Memories

-----Classes-----

Ciara woke up slowly, like she was living a dream. But the sounds of Fi and Arabella noisily getting ready convinced her otherwise. She opened one eye and saw Nina still snoozing away.

"Fiiiiiiii!" Ciara yelled loudly, even though the pillow muffled half the sound.

"Whaaaaaat?" Fi replied. She had a towel in her hand and her hair was dripping wet.

Ciara sleepily pointed at Nina and pushed herself to a sitting position. Fi grinned wickedly and began twisting her wet towel. When she felt it was wound enough, she let it fly, smacking Nina painfully into reality.

"OWWWW! WHAT WAS THAT FOR?" she screeched.

"Shut up!" Lily said sleepily from her bed. Fi chuckled maniacally and began twisting her towel again. After Lily too was smacked awake, Fi simply returned to preparing for classes.

Ciara groggily climbed out of bed and drudged to the shower. After a quick, cold shower, she threw on her school robes and made her way to the first year boys’ dormitory. There, she found all of them asleep. Cupping her hands around her mouth, she screamed, "FIRE!"

All 5 boys leapt out of bed, each with a look of absolute terror. When they found no fire and a laughing Ciara on the ground, they all tackled her until she cried out, "Uncle! Uncle! UNCLE!!!!!"

"You do that again and you will not live to see the next day, do you understand?" Sirius hissed dangerously in her ear. Ciara nodded then gave him a peck on the cheek.

"I love you too."

* * * * *

At breakfast, the prank wars officially began with Ciara ‘poisoning’ Sirius’ drink so that his hair grew to about waist-length and curled massively. They all received their schedules and found they had Charms first with the Ravenclaws. Ciara and Lily even ventured to visit Severus and comparing schedules. Severus looked like he was miserable in Slytherin, for Malfoy had begun to taunt him continuously.

When Ciara and Lily first entered the Charms classroom, Fi was signalling someone behind them. They scarcely had time to turn around when a curse hit them, causing their faces to turn beet red. Ciara pursed her lips and said nothing, but turned around and took a seat. The Ravenclaws were pointing and laughing, but Ciara smiled sardonically and pointed above them, where a bucket teetered dangerously close to tipping.

"You were saying, mes amis?" she said loud enough for them to hear.

"If you’d please take your seats," a small professor said. Ciara jumped and lost her concentration, causing the bucket to tip on the Ravenclaws and clatter noisily to the ground. They immediately began blaming Ciara while the other Gryffindors laughed. Ciara just sank into her seat.

"Zut."

* * * * *

Lily, Fi, and Arabella were waiting outside the Charms classroom when the door opened and Ciara came out with a sneer.

"Detention the first day, I can’t believe this…" she was muttering to herself. She was so self-absorbed that she breezed past her friends and continued on her way to Potions with the Slytherins. The others tried to catch up.

"Ciara, you all right?" Lily asked cautiously.

"Do I bloody well look all right?!" Ciara screeched.

Lily paused. "Um…no."

"Then why are you asking?" Ciara replied through gritted teeth.

Fi caught Lily’s attention and shook her head, saying Don’t push it right now. They all hurried to the dungeons and scurried in right before the bell. The professor sat at the front of the room, just staring. He had dark red hair and eyes the colour of coal. He eyed the Gryffindors suspiciously, but had nothing but admiration for the Slytherins. Ciara got an icky feeling from the professor, causing her to involuntarily shudder.

"Since there is no foolish charms or curses in this class, I expect nothing but the most serious students. My name is Professor Caolite. I don’t do favours, and I do NOT play around."

Ciara felt a nudge from Severus beside her. He shot her a look saying ‘Don’t mess with this one.’ Ciara dimly nodded and tried to pay attention the rest of the class.

* * * * *

Ciara and James were both the last ones out, both in furious moods.

