Chapter 12, Wyarding
"Excuse me?"
Roland absentmindedly repeated his statement. "That was Wyarding Hermione. Do you see any others out there Ben?"
His brother shook his head. Benjamin gestured with a negligible flick of his fingers toward the corpse. "There were two others but they bolted when you ass raped Mr. Crispy over there. Good shot by the way."
Roland spat to the side as if to clear a foul taste out of his mouth. "I hate Wargs. Fucking scavengers are good for nothing except for destroying things. I'd have though the centaurs would have killed or driven them from the woods by now. It's not like they don't know the bastards routinely migrate through here."
Ben rose to his full height still looking around while dusting off his pant legs. "I've told you before; the only thing they care about is their little piece of the woods. They couldn't give a crap about anyone else. Especially humans. I have no idea why you try so hard to make nice with the nags."
Roland grunted not denying his brothers statement and not replying to his taunt. He was still trying to look around through the darkness that stood as if a great wall at the edges of the campfire light. "I suppose we should be thankful it was one of the smaller ones. The Goblins could have culled stronger from this year's stock."
Harry looked at the smoking carcass of what they had called a Warg. The name didn't mean anything to him. The smoking corpse had to be at least eight feet long. Had it been standing instead of lying on the forest floor slightly twitching it would have stood four foot high. To him it looked like the Hagrid version of a wolf. Other than the size of the thing and its general shape it was hard to figure what it looked like when it was alive. That thing has to weigh at least three hundred kilos. They call that small?
"The joys of living so close to Kriegiver. You know, we might be able to get Darius to help with them. The centaurs are useless for anything that does not concern them but Darius's people have helped us in the past. I haven't seen him in a while but I saw one of his pack mates at Doc's Pub in Springfield a couple of days ago. They don't like the Goblins any more than we do and Darius would love to get one up on the Centaurs. You know his pack hunts the woods a lot closer to the herds than we do."
"Don't know how long I'll be around but I won't deny it would be nice to have the Lycan's looking into it. I've never seen Wargs come so close to the property before. Their either desperate or they have gotten use to me not being around."
"Yeah well, you have been gone awhile bro. They've been getting worse for some time now. I ran into Xavier a week ago. I guess he'd been looking into it for his own reasons. Not surprising really, he does business with some of their craftsmen. Xavier said something about the 'Political Climate in the Underground had reached a slight impasse' or some such garbage. You know how he is."
Roland smiled behind a snort at Ben comment. " 'Slight Impasse.' Xavier always loved the sound of his own voice. I suppose it adds to that high proud mystical image he's been trying so hard to make for himself. Sounds like a blood feud between the Orcs and Goblins or something. Might be just an internal matter within the Goblin nation too. Hell, to be honest it could be a lot of things. It was only a matter of time before one of the clans broke the peace. We're too far away from any sizable populations to expect any help form the government. Unless it affects Branson, we're on our own."
Ben shrugged one shoulder. "Nothing new there Ro. I'll see if I can find Darius or one of his people tomorrow. They might have an idea of what's going on or what we can do about it. At the least they might know what Xavier meant about the impasse."
"Hey, remember when we got Xavier smashed on that bayou swamp whiskey I brought up from New Orleans last year? He wasn't so High and Proud prancing around singing 'I'm a Little Teapot'…"
"Excuse me!" Hermione practically shouted cutting off Roland's comment.
Harry turned to look at Hermione after her outburst. Afterward Harry wondered what took her so long to speak up. Hermione's face was a road map of conflicting emotions. He knew her so well she might as well have been screaming them. Her left eye was twitching along with her lips. Most likely due to her inner frustration. There was a slight blush blooming across her cheekbones from her unconstrained interruption to the bothers conversation. The rest of her body was stiff as a board. Probably to avoid sending energy anywhere but to her brain, which he guessed, was in overdrive. If this was a cartoon he would imagine smoke would have been wafting out of her ears from how hard her brain was working. If she had been anyone else or if he didn't know her so well he would have thought she was having some kind of fit or something.
"Can one of you please tell me what Wyarding is?" She demanded.
Hermione sent him a murderous look when he started laughing. Half of Hogwarts's library was most likely memorized within her mind. She must have spent the last few minutes going through everything she had ever read looking for some kind of reference to it only to come up with nothing. What had Harry laughing uncontrollably despite his girlfriend's warning look of impending doom was how typically Hermione this was.
With a smile on his face at Harry's laughter and most likely guessing it's cause he replied. "Alright."
Roland moved from where he was standing to his place by the fire taking a seat. Ben moved over to the cook grill to finish cooking their dinner but he kept his eyes and ears mostly looking out into the dark woodlands around them. Taking their cue's from the brothers Hermione and Harry also retook their seats by the fire. Hermione sat at the very edge of the old log they used as their chair with her full attention riveted on Roland. For his part Roland pulled a cigarette from the pocket of his t-shirt lighting one end before he started.
To Harry he looked a bit tired. While his brother continued to observe the area around them Roland closed his eyes savoring the first drag. The only nervousness or anxiety from their ordeal he showed when he started talking was the occasional side glance at his brother. Otherwise he seemed perfectly relaxed if a bit drawn.
"There's a bit of background to go over first. You see, Wyarding is something I came across when I wore a younger man's clothes. We're M.U.T.E's…"
Hermione interrupted, "Pardon? What do you mean your mutes? Both of you seem to be able to speak clearly."
Roland chuckled. "Not mutes, M.U.T.E.'s. Magically Unable To Execute. Both my brother and I have a very small amount of magic. Nowhere near enough to use a wand but we're not exactly Mundane's." At Hermione's puzzled look Roland clarified. "M.U.T.E.s and Mundane's are local classifications for these things. What do you call people who can't use wands or don't have any magic?"
It was Harry who spoke first. "Squibs and Muggles."
