The Tide Begins to Turn

She was a woman on a mission. Her Veela family had been silent supporters of the Dark Lord, as had most Dark creatures, and his death had caused a great deal of panic to swell in her clan. Of course they would support wholeheartedly any Dark witch or wizard that would bring them out of obscurity, and grant them the place they so richly deserved in magical society. But then the Potter scum had to destroy all their hopes and dreams.

She had been told, when she had informed her parents that both she and Harry Potter were in the Tri-Wizard tournament, to get as close to the brat as possible. She would be able to eliminate the threat to their Lord quickly and efficiently. However, when she learned that one of his Death Eaters had been the person to submit Potter's name to the tournament, she knew that it was under her Lord's orders, and that she couldn't do anything to him, for fear of incurring the Dark Lord's wrath. So she steamed and fumed, trying to figure out a way to get to the brat.

Then William Weasley came along. He and Molly had come to see Potter perform, acting as his surrogate family, and she saw an opportunity. Weasley wasn't hard on the eyes, and, if she was to weasel her way into their family, she could wipe out the Light's biggest supporters with one fell swoop. So she released just the slightest bit of her allure, allowing it to wrap itself around William's magic, convincing the eldest son that she was meant for him.

It was nothing to wrap him around her little finger, and Molly couldn't say anything about it. Oh, she knew that the harridan suspected her for something, but without definitive proof, she could do nothing but watch helplessly as Fleur Delacour stole her precious man-child away from her. Fleur hadn't expected to be with the Weasley family for this long, but she had to keep in the background so that no one would become suspicious. It was revolting, the way the entire family was up each others arses all the bloody time. She was never alone with William long enough to work her magic on him. And now he was talking marriage, for Merlin's sake!

But now it was time for some payback. She had come to the Yule celebration with the Weasleys, but had made herself scarce. She didn't want to talk to, see, or even be near the Potter wretch, so she hurried off to the refreshments as soon as she was able. There, she watched and fumed as all of the supposed Dark families kissed everyone's asses, hoping for forgiveness, hoping to worm their way back into the upper crust of wizarding society. Hoping to avoid the consequences of their actions and choices. She had a special, reserved hatred just for them. They had betrayed everything they stood for, and didn't deserve to profit from that betrayal.

Seething silently, she watched as all the Dark families flocked around the Potter trash, patting him on the back or hugging him, huge smiles of relief on their faces. Relief! At the death of their Lord! Merlin! What was the world coming to?! She sneered as the mudblood and the blood traitors circulated around the room. The Weasleys looked to be upset; perhaps Potter refused to give them any of his belongings or money. Perhaps he refused to marry their worthless bitch of a daughter. She had seen him with Draco Malfoy and some strange, pale, creepy young man, who had been introduced as Ryuuzaki Rue. He looked Japanese, but his accent spoke of other cultures. Shaking her head, she turned to the buffet, wrinkling her nose at the plebian fare on offer.

Ryuuzaki's magic was irritating him. It kept thrumming lightly, as if in warning. He couldn't understand why; it wasn't like he didn't use it, and frequently. The tingling was quickly crawling over his nerves, and he looked for Severus Snape, sure the surly man would be able to tell him what the issue was. Spying him near a far wall, hidden in a shadowy alcove, he murmured his excuses to Harry and Draco and made his way over there.

The guests bumped and touched him as he ventured in the dark man's direction, and L flinched and twitched at all the uncomfortable, accidental touches. Finally, he cleared the gauntlet and leaned heavily against the wall next to Snape, breathing deeply and meditating for a moment to rid himself of the anxiety that had built during his short journey.

"May I assist you, Mr. Rue?" Severus asked solicitously.

"I will be fine, professor Snape," the detective replied, opening his fathomless charcoal eyes. Severus could see the residue of tension in those unblinking orbs, and his eyebrows rose slightly in surprise.

"I've had you in my potions class, and I've been tutoring you on the side, as well. In all that time, I've never seen you so tense. Care to explain?"

"I am not fond of crowds," the teen replied softly, looking out over the ballroom. His eyes instantly locked with silver, and Draco's eyebrow quirked in concern at the lingering anxiety in his boyfriend. Ryuu shook his head slightly with a fond smile before turning to the man beside him. "I have a problem, and I was hoping you could help me with it."