* * * * *

Lunch finally arrived and the Marauders sat down to have a discussion on their day. James and Ciara were beyond livid at their teachers, who had increased their detention count to 3 each. Sirius looked glum, which he attributed to only having 2 detentions. In the middle of lunch, Lily and Fi pulled Arabella and Ciara to a more deserted area of the table.

"OK, guys, here’s the deal. The boys are whining about detentions, but since we’re going to get them anyways, why not challenge them. We could split off from the Marauders and become our own group!" Fi whispered excitedly.

Ciara gave her a look saying, ‘ok-where’s-the-punch-line?’ Fi gave a halfhearted smile and shrugged. Ciara turned to look at Arabella, who looked stunned, and Lily who was trying hard to contain excitement.

Ciara thought about it for a moment, then slowly nodded. Fi, Lily and Arabella grinned and put their hands in the middle of their little circle. Ciara eyed the boys thoughtfully then put her hand in the middle.

"One for all and all for one. Deal?" Lily asked.

The other three nodded. Hence, the Musketeerettes were born.

* * * * *

2 weeks later, the two competing circles were doing homework on the floor of the common room when Sirius threw down his quill.

"I’m tired of working. I want to go find secret passages," he said.

Ciara looked up tiredly from her Transfiguration essay (Describe at least three things that could have gone wrong with your attempt to change the match into a needle.). "You’ve finally lost the rest of your mind, haven’t you? We’re loaded with homework, dear heart."

"Exactly! Come on, there’s a chance we could get detention!"

Ciara glared, but shut her book anyways. James, Remus, and Peter had already done so and were standing in front of the other three Musketeerettes. "Pweeze?" they asked pleadingly, batting fake Bambi eyes.

Ciara sighed and put on a poker face. "What do we get out of it, Black?"

Sirius rolled his eyes up in thought. "Hm…how about access to all the passages we find?"

Ciara turned and looked at Lily, Bella, and Fi for support. They nodded their consent and closed their books. Ciara faced Sirius again. "It’s a deal, Black."

The 8 children huddled together and discussed how to exactly pull off their escape.

* * * * *

"I cannot believe I got stuck with you," Ciara whispered harshly to Sirius.

"You know you love it, Bryant," he whispered back.

She slapped him softly on the arm. "You know it," she muttered.

Suddenly, footsteps could be heard on the stairs around the corner. Ciara pulled Sirius into the shadows and seemed to freeze totally. Mr. Filch appeared and looked around suspiciously. Mrs. Norris, his new kitten, peered around and focused on the two students. Ciara got the distinct impression that Mrs. Norris wasn’t what she seemed to be. She used a small trick her paternal grandmother had taught her and reached out with her Terran magic. She felt the shadows around her and began to pull them to cover her and Sirius. Finally, Mrs. Norris looked away and followed Filch, who had begun to walk down the hall again. The two children released the breath they had been holding simultaneously.

"Yeah, Sir, I sure love it." Ciara whispered.

* * * * *

Nearly 20 metres away, James and Lily were looking under tapestries and knocking on suspicious looking walls. They had found one passage near the Common Room that led to the Great Hall, but other than that, nothing. A couple of times, they had been forced to hide from patrolling teachers, laughing softly the entire time. They knew that Arabella and Peter had found another passage that saved vast amounts of time in getting to the dungeon, but no word had come from Remus, Fi, Ciara or Sirius.

* * * * *

Remus and Fi were searching near the common room again, determined to find something. They were passing a portrait when something caught Fi’s attention.

"Remus, there’s something here…" she said. Remus came and examined the spot where Fi pointed. There were tiny cracks running parallel to the painting, which was of a shepherdess.

"Pardon me, but-"

"No one may enter visout ze headmaster’s permission!" The shepherdess said in a French accent.

"Do you have a riddle?" Fi said quickly.

The shepherdess looked miffed. "Oui."

"Well, tell us!"

"Quand la lune est pleine,

Je danse la danse d’amour.

Les moldus ne me connaissent pas.

Je suis en l’oppose d’or.

Je quel suis?"