"Weird." Ben stated while shaking his head. He started throwing the finished steaks onto plates along with a couple of foil wrapped potatoes before passing around the plates to everyone. The air was still very thick with the smell of burnt Warg putting all of them off their desire for food. Ignoring his plate the same as everyone else Roland picked up where he left off.
"Anyways, like I was saying, we don't have enough magic in us to be able to use wands but when I was younger I thought there might be a way I could get stronger so I could. I spent quite a bit of my youth trying to figure out how. Both of us have had bouts of accidental magic. Nothing major mind you but little things. At first I was trying to find an explanation for what it all meant. I mean, seriously, I wasn't normal. It was thanks to a full-fledged Wizard I happen to meet when I was sixteen that I knew to call it magic. Once I figured out I had a bit of magic in me I became obsessed with trying to make myself stronger believing one day I would be able to use a wand.
"This wasn't long after Melissa and I had ran away from home. Her parents wanted to move to Georgia and we lived in California at the time. Her Dad had the wanderlust to be moving on but we didn't want to live without each other so we took off. Everything you see around you here belonged to my Grandparents back then and this is where we ended up. I started working with my Grandpa cutting wood to pay bills while Melissa started farming herbs and such. We did pretty well. It was a lot of hard work but well worth our freedom to be together. After a couple of years not long after my both my grandparents died I started doing what I do now. Buying and selling things. Didn't matter what so long as it made a profit. I think I was about twenty when I stumbled across old Raze. He's the one who created Wyarding as far as I know."
"I liked him. He's freaking nuts but I liked him." Ben stated. Roland smiled with a far off look in his eyes.
"No doubt about that Brother. He was visiting Branson doing the tourist thing when we met. I didn't even know he was a Wizard until he got drunk and mentioned it. Raze is pretty weird but one thing I've learned is that Branson gets all kinds. At the time I met him he was traveling the world doing research on the nature of magic. A kind of pet project of his own. I don't understand a lot of his theories but Wyarding is the root of it all.
"At the time we first met he was looking for a couple of M.U.T.E.s that met his requirements. I fit into this category. Ben was too young at the time but he found a couple of others later. From what I do know Raze was trying to develop an entire new school of magic, something he simply called Wild Magic. I don't know how advanced you are in your studies but Raze talked a lot about how older Witches and Wizards eventually learned to cast silently and even without the usual spell formed wand waving. He said it had something to do with the knowledge of the spell being so ingrained in them they just didn't need to do it anymore. Raze is a more fast and loose spellcaster. He wanted to create a way of doing it without having to spend years mastering every spell he wanted to use.
"Raze wanted to use M.U.T.E.s as a sort of Control group to see if his methods would work. As you have seen, we learned how to do a few things."
"Yes but how did you do it? That was a really powerful attack for someone who can use a wand and are educated in its use. From what you are telling us you're not." Hermione said.
Roland nodded to her points. "The base principle of Wyarding basically boils down to a combination of Science and magic. From what little I know or understand most spells are created through the use of complicated spellforms. A Wizard has to know the forms pretty well before they attempt to utilize them through their wands. Done properly after you know the spellform, memorized the wand movements, and correctly state the activation word you can cast the spell. However, it was not always this way. Modern spellcasting has evolved this way from more raw methods. It was these raw methods Raze was trying to get back to.
"Now, Wyarding bypasses all modern principles of magic. Far back in the past Wizards and Witches didn't have wands according to Raze. A long time ago they cast their spells through themselves. Wands were developed to make it easier for people to use their magic. Over time people became dependent on them unable to cast spells wandlessly. Understandable really since all the old spellforms would have been restructured to enhance their spells with these new instruments. Really the first wands could be easily comparable to the first firearms for the Mundanes. They revolutionized your world making it easier for every spellcaster out there to use their magic. It also ruined it. It didn't take long before everyone who could use a wand was out there doing it. They relished the freedom, power and ease of this new method of using magic. Most people forgot how to cast without them or didn't bother further enhancing modern dependence on them."
Roland flicked his burnt out cigarette into the campfire adding a few sticks to keep it fed. Hermione and Harry sat trying to digest the history lesson they were hearing. After lighting another smoke he started talking again. "Raze is a really smart guy. By the time I met him he'd already gotten a few degrees in several different sciences and he's only a few years older than me. He was well connected with many specialists in their own scientific fields. The first thing he did for us when we joined him was tried to teach us to touch our magic. We did this through a series of mental and physical exercises, proper diet, and trying to help us use the little magic we had.
"Raze believed that magic was akin to a muscle within each of us. With proper training a person can sort of bulk up their magic muscle. He wasn't sure it would work but as M.U.T.E.s any increase at all would have been dramatic so he started with us. It took a year but eventually it worked and we started showing increases. He had a lot of kinks to work out as far as training goes. It worked though. However a person can only build up their bodies so much before you sort of top out. The same is true with Magic. All of us eventually maxed out our potential. Raze mentioned that the more starting magic a person has the higher possible peak, a theory that was provided in our class of M.U.T.E.s.
"I was the strongest magically of my fellow classmates at start and finish. The average increase was double but I topped out at three times that. Still, not enough to use a wand but more than enough to continue learning from Raze. Most of my classmates left not long after this part deciding they'd had enough. They were still unable to do anything really meaningful with what they had. Me, I was just getting started. I was still pretty sure I would eventually be able to use a wand if I stuck with it."
Roland leaned toward the fire a bit looking at his brother. "Ben, give me hand would you?"
Ben turned to the fire holding out his hand while twitching his fingers a bit. An intense look was on his face. Both Harry and Hermione watched as the smoke from the campfire began gathering about in front of Roland forming an opaque sheet. After it took shape Roland began tracing his fingers through it. Where his fingers traced the smoke was freed to waif away. After a few moments both of them found themselves staring at a crude spellform. Hermione frowned trying to decipher it but Harry recognized it right away.
"I know this spell; it's mentioned in the Advanced Defense against the Dark Arts books Sirius got for me last Christmas. You're writing the spell for 'Call Lighting'."
