300 year old military general could continue living via magic

looking at tal's wiki page and. someone who has never seen mfs what do you think this means

[natureinsight]

Fothergilla major, höyhenpensas

[strawberryspotsstuff]

Hello :) If you still have writing requests open and it's not a problem for you, can I request something short and platonic with apothecary witch and Philza? Hope you're doing well and I wish all the best❤

Hi! :D

I hope you're also doing well!

Please enjoy <3

PHILZA X APOTHECARY Y/N (platonic)

Spring had just rolled around, snow melting away into the soil and new, exotic flower buds sprouting from the rich earth. The sun just peeking through the rolling clouds, that fresh smell of honey and warm breeze on your skin. Tightening the hat ribbon to your chin, you made your way through the winding grapes and strawberry fields, a light almost airy bounce to your step as you carefully examined the sprouting fruits, it's dark and rich colour standing out from it's light leaves, as they swayed in the wind. As you rest your knees on the warm soil to start picking at them, a familiar caw gains your attention as you move your gaze up towards your, prized mahogany tree that sat on a hill.

Standing under the shade of it's over arching branches, Philza, one of his many crows sitting on his shoulder and a few more pecking at it's leaves. Philza, dressed for the spring weather in his iconic large sunhat, a dark green kimono, small white patterns speckled throughout and paired with small oak geta shoes. He un-crossed his arms and waved over to you, a soft smile etched onto his pale complexion.

Bouncing up from your spot, you wave back at him and run over to him.

"Mornin' Philza, what brings you here?" You ask, tilting you head.

Philza let out a hum in thought, his gaze looking over the plentiful garden and crops.

"Nothing much, my crows picked up elderberries, alder bark and bindweed. Though I don't know much of their purpose, they sounded.." he paused, you raised a brow in return.

"sounded, fancy enough, sounds like a you herb" he finished, chuckling, the crow that who was nestled on his shoulder, ruffled it's feathers as it landed on your shoulder, tightly held in it's beak were the herbs, as you held out your hand and it gracefully landing on your palm.

You hum softly to yourself, smiling at your fellow friend.

"Aw, well shucks, thank you. I needed more elderberries" You informed him.

He smiled in acknowledgement, a calming silence swept over the pair as you carefully examined the herbs, freshly sprouted it seemed, you would be lucky to snip some buds off for more gardens.

"Did you want to come inside?" You ask, breaking the pleasant silence.

"I didn't want you to come all this way, just to give some herbs" You added, holding the herbs close to your chest, chuckling.

As he laughed in return, his cheeks stretched to show of his dimples, as he waved his hand.

"Well, if you insist, I always wanted to graze your gardens when they were in bloom, Ranboo gushes about them, all the time"

You both share a laugh as you lead him back to your garden, showcasing your produce for the season.

--------

Thank you for the request! And remember it's still open. :D

[lainxsolus]

Lain was starting to think he was not actually a lycan, but instead a drug-addicted lab rat that grew tired of hitting buttons for a small dopamine hit and escaped the research facility. Not one to ever shy away from a new substance, after all, how would he know if he liked something without trying it first? "Sure," Lain replied, glancing at the bowl of green liquid that Alder was holding, "What's in that?" This was not the time to turn his nose up at any performance enhancing drugs that was offered to him, he would need all the help he could get if he were to stand a chance.

He listened intently as Alder explained the effects of the concoction, taking the bowl from him and lifting it up to curiously sniff the contents. It smelled earthy, mildly acidic, overlaid with spicy aromatic notes that he could not quite identify. "So basically this is kind of like an energy drink?" Lain joked, curious to see Alder's reaction. The witch seemed eager and very passionate about his creation. He also seemed a bit gullible, which was something Lain planned on exploiting. "Alright, here it goes," He lifted the bowl to his lips and drank a large gulp of the green liquid. The taste could certainly be improved, as well as the gritty texture, but he managed to get it down. Lain felt fine, but he wanted to fuck with Alder. He shoved the bowl back in the witch's hands before faking a painful gasp and going limp, falling to the ground. He laid there in the dirt, eyes closed and his body completely still.

who?: @lainxsolus where?: the streets outside his witchy cottage

^*^

Alder wasn't the type to do busy work, but he'd been spending more and more time in the garden he cultivated by his magical workshop. He'd managed to grow a few key herbs and roots, but the concoctions he made were effectively useless if they went bad while sitting on the shelf. Alder was desperate to see the fruits of his labor in action which was why he waved down Lain, the first lycan who walked by his shed, and approached them with pep in his step. "Hey, you look like the perfect candidate to help me with my Lupercalia prep. You want to try something for me?" The bowl contained an earthy green liquid he hoped would give lycans a little extra fighting spirit. When they duked it out for the position of alpha, Alder wanted them to be at their physical peak so the strongest wolf rose to the top of the heap. "Something I cooked up to increase circulation, provide a boost in energy, and maybe even grant a little luck. I want to do everything I can to make the event the best this city has ever seen. Won't you take one sip and tell me what you think?"