"I am at your disposal, Mr. Rue."

"Please call me Ryuu when outside class, and my magic has been acting up."

Nodding his head in acceptance, Severus answered. "You may call me Severus outside of school, and how has it been acting up?"

"It is tingling and thrumming most uncomfortably. It is as if it is trying to warn me of something."

"It most likely is. You have a very strong well of magic in your core. Your power is equal to Mr. Potter's and Mr. Malfoy's. It is very likely trying to tell you something. Be on your guard tonight; I fear the danger you are sensing will most likely come to pass tonight."

"Thank you, Severus. You have been most helpful."

Fleur finally had her chance at the Yule log celebration. Everyone was asked to come outside, to the Quidditch pitch, where a large pile of Yule logs had been placed within a ring of stones gathered from Stonehenge. By dribs and drabs, in pairs and groups, the entire party moved out to the pitch, talking and laughing and enjoying the camaraderie.

Hermione stayed back a bit from the rest of the guests, unsure of her welcome. She knew that she'd offended a great many people this night. Harry's words to her had stung bitterly, making her question her own beliefs. She had been raised on good Christian values for most of her life, and to have all of that thrown back into her face was galling. It was also embarrassing, as she remembered all the 'fire and brimstone' sermons about witchcraft and Satanism. The fact that the preacher had consistently linked her magic to satanic worship offended her deeply, but he was an authority figure, and it was hard for her to go against him, or her parents.

She knew that her mum and dad were…hesitant to completely accept her magic, so they ignored that part of her. She remembered hearing her parents tell others of their family that Hermione had been accepted to a private boarding school, with a scholarship and everything, because of her exceptional intellect. Only now, in light of Harry's words, was she realizing that they were trying to hide who she really was from everyone. Nodding to herself in determination, she strode forward until she was near Harry and his boyfriends, intent on trying to learn about these different traditions. Maybe, if she was accepting enough, she could get her friend back.

Fleur was with the Weasleys, who were also near the Savior and his lovers. Her allure was spiking erratically in her excitement, and she unconsciously attracted a lot of unwarranted and unwanted attention. Finally, Bill hissed angrily to her to rein it in, bringing her out of her euphoria long enough to realize what she was doing. Flushing at the censure in the redhead's voice, she scowled as she threw her barriers back up, locking the magic away. Finally, the large group stopped when the Malfoys did, waiting for further instruction.

"I will now cast the circle," Narcissa announced to the crowd. Turning, she strode a few paces forward in an eastward direction before conjuring a white candle. "Let it be known that the circle is about to be cast. All who enter the Circle may do so in perfect love and perfect trust." She lit it and started her trek clockwise around the wide space, conjuring a yellow candle for the eastern cardinal point, the representation for Air. "Guardians of the East, I call upon you to watch over the rites of the wizarding world tonight. Powers of knowledge and wisdom, guided by Air, we ask that you keep watch over us tonight within this circle. Let all who enter the circle under your guidance do so in perfect love and perfect trust."

Advancing to the southern point, she conjured and lit a red candle, the representation for fire. "Guardians of the South, I call upon you to watch over the rites of the wizarding world. Powers of energy and will, guided by Fire, we ask that you keep watch over us tonight within this circle. Let all who enter the circle under your guidance do so in perfect love and perfect trust."

Moving to the westward point of the circle, she conjured and lit a blue candle, the representation for water. "Guardians of the West, I call upon you to watch over the rites of the wizarding world. Powers of passion and emotion, guided by Water, we ask that you keep watch over us tonight within this circle. Let all who enter the circle under your guidance do so in perfect love and perfect trust."

Finally, she went to the northern compass point, conjuring and lighting a green candle, the representation for earth. "Guardians of the North, I call upon you to watch over the rites of Three Circles Coven. Powers of endurance and strength, guided by Earth, we ask that you keep watch over us tonight within this circle. Let all who enter the circle under your guidance do so in perfect love and perfect trust."

Finally, she stepped to the center of the circle, in front of the logs, and raised her candle to the sky. "Oh mighty Hecate, mother of all magic. Please bless us with your strength and power and wisdom as we celebrate this holiest of magical seasons. Grant us continued life and love, and grant us protection from those that would seek to destroy us for the magnificent gift you have granted to us." She lowered the candle and stepped to the eastern point, standing and waiting as each and every person entered the circle one at a time.

