Wenches
It came as a shock when Luna skipped into the sitting room with two chests floating behind her. She faced Leilani, “I have something for you. Hagrid wanted you to have them. He was sad to see them go but knew you would care for them all.” Luna set the chests down on the coffee table in the middle of the room in front of Lei. Leilani carefully opened the first one and gasped, “Is this what I think it is?” There sitting in the middle of the opened chest were three silver eggs in stasis. “Blimey, Occamy Hatchlings. Extremely rare. Luna, how did Hagrid come across these?” Charlie hovered over Lei’s shoulders. Luna smiled dreamily, “It’s Hagrid.” As if that answered everything.
The second chest shook with a rumble, spooking everyone in the room. “That almost felt like thunder,” Lei said as she slowly opened the chest and peeked in. Inside was a sleeping, baby Thunderbird. The hovering group witnessed the Thunderbird’s tail swishing, causing the rumbling of thunder. Lei carefully closed the second chest so as not to wake the Thunderbird and stood, “Come on. Let’s take them to the Sanctuary.” She wandlessly levitated the chests to float behind her.
Entering the Sanctuary, Lei, Luna, and Charlie were shocked to see the Mikaelson siblings so comfortable around the creatures. Rebekah was playing with Hans in his nest. Hans was wearing a pair of golden chandelier earrings, pearl necklace, and two large, men’s rings as bracelets. Rebekah looked like she rolled in jewels with how many pieces she was wearing and giggling at Hans. They never thought Hans would be comfortable enough with someone to share his treasures with, but here Rebekah sits with her legs swinging back and forth like a little kid inside Hans’ nest.
Next to Hans and Rebekah, Elijah was sitting with Buckbeak with his suit jacket off, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and tie loosened. He was reading a book from one of the shelves in Buckbeak’s room. Considering both their mannerisms, they seem to fit. Both demand respect or they’ll tear you apart. So, they let them be.
Finn sat in the middle of a clearing where the Thestrals were grazing. His eyes never left the creatures. The expressions on his face varied from awestruck to sad to angry. Knowing the only way to see these creatures is if you have seen death. It was a sad, beautiful reminder of what he is; a killer. However, if one would watch Finn long enough, you’d catch him smiling when he saw Thestral younglings. Luna broke off and went to sit next to Finn, no words were spoken for some time. Luna broke their silence eventually, “There are other ways. You don’t need to end it. There is so much to live for. You can do it again but differently.” She didn’t elaborate, just got up and left.
Nearing the part of the ever-expanding Sanctuary, Lei and Charlie passed by the dragons but were distracted by laughter. Charlie grew worried that someone was near the dragons. He had to stop and laugh at what he found. Three Antipodean Opaleye were basically cuddling Kol. He was essentially stuck which is why he laughed. The young dragons played ‘chase’ with Kol and tackled him then decided to get comfortable and not let Kol up. Charlie drew closer, “Would you like some help?” Kol’s reply was a little muffled now, “No, I’m quite alright, mate.” “Alright, if you’re sure,” Charlie goes to walk away then turns back and shakes his head.
Leilani and Charlie create an enclosure for the Thunderbird. Knowing this creature’s origin is that of the Arizonian desert, the enclosure is made to resemble the dry, barren land. Luna had rejoined then, “What are you going to name him?” Leilani pondered for a moment, “Surge. Like a sudden increase of power.” “It fits,” Charlie moved out of the completed enclosure so Lei can place him. She sighs, “I love magic. Without it, we would’ve run out of space.” Charlie nods as they move to the other new expansion. Charlie and Lei worked on creating an enclosure for the Occamies after they hatch. But while still incubating, the Occamy eggs will sit near the entrance of the Sanctuary so they could be monitored.
While everyone was distracted, a mindless, cursed Stefan entered the Evans’ household and retrieved Esther’s coffin. He vamp sped to the old witches’ house where the seven witches set up camp. Stefan was forced to set the coffin down in the basement and stand on the other side of the room as Abby and Lucy Bennett opened the coffin. Low and behold, an awakened Esther stepped out, “Come along, we do not have any time to lose if we want to right the wrongs of this world. Starting with ridding the world of my children and those who oppose us.” Esther turned to a blank-faced Stefan then back to Lucy, “Stuff him inside my coffin and seal it shut. Once closed in, lift the spell so he knows he is trapped.” Esther cackled as Lucy did what she said.