Hermione's eyes widened at Harry's revelation. At her look of disbelief Harry shrugged his shoulder with a little smile on his face. "What? It's a Defense subject. I remember it because it's a Dark Art with only a few counters, none of which are any good if you didn't know the spell was coming. It's just shy of an Unforgivable. The only reason it's not is that it has counters to it."
"I was just surprised Harry. Even you have to admit advance studying is not really your forte." Harry nodded not denying it but enjoying the feeling of actually getting one over on her. Hermione turned to look at the spell again. "I've heard of this spell. It was favored by a sect of religious fanatics during the Grindelwald war. They called themselves the 'Wind of Tempest'. If I remember correctly they fought against both sides but were pretty much all killed during that time. It was pretty nasty by the few accounts I've come across."
Roland nodded his head. "Yup, this is one nasty piece of work. However, this is the closest thing I can come up with for a comparative on what I did. Can either of you do this spell?"
Both shook their heads. The spell was very chaotic. One mistake and it was entirely possible the caster would completely drain their magic cores into the casting. Granted the spell would be insanely powerful, part of its appeal, but that did little good when the caster ended up unconscious afterward.
Roland waved his hand through the smoke banishing the spellform before them. "Thanks Ben. Do either of you know how lighting is made? Natural lighting?"
Hermione frowned while Harry shook his head. "You need cold air and warm air. When they meet, the warm air goes up. It makes thunderstorm clouds. The cold air has ice crystals. The warm air has water droplets. During the storm, the droplets and crystals bump together and move apart in the air. This rubbing makes static electrical charges in the clouds.
"Just like a battery, these clouds have a 'plus' end and a 'minus' end. The plus, or positive, charges in the cloud are at the top. The minus, or negative, charges are at the bottom. When the charge at the bottom gets strong enough, the cloud lets out energy. The energy goes through the air. It goes to a place that has the opposite charge. Now, obviously I don't have the kind of magical power to create a thunderstorm but this knowledge is the basis for what I can do.
"The simplest way to explain what I did is this. I agitated the molecules in the air. These hyper excited molecules replace the water and ice droplets. The closest area to me was agitated to create a positive charge while I created a negative agitation half way between us and the forest boundary. The molecular agitation created the static electrical charges I needed. When Ben pointed out the location of the Warg I 'pushed' the agitation on the negative side into overdrive while creating a slight distortion at one end to sort of aim the bolt. I never actually thought I would hit the Warg, but I was hoping to come close. It's very hard to aim something like that."
Roland leaned back picking up and then taking a long pull from the beer at his feet. "And that Hermione is what I did and the entire basis for Wyarding. The use of Science to bypass current spellform limitations and manipulation of one's magic core through training, diet, physical and mental fitness. After Raze was done teaching us and Ben got old enough I taught him everything I learned."
Ben added, "All I did with the smoke was create a trap for the smoke by 'encouraging' the smoke that was already there to go where I wanted it to and holding it static by 'encouraging' the molecules around the trap to push in opposite ways to how the air currents were currently going and preventing the smoke from mixing with too much fresh air. It's a lot harder to do if it's close to the fire because of the draw of the fire or if the wind is blowing at all. It only works so well so I had to keep fresh smoke moving in to supplement what was being lost. Ro's a lot more powerful than I am. Normally I just use it to 'encourage' sound to reach my ears or to see better at distance or in the dark. There are a lot of limits to what we can do since we're M.U.T.E.s. It's pretty tiring for us to do these things so we don't unless we have to. If there's a positive side, it takes less time for us to rebuild our cores. Less to build up to and we work ours more."
"That's…brilliant… That is bloody genius that is…" Harry raised an eyebrow at her lack of eloquence and her cursing. Hermione sat slack jawed with glazed eyes clearly lost to her thoughts. She had a look on her face reminiscent of someone who was told water was wet only to discover it actually was. The entire concept was so simple it was almost unbelievable.
Harry turned to Roland inquiring, "What happened to Raze after he figured all this out?"
"He tried to publish it all only to be laughed at by our magical community. Same thing happened everywhere he went. Wyarding requires a lot of effort and dedication. Wands are easier. Eventually he settled down not far from here intending to further push the boundaries of his wild magic. Last time I saw him was a couple of months ago when I delivered some things he ordered. Got himself a nice place and a couple of apprentices now. He mentioned it was easier to train the younger generation than convince everyone else who was too set in their ways. He's been pretty busy with it but I don't know any more. It's all way above what I can do. I've been over a decade trying to get strong enough to use a wand with no success. From what I understand wand use with his theories has taken it all to a completely different level."
Roland looked down at his wrist and the old Timex sitting there checking the time only to find it was two in the morning. "Shit, it's late. You guys can take the bedroom in the house for the night. Ben the spare bedroom is yours and I'll crash on the couch. In the morning you guys can tell us what you're willing to about whatever trouble you're in and we'll see if we can help you out of it. Jim was pretty insistent you guys needed some help but wasn't clear on the details."
The following morning Harry awoke to a cold bed. Still groggy from their late night and with his habitual rising so early it took him several long moments before he realized Hermione was not snuggled up next to him. He blurrily looked around fishing for his glasses on the nightstand next to him wondering where she might have gone. Harry had just put his glasses on when he heard the scratch of a quill moving along parchment. After a moment putting his clothes back on he found her sitting in the small kitchen not far down the hall writing a letter. Through the big bay windows he took note of the brothers sitting by the ashes of last night's campfire.
"Morning love. What are you doing up so early?"
"Morning Harry. Roland made coffee." Harry looked to where she pointed with the end of the quill in her hand. "Sweet rolls are by the pot." Hermione said.
Harry nodded fixing himself a cup and refreshing hers. "Thanks Hermione, but why are you up so early? Normally I'm the first to get up in the mornings."
"I couldn't sleep…" Hermione looked up at him. Harry once again felt himself plummet into one of her memories.