Remus and Fi looked at each other, confused.

"Shall we call in the resident experts?" Remus asked. Fi nodded.

* * * * *

James and Ciara listened closely again as the shepherdess repeated her riddle. When she finished, Ciara shrugged.

"It’s some kind of creature. That’s about all I know."

Remus mock-sighed. "You’re just supposed to translate it, nitwit."

James released a breath. "When the moon is full, I dance the dance of love. The Muggles don’t know me. I’m made of the opposite of gold. What am I?" he said.

"Puis on réponde en anglais?" Ciara asked.

The shepherdess nodded. "You can answer in English, Remus," she said.

Remus nodded and pondered the riddle. "Mooncalves?" he said after a moment of thought. The shepherdess bowed.

"My name iz Marie-Charlotte. May I velcome you to your new ‘ome." she said before swinging open. The 8 children peered in, but jumped as they heard

footsteps on the stairway. They scrambled in and Peter pulled the portrait shut.

Inside was a room that had obviously not been used in centuries. 10 magnificently carved beds were covered in dust and cobwebs. A long table still held the place settings that someone had lovingly arranged. Bookshelves lined the walls around one corner and a red couch had been placed in front of the dead fireplace. Murals of dragons, forests, oceans and the sky covered the walls and the ceiling twinkled with the night stars. Plush carpets covered the floors in gold, purple and red designs. A large pile of multicoloured cushions sprawled in another corner and cards lay set out on a different table. Sirius recovered enough from his shock to begin to stagger to a bed on the far side of the room. He ran his hand over the post, swung towards the bed, and plopped on it, causing a huge dust cloud to well up.

"This one’s mine!" he exclaimed loudly. Ciara giggled and ran to another bed on the opposite side. She sat on hers and began blowing dust away. Soon, all of them had chosen a bed and were blowing or swiping dust off.

"Guys, *cough* what should we call this place?" Lily said before a coughing fit of dust. The others waited for the dust to settle a bit before responding.

"We should stick to something Muggle, so no one else will know what we’re talking about," Arabella said.

"What about Narnia?" Fi suggested.

"What’s Narnia?" James asked from his bed next to the far wall.

"It’s a place in a Muggle children’s book." Fi said as if everyone already knew it.

"Oh. Sounds ok to me."

"All in favour, say aye," Ciara said.

8 ayes chorused after her. Thus, Narnia was found.

* * * * *

---------------------------------------

-----Solstice-----

Halloween quickly passed by with a minimum of pranks. Ciara and Sirius both charmed pumpkins to follow Andy and Adrienne, Sirius’s older sister. By Christmas, detention levels had soared, but the poster hanging in Narnia held true:

Marauders-74

James-26

Sirius-28

Remus-15

Peter-5

Musketeerettes-97

Lily-24

Ciara-30

Arabella-26

Fi-17

2 weeks before Christmas holidays, Ciara passed a note to Lily during History of Magic.

Lily~

My grandparents have invited me and James to Alsace for Christmas Holidays. They said we could bring however many people we wanted, if you’re interested. We’ve got skiing, ice skating, etc. And the best part is that Solstice is 3 days before Christmas, so you’ll be able to meet my dad’s parents too! Severus and I are on the Solstice court this year so you *have* to go! PLEASE!!!!

Cici

Lily grinned and nodded. Ciara smiled foolishly. This Christmas would be the best yet.

* * * * *

Christmas came just as slow as it could, making the Mischiefs, as they were now called, over-agitated. Exams had come and gone. All of them made straight A's and had a grand party in Narnia to celebrate. Two days later, Ciara dashed off the train and into her father’s arms.

"Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!" she cried as he twirled her around.

"Welcome home, baby lamb," he said.

"Uncle Seamus!" Arabella and Fi both ran up and joined in the group hug.

"Hello, Mr. Bryant!" Lily said as she approached the group.

"What’s this Mr. Bryant stuff?" Mr. Bryant said. "You’re a Marauder, are you not?"