These witches really should have paid more attention to who they were going against. The wand wielders have more magic in their bodies than the witches. They were fools for thinking they could win. Esther, Lucy, Abby, and five other witches prepare the spells needed to rid the world of the Original family and all the vampires they sired. Not knowing or caring that killing all vampires would hurt the world as it is now. Mother Nature and Mother Magic have adapted to the vampire species, as well as the wand wielders. Their magic was a breath of fresh air for Mother Magic; she has already begun to expand this race of magic users and it would not do to get in her way.
But that is precisely what Esther is planning to do. She wants to eradicate those she deem unnatural, including her own children. Especially her own children. Creating the vampire race when she turned her children is one of her biggest regrets and mistakes. The other was Niklaus’ conception; not the actual affair with Ansel. Esther oversaw the progress and set up on the spells, once finished she left to confront her children.
Esther, in all her arrogance, walked up the stairs to the Evans’ home and tried to go inside. An invisible barrier stopped her. She used the Bennett magic she was leeching to try and take down the barrier. When she felt like something was happening the door flung open, and a very agitated Leilani stood with her arms crossed, “You mind telling me who you are and why you were trying to dismantle my wards?” Lei emphasized the word ‘trying’. Esther lifted her chin so she was looking down her nose at Leilani, “I am Esther Mikaelson. I came for my children.”
Leilani was not impressed with this witch. She whispered, “Winky, have the Mikaelsons’ come to the door.” No sooner after she was done, Niklaus and his siblings entered the foyer. Esther’s form was blocked by Lei until the siblings got closer. Rebekah was the first to speak, “Mother?” Esther was not paying attention to any of her other children besides Klaus, she once again tried to enter the home but could not. Both Elijah and Klaus’ eyes widened when they realized what that meant.
Esther glared at Lei, “Why can’t I enter?!” Leilani raised an eyebrow at this woman’s audacity, “The wards won’t let you in.” Lei’s animagus hearing picked up Elijah whispering to his siblings so that Esther couldn’t hear, “This home is warded against violence and harmful intentions.” Finn’s eyes grew dark alongside his younger brother Kol. Rebekah felt heartbroken; she thought her mother wanted them, loved them, but it is not so. She was the first to turn around and disappear into the house, followed by Kol, and Elijah. Klaus and Finn stood by Leilani. Esther continued to glare before she shifted her eyes to Finn, “My son, my first born…”
Finn cut her off, “Freya was your first born. You sold her and every first born Mikaelson of each generation to your sister. I want nothing to do with you, mother.” Finn went to join the rest of his siblings. Lei turned to face Klaus but kept her body angled to Esther, and nodded her head towards where the rest went. Lei was not going to let Esther spew any more vile lies. Instead of leaving Klaus stood closer to Lei, “You are not welcomed here, mother.” He grasped the door to shut it in her face when Esther sneered and said, “Are you missing anyone? I would hate for anything to happen to them.”
Leilani stepped away from Klaus and got in Esther’s face, “You have no idea who you’re messing with lady. But you’re going to find out.” Lei stepped back and slammed the door in Esther’s face, not waiting for a response. She grabbed her phone and called Damon, “Hey? Are you okay?” “Yeah, I’m okay. But Stefan is missing. The living room in the Boarding house is trashed and it smells of sulfur. Is it normal to be able to smell magic?” Damon paced the room. Lei sighed, “Your sense of smell is stronger. I’ll check the map. If we can’t find him, then he is probably cloaked. Head here where it is safer, please.” Lei didn’t even finish speaking before Damon was walking into her home.
The Mikaelsons, Damon, and Lei surrounded the blank parchment. Those not in the know were confused. Until Lei said the passphrase and tapped her wand on the map, “I solemnly swear I’m up to no good.” The map is filled with the image of the whole town and even an edited layer of a series of underground caves courtesy of the twins. Lei tapped the map with her wand again, “Stefan Salvatore.” His name flashed then disappeared in the area where Klaus’ ritual was originally. Kol spotted it, “There. His name was there then it vanished.” “That’s where my ritual was supposed to be before witches tampered with it.” Damon nodded, “It’s where the old witches house is, and where the burning happened in 1864.”
