Transition

The station was crowded and Harry pushed his overloaded trolley mindful of the horde of people rushing about him from different directions. The beginnings of a headache seemed to start hammering about the edges of his brain. It was then that he saw his relatives. He cursed under his breath, and wondered why they were there. I thought they didn’t want me to go back with them.

“Well, what are you waiting for?” Uncle Vernon grated just as soon he was within hearing distance.

“What do you mean?” Harry asked conversationally.

“Don’t give me that look, boy! You are coming back with us!”

“I don’t think so, Uncle Vernon,” he replied calmly.

“Is there some kind of a problem, Harry?” the gentle voice of Remus Lupin penetrated his awareness. The scarred wizard limped casually towards the group, his graying brown hair falling over one eye as he did.

“No, Remus. What are you doing here?” Harry inquired.

“To see you off obviously. Oh, we’d better wait for Hagrid. He wants to see you,” the werewolf answered, studying the Dursleys with a peculiar kind of aloofness.

“I am not going to stand here listening to you talk as if you’re an adult!” Uncle Vernon hissed, his pudgy face red with anger.

“But he is,” Remus said quietly. “He is no longer under the restrictions of an under-aged wizard. He is free to do as he wants now.”

“Harry!” The loud voice stopped Harry’s uncle from making his statement. Hagrid came charging into view, and commuters immediately went out of their way to clear a path. He was carrying a huge box along with his umbrella. Harry’s relatives hurriedly backed away. “Take this,” the big man said gruffly, his deep voice tight with emotion.

“Thank you, Hagrid,” Harry answered softly. He watched the half-giant sadly and then embraced the huge man he’d known since his eleventh birthday. “Thank you for everything.”

Hagrid sniffed and quickly wiped his face free of tears. “Gotta go, Harry. Visit me from time to time. I know ye’ll be busy for the first few years, so I’ll be expecting you to come see me when you’ve settled into your working life.”

Harry watched his friend lumber slowly out of the station and waited until Hagrid disappeared from his sight before turning to his relatives. He placed his friend’s gift on top of his many belongings absently. “I’m not going back with you, so you might as well leave.” His green eyes narrowed into mere slits as he concentrated. A wallet suddenly materialized in his back pocket and he fished it out. Opening it, he removed a thick stack of notes and thrust them into one big, beefy hand of Uncle Vernon.

“My father came from a very rich family, Uncle Vernon. And he was an Auror – something like an investigator and policeman – when he was alive,” he said in a quiet voice, delighting in the way his aunt’s eyes bulged. “You ought to be glad that I am not forcing you to shelter me. Pretend that I don’t exist from now on. It should be a great relief to you.” He watched his uncle’s expression for several seconds. “Let’s go, Remus.”

The other wizard helped him carry Hedwig while he pushed the trolley, constantly scanning the crowd for a certain blonde-haired teenager.

“He’s right in there,” the werewolf informed him cheerfully, pointing at a crowd of black-haired witches. When Draco was finally free of his schoolmates, the look on his face was stormy. Harry wisely kept his mouth shut and put on a bland expression.

“Where’s Professor Starkmind?” the Slytherin asked shortly, then sighed when his trolley was nearly unbalanced by a commuter. He glared after the ungainly woman and readjusted the bindings of his owl’s cage.

“No idea,” Harry replied meekly as he leaned against the brick wall.

Their escort finally appeared five minutes later. Starkmind wore a pair of tight-fitting black trousers and a sleek robe. “Sorry, sorry. Got caught in the evening traffic,” he answered by way of explanation. The half-Veela hugged the three of them in greeting. “Are the two of you ready for a brand new adventure?” He looked at Harry and Draco with a broad grin.

Harry snorted derisively. “No thanks. I’ve had my fill of them to last several lifetimes.”

Starkmind let out a hearty laugh but it faded when he saw Draco looking around somewhat expectantly. “Is something the matter?” the half-Veela asked, tilting his head to one side in question.

“Nothing, sir. I’m ready to go.”

A loud, derisive snort followed by a string of curses caught their attention. The Potions Master came into view, dressed casually in dark grey. Remus did not seem too surprised to see his colleague. Snape just ignored him and Starkmind. Harry thought that he was going to faint when the beak-nosed wizard embraced his godson rather affectionately in public. Snape was even smiling when he pulled away.

Snape … smiling. Merlin – that’s scary, Harry thought weakly.

“I will see you on the fourteenth. Take good care of yourself in the meantime,” the Potions Master said. “And stay out of trouble,” he added.

“All right, Severus.” Draco grinned.

“Potter.” Snape inclined his head at Harry. “Starkmind.” Then he faced his ex-schoolmate, who had given him many nightmares since the prank the Marauders pulled on him as a teenager. He gave Remus an arch look. “Are you coming or not?” The greasy-haired wizard stalked away without checking to see if the Defense professor followed him.

Remus chuckled lightly.

