Six Keys to Unlock the Otherworld
The Gift of the Hawthorn
Athena Zandrite
August 2007
I didn't expect to be able to write this chapter so quickly. The last chapter was quite a struggle and it was pulling things together to move the story along. It took that whole chapter just to get back into the writing style. I think I've caught myself back up in it properly now. This chapter focuses on Will and introduces Hermione's roll in matters as well as introducing Ginny in earnest. I already have plans for each key and who each is connected to. I think all my old readers are gone now. My own fault for taking so long. I hope new people find it interesting at the very least. Again, my knowledge of Brit-speak is pretty much non-existant and I don't know Welsh at all so my apologies for any mistakes. If I make one, please let me know how to fix it as well as just letting me know I've made it. It'll help a lot when I go to re-edit. Which reminds me. My sister has offered to beta the entire fic in her free time so hopefully some issues with earlier chapters and anything I've managed to miss on this one will all be caught. No one else has ever offered and I feel rude just asking as I know very few people in the HP fandom and not really anyone in the DIR fandom. In the meantime, sit back and enjoy!
Will's mind was still churning as he made his way from charms classes outside toward the gamekeeper's hut. The wind picked up threading teasingly through his hair, as though sprites danced across his skin and dipped around the edges just out of sight. A long game of tag that subsided as they darted along and the breeze again died away. His cloak settled back around him as his feet crunched on the gravel pathway. Two Hufflepuff girls darted past him laughing merrily and clutching books to their chests. His eyes lifted to the sky to see two rooks in the distance, flapping lightly and catching the same wind that had caressed his own face allowing them to drift like stringless kites, observing everything happening below. However, they needn't pay close attention to the group of children now making their way to Care of Magical Creatures, oh no. Their Lord was already there, able to observe with no difficulty at all. Will could see him now, standing just outside the forest and watching his own progress down the sloping hill.
Like some sort of a sentry the Lord of Dark stood tall and dangerous, blue eyes unblinking and a small quirk of the lips that said in a thousand words and none at all 'You cannot make me leave. I am here and I will stop you. You will fail, Old One.'
Will narrowed his eyes as he stopped a little way off and stared straight back, returning the challenge with one of his own. Determination crept into his eyes and then he smiled, almost maliciously. The Rider scowled. Then Anthony Goldstein was elbowing him in the back and leaning forward to speak as he broke the silent battle without even knowing anything had been happening. "Better keep up Will, it'll start without you." He brushed past and the moment was broken. Will moved forward to join Adiel as the group of Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws moved closer in anticipation. Their voices died down as the man in front of them swept an old fashioned bow.
"Good afternoon class," he said in his affected accent, "And welcome to your first Care of Magical Creatures class with me as your instructor. As you all know, I'm Professor Mitothin and I'm going to be doing things a little bit differently than you are accustom."
Will found himself mildly interested to see how a Lord of the Dark would be able to do anything these children wouldn't find strange. He shouldn't be able to use a wand and indeed he saw nothing of the sort anywhere nearby. The man was not holding anything in his gloved hands. He was also not wearing standard robes like the students and instructors normally might. Instead he was dressed in a dark cloth shirt that might have been red, or might have been black, it was hard to tell. This tucked into breeches that fit loosely and narrowed down into knee-high boots which looked unsurprisingly, and will thought unimaginatively, like riding boots. As though in an effort to avoid standing out completely, he had a cloak that clasped at his neck but fell back over his shoulders leaving his arms free to move unhindered.
"We will look a little more deeply into some of the more common animals you might normally know and discover how well you actually know them. Sometimes you may find the class boring, indeed, not all animals are as interesting as one another, but I expect you to pay each one great heed. You will find," He gave Hannah Abbot and long look before finishing the sentence, "That even the most mundane of animals can be used by ancient powers." Silence met this as the class tried to determine what that could possibly mean.
