Chapter 26
Chapter 26
Leaving gets put on hold due to rather unexpected guests.
Carol has Sofia and Asher clean up while she packs a cooler full of sandwiches for us to take with us. Two large drink jugs full of ice water are passed to me while Daryl hefts the cooler off the counter with a muttered thanks. It's more than we need really but I understand their concern and honestly... it's nice. It's nice to have people care. It's nice to have others want to look after me.
A blur of sheer blue fades through the wall. Julia starts speaking before she is fully in the room, "Harry! Harry! She's back! She's home!"
I raise my hands, intending to ask her who but she is already rushing to explain, "Emma! Emma and Danny are here! They're cutting through the neighbors lot and there's people with them but they're here."
"Okay, slow down, Julia," I motion for the others attention. Asher can see and hear her but the others can't so for their benefit I repeat what she said. "Emma, Danny, and other people are here?"
"Yes!" She squeals, floating higher as she spins excitedly.
"Who?" Carol asks while Merle curses, sharing a worried look with his brother.
"The ghost girl, Julia, spotted her brother and sister heading this way through the neighbors yard," I sum up for Carol and Sofia as I move to follow the brothers outside.
The steel wall enclosing the property is too tall for them to climb. It should also have them hesitate since it shows that someone is here. Julia darts out of the wall, floating swiftly towards the side yard so I point the brothers in that direction. I guess I can transfigure part of the wall into a door to let them in then transfigure it back after.
Merle stomps down from the porch, gun in hand and a hard look on his face. He knows that these aren't enemies, right. Well, they're not, right. Because while this is their house, sort of, we secured it so... Doesn't this count as our now?
Julia stops at the wall, smiling brightly at someone who must be standing close on the other side. I hear a girls voice but it's muffled. Well, I can't leave a kid outside where the dead could get her and this is technically their home. Surely we can share it.
A swish of the wand has a portion of the wall ripple away into a steel door. Merle stops me, waving me back as he and Daryl flank the door with weapons raised. The brothers share a look, nodding to each other, then Merle pulls open the door.
Julia did say it was more than just her brother and sister. It turns out to be about twenty people clustered together. Two hold guns but most have a wand raised defensively. Emma is easy to spot as she is the only little girl, eight years old if I remember correctly. The dark blond man shielding her must be her older brother Danny. He looks healthier than I expected but I suppose that is more because I am used to how sickly Professor Lupin always looked.
"Peace, friends, we dont want any trouble," I keep my wand held down by my side, raising my other hand to placate the group. "My name is Harry Potter..."
"Seriously!" A woman yelps, her wand wavering as a few incredulous looks are passed around their group.
With a sigh, I lift my fringe to flash the scar. While it's obvious they are confused, they look less defensive than before. Merle throws me a confused scowl, shifting himself just a touch closer to me but not lowering his gun. I touch his arm carefully. Not telling him to put it away but hopefully letting him know to ease up a bit.
"This is our home," the man I'm sure is Danny says, glaring at us.
I try not to scoff but his glare doesn't hold a candle to Merle's or Snape's so it's rather ineffective. Clearing my throat, I say, "Like I said, we don't want any trouble. We found and secured this place..."
"It's our house!" Emma shouts back with a scowl.
"Finders keepers," Merle taunts back, causing them to stiffen their stance and tighten their hold on weapons.
"The world is dangerous enough without us fighting amongst ourselves," I tell them, a slight reprimand in my tone that none of them miss. "Why don't we talk this out like reasonable folk."
"You sure, Hoss?" Merle asks, still somewhat blocking their way.
I holster my wand, touching his arm again to let him know it's okay. My magic doesn't feel threatened by these people. Not really, anyways. Most of their magic does feel wilder than a wizard's would. It probably means that they are other, or most of them are, but I don't think they're bad people.
"Lets sit down and talk," I wave them forward.
Merle steps back, nodding to the patio furniture decorating the large double deck that stretches along the back of the house. There are couches and several chairs in small clusters. The thick cushions and pillows are white with bright green leaves and pink and red tropical flower prints only slightly fadded from the sun.
I lead the way, turning back to be sure they're following. Merle and Daryl flank them which obviously makes them uneasy but Julia darts back and forth, talking excitedly now that more people can actually see her. I flick my wand at the open door, closing it and pressing it back into being a wall again.
"This is our home," Danny says, still standing as most of the others are finding their seats.
I motion pointedly to the chair behind him, taking a seat for myself. Daryl moves to stand behind my chair while Merle leans against the railing, lighting a cigarette and blowing smoke at the scarred man sitting nearest to him. The man frowns down at his lap after throwing a look at one of the guys near him who glares back at Merle.
Danny sits down, frowning heavily at Merle as he repeats, "This is our home."
"Not from what I heard," Merle blows out another breath of smoke in Danny's direction.