"Um…Daddy, we split off from the boys! We’re the Musketeerettes now!" Ciara cried exuberantly.

"Ah, well you are a Musketeerette?" Mr. Bryant asked.

Lily nodded.

"Then it’s Uncle Seamus, same as these two monsters," Mr. Bryant nodded in Arabella and Fi’s direction.

Lily smiled and nodded enthusiastically before giving him a tentative hug.

"Well, as soon as we find your druggie of a brother, we’ll be off!" Mr. Bryant said while looking for Andy.

* * * * *

When Lily stepped out of the fireplace, the first thing she saw was a happy home. The living room she had just entered gave a feeling of cosy warmth. The walls were a light brown and were covered in pictures of the family. Plump burgundy chairs and long couch created a circle around the blazing fireplace. The wooden mantle sported small picture frames as well as trinkets from the nearby woods. A plush oriental carpet spread out over the dark wood floor and a table against the far wall supported numerous awards from Kevin and Andy’s school days.

"Lily, dear!" Mrs. Bryant said before embracing Lily tightly.

"Muuuuuuuuum!" Ciara said behind her. "I thought *I* was your favourite!" She crossed her arms and took a fake pouting stance.

"You really think you’re the favourite, Munchkin?" Kevin said from the opening to the kitchen.

"KEV!!!" Ciara yelled as she ran and jumped into her biggest brother’s arms and was swung around in circles. Mr. Bryant stepped out of the fireplace and pulled the trunks out. Mrs. Bryant bent over to help her husband. Kevin put Ciara gently down and ruffled her hair. "Having fun so far, Munchkin?" he asked.

Ciara grinned and launched into a retelling of her entire semester’s pranks, leaving out anything about Narnia. The end of her tale found Kevin sitting down and laughing hard enough to cry. Lily had sat down on the couch and was reading a book she had found on the table. Mr. and Mrs. Bryant had left when they had heard how close Ciara had cut it sometimes.

"MUUUM! WHERE’RE MY CHUFRÉS?" Andy bellowed from upstairs.

"Where you left them, Bonehead!" Ciara bellowed back.

"What’re chufrés?" Lily asked.

"Terran version of robes," Kevin said while wiping tears of mirth away.

"Um…I don’t have any." Lily said quietly.

"Don’t worry, Lil. We’ll get you some in Atlantis," Ciara smiled at her friend.

"Atlantis?"

"Yeah! The Terran capital!" Ciara exclaimed.

Lily’s face was utterly confused.

Kevin noticed and began to explain. "Atlantis is the capital of our people. It’s hidden away from everyone but Terrans and their friends and family. We’ll be going in two days to our grandparents."

"They’re a lord and lady!" Ciara interjected quickly.

"Ci, don’t interrupt." Kevin gave her a withering look. "Yes, Abuélo and Abuéla are nobility, but that doesn’t really matter anymore. Humans have taken our ancestral lands."

"What’d you call them?" Lily asked.

"Abuélo and Abuéla mean Grandfather and Grandmother. That’s what we call them, at least."

Lily nodded.

* * * * *

The two days flew by with broomsticks and Quidditch. James and Lily were usually seen together talking about everything and nothing. Sirius and Ciara pitted themselves against each other as often as they could find time and Peter and Severus usually joined in. Remus and Fi stayed inside a lot and did their Holiday homework, determined to enjoy their Christmas. Arabella had left the day they got home for family in London. Finally, the big day arrived and everyone stood with his or her luggage in the Bryant’s living room. All the Bryants with Terran blood had changed into their natural states (black hair with purple eyes). Sirius and James were plotting their next prank and Ciara, Fi, and Lily were trying to eavesdrop. Severus sat in one of the chairs looking very distant. Kevin and Andy were playing Exploding Snap in one corner and their parents were preparing their ‘way’.

"Lily, come here for a moment," Mr. Bryant said.

Lily smiled at her friends and hurried to his side. "Yes?"