Even as he watched, Will felt something prickle on the back of his neck and suddenly he felt a cold chill that began on his ring finger and traveled through his entire body. The Rider held up an arm and a great shadow passed overhead, blotting out the sun for a moment before circling around and spreading huge black wings and landing on the Rider's arm. It was nearly the same size as the man's torso and something about it was horrible. A few more rooks fluttered overhead as though watching with interest, the proceedings below. Some of the students nearest the bird took a few smart steps backward, one girl brought a hand to her mouth to cover a gasp. It had dark red eyes that watched and knew. The animal looked intelligent and it's eyes settled first on those closest to it, then farther back, on Will. His hand clenched at his side and he looked back. It had black feathers just like the rooks at home but the wingspan on this creature was enormous and it looked almost greasy, the feathers slicked down and dripping like tar against it's body. It's beak was mottled grey and sharp, coming to a deadly point that curved only slightly at the end down toward the ground. The animal had talons that gripped the Rider's glove and it became clear why the man had to wear them. Any other cloth would have been ripped to shreds with next to no effort. The beak opened but the only sound that came out was a rattling labored breath that nearly sounded like chains. It shifted and the feathers made a similar noise against the shirtsleeve of the Professor.
"Oh it's awful." Susan Bones murmured, stepping back a little next to Ernie.
The Rider's cool blue eyes landed on her. "It is a magnificent creature, no need to back away just now, Miss Bones. Can you tell me what this is?"
She shook her head minutely and the boy next to her tilted his head, face still obviously disgusted by the creature but the obvious need to show off was warring in his mind. Will could see it as he tried to pick out what the creature was. Will knew. He knew without thinking what this was. Knew it's alliance with the Dark though he'd never seen one outside of the book of Gramarye. It was so dangerous to have nearby! Dangerous to have it looking at the children around him. Before Ernie had a chance to say a thing, Will's hand was out, spread wide and the students around him froze. He threw an angry look at the Rider. "To bring a Kludde here, amongst children, you have grown brash Rider."
The Rider smirked, icy blue gaze penetrating. "You cannot stop me, Old One. It is my Job, my Obligation to show Magical Creatures to the children here. This is a very magical creature."
The bird ruffled it's great feathered wings and it's eyes never left Will's. "I will not let you put them in danger, Rider. By the spell of Tyr and the spell of Aegir I will not allow the Kludde to hunt on the school grounds. By the spell of Pheres I bind it's hunting outside the Magical wards." He glared at the man. "You try to bring harm to the people here. I will not allow it."
The Rider looked annoyed for a moment but then he smiled again. "So be it, Old One, the Kludde will do as the spells command." He treated the situation as though he felt Will was a child throwing a tantrum and he would give him his way now if it would keep him quiet. "Now if you don't mind, I have a lesson to give."
He raised his own free hand and Ernie's voice was harsh on Will's ears. "-t a Raicho?" He was asking hopefully.
"Indeed not, but that is a good guess, it has similar size and coloring." the Rider responded. He looked around and then as though he'd done it randomly, his eyes fell on Will. "How about you, Stanton. What animal do you think this majestic bird might be?"
Will looked away, "It's not a bird at all, is it?" He said as fact rather than question. The bird let out another horse rattle of breath that almost sounded like laughter.
"That is correct, Mr. Stanton." Mitothin said and the malice underlying his words was obvious only to the Old One amongst innocent children. "It's not a bird at all, why don't you elaborate for your friends."
Will looked up defiantly. "It's a Kludde. A dark creature that attacks innocent travelers and it's breath is said to sound like the chains that bind it's soul." He saw more students back away.
"Quite right. And what is it's usual form, Mr. Stanton?"
Will could see the other students, those who had studied creatures, shudder. "A dog, a horrible black dog that can move as easily as a snake, sometimes as a black cat. But mostly a dog."