“A date?” Starkmind inquired mildly. The werewolf winked in reply.

“Owl me, Harry,” Lupin said to Harry, and off he went, glancing back and giving a wave before he quickened his pace to catch up with the impatiently waiting Snape.

“That leaves just the three of us,” Starkmind interrupted the silence gaily. “So … shall we go, gentlemen?” They walked out of the station and Starkmind led them into the car park.

“How are we going to this place of his?” Draco asked Harry in a small voice, looking at the rumbling vehicles rather nervously.

“It’s kind of old-fashioned, but no matter how exposed I am to the Muggle world, cars still give me the butterflies,” Starkmind replied to the young wizard’s question and gestured at a handsome black carriage. “And this,” he patted the conveyance, “is a great deal more inconspicuous. An automobile will attract all the wrong kinds of attention in the village that we’ll be living in.”

“But then … that will mean a rather long ride, won’t it?” Harry queried as he helped the half-Veela to load their trunks.

“Not that long, Harry,” was all Starkmind said. He got up to the driver’s seat. “These horses aren’t really horses, for your information.”

Harry exchanged a wry look with Draco and gave the handsome grey stallions a second glance.

“Whatever – I’m not that curious to know what breeds these ‘horses’ are,” the Slytherin answered and pulled Harry inside the carriage. “Try not to give us a bumpy ride,” he told their chestnut-haired driver.

The carriage was not at all different from the ones that conveyed the Hogwarts students to the castle, except that its interior was much larger. Draco, who had been wearing his light robe over his grey shirt, took it off with a sigh of relief. Then he gazed at Harry with an indolent smile plastered on his face.

“What?” Harry asked, perplexed.

“Have you ever tried horse-riding, Potter?” his boyfriend asked.

“Does riding a Thestral count? Or a centaur? A Hippogriff?” The Gryffindor took his glasses off his face and began to clean the lens. He held his spectacles against the light and peered dazedly at it.

“You rode on a Thestral?” Draco sounded amazed. “When? And what in Merlin’s name were you doing on it?”

“It was during our sixth year, and right after school started. Needed to think about things so…” He put on his glasses and sized Draco up. “Well, I visited Hagrid – he gave me a lecture about sneaking out after dark while he saw to the feeding – and one of the creatures offered to give me a ride. Its name was Tenebrus, I think. Or was it Spectral?”

“You’re quite a weird fellow, do you know that?” Draco mentioned.

“I suppose I am,” Harry conceded and held out his arms. Draco suddenly gave him a naughty look.

Starkmind cleared his throat loudly enough to penetrate the wooden barrier. “No hanky-panky please. Bluestone will kill me if things get a little messy in there.”

Harry could not restrain his laughter. Several minutes passed and he swallowed hard, and studied his boyfriend. “Was that what you had in mind?” His green eyes gleamed vibrantly behind his tinted blue lens.

“What was in my bloody mind?” Draco growled.

“Have I mentioned this to you before?” Harry asked, pulling the lean Slytherin closer and planted a sound kiss on Draco’s cheek.

“Mentioned what?”

“Veelas – doesn’t matter if they’re pureblood or not – have an ability to sense … uhmmm … if others are in the mood for procreation,” Harry replied with a roguish grin.

“Are you serious?” Draco gasped, blushing vividly. He cast a guilty look ahead of him and a slightly embarrassed one at his dark-haired boyfriend, who nodded. “Bloody hell,” the Slytherin breathed.

Draco suddenly reached for the window and slid it open. He looked out warily – Harry was able to see that they were on a road overlooking a lush countryside – and called out to their escort.

“Yes, Draco?”

“Was my godfather having those sort of thoughts, with the werewolf?” the Slytherin demanded.

“Why, yes,” the half-Veela answered blandly.

Draco sat back on the seat so fast that he bumped his head slightly on the wall. His graceful fingers pulled the window close. “Bloody hell,” he uttered, his eyes looking slightly wild. “Bloody hell.” The blonde wizard slowly started to chuckle and the other two joined in.

The couple inside the carriage were dozing lightly when Starkmind’s voice stirred them awake. Blearily, Harry rubbed at his eyes, trying to make sense of what his friend was saying.

“I think it’s better if all of us step out and continue the journey on foot,” Starkmind repeated patiently.

“Why?” Harry asked curiously.

“First time entering the village may do strange things to you. I’d rather be close by to do something about it, if it happens,” Starkmind answered. “Anyway, the boundary shifts quite often.” The horses stopped their slow canter, and Harry heard their escort land onto the ground with a light thud. The door to their carriage opened and the half-Veela made beckoning motions with one hand.

Draco got out of the stagecoach rather reluctantly and looked about cautiously. The night sky was clear and stars twinkled merrily above their heads. Harry got out and stretched his limbs, feeling slightly refreshed as he breathed in the clean air. He heard Starkmind say something to the horses in a soft soothing voice, and then the creatures started to move confidently on their own.