"Do you know how we’re getting there?" Mr. Bryant asked as he fiddled with a sphere-shaped object.

"No, sir," she replied politely.

"This is a portal sphere. We’ll use it to get to the Processing area, which is similar to your Muggle airports. My parents shall pick us up there. You understand?"

"Yes sir."

Mr. Bryant smiled. "Good. Most humans are terrified on their first ride because they don’t know what’s going on."

A few moments later, he straightened and called Kevin and Andy to go first. They grabbed their luggage, touched the now glowing purple sphere, and vanished. Lily jumped and everyone laughed.

"It doesn’t hurt, Lily." Ciara said between chuckles.

"I…" Lily tried to find her voice. "I figured that."

"Why don’t you and Lily go next, Ciara? Keep an eye on your brothers until we get there," Mrs. Bryant said.

Ciara grabbed Lily’s hand and before Lily could protest, Ciara had laid and hand on the sphere and her vision disappeared. She felt like she was flying through a tunnel of light. The only thing that seemed real was Ciara’s hand in hers. Then, as suddenly as she had left, she stopped. Hundreds of people milled about raised platforms with strange symbols on them. Kevin and Andy reached up to grab a girl and hurry her off their arrival platform. The walls seemed to be made of a strange black metal with glowing symbols all over. Kevin pulled Lily to a wall-window to show her the view. What she saw made her breath catch. Hundreds of graceful lighted spires reached to a star studded sky as rushing water swirled below. On some of the larger buildings, water fell in large cataracts, hiding some of the windows from the outside world.

"Wow," was the only thing she could say.

"Welcome to Atlantis, Lily," Kevin whispered in her ear.

* * * * *

Lily lay on her soft bed and thought about the events since her arrival in Atlantis. Sirius and James had come in their usual flamboyant style, scaring many of the natives out of their usually calm wits. It had taken many apologies on Mr. Bryant’s sake that had finally calmed the riotous outrage. It was after that incident that Lord and Lady Bryant had appeared. Lord Bryant was semi-tall with the same hair as his people. Lady Bryant was short, yet had a regal bearing that exuded finesse. No one would ever mistake her for a commoner. Both looked to only be in their early 40s, yet so did every face in the Processing area. When either of the noble Bryants had spoken, their English was flawless, yet a slight accent laced their words.

They had retrieved all their belongings and had travelled to the Bryant home in the local form of transportation, which were ‘taxis’ that seemed to fly. Lily had been amazed at the sights in Atlantis. Elevated highways crisscrossed the city while multicoloured birds flew lazily among the clouds. She had been watching one when it had suddenly burst into millions of colours.

"They are called Wnozorh tiniekd, or Flaming Colours. Every few hours, they burst into the colours that you see now," Lord Bryant had said.

Their home itself was impressive. Every wall was a gleaming deep purple that had the same characters etched on the walls. The floors were a rich dark brown wood that was covered in ethnic carpets. The room that Ciara and Lily were to share had walls that changed with the occupants’ moods. Two beds were covered in floral patterns that had the flower’s scent as well as image. A small vanity next to a window was charmed to change with the walls.

Dinner (some kind of spicy food) went smoothly, but the children were tired enough to go to bed without complaint. Severus had stayed until dinner was over, and then left with Lord Bryant to stay with his eldest sister, Theresa (who everyone called Boheme) and her husband. It would have surprised Lily to find that Severus was a Fire Terran, but her shock had been used up for the day.

With a smile, she drifted to sleep.

* * * * *

Solstice was a week away, so Lily, James, Sirius, and Ciara went to ‘see the sights’. They had gone to every sort of shop in the Alien Slums, dodged the flames in the Fire Quarter, swam in the great lakes at the bottom the Water Quarter, watched plants magically grow in the Earth Quarter and played Quidditch with the local Wind Terran children.

Lily would always remember that week as one of her happiest.

* * * * *

Solstice morning

Lily entered Ciara’s bedroom and found her friend at a mirror applying what looked like paint to her face.