Even as he said this, he could see the feathers becoming furry, the wings drawing back though they didn't shrink, instead they flapped slightly and the Rider drew his hand back as the Kludde's body grew and changed becoming muscled and hairy. Two enormous paws landed on the ground and it reared back, a dog walking on it's hind legs, baring sharp yellowed teeth as long as a man's finger with blood red gums. Again they could hear that rattling breath, sounding even more like chains than before. It growled low in the back of it's throat and it's breath came out hot and moist, sending the closer student's robes billowing backward.
Someone whimpered.
The dog shrunk in front of their eyes and became a rather large black cat with matted fur, hissing at them. "As you can see," The Rider continued, "Appearances can be deceiving. It is important to be wary around any creature."
A tentative hand went up and the Rider nodded at Ionwen. "Sir, how do you stop a Kludde from attacking?"
The smile the Rider displayed seemed cruel to WIll. "Oh you don't, Mr. Dehn. There is no escape from a Kludde."
There were stares all around. "B... but it's not attacking us..." Hannah said nervously. "Why isn't it attacking us?"
The Rider laughed quietly, eyes falling on Will again. "There are two reasons it is not attacking you, Miss Abbot. One is that there are protections on Hogwarts castle. The second, is your homework assignment. I would like five thousand words on the Kludde and a discussion of it's hunting patterns. Due next week." His eyes traveled over the class all of whom still seemed to be nervously staring at the creature.
"That's all for today." He said cheerfully. "See you next lesson, and I expect you all to be well prepared for whatever I may show you."
Will waited until his classmates all trooped past him, throwing one final glare at the Rider before turning himself and following them back up toward the castle that loomed as twilight approached. He could hear the hungry rattling of breath behind him.
It seemed that theirs was not the only Care of Magical Creatures class that was unsettling. Will found himself walking beside Hermione Granger as they took a break from Arithmancy tutoring that Saturday. The two were making a lazy circle around the lake speaking in hushed tones not because they were afraid of being overheard, Will was convinced by now there would be nowhere they could talk that was completely free from the dark's influence, but because the air outside the castle was so quiet. It was almost abnormal, Hermione noted as they walked, not hearing birds calling, or even insects buzzing. Even the wind appeared to be holding it's breath. The air was warm and sticky as though the summer was holding on for dear life, clinging to their skin and burning in their lungs. Both had their robes open trying to get as much breeze as possible from the movement of walking forward. The soft plipping sound of a fish breaking the surface of the lake nearly made Hermione jump in surprise.
"It's just got me on edge." She said through gritted teeth. "I mean, a Kludde, what was Dumbledor thinking, allowing that man to teach classes!? At least Hagrid's creatures had some positive uses. A Kludde's a dark creature! Might as well bring in Dementors or Vampires!" She threw her hands in the air in frustration.
Will smiled gently, glancing toward the forest as every bit of his Old One senses tried to determine if that creature was nearby. He felt nothing. His senses were disturbingly unresponsive today as though the heat itself was dampening his spirit. "I doubt Dumbledor would have allowed it had he a choice." Will said sadly. "I've done what I can and Dumbledore has warned students to stay out of the forest. I don't think there's much else that we can do aside from hope for the best." This frustrated him to no end. The Light and the Dark were bound by many more rules, it seemed, than the Wizards. It was no doubt, why Wizards could hurt each other, and the Light and the Dark dealt in riddles and ritual, a mental dance trying to gain the upper hand. They both turned as they heard soft footfalls on the grass behind them.
Ginny Weasley was rushing to catch up to them, hair tied back in two low ponytails at the nape of her neck, broom at her side. "Hermione!" She called and waved a little, breath coming out in pants for a few moments as she came to a stop beside them before grinning at both of them. "Hi." She said to Will, broom dropping at one end to rest against the ground. She wiped her brow with a sleeve. "Just got finished practicing. Tryouts are next week, I figure I'll give it a shot."
Hermione smiled. "I don't think you'll have a problem. I'm no expert at Quidditch but you get to practice with some pretty good players on holidays."
Ginny's grin was mischievous this time. "And I do a little creative borrowing to get a feel for better brooms too." She winked at Hermione and straightened, putting a hand on her hip. "So, mind if I join you two? Nothing better to do."