Hermione held the phone rigidly before she took a deep breath. "Okay Mum. I'll make you a deal. Answer me one question positively and truthfully, and I won't do this. As soon as Harry can be moved, we'll even come straight home."
Her mother hesitantly answered. "Okay…"
"Say Dad was in the Hospital and needed a blood transfusion. The banks are dry and only you can give him enough to save his life. The problem is that he lost a lot of blood and it would be unsafe for you to give as much as he needs. You have to choose, take a risk or let him die. Someone walks up to you, someone you trust with all your heart and tells you it's not worth it. Let Dad die so you can carry on. My question to you Mum, do you let Dad die?"
Hermione felt tears trek down her face but held a grim look on her face regardless. Several seconds of silence past.
"I didn't think so… I love you; tell Dad I love him too. If things go well I will write you."
Ellen's voice finally came across the phone. She sounded choked with a pleading edge. "Please…come home…"
"…When Harry wakes up…I will talk to him about it. After what happened…I don't know if that is such a good idea. Even if we do decide to come home, knowing Harry it won't be for some time. Goodbye Mum." Hermione barely was able to hang up the Jim's phone before she collapsed to the floor crying uncontrollably.
Harry broke eye contact with her to shake the vision from his head. This sharing memories was just weird but at moments like this it helped him a lot to understand what she was going through. "There hasn't been time to write to them or call yet has there? Is that what you are doing, writing to let them know you're alright? I'm pretty sure they couldn't care one bit about me but they must be frantic wondering if you're okay. Especially after that phone call."
Hermione nodded sliding the letter over to where Harry could read it.
Dear Mum and Dad,
As you can tell from this letter I am okay. We were successful and Harry has been completely healed from his injuries as well as…other complications that arose after the accident.
Hermione had written almost fifteen inches of letter but huge sections were scratched away leaving just those words as legible. Harry sat down across from her at the round glass table. He looked toward her and pushed all of his love and understanding through his eyes when he began speaking. "All you have to do is tell me you want to go back love, and we will. It's as simple as that."
Tears slowly trekked down her face at his words. "I can't do that to you Harry. We both know what will be waiting for us if we go back. Mum and Dad will move us away. Not to mention Dumbledore will just get his hands on you again and no telling what will happen then."
"True, but your happiness means more to me than my freedom…"
Hermione cut him off but spoke softly. "So far the only things we have learned are some potion ideas and maybe this Wyarding. We're no better off against Voldemort's Death Eaters now than before we left. We both said that when we go back it would be after we learned something that would help us in the war, help us to survive it. To go back without that knowledge or skills... It would just mean the last two months meant nothing."
Harry nodded to her points but still ached for her. Harry ached for his parents too but having never known them took the edge off the need. For him it was more wistful. For Hermione it was agony and Harry just wanted to do something to make it better.
"Maybe you should call your parents. I'm pretty sure Roland wouldn't mind. We can easily pay for the call. Maybe it would help to talk to them for a bit."
Hermione nodded at the compromise and after asking Roland's permission dialed her parents' house. The phone rang several times before someone picked it up. She felt like a bundle of nerves waiting for one of her parents to pick up.
"Hello?" came the surly voice of her father. It took her a few tries to talk past the lump in her throat when she heard his voice.
In a small voice she wasn't sure he heard she replied. "Hi Daddy…"
Chapter 13, Arx Tutela
Tears slowly trekked down the young woman's face at her boyfriend's words. "I can't do that to you Harry. We both know what will be waiting for us if we go back. Mum and Dad will move us away. Not to mention Dumbledore will just get his hands on you again and no telling what will happen then."
"True, but your happiness means more to me than my freedom…"
The brown haired girl cut him off but spoke softly. "So far the only things we have learned are some potion ideas and maybe this Wyarding. We're no better off against Voldemort's Death Eaters now than before we left. We both said that when we go back it would be after we learned something that would help us in the war, help us to survive it. To go back without that knowledge or skills... It would just mean the last two months meant nothing."
The young teen nodded his head to her points.
Roland sighed. In his hand a small video receiver rested showing the scene with the two teens in his old kitchen. A few of his questions answered by their conversation. His brother Ben sat beside him next to last night's campfire drinking his coffee and listening. "You don't look surprised."
"I figured it was something like that. Jim hinted they were in some kind of trouble." Roland said.
"Bullshit Brother. You knew who they were before you even left Heartland. For Fucks sake, I knew who he was the second I laid eyes on him. Your kids write to me too while at school and they've sent pictures."
He nodded. "Yeah, Morgan and Richard are pretty taken with them. Apparently Harry rebelled against the school staff last year causing all kinds of trouble. Even raided their Ministry a few months ago. More than enough to impress Rick. Morgan's pretty taken with Hermione for different reasons but there it is."
"The kids got balls the size of church bells; okay I'll give you that. But this is Harry Fucking Potter Roland. You can't hide him here forever. There has to be a side somewhere over there that is going to want him back. Not to mention this Voldemort has to be hunting him as well. Sooner or later they're going to find him. Even here. So. What are we going to do about this?"
Roland sighed. "I was as careful as I could when I smuggled them here. Jim's already called me and said someone showed up not long after I took off looking for them. Claimed he was tracking them so he could protect them. Jim was pretty convinced of it but followed his Dad's line and didn't tell him anything. It wouldn't take long before he learns of my dealings with Jim's people and tracks me here."
A voice from the house brought them out of their conversation. "Hey Roland, can we use your phone please? Its long distance to England but we can pay you for it." Roland turned around noticing Harry standing on his porch.
He raised his voice a bit so it would carry over to him. "Yeah, don't worry about it." After Harry walked back in the house he turned off the receiver which was still streaming video from one of his hidden security cameras in the house before putting it back in his pocket.