"Whatcha doin’?" she asked. Ciara turned and looked at her strangely.

"No one’s done your face yet!" she said in a panicked voice. She grabbed Lily and shoved her in front of the mirror.

She dipped a small brush into a well of purplish paint and began to draw some kind of symbols on her cheeks and forehead. As she wrote, she explained her actions.

"On the forehead is guoto, or peace. The forehead is where we believe all intelligence lies. Peace can only come from intelligent beings. On the right is nipu, or love. Solstice should be a time to forgive all sins and treat all others with kindness. On your right is vigu, translated to hope. Solstice is all about hope for a new year and praying for the other two virtues."

Lily looked in the mirror and smiled. The three virtues were painted on her face in varying shades of purple. Ciara moved behind her and began brushing out her hair.

"Can I change your hair colour tonight?" Ciara asked calmly.

Lily was surprised. "Will your mum be all right with it?"

"Ah, she wouldn’t care if our hair was bright green. It’s Solstice, the great big hoopla party! You’re supposed to go nutters."

"Um…" Lily looked at her reflection. "I don’t see why not."

Ciara grinned and opened a drawer to Lily’s right. "What colour do you want?"

Lily made a face of great thought and said, "Dark brown."

Ciara looked shocked. "Out of all the colours in the world, you want brown?"

Lily smiled and nodded. "I’ve always wanted to be brunette."

Ciara shrugged and looked away. "Whatever." She pulled out a bottle and examined it. Then she put it back and began looking at others before smiling and opening the one she had chosen.

"This is going to feel weird, so sorry in advance," she said as she tipped the bottle and little beetle-like bugs fell out into her hand. She put the bottle on the vanity counter and dumped the bugs in Lily’s hair. Lily began to squirm as the sensation of little running feet cascaded down her scalp. But to her amazement, as the bugs descended down her hair, her hair gradually changed to a deep auburn shade of brown. Ciara held a small bowl underneath her hair and caught the bugs as they ran out of hair to paint.

"And those, my brown friend, are Tiniek bugs."

* * * * *

Half an hour later, everyone had gathered in the main room to make a final check-over before going to the temple. Ciara had ended up with her hair done in two French pigtails with multi-coloured ribbons woven in. Her face had the traditional marks on it, but also with small purple crystals at the ends of her eyes to show her rank as a Noble’s granddaughter. Her lips had been coloured silver and her hair sparkled with magical glitter.

Lily had been amused to find what out what chufrés really were. The feminine ones resembled Old Russian gowns that were worn by the nobility. Ciara’s was silky black and white with jewels on the bodice and small amethysts lined the sleeve holes. Lily’s was brand spanking new green velvet. A high empress waist was accentuated with glittering sapphires and amethysts, so that none would call her a commoner.

Her now brown hair had shocked the others at first, but James was the only one who looked almost sadly at her new hair. Sirius had acted mock gentlemanly towards the girls and had been on the wrong end of many reproving glares already.

"Well, if that’s everybody…" Mr. Bryant said, giving everyone a look of impatience. "…we can get on to the Temple."

Ciara grinned, but it faded a bit as a rush of power whispered through the room. In fact, Lily noticed, all the Terrans looked a bit spooked.

"What’s wrong?" she whispered in James’s ear.

"This happens most every year. When the Head Priestess sacrifices a lamb in memory of the dead, it usually freaks them out. I don’t know why, though."

Suddenly, a strong gust of wind moaned by, causing all the humans to jump. The cries of billions of dead souls swept through the city, showering its inhabitants with their grief. Pain laced through Ciara’s forehead as their memories swarmed through her head: ancient burials, battles being fought, things long forgotten. A voice whispered in her ear, "Qu oru jvu wikhijjur irud! Vung id! Vung id!!!!" A ragged scream tore from Ciara’s throat as she fell to the ground, tears cutting rough trails down her face from the pain of long dead souls coursing through her.