Will looked amused. "Oh?"
She gave him an apologetic look. "I didn't mean... oh you're teasing me." She stuck her tongue out in typical little-sister fashion and shook her head. "So what are we doing?"
"Break." Hermione responded, "Just a walk around the lake before we move on to defense. We were talking about Care of Magical Creatures. How'd your class go?"
Ginny rolled her eyes. "It was boring. I heard you all got to see a Kludde. Have to say I'll take boring over that any day." She motioned them to continue walking, breath now coming easily. "We were introduced to a few different birds, he must be going through species or something. Told us about the Roc, mentioned the Kludde, Raicho but he only showed us the boring ones. Raven, Rook, Crows and Grackles. We have to write an essay about how you can tell the difference between them all." She rolled her eyes.
Will was looking at the sky now, still devoid of anything, no birds, no clouds just the hot beating sun. "Ravens and Rooks are messengers of darker things. Even the most fragile of animals can do a great deal of damage." His voice was far away as though he was traveling through his own thoughts in another place and his voice was only projected to this body next to the girls.
"Hoh boy, gotta get you to tell scary stories in the dark. You could make Fred and George nervous." Ginny said with a little bit of forced cheerfulness.
Will seemed to come back to himself as he tore his eyes away from the sky and looked at Ginny for a moment. "Ah, sorry, sometimes I start thinking and it just comes out." He grinned sheepishly. "Word vomit, my brother calls it. He has gotten rather crass about some things." A part of growing up, no doubt.
"I once saw a group of Rooks attack a man and drive him where they chose. Terrifying." He scratched his nose as though self-conscious and Hermione looked at him sideways as though trying to determine how much of his actions were act, what parts of Will were real.
Ginny looked curious. "Rooks attacking. That's not normal, is it?"
Will shook his head. "Not normal, though they can be influenced by certain ... people. All animals have a part to play."
"A regular philosopher." Ginny said cheerfully. "Mitothin is an interesting man though, something a little unsettling about him, but interesting none-the-less."
Hermione and Will clearly did not share this opinion. Will was clenching his teeth and Hermione worried a piece of her hair, twirling it around her finger in a nervous gesture. Ginny was about to question them when Will's head snapped up.
His eyes scanned the forest as the hair on the back of his neck stood on end. It felt as though every nerve in his body was sparking and his eyes bore into the darkness beyond the leaves. He could feel the girls tense at his side and his brain clicked through options.
"What is it?" Ginny was asking, looking and squinting her eyes.
Hermione was looking as well. "It's not the... the Kludde is it? Merlin! I can feel -"
Will shook his head. "No, not the Kludde." He glanced sideways at Hermione and saw her face go from terror to wonder. She dropped the hair she had been twisting between two fingers and ran that hand up her arm as though trying to feel something. He held a hand out to stop her when she took a step forward.
"It's calling me." She said, as though this made all the sense in the world. "I have to go."
Ginny looked extremely nervous now. "What are you talking about, Hermione?" She asked worriedly, catching the sleeve of her friend's robe.
"I can feel it." Hermione said, and then she turned knowing eyes on Will. "You can too. We have to go."
Her voice was so certain that it gave Will pause. His hand fell to his side and the world whirled around him breaking into pieces and falling back into place. For better or for worse, Hermione Granger appeared to also play a role in his quest, for he knew now that that's what he was feeling. The call of a key. He... no they would have to go into the current stronghold of the dark to get to it. His eyes traveled over to Ginny Weasley and he made to lift his arm and point his fingers at her, he would make her forget, and go back to the safety of the castle. As his eyes met hers though, he could almost feel the emotion rolling off the girl. She was standing, looking at him with her feet planted on the ground, her wand aimed right between his eyes. "I don't know what you expect to do but before you move any more you had better realize I'm not letting the two of you go in there on your own."