Shortly after that, the sitting room was filled with everybody in the house. The room was magically expanded to accommodate everyone. Leilani stood in front of the mantle facing everyone. She clears her throat, “Hello, everyone. Those of you who have joined us recently, welcome. Now, I was originally going to use this time to do a quick breakdown of what to expect in this world. However, circumstances changed. Earlier today, a witch came to the door and tried to gain entry through my wards. Those of who know, my wards do not let those who would cause harm to enter. When Esther realized she could not enter she threatened one of my friends. It was revealed moments ago that she had taken Stefan and cloaked his location.”
Lei had to stop for a moment when she noticed Luna’s dreamy smile drop, “Luna?” The ethereal being that is our Little Moon looked heartbroken. Leilani’s eyes narrowed, “Oh, this became much more personal.” Lei closed her eyes to reel in her anger at the hurt Luna displayed. Nobody hurts her Little Moon and gets away with it. “Lucky for us, we were able to get a grasp of his location. Almost two weeks ago, seven witches came into town and have been fairly quiet. Now I know why. They were planning to awaken the Original Witch and in order to do so, they needed her body. They used Stefan to retrieve it. I knew we should have shielded his mind better.” That last sentence she said to herself.
Regulus cut into Lei’s thoughts, “So? What’s the plan?” Lei sighed and looked around the room, “The witches of this world feel they are the better race amongst the supernaturals. Werewolves are nothing more than mangy mongrels and vampires are abominations. They feel humans are not even on their level, even though they are human. Some witches are even considered lesser because they don’t have their own magic.” Kol cuts her off, “Siphons.”
“What’s a Siphon?” Rodolphus asked. Kol explains, “It is a witch who was born with the ability to use magic but they are incapable of producing their own.” He walked closer to Rodolphus and grasped his arm, “They quite literally Siphon magic from those that have it. No matter if it is a vampire, werewolf, another witch, or an object infused with magic. The longer they hold onto said person, the more energy they drain, possibly killing those they Siphon from.” “That’s horrible. Don’t get me wrong, I’m against killing the person unless they're absolutely vile. But I mean with the right enchantments, they could have their own source of magic. To outcast them is downright cruel,” Remus’ portrait spoke from above the mantle. Most of the room nodded in agreement.
Lei brought the conversation back on track, “Esther plans on ridding the world of all vampires through her children. She is going to link them together; kill one, kill them all.” Luna interrupts, her eyes glazed over, “Be careful of the wooden bridge and welcome sign. White is an unlucky color.” Everyone had to ponder what she meant. Lavender being the closet Ravenclaw that she is, spoke, “White wood.” Then it clicked for the Mikaelsons. Klaus growled under his breath, “White Oak. An entire bridge built with White Oak.” Only his siblings heard him. Kol and Elijah nodded, “We’ll deal with that.”
“Getting back to the plan. The plan is some of us, whoever wants to go, will rescue Stefan. And face these witches. From what we have learned so far, their spells are long-winded, Latin spells with hand motions. Some can cast spells silently but it takes more power. The stronger the spell the faster they lose energy. As well as causing nose bleeds. We would hit fast and hard. Leave none of them standing. I will not have what happened at Godric’s Hollow happen again.” Those who were there understood what that meant. “So, who’s going?” Lei looked over the group.
Klaus, Damon, Luna, Severus, Sirius, Regulus, and surprisingly the LeStrange brothers stood by Leilani. She nodded her head, “Alright. Those who are staying batten down and get ready for backlash. There may only be seven plus the Original Witch but we don’t know how powerful they are, so I want all bases covered. Now, if you excuse me, I’m going to do what I should’ve done when we got here.” Leilani went upstairs into her room and sat on the floor criss-cross applesauce and concentrated on her task.
Damon asked Hermione, “What’s Lei going to do?” Hermione knew it was coming, “When we first came here, she decided to go by her mother’s maiden name.” Sirius butted in, “She’s taking back the Potter name…Activating her family magic.”