At each entrance, she asked, "How do you enter the circle?" Each and every person replied, "In the light and the love of the goddess Hecate." As each person entered, they could feel the power and beauty of the ritual settling around them, lifting and freeing them from their daily burdens, if only for a moment.

When Harry entered the circle, Narcissa blessed him with a kiss to the forehead, and he felt the magic of the goddess fill him with renewed hope and strength. "She has blessed you this night, Harry," Narcissa murmured, smiling softly. Nodding shyly, the raven took his place within the circle and waited for his boyfriends to join him. He was startled to see Hermione enter and take up Draco's hand, and the blond lifted a brow in surprise at the gesture, but shrugged. He'd think on it later.

Once everyone was in the circle, Narcissa closed the 'door' and made her way to the northern point, and as one, the entire party raised their wands and cast incendio at the gigantic pile of logs. They went up with a flair of blue, red, green and yellow flames before settling down to burn merrily in the night, chasing away the chill of the winter air.

The adults, as one, chanted, "The Wheel has turned once more, and the earth has gone to sleep. The leaves are gone, the crops have returned to the ground. On this darkest of nights, we celebrate the light. Tomorrow, the sun will return, its journey continuing as it always does. Welcome back, warmth. Welcome back, light. Welcome back, life." They then moved clockwise around the fire, walking until each person was in the same place from which they started.

The next chant was divided amongst the children, who were themselves divided into small groups, with each group speaking a line. "Shadows go away, darkness is no more, as the light of the sun comes back to us. Warm the earth. Warm the ground. Warm the sky. Warm our hearts. Welcome back, sun."

"We will now each speak of the one thing that we are most thankful for. We will start with Harry Potter."

Blushing, the raven dipped his head shyly before raising it again with a wide, beaming smile. "I am thankful for all the wonderful family and friends I've been blessed with this night." Nods and smiles all around the circle told him that they, too, were grateful. One by one, the rest of the group said what they were thankful for, and while some said freedom, or love, or children, to a man, every single Dark family present said the same thing; Harry Potter. By the time the circle had finished, Harry was in tears, trembling from the force of his love and gratitude for everyone there. The silence was profound, then Narcissa walked clockwise around the circle again, extinguishing each candle as she went and thanking the goddess before dismissing her, clearing the circle so that they may leave.

As Harry turned to go, Fleur whipped out her wand, an enraged shriek erupting from her mouth. She pointed it at Harry and cast stupify with enough power to send the raven flying into the bonfire. Before he could land, however, a shield flew up around the fire, bouncing the brunet clear. Draco then turned to the blonde woman, and stopped, stunned at what he was seeing.

Ryuuzaki had the woman paralyzed, and he was standing toe to toe with her, snarling invectives at her. His anger was fueling his magic, and the incarcerous he had flung at her was slowly squeezing the life out of her as the ropes constricted like the coils of a giant snake. The Weasleys had tried to approach, to free the woman, but angry sparks lit up, bouncing them away each time they tried to intervene.

William looked desperately at Harry, begging with his eyes to do something. Harry stood and stepped to his lover, placing a gentle hand on the man's lower back and leaning in. "I'm okay, Ryuu-senpai," the brunet said softly, relishing the shudder that his breath against the other's ear elicited. "She didn't hurt me. You and Draco protected me."

Charcoal eyes, full of wrath, turned toward his voice, and Harry sucked in a quiet breath at the almost suffocating protectiveness coming off the other man. Harry leaned in and kissed L gently, sucking his lower lip into his mouth and nibbling on it. Instantly, the detective's wand fell and the spell was released as L turned into his lover, pulling him into strong arms and holding on for dear life. William took control of the incarcerated Veela, guiding her back to the manor with everyone else and leaving the three men to their privacy.

"I was so afraid, Harry-kun," Ryuu whispered in the emerald eyed man's ear. "I thought she was going to take you from me. In all my years, I've never felt such overwhelming, burning rage before. It was most uncomfortable, so I insist that you never do that to me again." Over L's shoulder, silver eyes met emerald, and a smirk graced both men's faces, each with the same thought. He's ours.