Will almost laughed, it sounded so silly. As though this younger girl was protecting him, going into danger for his own good. But she was dead serious and he could see a spark forming at the tip of her wand. "She'll be fine." Hermione said, almost dreamily. "Let her come."
Will looked between the two girls in frustration. There was a Kludde in that forest along with Milgwn and for all he knew stoats and polecats. Hermione was already moving forward as though drawn by a string or magnet, eyes wide and alert. Ginny was still pointing her wand at him, though she was watching Hermione with a frown on her face. "Oh all right." He said sounding a little petulant to his own ears. "But stay close. That means you too, Hermione."
Ginny grinned and nodded as they caught up to Hermione and moved toward the dark edges of the forest. As they drew closer, a small path seemed to materialize in front of them, mostly overgrown but something about it almost glowed. Will felt a slight sense of relief to have been drawn to an Old Way at least to start off. He found it interesting that it ended just at the edge of the school and wondered if it had always ended or, as he noted somewhat wryly to himself, began here. Ginny had linked her arm through Hermione's to keep her friend in check, due to the bushy-haired girl's strange obsession with finding whatever might be 'calling' to her.
Upon entering the forest the sun almost immediately disappeared from sight behind large leaves and thick branches. This did not appear to give any relief to the heat that beat in on the three teenagers walking through the forest. Will could feel the life around him, and the age. The trees on the borders of this forest were younger but that hardly meant much when even they had been around for centuries. This forest was different from the one he'd traveled on the morning of his eleventh birthday. It practically breathed magic. Will could feel it as though the trees were watching him. He could tell that just out of site were many creatures. Most of whom were aware that humans were entering their realm. Occasionally the sound of something skittered just on the edge of hearing but for the most part the only sound was that of their feet crunching on the dirt and leaves and the soft puffs of breath the teenagers exhaled as they walked.
Even without hearing it, Will knew it was coming. There it was, that soft beautiful music that left him longing to hear more even as the melody drifted out of his memory and the world around them quivered and it was suddenly the same but not the same. The trees were older, and the foliage more dense, and the air cooling slightly as a soft dampness settled on their skin. Ginny had looked up at the sound of the music and now she was looking at Will strangely. Her eyes narrowed in disbelief. "What-? What is this?" She nodded to his robes which had adjusted, the cloak that fell over his shoulders in a similar fashion to robes but different. It had no sleeves and connected at his collar with a clasp, his clothes weren't jeans and a t-shirt but something much older. He looked back as though curious. "What is what?"
And Ginny looked down at herself as well. She wore a similar cloak and instead of jeans she wore a floor length dress, nothing fancy it seemed to be made out of some ancient material in a plain beige that matched Hermione's next to her. Her broom that she drew along beside her had adjusted, no longer sleekly polished it was made of wood worn so smooth that it appeared to have been finished even without chemicals having touched it's surface. The twigs that made the end normally used by muggles to sweep, now appeared to be rounded and gathered besom fibers. Her hair was pulled back into a single plait that kept it back and trailing down her neck away from her face. She shot a look back at Will who ignored it and continued on as though this was all quite normal and supposed to happen. Which of course, it was. He kept his eyes peeled for danger and allowed Hermione to lead them forward. For while he could feel the presence of the key as though he was a single note finding it's harmonic and practically quivering with the resonance of their combination, Hermione felt it calling. She could focus on location. Will had learned not to question instinct. It had always led him well.
They walked through ageless forest, and Will saw trees and knew what they were, and could feel their power around him, from Oak and Beech and Fir and Yew to Cedar and Holly and Alder. He breathed deeply and smelled the musty air, damp with dew and age and the scent of living things. He broke the silence after only a few moments, speaking to both girls. "Keep you mind alert, take heed in what you see and hear, our purpose will become clear and you must not fear." He turned his head to the side so they could see his eyes and he tried to relay the earnestness. "So long as we stay on this path, you have nothing to fear."
Ginny swallowed heavily and even Hermione was paying attention now. "Yes." the latter responded. "Stay on the path. I will."