Lowering his voice again he spoke to his brother. "I don't know a lot but I do know some. Morgan and Richard have filled me in but it's mostly just what the rumor mill was spinning. That and what the Prophet and the Quibbler have reported. You know Missy has been taking the Prophet since they started at Hogwarts last year and the Quibbler since Morgan asked her too. When you add it all up you start to see how Harry seems to be at the center of something big. Hermione's in a situation not to different than Missy when we were kids. Minus being pregnant. There really is only one thing I can think of to do to help them. I'm gunna take them to see The Wizard."
"Fuck me. Of the entire world to take them the only place you can think of is Oz?"
"If you have a better idea, start talking. He's the only one I would trust to take them to. He's the only one who can help them."
"Jesus. I hope you know what you are doing Roland. He's just as likely to kill them as help them. I like him but squirrel shit is less nutty than he is."
"If you got a better idea Ben now's the time to put words to it. There was Umbridge who worked for the British government that got placed at Hogwarts, the slander against Harry and then this big turnaround at the end of the year. The word is War brother. I don't know what it has to do with these two completely yet but I heard from Missy yesterday. I talked to her before they woke up and she is NOT happy. It seems they are calling Harry the 'The Chosen One' now. Seems they think Harry can somehow end whatever their problems are with this Voldemort guy. He's just a kid Ben. If Hermione's anything like Missy she won't leave him to it alone. Besides, my kids go to that school Ben. Legacy's on Melissa's side and all that. What else can I do?"
Ben lowered his head thinking about his brothers words. "Alright, when do we leave?" Roland looked him in surprise. "What? You think I'm gunna let you do this alone? Melissa will kill me after she skinned your corpse. Besides, I'm a better shot than you are any day of the week. Wyarding won't help us much if this gets ugly."
Roland stood up walking toward his truck. "Us no."
Following his brother toward the old truck Ben shook his head. "You think he'll teach um?"
"Maybe." Roland opened the door to the camper shell before climbing in opening his wizards cabinet. It was a nifty thing he picked up a couple of years ago in trade for an old book on enchantment he picked up in Canada. The kids he got the book from didn't know the value but didn't really care either. They were more interested in getting rid of all the crap their father had accumulated over the years after he passed on. One of the better deals he'd done. The cabinet he got from that old warlock in L.A. One of his better works he said and Roland hadn't found a fault in it yet. He flipped the switch until it came up with his safe then quickly spun the dial to open it. "That would largely depend on them. You know as well as I do he won't train people who he does not deem worthy. We can't teach them much ourselves. If half of the rumors about them are nine tenths lies and one part exaggeration and of that one part exaggeration nine parts rumor and one part truth they don't have the time to learn this on their own. They need Raze."
"I still say this is a bad idea but I see your point. If it falls through we can see if Missy knows anyone in Scotland that can help. She's got kin over there still right?"
Roland opened the safe reaching inside. "Yeah but I don't know if the MacGregor clan will do much but harbor us for a few days. They're not exactly well disposed to the British Empire after the Rob Roy incident and they have a long memory and even better patience's."
Roland almost finished opening the safe when his front door opened with Harry and Hermione making their way toward them. By the looks on the teen's faces something was up. He waited for them to reach them before voicing it.
"You look like something's eaten ya."
Harry sighed while running his hand through his hair.
Hermione answered his question. "We… well we're not sure where to go from here. Things are happening back home." She looked to Harry and Roland noticed he seemed put out by something. "The problem is we're not ready to go back but we may have to so we can deal with it. We're not sure we can get away again though so it's a bit of a problem for us."
Roland was silent letting them tell him what they would. Either way he knew what he was going to do but they needed them to direct themselves before he said anything. After a moment Harry looked at him. "Can you teach us Wyarding?"
"Yes but it'll take years to teach you anything meaningful. You're not M.U.T.E's Your magic operates differently than ours because you have far more of it. Not to mention the wand. I can take you to the man himself though if you think you can convince him to train you. It won't be easy."
Hermione's shoulders sagged as she looked to Harry. "Maybe we can pick it up as we go. Roland's explained the basics…"
Harry was looking at Roland but nodded at Hermione's statement. "Any idea how long it would take for him to teach us something meaningful?"
Roland smiled at Harry's comment. "If you can convince him to do it, not as long as you may think."
"Harry, the reading… You heard what Dad said. Professor Lupin and Mr. Weasley told him… " Hermione whispered to him but was easily picked up by the brothers standing before them.
He shook his head. "There's nothing we can do about it my love. We can't go back or Dumbledore will catch us. You said so yourself, we're not ready but we might be with this Wyarding. There's nothing like it back home. It's definitely the ace in the hole we need. This was one of the reasons we left home in the first place aside from being together. To find new magic and learn it so when we go back we have an advantage we would not normally have. With Voldemort in the open we need every edge we can get."
That was the opening Roland needed and took it. "When do you have to be back for this reading?"
"By Monday."
Ben grunted but it was Roland who spoke. "So you have five days then. What happens if you don't make it?"
Harry scowled. "Then I forfeit my inheritance from my Godfather to someone else. Most likely it'll end up going to Draco since he's the only other blood connection to my Godfathers estate. He's… well, we don't get along."
"That sucks." Ben stated.
Roland gave him a look to shut him up before turning back to Harry. "And you're willing to let it go that way?"
"We don't have a lot of choice in the matter. If we go back now I lose a lot more than money. I'll lose Hermione and that is not something I am willing to give up."
"It shouldn't take longer than four hours to get to Oz. How about we see if Raze is willing to train you before you make any decisions."
Harry thought for a moment then nodded at the idea. The next four hours saw them traveling through what Roland explained was the Ozark Mountains. All the trees showed their green finery proudly as they traveled passed. The air was uncomfortably thick with humidity and heat but that did not stop either of the teens from enjoying the drive. It was a bit crowded with three of them in the cab of the old dodge truck however neither of them complained. Instead they listened to the stories told by the brothers involving various families who settled the areas or events they knew of the local history's that they thought Harry and Hermione would find interesting. Both found themselves impressed with their knowledge of small and large events which seemed to have shaped the various communities they passed. Ben was more knowledgeable with the Muggle population while Roland's stories centered on various magical beasts or some of the Mountain wizards and witches. Bens face was bracketed by the small cab window at the rear of the truck where he sat inside the camper as he finished explaining the significance of the old wagon trails that used to honeycomb the mountains they traveled which set the standard for modern trade and traffic even today.