No body ran to help her, and when Lily tried, James grabbed her arm.

"She can’t receive help. She has to fight them herself," he said sadly. He looked back to his pain-ridden cousin. "It’s the way of things."

Ciara couldn’t think through the muddle of memories that were crammed in her mind. Screams of torment came in quick succession, giving her no respite. One second, she was a shivering beggar on a human street, utterly alone, then whirled to a magnificent palace with hundreds of dancing couples. She tried to suppress the flow, searching for the one memory she had claimed as her own to pull her back to reality. Finally, she grasped it and felt the others begin to slide. She was standing in a field of magnificent flowers, trees spread out everywhere. A family picnicked next to a bubbling stream, oblivious to everything but their own little bubble world. A small breeze blew her flaming red hair in her face. "Calli! Over here!" a small blonde girl called out from the stream. She and a taller blond boy were fishing in what faintly resembled wizarding robes. The boy suddenly grabbed the girl and dunked her in the river. Everything began to black out with the sounds of laughter fading in the background.

* * * * *

Hearing returned to the inky blackness that was Ciara’s mind. Distantly, she felt another presence like a distant flame. She reached for it with her own silver flame that was her clairvoyance. When she touched it, she realised that there were two of them. One, she recognised as Severus. They had been blood siblings for years and his presence was a comfort to her in the recesses of her mind.

Yet there was the other that she couldn't figure out. Surely it couldn't be...

She jerked awake. She was lying on the couch in her grandparents’ parlour. Sirius had pulled up a chair to keep watch over her. When their eyes met, Ciara could tell he had been worried.

"Aunt Annie! She’s awake!" he called without breaking eye contact.

It was only broken when Mrs. Bryant bustled in with a mug of steaming chocolate for her daughter.

"Hurry up and drink, dear. We’re expected at the temple." When she moved away, Sirius was gone.

* * * * *

15 minutes later, they stood outside the magnificent Temple of the Winds. The façade was of black marble columns with people milling in the outer courtyard. Vendors sold everything from small trinkets that entertained children to something called Guardians, while small groups played strangely Celtic-like music.

"Guardians are creatures Terrans can call from stones. They usually leave big holes in people," Ciara told Lily.

"Can you get one?" Lily asked.

Ciara laughed. "No, no, no! You have to be at least 16 to even think of receive a Guardian. Kevin’s got one, so you could ask to see his…" she suggested slyly.

"Not right now…" Lily said as she tried to absorb everything around her. She was suddenly pulled in the direction of the temple itself, scaring her out of her wits. She looked and saw that it was James that had latched onto her.

The interior of the temple was even grander than the outside. Looming black onyx doors were swung open, leading to a strange sight. The walls were painted in designs of lightning that flitted everywhere, creating a web of lightning. More people filled the entry chamber, trying to find a way into the inner sanctum. A purple robed woman wearing a cape sparkling with lightning approached them. She stopped in front of Lord Bryant. She stretched her arms out parallel to the ground, knelt a bit as she brought her arms in a half circle and stopped standing straight, her hands in a sphere at her belly. She bowed slightly and said, "Quntizu, Nikm Bryant." ((Welcome, Lord Bryant))

"Voggy Dindjatu ji yie, Gnaudjudd Donny," Lord Bryant said as he returned the gesture. ((Happy Solstice to you, Priestess Donny))

"You bring friends with you, Lady Bryant?" the Priestess asked as she made the gesture to Ciara.

Ciara returned it and said, "Yes, your Grace. They are humans that have no knowledge of our ways."

"I see. Will you introduce them to me, please?"

Ciara blushed. "Of course…I apologise. This is James, the son of my mother’s brother." James bowed respectively. "This one is Lily Evans. She is from an all-Muggle family and is clueless about all Terran things." Lily smiled nervously.

Sirius bowed and said, "I am Sirius Black, descendent of Dak Bozud Black."