“There’s not a lot of people here – I mean Muggles,” Draco said with approval.

“Yes. There aren’t many residential homes about … it’s mostly reserves and nature parks,” Starkmind informed them. “Come, let’s follow the horses.”

“Should we let our owls out, Elaviel?” Harry inquired as they set off at a leisurely walk.

The half-Veela shook his head. “They’re better off inside.” He looked thoughtfully at Draco. “Your eagle owl has very sharp talons. I don’t want to deal with the repercussions if your pet gets spooked later on.”

“This talk is making me quite nervous,” Draco announced. “Just what are we passing through?”

“You’ll understand soon enough,” Starkmind replied with a sympathetic smile.

Without warning at all, the horses veered off the road and entered the forest beside the road. The older wizard quickly reassured them that they were on the right course before the two teenagers could panic.

After walking for almost twenty minutes, Draco suddenly caught Harry’s elbow and held on tightly. “What’s that?” the Slytherin asked in a strangled voice. Several feet ahead of them was a peculiar rippling wall of mist.

“That is what we have to enter,” Starkmind said, his eyes narrowing as he watched the carriage penetrate the screen. “It’s a barrier that only magical folks can see. You might feel slightly disoriented after you go over to the other side. The world behind that is more or less its own world. There hasn’t been a Muggle intrusion since the late fourteenth century.”

Harry considered the mist thoughtfully and glanced sideways at the blonde beside him. He took a deep breath and stepped forward. Draco and Starkmind followed closely behind him. The air gradually became cooler as he neared the misty-white screen. He braced himself the way he always did when he passed through the magical barrier to get to platform nine and three-quarters.

His eyes shut the instant he went through and dry twigs snapped loudly under his feet once he made the crossing. The horses were waiting calmly by the roadside, waiting for Starkmind to issue commands. Harry found the creatures’ behavior slightly odd. Then his eyes blurred and he swayed, feeling dizzy all of a sudden. Behind him, he heard Draco give a sharp hiss.

“I think you two ought to sit down,” Starkmind instructed firmly and guided them to a fallen tree trunk.

“I think I’m going to throw up,” Draco said weakly.

With a soft chuckle, Harry pulled a bar of chocolate from his pocket and handed it to the other wizard. “Have some. It might help.”

“Why don’t you conjure a bottle of wine and a bowl of strawberries with cream along with it?” Draco suggested with a sardonic smile as he massaged his right temple.

“Should I go on ahead and come collect you half an hour later?” Starkmind asked with a slightly amused expression. Harry and Draco shook their heads, smiling guiltily.

The three wizards resumed their walk, and soon enough they finally saw signs of activity. There was a group of old wizards gathered around a huge park bench; all were engrossed in watching two of their friends play a game of chess. A grizzled old man saw Starkmind and nodded his head in greeting. On the other side of the path, a witch and her husband stood chatting on the front porch of their house, surreptitiously watching their child play with a sleek, black cat.

Harry smiled at the antics of the feline and the small boy. The child looked up at the sound of their footsteps and his soft brown eyes quickly focused on Harry’s face.

“Harry Potter,” the boy said softly with a look of adoration on his face. The mother gasped loudly and stared at them in disbelief.

“That’s frightening. Even toddlers know you,” Draco commented.

“Finally!” Bluestone’s voice rang clear in the air. The Veela ran down the front steps of his house two at a time and flew directly into his husband’s arms. After giving Starkmind a serious kiss, the Veela embraced the teenagers. He was grinning broadly when he pulled away.

“Well, lads. Welcome to the vale of the dancers,” Starkmind announced. “Half of the population in Dancers’ Vale are Veelas, so don’t be surprised if you find them in odd places around here.”

“And welcome to our house.” Bluestone looked back at his home and the rose bushes that flanked about its sides. “Not as impressive as the mansion you used to live in, Draco, but it’s comfortable.”

“I’m comfortable with anything that doesn’t feel like the dungeons. Just as long as I can see the sunshine coming through the windows, I’ll be perfectly happy,” the Slytherin asserted.

“This is a lot bigger that my uncle’s place,” Harry reassured their hosts. Then he turned to his boyfriend. “I thought your kind likes dark and dank places,” he remarked.

“Harry James Potter. I’m not Snape and I’m not some kind of a reptile either. I like – no love – the sun,” Draco said crossly.

“If you love the sun, why are you as pale as a lily?” Harry teased.

“I love the sun because it allows me to read without muttering spells every so often.”

“Somehow, I get this feeling that you’re an indoor type of person.”

“Which makes a perfect Potions Master.”

“You’re making me confused, Draco,” Harry said quickly. “First you say you like the light, then you contradict yourself.”

“They aren’t even formally bonded,” Starkmind said to his husband with a shake of his head.

“It is how it’s supposed to be.” Bluestone shrugged. “Come and help me with their trunks. Let’s leave the two to their arguments.”