Roland half listening turned the old pickup around the hill they currently were on before moving off the paved road onto the narrow dirt road to their right. Hermione sitting in the middle of the old truck noticed the road was in pretty bad repair which led her to think the road was not used much. Roland muscled the steering wheel of the old truck through fifteen minutes of zig-zags avoiding holes, fallen tree branches, and other such obstacles before they reached what appeared to be a dead end.
"Alright, we're on foot from here. Thankfully it's not much further."
All four exited the truck stretching bound muscles and moving about to get the blood flowing enough for the short trek. Roland knowing the way started leading them through the light brush with the others filing behind him. Towering above them like ancient guardians stood massive trees. The path they traveled, if you could call it a path as it was more of a rabbit trail, moved up the hill. It was at the top of the hill both teens inhaled sharply.
"Yeah, Raze is about as subtle as a brick thrown through a glass window." Ben chuckled.
The scene before them was one of the most blatant eye catching evidence of magic they had ever seen. Where most people tried to hide their dwellings through camouflage or by blending in the area it became quickly apparent that Raze held to no such standards. Before them rested a great bowl like depression that seemed almost unnatural in its perfect shape. The interior was lightly forested by what Roland called cedar trees. Each rising well over one hundred feet and boosting great vibrant green skirts. These two items, though seemingly not quite right, were not what drew the teens attentions first. No that would have been the massive wall of fog that encircled a stone tower. The tower rested perfectly in the middle of the bowl rising what must have been eight stories into the air. Around it a smattering of smaller buildings also made from stone could be seen through the trees with a multitude of smoke trails calling attention to several that could not be seen. Stretching from within a hundred yards around the tower to almost where they were stood a great amethyst fog.
The fog swirled as if moved by some unknown wind but never did it lose its shape nor forfeit the impression that it was some sort of wall. Various other shades of purple mixed within along with what appeared to be reds, blacks and golden flecks. "Humrp. It's gotten bigger. Come on, there's a tunnel through the mist we can take just a bit down this way. Hopefully they extended it with the increase."
"Is that mist as sinister as it looks?" asked Hermione.
While Roland showed them the path he nodded. "Very. It's pretty much harmless for Ben and me as well as most M.U.T.E.s but pure Mundanes or the gifted find that mist very bad for their health. For the Mundanes it causes hallucinations, paranoia or if they are unlucky enough to get lost within and stay too long, madness. The gifted find that mist worse in other ways. That mist is undiluted raw magic that Raze calls 'Wild Magic.' Spells cast within it don't work right or not at all. I've talked to a few of his apprentices and they have told me a few tales of what their spells have done because of it. More often than not the results are stupid, silly or sometimes harmful to the caster. Part of what makes Raze's methods so unpalatable to most wizarding folk is that he injects a small amount of that into each of his spells. His older students claim that with proficiency in controlling the amounts it can cause their spells to last far longer or be more powerful than they have any right to be. True Wyarding is the combination of absolute science and chaotic wild magic. I never had the power to advance this far and I am pretty sure it requires some kind of foci to initiate."
As Roland finished his explanation he found the tunnel he was looking for. It looked as if someone had cut the tunnel through the mist which caused no small amount of havoc with their senses as the mist continued to move lazily about except for within this cave like tunnel before them. "This way. Follow me as there are offshoots that run like glacier cracks all through this thing. Ignore anything you see in the mist. It will try to draw you into it by playing with your subconscious creating illusions of things that would interest you. Once in the mist you will be at its mercy. We're pretty safe here in the tunnel but in the mist anything can happen."
Harry and Hermione stayed pretty close together after the warning and followed Roland as he led them through. He kept his own eyes forward as he led them in silence. Both teens followed his example to avoid seeing anything in the mist that might tempt them.
It took almost half an hour before they exited the wall of mist into the clearing around the tower and all four of them were shaking from nerves. Breaking the silence Roland commented, "Welcome to Oz."
The area before them consisted of dirt packed roads leading to different cottages, houses, or what looked like various workshops. As they followed the main road they could see everything from glass blowers going about their wears to smith's complete with actual forges, to tanners working various unidentifiable hides. The large village, for that is what it looked like to them could have been snatched through time and dropped here had it not been for the style of dress the people wore in addition to a few other oddities. The people wore a mix of modern muggle and wizard clothes. Harry and Hermione took note of several of the craftsmen waved jovially or called to Roland in greeting which he returned just as happily.
"Everyone seems to know you here." Harry commented.
Roland nodded. "Yup. I do a lot of business with most of them since they don't leave much."
Now that they were closer to see the detail on the homes and other buildings they could see that though the rock walls looked right the roofing was entirely modern. Clay tile, tar shingle, or even sheet metal roofing made what rested on top of all of the buildings they saw. Some of the windows showed older styles mixed with more modern as well. One theme though seemed to permeate most homes and that was that most of the houses held several stained glass windows depicting scenes of nature or animals in their natural environment. They walked past a few homes with their front doors open showing them a curious mix of magical and muggle furnishings including the sounds of radio and Television programs wafting toward them on the light breeze. Harry and Hermione were also surprised to see most of the people here owned autos which clashed horribly with the outdated style of the homes. Most of the homes they passed boosted nice gardens of normal and magical plants with small crops behind showing strong individuality to each home while still some sameness as well. Children ran running through the streets chasing each other laughing while the adults just seemed to be going about a normal day.
Her curiosity piqued Hermione asked Roland, "What is this place? I don't see any power lines but there appears to be a strong mix of magical and muggle technology around. Do you know how he did it?"