It was about an hour later when everybody felt the shift. It was like a punch to the gut, some having to sit down when they felt the increase of magic. The Potter family magic added to Lei’s already powerful core. Everything Leilani had cast in the name of family was stripped then recast and strengthened with the Potter family magic. As those inside the home recovered quickly, supernaturals who felt the shift of magic outside of the home shuddered. Two of the seven witches are rethinking their involvement but wilted from the icy glare of the Original Witch.
The nine going into battle were waiting in the foyer for Leilani when she finally came downstairs. Regulus sucked in a breath which caught everybody’s attention. Leilani had stripped her glamours. All of her scars and tattoos on display, her hair left down and wild closely resembling that of the late Bellatrix. Damon’s mind went into the gutter, he leaned close to Klaus and whispered, “I have a sudden urge to wrap her hair around my fist as I…” Sirius smacks him in the back of the head, “Not the time.” Damon cleared his throat and scratched the back of his head, “Let’s go get baby bro.”
“Side apparition?” Draco asked as they headed for the door. Lei stopped and held onto Klaus, “Fair warning. This can be a little nauseating.” Draco grabbed Damon and the group apparated out of the house. Landing in the treeline outside of the old witches house with several loud Cracks. The group gave Damon and Klaus a moment to gain their bearings. They seemed to handle it pretty well, only a little green but no vomiting.
Leilani could hear the ancestors’ voices and she was getting annoyed. Luna was next to her, “I can hear them too. They’re quite close-minded.” “That they are, Moon. That they are,” Lei agreed. Severus scanned the area, “The area is saturated with tainted magic. However, nothing that would keep us out. A simple cloaking spell on Stefan. Either they’re not expecting us or they’re extremely arrogant.” Leilani smiled at her old professor, “More likely arrogant. We haven’t really used magic outside of our home. So they don’t know what we’re capable of.”
The group came out of the treeline and approached the old, decrepit house. The front door swung open harshly, almost coming off its hinges as five witches stepped out. The one in the middle raised her hands in ready, “You made a mistake coming here.” Leilani stepped to the front of her group, “No, you made the mistake. Thinking you can go against us.” The witch snickered, “You’re nothing more than an abomination. A freak.”
Damon and Klaus stood on either side of Leilani. They could see it didn’t affect her since she just shrugged, “I’ve been called worse.” The witch laughed, she was stalling and the group knew it. “Oh yeah, like what?” She asked. Lei smirked, “Evil wench, Devil incarnate, the next dark lady, and the list goes on and on. But my favorite has got to be Mistress of Death.” When Leilani said the last her eyes glowed brightly. The witches took a step back before squaring their shoulders thinking Lei was lying and trying to scare them.
Leilani continued, “This whole thing has gone off long enough. Why don’t you hit me with your best shot?” The lead witch called her bluff and cast a maiming spell, “Per se qui e fracta toi, per se qui e total toi.” The spell was supposed to cripple Lei’s hands as well as produce a ring of fire around her. But it had no effect.
“Was that it? Alright then, my turn,” Lei smiled cruelly. She nonverbally and wandlessly cast, “Levicorpus.” The witch lead suddenly flipped and levitated upside down like she was hanging from her ankles. Lei pulled her wand and said, “Colloshoo!” The rest of the witches couldn’t move, like their feet were glued to the ground. All five of them were hexing the group. They zeroed in on Damon and Klaus causing them to drop to their knees from the aneurysms.
If the witches were paying attention while they were stalling Leilani and the others, they would have seen Draco, Severus, and Rabastan sneak into the witches’ house. The two witches inside the basement were waiting for the cue and guarding the sealed coffin. The witches felt the magic these three wizards exuded and tensed ready to fight. But Abby and Lucy were no match for the wizards. Draco and Rabastan shot stunners at the witches while Severus located the cloaked coffin. “Amateurs,” Severus scoffed. He tapped his wand twice against the coffin and sent it to Lei’s home. Draco, Severus, and Rabastan left the house with the witches unconscious in the basement.