Will looked forward again even as the darkness increased. It did not take long for the girls to notice what Will had seen just before speaking. Creatures moved in the forest. Not just animals, the trees themselves seemed to breath. But just out of the corners of their eyes dark shapes slunk. Ginny would turn her head only to see nothing. Just greenery and fallen leaves. "Don't look for them, they cannot touch you here. They will try to get you through fear. They twist your emotions."
Even as he spoke, he knew they were drawing dangerously close to something. Something the dark did not want them to reach. He could feel their anger building around them even with the dampening of the Old Way. It pressed in, and the forest practically seethed with it. Hermione and Ginny drew closer together and closer to Will as even their senses began to pick it up and he could feel their uneasiness but could do nothing to ease their fears aside from offer assurances. Something growled off to the right, and Will steadfastly moved forward, ignoring the sound as though it meant nothing. The girls had jumped sideways but were halted from leaving the path as Will was blocking their way off to the other side. There were flashes now of fur, grey and white and occasionally a small slither or browny-red. And the forest began to speak to them. Pants of breath from warm mouths. Calls above in croaking cacophony as Rooks spoke to one another. Snorts of noses to dirt. Cracking of twigs snapping underneath feet. It closed in around them, pressing and pressing until suddenly...
They were in sunlight again. Broken into a clearing the path meandering through tall grass toward a lone tree in the middle of the clearing. Dotted with white flowers and spreading low branches out to shade shorter grass that grew around it's trunk. He could feel the tension drain from his companions and Hermione gave a happy shout and danced forward, rushing up to the tree in wonder, pulling away from Ginny's grasp and spreading her arms wide while a soft breeze picked up her cloak and whipped it around her.
Will saw it happen as though in slow motion. One foot and then the other bouncing off the path toward the tree with all the unease of earlier out of her mind, her relief and a sort of childish glee taking over. And the moment she was off the track, clouds blotted out the sun and something shot out of the forest toward her. A grey and white streak that snapped long white teeth at the hem of her cloak and grabbed it yanking her sideways. She nearly toppled over but another fox had joined the first and grabbed the hem of her skirt, yanking her upright and shaking it, watching Will and grinning.
"Hermione!" Ginny shrieked, reaching for her wand. But her robes were gone and with them, her wand and her best form of defense.
Hermione, for her part, looked terrified. She pulled back, trying to get away from the foxes, yanking at her clothes and kicking out at one of them.
Will strode forward, watching as the kick landed and sent the dog holding her dress rolling. It righted itself with little effort, tongue lolling out of it's mouth in a comical fashion as though it was playing a game. The other held fast and a shadow swooped down from above as a rook grabbed a piece of her loose hair and yanked her sideways sending her sprawling much farther from the track. Without her feet planted, the large grey fox began dragging her even as she struggled to get back to her feet. Her body slid across gravel and grass, her cloak sliding over her head and riding up her neck as the animal yanked. The second ran behind her to break off her escape. It barred it's long white teeth at Will who had stepped off the Old Way as well now and held out his hand. He yelled some words of power, but the foxes did not back down. Instead the closest jumped forward, slashing it's jaw toward Will who had to take some steps backward to avoid having his throat torn out. Undeterred he continued forward, gathering his strength, he gave a bow toward the tree and then called the wind and tree, for it was a Hawthorne and it was what they were seeking.
The first fox continued to drag Hermione who was clutching at grass and trying to roll so she could stop the forward momentum now. She thrashed around, nearly choking herself on the cloak that tightened against her throat. The second Milgwn was stalking around Will, laughing at him, daring him to try to save his friend. Ginny was screaming behind him, safe on the old way though he knew she wouldn't stay there for long. He had to move quickly or he would be fighting for two people instead of one. And then he felt the wind, starting slowly and just lifting the hem of his cloak. Then the soft fingers of breeze grew with strength and power and his cloak whipped out backward, and the wind tore at the fur of the foxes. The trees around them whispered to each other as the leaves twirled in the gale and behind him, the Hawthorn branches waved and petals began to cascade down and around the clearing. For a moment it appeared that the entire clearing was in a blizzard and all the strugglers stopped, staring in wonder. Ginny's tear stained face calmed and she tilted her head in the wind as though being caressed by a lover. The Milgwn growled and then whined as petals whipped across their fur, driving them back.