"Heard you was cast out for being a dogman," Daryl comments dryly, earning a dark chuckle from Merle.
"Guys," I snap, not really angry but I'm not going to judge people on what race or species they are and I don't want my group to do so either.
"This is my family home," Danny corrects, meeting Merle's challenging stare. "You people are trespassing."
"We was here first," Daryl snaps.
"There's more of us," one of the guys, a brunette with ginger and blond strands brightening his thick beard, says while visibly tightening his hold on his gun.
A quick flick of my wand, a whispered 'expelliarmus', and a pile of wands and guns land at my feet. I raise a hand to calm them as they start to shift around uneasily, "I just don't want any accidents."
"So you take our weapons?" One of the younger men snarls, his eyes flashing amber under thick dark brows. The shadow of stubble along his jaw growing darker somehow.
"Not my fault you didn't have a better grip on your wands," I huff out. Really, it's not like they couldn't have stopped me from taking them. All you have to do is keep a good grip and pull back. It breaks the pull and they would've kept their weapons. Didn't they learn that in school?
"What will it take for you to leave?" Danny asks, crossing his arms while Emma jumps from her chair to climb up behind him in his.
"Why don't we try to find a way to work together instead of doing that whole 'this town ain't big enough for both of us' crap?"
Danny sighs loudly, sharing a look with a few of his group, "We need this place and it IS ours."
"Finders keepers," Merle sing-songs.
"We are working on creating safe zones," I offer as an olive branch to hopefully avoid a conflict, "perhaps we can work together."
"You'd have to give back our wands," one woman quips, tossing her long brown hair over her shoulder with an annoyed huff.
"And you would have to trust us and learn to share," I remind her pointedly.
"The house isn't big enough for everyone," Danny warns, blushing when Merle snorts harshly and correcting, "There are not enough rooms or beds for everyone."
"Yall got hoodoo, just pick another house and build a fence," Daryl scoffs.
"Do you know how hard permanent transfiguration is," one guy asks shrewdly.
"Kid did it in like two days," Merle nods in my direction earning wide eyed looks from everyone.
"What?" I snap defensively. "Surely you all can do the same."
Some shake their head while Julia giggles behind her hand, floating behind her brothers chair. One of the guys, dark skinned with short twisted braids swirling over his head speaks up, "It's not so hard to transfigure but to make something so large, over such a large area, AND make it permanent, that's mastery level stuff."
"What about shrinking a hundred odd containers to move em and making a wall that a way?" Daryl asks.
The second brunette woman scoffs, "That would be a few days work with all of us working together."
"How? You are Wizards, right?" I can't keep the incredulous tone out of my voice.
They exchange glances like a game of hot potato. The dark skinned man leans forward, asking, "Are you aware that different people have different core strengths? Some people are more powerful than others."
"Yes," I hedge.
He nods, "Are you aware that transfiguration is not an easy magic for most people?"
I don't say yes because seriously? Transfiguration is one of the core classes. We start learning at eleven and while I admit making the fence was hard, it should be easy enough for adults to do. Right? Even Neville can do basic transfiguration. I don't say as much because if they really can't then I don't want to offend them.
He must see something in my face because he asks, "What is the most powerful spell you know?"
"The patronus," I answer without hesitation.
He nods, "And that is one that most people can't cast. In fact, I would hazard a guess that less than ten percent of magical are capable of the spell. Less than that can make the guardian form, dont you agree?"
"My professor said it was hard to learn," I agree.
He nods encouragingly, "The vast majority of magical can do simple transformation such as bowls to cups or a rock to a ball. Similar shapes and sizes, you know. But those items will always return to what they once were."
That doesn't seem right. Transfiguration has to be undone, doesn't it? I'm pretty sure I still have some half transfigured needles rolling around my trunk from first year. I don't remember anything reverting back to what it was before. Could he be wrong or...
Everyone says Hogwarts is one of the best magic schools. A school for the elite. Julia says there is only one boarding school in the states but that there are several day schools. Are there day schools in Britain?
The man leans forward, forearms on his knees as he adds, "Even my professors at school would struggle to make a fence like this one you have and it wouldn't hold for more than a day or two at most. Perhaps those with a mastery in transfiguration or those with boat loads of power in their core could do it but..."
He trails off but I get it. What I'm doing, the fences and safe zones, it's not being done because most people can't do it. They literally don't have the power even if they have the knowledge and the will to try. This is why my magic is pulling me to help others. It's because I can, because I have the power. That's why I have this NEED to do this.
"We're going today to gather containers," I tell them, shrugging off the awkward tension that has settled among the group. "If some of you want to come with us and help that would be appreciated."
"I wanna see Memaw," Emma pipes up from where she's crawled out from behind her brother to sit on the arm of his chair.
Dang, now for another awkward conversation.