"No I don't. It's one of Raze's people's trade secrets. Hell for all I know they could have buried the things and just let the mystery hang out there for the curious. Either way they're not saying nor have I ever notice any kind of power plant around. Not even windmills, water mills, or solar panels. As far as the mix goes yeah, it's pretty varied. The towns called Arx Tutela, its Latin, I think, meaning the Protected Keep. The tower is called The Retreat. Raze and his people live at The Retreat. That's where we are going. Oz was kind of a nickname given to the place back when it was first settled.
"The townsfolk are outcasts mostly. M.U.T.E.'s or the minorly gifted mixed with a few Mundanes. Started off with some of us he trained coming back with friends and family. I don't know what it's like over in England but here unless you can use a wand you are not allowed to be a part of the magical world. They got a taste for it when they were training and couldn't turn away from it. Raze told em they could settle around his Keep if they wanted to. Most of them were skilled at one thing or another. Mechanics, teachers, electricians, stuff like that so they started trading their skills with each other for things they needed. Eventually Raze started taking an interest and helped with a few things and I'm always keeping an eye out for anything they might need."
Roland pointed out what looked like a rustic school house. "See there? That's the school a couple of teachers run. Community's pretty small but the teachers are all accredited as well as the school. And there, that's the vehicle repair shop. He gets a lot of business but he's always running out of stock. Over there's the market. Everyone here grows what they like best and trade over there is pretty brisk. Home grown foodstuffs, home crafts, you can get just about anything there from corn on the cob to cabinetry. Eye of Newt, cauldrons, glassware, you name it. Better than Wal-Mart. More variety and better made too."
"What's with the style of buildings here Roland?"
"Jason, one of Raze's apprentices, is pretty good with earth magics and transfiguration. He's not a bad enchanter either. He's been selling his services to the community for years. Most of these people just pulled trailers or mobile homes down here to start with. After a while though they called on Jason to come down to do some remodeling for them. That's the result. Mobile homes transfigured into stone, steel, and wooden homes. There's a warder here as well that helps with a bunch of different wards. Everything from home security to protection."
Hermione asked, "Home security?"
Roland chuckled. "These people are still people Hermione. This is by no means a utopian society. Anti-theft alarms, burglar deterrents. Things like that and more can be done. Nothing lethal mind you but some of the more expensive wards can put you in a hurt locker for a while. They even got a hospital on the other side of the holler."
"Are there some kind of Aurors here or bobbies?" Harry inquired.
"What? You mean cops?" After Harry's nod Roland answered his question. "Well, yeah. There's a town Sherriff and a couple of Deputies. That's the town jail there." Roland pointed out a square block looking building that was one of few that did not boost a lot of windows and those that were on the building had bars over them. Curiously it was across the street from an old tavern looking building which they all noticed from the music and noise coming from it. A sign over the front doors proclaimed it to be the 'Adventurers Tavern and Inn.'
"A curious place to put a pub, right across from the local jail." Hermione noted.
Harry smirked. "Bet it makes the Bobbies jobs a lot easier though. Less distance to travel to get to the trouble makers."
Roland laughed. "Yeah, Matty built the place there for that reason. Sheriff Carson thought it was the funniest thing he ever seen."
"What about a post office or courts of law?" Hermione asked Roland.
"Got both around here somewhere. The town holds elections for most management positions in town every couple of years or so. Mostly never used much unless there's a big dispute over something. Most people though are pretty fair with each other and their dealings but it happens now and then. But yeah, she's a full town with all the amenities except for mass produced items common to most other places. Everything here is homemade or imported if they can't do it themselves. This is why the parts house is always running out of stuff though I heard he was looking into putting in a warehouse of some kind to stock up. Don't know if he's done it yet or not."
Harry noticed by this time they were about halfway to the Tower when he asked Roland another question. "I didn't think this place was this big from on top of the ridge."
Roland smirked. "Raze has some pretty good wards around this place. One of them distorts distance when you are up on the ridge. Another he has running is the camouflage canopy above us. We can't see it but over this entire area from treetop to tree top is that ward. Makes anything looking directly down see a net of cedar treetops and no ground. Cedar trees don't shed their needles during the winter so it's the perfect cover no one would question. Even satellites can't see through the illusion. Most of the repelling wards make sure the curious who have no business here go away but the canopy ward keeps them from being accidently discovered by aerial or space sweeps."
They walked the rest of the way through the town in silence just taking in the sights. It didn't take much longer before they arrived at The Retreat. Without knocking or preamble Roland opened the front door letting them all in. Inside the place was decorated in coats of arms, swords, shields, axes and various other medieval art works. Hermione reasoned there must have been expansion charms at work inside the walls because it was a lot bigger than she expected. Great Tapestries hung from the stone walls around them while sunlight filtered through stained glass illuminating the area in a riot of blues, yellows, greens and reds. The only thing that stole the image of this building being from the Dark Ages was the very modern elevator Roland led them toward.
Several doors led away from the main hall they were in as well as two grand staircases that appeared to be chiseled from marble leading to the next floor. They noticed the air was cool as one would have expected from an office building and thankfully dry. All of them had taken a bit of a beating from the humidity during their walk. With a soft ding their wait was over they all stepped into elevator while Roland punched the eighth floor. The top floor showed them more of the same decor complete with someone in a deep crimson robe standing in the room waiting for them. Both teens noticed Roland stand stiffly as he approached the figure.
"Welcome back to the Retreat, Roland Basil." The man's deep voice greeted them as they filed into the room.
"Greetings Gate Keeper. I bring two here seeking admittance to speak with Sorcerer Raze. They wish to learn the Art." Roland replied formally.
"Very well. Do they stand ready?"
Roland allowed his eyes to dart to Harry and Hermione to check their resolve. Both held themselves strait and nodded toward Roland. "Yes."