Hermione was released and she rolled onto her back panting and staring at the white world above her. Will moved to her quickly, helping her to her feet and drawing her back to the Way. Back to Ginny who opened her eyes and embraced her friend. "Oh thank Merlin you're OK, oh thank goodness." She was whispering to Hermione. But the wind was dying down now and the blossoms settling. Hermione and Ginny both turned toward the tree and Hermione moved forward, taking care to stay on the path she approached the tree.
Will stayed back and watched. He watched as she looked up at it, her eyes wide and clear and then she closed them and reached a hand up to trail lovingly against one of the branches. Both the girl and the tree sighed. The tree seemed to settle and welcome her in, a mother calling it's child home to it's embrace. And she went to it. Pausing at the trunk and looking thoughtful for a moment. Then she was reaching forward and her hand set with fingers splayed wide against the trunk she just stood like that for a while, feeling the tree and the tree feeling her. Ginny said nothing beside him, just watched. And then gasped.
Hermione's hand appeared to sink into the tree. Her eyes closed and Ginny moved to jump forward again but Will's hand on her arm stopped her. "Watch. Only watch."
Both the tree and Hermione seemed to take on a glow from inside, and then as though a wind was back, her cloak, her dress, her hair and the tree branches all appeared to rise and float lifted by this imaginary wind as though they were underwater and buoyant. But there was no breeze and Will felt Ginny tremble under his hand. "Watch." He assured her. And then her hand was retracting, and the invisible wind slowed and the branches settled. Hermione held a long rod in her hand. What appeared to be a wand and her arm dropped to her side. Will and Ginny ran to her just as she toppled over backward.
Catching her before she hit the ground, Will caught her words, born on a soft breeze toward the Hawthorn tree. "Thank you." She fell asleep then, and he had to have Ginny help him as he hefted her up onto his back.
"Hold the wand. She'll want it when she wakes." He nodded to it and Ginny had to pull it from her fingers.
He walked a little more labored as they moved back in the direction they had come, Hermione's weight settling mostly on his hips and shoulders as he wrapped his arms under her lower thighs to distribute her weight. Ginny looked at him critically. "I don't know what you are Will Stanton, but you better believe I plan to find out." she said in a voice that broached no room for argument. She held up the wand. "What is it?"
Will tried to shrug but gave up. "Exactly what it looks like. A wand. Made from the heartwood of the eldest Hawthorn."
She looked at it more closely. Upon closer inspection, it appeared the same as her broom. Completely smooth as though polished to a shine not carved. But there was a dark line through it almost like an undulating and straightening snake. "The mark," Will continued. "Is supposed to represent Eve's snake. The creature who led to Adam and Eve being expelled from Heaven. It is very powerful. It has chosen her."
Ginny looked at Hermione uncertainly then back at the wand. "The oldest Hawthorn hmm?" She asked. She paused as they both tilted their heads trying to catch that elusive and beautiful music as their world shimmered and quivered around them and they were back in the forbidden forest and they were wearing their proper clothes. "We will have to talk, Will Stanton." Ginny said. "But in the meantime..."
He could hear the brush of fabric as Ginny reached into her robes and withdrew her own wand, slipping the Hawthorne wand into it's place. She smiled at him and swished the wand in Hermione's direction. "Mobilicorpus."
He could feel his charge lightening and lifting off his back as Ginny floated Hermione next to him. "Let's get her up to her room."
Will smiled his thanks and the three figures headed toward the castle.
Off to the side, a pair of cold blue eyes followed them, flashing in anger. The Rider turned and glared into the forest. His voice came out harsh in the language of the dark, striking at the Milgwn who whined and slunk away.