The group outside saw the wizards leave the house, Severus gave Leilani a slight nod. She threw another curse at the levitated witch that kept screaming hexes at her. Lei cast, “Stupefy!” Rendering all the witches unconscious. She sighed, “Well, not much of a fight.” Damon picked himself off the ground, “Easy for you to say.” Klaus growled his agreement, “Bloody witch.” The group takes a look around and Lei notices, “Where’s Esther?” Klaus rolled his eyes, “She probably ran, like a coward.”
When Klaus said that, the ancestors gave him an aneurysm so painful his ears were starting to bleed. He fell to the ground screaming in pain holding his head. Lei and Damon were kneeling beside him as he screamed. Lei sensed it was the dead witches. She stood and faced the old witches’ house, “SHUT UP! All you dead hags do is nag, nag, nag, nag, nag.” She spun and spoke to the group, “Everyone get back to the house. I’ll be right behind you.” Sirius had been quiet the whole time, “What are you going to do?” Luna answered for Lei, “She’s going to release them.”
Damon helped Klaus stand up. He spun his ring until the stone was clasped in his fist and muttered the password, “Home.” He and Klaus crash landed in the foyer and land on the floor until their stomachs settle. Damon sat up first, “You okay?” Klaus’s head stopped feeling like it was going to explode, “I’m fine, love. Though I don’t fancy traveling like that ever again.” Damon smiled as he stood up, “Yeah, Lei says it gets easier. That was my first time using a portkey. She added the spell to my ring in case of emergencies.” Klaus slowly stood up in time for the others to start apparating into the foyer.
They had left Lei behind as she requested. Leilani was not going to let these witches get another chance. Leilani raised her wand to cast the spell she desired but first she spoke, “Death, I’m sending some wenches your way.” “Yes, Mistress,” Thanatos voiced in her mind. Lei cleared her mind so she could concentrate on controlling the spell. She planted her feet, lifted her wand and cast, “Fiendfyre!”
A flame shot out the end of her wand and expanded. The flames kept expanding, taking the shape of a snake then contorting into a dragon as it spread over the area. The demonic fire flew into the structure, catching the house on fire, burning extremely hot. The witches started to regain consciousness as the flames caught them on fire. All that could be heard is the roaring of the demonic fire and the witches’ screams. All that could be seen is flames devouring the house, and the witches. The dragon continued to fly, setting the surrounding trees on fire before Leilani brought the flames back in.
Leilani took a deep breath in and looked around. “Don’t forget about the Ashwinder eggs,” Luna’s soft, dreamy voice startled Leilani. “For Godrick’s sake, Luna,” Lei huffed. She watched Luna walk into the embers of what’s left from the Fiendfyre and picked up several red, glowing eggs with the dragonhide gloves she wore and put them in her bag. Luna looped her arm through Lei and they apparated home.
Bill, Draco, and Severus worked on unsealing Esther’s coffin, which didn’t take them but a few minutes. Then Bill woke Stefan and gave him a cleansing potion. Stefan gagged it down then got out of the coffin, “What happened?” Draco handed him a blood bag, “You were hexed by witches to steal Esther’s coffin and then locked in it.” Stefan finished the blood bag and was handed another one.
Stefan finished the second bag and felt much better, physically. Mentally, he was still a bit rattled that he was caught off guard, hexed, then locked in a coffin. He was lost in thought, staring straight ahead at nothing when the softest, melodic voice was heard, “Hello, my Ripper.” Stefan focused on the beautiful, blonde witch in front of him. He laughed giddily, “Hey.” Damon could be heard whispering to whoever standing next to him, “Did Stefan just giggle?” Luna just smiled dreamily at Stefan, looped her arm through his and dragged him out of the room.
Damon just watched his younger brother be dragged off by the spacey girl and shook his head. He went to find Leilani and Klaus. He felt an overbearing urge to make sure they were okay. Damon found Klaus and Lei in the sitting room sharing a bottle of Firewhiskey on the couch, so he plopped himself in between them and took a swig from the bottle. That is how the three of them stayed through two bottles. When the second bottle was empty, Klaus set it on the end table, “I think I’m actually a bit drunk.” The three of them stumbled to the bedroom to sleep this day away. They’ll deal with the aftermath tomorrow.
AN: This book is about halfway through the story. Still have TO and New Orleans drama. And I will be doing an alternate version of this story. It would be a bit darker.