The cowled figure slowly pointed one arm toward what looked like a great cabinet or wardrobe. "Then they may enter through there where their luck and skills will be tested."
Roland nodded to the two teens. "Good luck. Keep your wands ready and be careful." He advised solemnly.
One quick look at each other and the couple made their way to the cabinet. All three figures watched their passage and stared at the cabinet door close before Ben started laughing which caused the other two in the room to start laughing as well.
"I can't believe he's still trying to scare applicants away with this whole Gate Keeper nonsense. Raze still has you on bitch duty huh?" Ben asked the robed figure.
The figure doffed the cowl of his robe revealing a young man not much older than Ben. He turned his grey eyes to the younger brother with a scowl on his clean shaven face. "Fuck yes. You play one fucking joke on him to get even for all the jokes he pulls on you and this happens."
Still smiling Roland asked. "That's what you get when you transfigure his whole wardrobe into frilly sheer pink nightgowns that everyone can see but him. How long has it been now? One, two years?"
"Feels that way but no, it's only been a couple of months. He assigned Jordan to an even worse task. He has to clean up the Tavern without magic every night for free. To be honest I'd rather be here than cleaning puke and passed out loggers. Not to mention what those assholes do to the toilets."
All three laughed for a moment at Jordan's misfortune before Ben dragged a table over to the middle of the room. Roland grabbed a couple of chairs and all sat down after a few moments. Ben pulled out a deck of cards while the other two pulled out their wallets.
"Texas Holdem boys." Ben said while he dealt the cards.
"So Roland, Harry Potter and Hermione Granger. Has to be a story there." The robed man asked.
Roland shrugged his shoulders while throwing a one onto the table. "Call. Not as much of one as you might think. Just giving um a lift. How'd you know who they were?"
The figure shrugged not answering. "Did you know they have prices on their heads?"
Roland looked up frowning at the hand he lost. A full house will beat a three of a kind every time. "Not surprised from what they've told me. How much?"
"Albus Dumbledore has offered two hundred and fifty gold coins for information that leads to his whereabouts with a thousand for his 'return'. Heard of that one through our contacts at the Government House at Krenilich. The talk is he was love potioned by Granger and took off with him. There's another one though. An underground contract for his capture that's five thousand. Half that if he's dead. We heard of that one from a two man mercenary team heading east a month ago."
"Huh. That's a lot of money." Roland mentioned as he took the pot. "Can't say as I am surprised though. I figured something like that when I picked them up."
"How long do you think it will take before they get sick of Raze or he chucks them out? Raise." Ben asked.
Roland shrugged while he tossed a five on the table to call. "I got twenty that says they make it. What do you think Bob?"
The red robed man called Bob frowned at Roland but answered. "Don't know. I know the last three were ejected within ten minutes. Not many meet his standards anymore. They're either too lazy to relearn or just can't master it. Whatever it is he's still looking for someone to take to it like he did."
Roland nodded while Ben took the fifty dollar pot with three kings. "The boundary's getting worse. What's he doing to curb that Bob? If it keeps growing the way it is there won't be any way Arx Tutela will remain hidden."
"Robert, my name is Robert you Portuguese prick. As to the boundary, he's still following that stupid prophecy. Call." Robert tossed a ten into the pot before continuing. "He won't shut down the cabinet until it's done. As it is we've laid down a Dead Zone around the barrier in a dome and re-laid the enchantments and wards around that. It's halted the field's progress. To make sure it won't contaminate the town we put in a similar Dead Zone inside as well."
"Bet that's helped with the Fey that has been sneaking through." Roland stated while showing his cards. Robert smiled as he took the pot for himself.
"Very much so. We haven't had an incident with the Fey since. They stay inside the wild magic zone refusing to enter into the Dead Zones. A couple of our craftsmen though still trade with the trusted ones."
"Dead Zones. I can't believe it came to that. You know there's no way to remove them once their done."
"I know, but a completely dead magical zone was all we could think of since he won't shut that damn cabinet down."
Roland nodded at that. It was their land so it was really none of his business. He was just curious. Ben looked at Roland while folding. "I never understood that part. How does the cabinet make the Wild Magic Zone?"
Robert folded letting Roland take the small pot. "I assume Roland's told you some of the basics about how Raze came across the thing in the first place?"
Ben nodded. "Yeah, he figured out C.S. Lewis was a M.U.T.E. but his granddad wasn't. He was some kind of inventor or something. Lewis's writings were largely based on some of the things his Granddad was a part of."
"Something like that. Anyhow, Lewis never had any kids of his own but he adopted his wife's kids as his. Raze tracked down their kids or something which eventually led him to who had the wardrobe. After he got it he moved the thing here and began experimenting with it. The land inside isn't anywhere as large as Lewis makes it out to be, more of an island than huge continents but what Raze was really interested in was how it bent the laws of time. A day for us out here is a year inside. Once Raze figured it out he modified it further compressing time so that a day passes inside for every minute out here. He also figured out how to connect it to other cabinets he himself made which expanded the terrain inside. The problem though is the matrix in which the whole thing is powered is massive. It's the power plant itself that causes the field outside."
"Think of the wild magic field as vented waste from the reactor. I remember when Raze first noticed the problem. He didn't seem too fussed by it. He liked the idea and used it to create a wall around Arx Tutela." Roland said.
Robert agreed. "Yeah. I can attest to its effectiveness having had to wade my way through it myself when I first joined him. The restraints we put on it a couple of years ago got eroded last month which sparked the current set up. Raze's seems pretty confident it will hold and I can't find fault with it."
Roland checked his old Timex. "It's been over half an hour. I guess he's agreed to teach them."
Ben smiled at Roland. "Think they're going to get pissed at the prank we just pulled on them?"
Roland laughed but shook his head. "Maybe, but getting them all worked up over nothing was the funniest thing I've seen all week! Besides, they'll have months in there to get over it."
"Hey, are you going to deal or what? I still got six hours of my shift to kill here." Robert groused.