Donny bowed to him. "We are honoured with your presence. I apologise, but I must return to my duties. ‘Tis been a long week of preparations and a long day of rituals. Lady Taoko, would you please come with me?" With a final bow to the others, Donny returned to the main hall. Ciara bowed to them and followed.

* * * * *

2 hours later, Ciara emerged from the temple to find her family dining at a nearby café in the courtyard. Andy, she noticed, was off flirting with some of the local girls. She grinned and ran over to join the others.

"Hey guys! Hope you weren’t too bored?" she asked.

Kevin pulled a chair out from next to Lily and him. "What’d they say this year?" he asked quietly.

"Ah, same old, same old," Ciara waved it off while flopping down in her chair.

"What happened?" Lily asked. The table grew very quiet. Mr. and Mrs. Bryant exchanged nervous glances, Sirius and James turned their eyes to the ground, and Lord and Lady Bryant were shifting nervously. Lily became aware that she had said something wrong, blushed and bowed her head.

Ciara bit her bottom lip and put a hand on Lily’s shoulder. "Every Solstice, Councillor Aureline has me come and read the winds." At Lily’s confused look, she added, "Wind Terrans can read the future in winds, kind of like how human psychics read Tarot cards."

Lily slightly acknowledged her comprehension, but was interrupted by the arrival of their food.

* * * * *

Soon after finishing their meal, they headed over to a huge pile of wood piled in the centre of the courtyard. A few others had gathered as well, but the majority of the crowd joined them as Head Priestess Mari arrived and stood next to the pile.

~Solstice greetings to all. ~ She said in the native tongue. ~This has been a year of joy and a year of sorrow for all of us. May we celebrate the beginning of a new year with the abandonment of the old! ~ She threw her hand towards the wood, which burst into flames.

A song came from all Terran throats as their memories of the old year burned in the huge fire. A group of young Terrans encircled the flames, grabbed the next shoulder, and began to dance in time to the music. Ciara, Sirius, and James broke away from the family and joined in next to Andy, who danced next to the girl Ciara had seen him with earlier.

After much coaxing from Mrs. Bryant, Lily joined in the swirling circle of bodies.

* * * * *

3 hours and 5 songs later, Ciara and Lily ran off to look at the remaining wares available. One particularly old woman had a display of dazzling stones arranged on the table in front of her. Ciara saw a different vendors rings and quickly moved to inspect them. Lily, however, approached the old woman.

"Vunno, yierh iru," she said.

Lily started and said, "Um…I don’t speak your language."

"Ah, I see. Do you like my stones, young one? They come from the mines of Zon Tvortu’s second moon," the old woman cackled.

"Yes, they *are* very pretty…" Lily searched for a small stone and finally found a small green one. "How much is this one?"

"For you my dear, 2 sickles."

Lily pulled out two silver coins and handed them to the woman, who took them with glee.

"Thank you!" Lily said over her shoulder as she ran to show Ciara.

* * * * *

When Ciara saw the stone, she paled. "Where did you get that?" she asked in a hushed voice.

"An old lady over there," Lily said and pointed in the vendor’s general direction.

"What old lady?" Ciara asked, trying to find the person in question.

Lily turned and saw the old woman and her cart had disappeared.

"Lil, do you know what you just bought?" Ciara asked quietly.

Lily shook her head.

"This is a lom netr stone, a bad luck stone. This means you’re going to have *serious* problems unless we return this stone to it’s previous owner by midnight. C’mon, we gotta tell Abuéla and Mum." Ciara grabbed Lily’s arm and pulled her quickly to her family.

* * * * *

When they returned home, not only had they not found the old woman, but midnight had stuck and Lily was stuck with bad luck.

After bidding everyone a good night, Lily dropped into her bed, asleep before her head hit the pillow. Ciara collapsed into the other bed, yet didn’t fall asleep. She remembered the vision she had received their first day of school. That vision alone had made her doubt her powers, but tonight, that stone had changed everything and now she knew just two things for certain: Lily had a rough road ahead and she was along for the ride.